Forget to Remember

not really worth pursuing. It won’t help our cause. What we need to do is establish Carol’s identity beyond a doubt. One problem, Elizabeth, is they can claim you denied Carol was your granddaughter.”
    Carol said, “I mailed Grandma’s DNA test last night. I’ll call Frances and tell her it’s on the way. With her connections to the lab, she can probably speed up processing.”
    “That’s good, but they can claim there’s no proof the DNA really belongs to Elizabeth. In fact, they can claim the same thing with Carol’s. You’ll both have to take additional DNA tests under the supervision of the probate court. That’s one reason we have to keep you alive.”
    The joke fell flat, but it started Carol thinking. As they ate apple pie, she called Frances in California. Fortunately, Frances was home. Carol quickly brought her up to date on the situation. Frances was glad to hear from Carol and she was pleased her identity had been established. Carol told her about the DNA test, and then mentioned Paul and Mrs. Horton were present. She turned on the speakerphone and asked a question. She wanted Paul and Mrs. Horton to hear the answer that would confirm what she had already told Mrs. Horton.
    “Assuming we can prove the DNA belongs to us, will it prove I’m Mrs. Horton’s granddaughter?”
    “Your mitochondrial DNA, the DNA passed by women to all their children, should be the same as Mrs. Horton’s. It will show you’re related but won’t prove exactly how. That, in addition to other evidence such as Mrs. Horton testifying that you are her granddaughter, should be sufficient to establish your identity. Your autosomal DNA, the DNA that isn’t sex-linked, will also help, if necessary. You have inherited approximately a quarter of Mrs. Horton’s autosomal DNA, perhaps in blocks, and it can be used to establish with a high probability that you’re closely related.”
    “Hi, Frances, Paul Vigiano here. Would you be willing to testify as an expert witness if we need you? Of course, we’ll pay your expenses and a fee for your time.”
    “I’d be more than happy to testify if it will help Carol. One more thing, Carol. Remember Victoria Brody? We got the results back for her full genome mtDNA test. You aren’t a match. She isn’t your mother.”
    Carol sighed. “That’s good. We don’t need any more complications right now.”
    ***
    Carol walked Paul out to his car. She wanted to speak to him out of earshot of Mrs. Horton. “How long before you’ll need me for some kind of testing or court appearance?”
    “It’ll be a week or more. You know how the law works. It grinds slowly.”
    “I can’t just sit here and wait for Michael to strike again. I’m sick and tired of being the victim. I’m convinced that in my former life I was an action kind of girl. I’m going looking for Michael. The hunted is going to become the hunter.”
    Paul was upset. “Don’t do it. You’re safe here. I’ve got a detective working on locating Michael. If we can find out where he is, we’ll have him arrested. If he can’t find Michael in a reasonable time, we’ll go back to our original plan and talk to the authorities.”
    He couldn’t dissuade her. He offered to give her a gun, but she refused. “I don’t know enough about guns, and I can get into trouble if I’m caught with one crossing state lines or whatever. Even you might not be able to get me off the hook. I’ve watched some martial arts movies recently, and I’ve come to the conclusion I probably studied karate or something similar. I verified that with Grandma. It’s coming back to me. I can take care of myself.”
    “Karate isn’t very effective against a gun.”
    “He won’t have a chance to use it.”
    Paul gave her a hug and showed concern for her that went beyond sex. That pleased Carol until she remembered she was worth several million dollars to him.

    CHAPTER 34
    Audrey drove Carol back to the farm after Carol turned in her rental car. They talked about safety. Audrey slept in the upstairs spare bedroom where she could hear Mrs. Horton if the older lady needed help during the night. Audrey had a phone beside her bed with the number of the security service on speed dial. If she heard noises she could be connected to the guard on duty within seconds. Audrey assured Carol she was a light sleeper.
    Their best defense other than the guard was Butch. He stayed downstairs at night and sometimes barked at noises he heard outside. This