St Kilda Consulting 01 - Always Time to Die

conversation, in this latest call Dan was talking with someone called Cheryl, a Genedyne technician who also had connections to St. Kilda Consulting.
    “That’s right,” Dan said. “They were mailed Wednesday, arrived Thursday.”
    “No sign of anything in the computer,” Cheryl said. “Could it have been a special order?”
    “Check everything you have.”
    “Checking as we speak.”
    Dan covered the receiver and said to Carly, “It will be a minute.”
    She turned the engine back on to keep the truck warm. There wasn’t enough snow coming down for a whiteout, but it was edging closer. Occasional gusts of wind buffeted the truck and made snow dance crazily.
    “Do you have any of the lab kits we need to send in samples for testing?” Dan asked Carly.
    “I had a dozen sent to Winifred. She only asked for ten, but I figured some extra couldn’t hurt. And I sent a dozen to your house. They should be in today’s mail.”
    “You’re brilliant,” he said, pulling her close for a fast kiss. “No, not you, Cheryl. What do you have?”
    “A yen to be called brilliant,” the tech shot back.
    “You’re brilliant,” Dan said instantly.
    “Two samples, one labeled Sylvia Castillo, one labeled Winifred Castillo, mtDNA only.”
    “Is there enough of each sample to do more tests?”
    “Sonny, you’d be amazed how much I can do with how little. What do you want?”
    Dan looked at Carly. “Y-DNA, mtDNA, and…?” he asked, holding the phone out to Carly.
    Carly took it and spoke quickly. “Go to at least twenty-five markers on the Y-DNA, and at a minimum, a maternal match and every other refinement you have for mtDNA, and I hope to God I can afford it.”
    “My treat,” Dan said, taking back the phone. “Did you get that, Cheryl? Give the samples the works and bill everything to me. And don’t let anyone know.”
    “Got it. How soon do you want it?”
    “Somebody tried to kill me. How fast can you get it?”
    Cheryl whistled. “Does Steele know?”
    “No. It’s personal.”
    “So is dying. I’ll get back to you in twenty-four, max.”
    “Wait. I’ll be sending more samples in. Same tests, same rush.”
    “Bring it on. We just got a dandy new machine that’s so fast it scares me. Anything else?”
    “No,” he said.
    “Then you’re wasting my time and your money.”
    Dan didn’t bother to say good-bye. Neither did Cheryl. He punched out and stared through the windshield.
    “Something wrong?” Carly asked.
    “Something else, you mean?” He took a long breath and adjusted the watch cap he wore to conceal the bandage on his hairline. “No, not yet. But it’s coming.”
    Carly looked at the house, where lights glowed against the early twilight brought by snowfall.
    “At least Dad isn’t home,” Dan said. “He’s so protective of Mom that I have to fight him to get to her.”
    “Maybe we shouldn’t—”
    “Too late. This isn’t a game anymore.” Dan got out and said through the open door, “But you don’t have to come. It’s not your problem.”
    “What?”
    Carly shut off the engine, shot out of the truck, and hurried to catch up with Dan. She hit the small front porch at the same time he did. He put his arm around her as if he’d been doing it all his life, knocked, and opened the door.
    “Company,” he called out, pulling Carly in and shutting the door behind them. Knowing his mother, he headed straight for the kitchen. “I brought Carly.”
    “Come in,” Diana said, hurrying into the kitchen from the greenhouse. Her dark eyes were stormy and her smile was enough to turn heads. “Have you eaten lunch?”
    “We’re not hungry, thanks,” Dan said. “We had a late breakfast.”
    “You taught your son to make a mean chili,” Carly added.
    “He’s a good cook, when he bothers.” She looked warily at her son, then at Carly. “Should I ask why you’re here?”
    Before either could answer, Diana turned her back and went to the sink to wash her hands.
    “Have you talked to Winifred today?” Dan asked.
    Diana went still. “No. Is something wrong?”
    “You tell me. You’d hear rumors before I would, especially from the hispano grapevine.”
    Diana gripped the edge of the sink. “Then it’s true? She’s dead?”
    “No one has announced it.”
    An odd shiver went through Diana. She crossed herself and said, “It is done. It is finally done.”
    “Not yet,” Carly said. “Someone shot Dan.”
    Diana whipped around, her shock clear.
    “Guess the