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Chapter Fourteen

The following morning,Fallon sat in the parking lot of a convenience store, blowing on a steaming cup of coffee as she watched the sun come up. The wipers cleared the damp morning dew from the windshield, letting in the first orange-hued rays. She set the coffee in the holder and unlocked her phone, tapping in the last name of her maternal grandmother—Odom. Instantly, numerous findings populated the screen. She scrolled down, finding an obituary for a Barbara Odom, age seventy.

Fallon clicked on the link and the window opened to the Horsham and Lowry Mortuary page, a full-page obituary with a photograph on the right side of an older, nice-looking woman with white hair. Fallon scanned the obituary and learned that Barbara Odom passed away after a short illness two months before. Her husband had predeceased her a few years before. Fallon read through the list of accomplishments she’d done for various charities and foundations in Denver, and then she stared at two names of the surviving relatives to Barbara Odom: Joanna Richardson and Fallon Richardson.

Fallon touched her parted lips, a flush of adrenaline tingling through her body. Her eyes went back to the smiling woman in the photograph.That’s my grandmother. I wonder if Mom knows she died. I wonder if Mom is in Denver.Her heart beat rapidly and she struggled to breathe. For a long while, she gulped in air as her gaze stayed glued to her grandmother’s picture.Shanna was talking about me.

Another car pulling in next to her in the lot made her jump. A young man in a suit dashed into the convenience store. Fallon glanced around and noticed several cars coming and going from the parking lot. The sky had ripened from an orange color into a pale blue. Wisps of white clouds stood unmoving. She looked down at her phone and tapped in the words “law firm probate for Barbara Odom,” and in a second, the Naylor Hastings Garber LLP law firm popped up. She leaned her head back on the rest, knowing time would pass at a snail’s pace until the law firm would be open. There was a two-hour wait until nine o’clock, but it seemed like a lifetime.

Closing her eyes, images of her mother and the older woman in the photograph danced in her mind. From what she could make out, her mother had the same eyes as Barbara Odom.She’s my grandmother, and all this time we were only separated by four hundred miles.A thread of sadness wove through her as she realized that she’d never get to know her grandmother. They were related, yet she never had the chance to decide whether she wanted a relationship with her or not; it had already been decided for her. Heaviness set in as she waited for the time to pass.

At nine fifteen, she dialed the law firm and told them who she was. The secretary put her on hold.

“Scott Garber,” a pleasant voice said.

“Hi. Uh… my name’s Fallon Richardson and I think you know… uh… knew… my grandmother. Her name was Barbara Odom.”

A small laugh came through the phone. “Have you forgotten our last phone conversation?”

“I’ve never called you before. I just found out about my grandmother by doing an Internet search. I overheard my dad and his wife talking about a letter you sent about my grandmother’s death.”

A long silence ensued, and then she heard him clear his throat. “Can you please give me your social security number, date of birth, and driver’s license number?” She complied. “There seems to be something strange going on here. I spoke to someone saying she was Fallon Richardson. The only thing she didn’t know was the driver’s license number, but she said she didn’t have it on her and would call me back with it. I spoke with her a few days ago. I set up an appointment with her for next Thursday.”

“It wasn’t me. I never got any letters sent to me. I live with my dad and his wife.”

Another pause. “Can you come to our office?”

“Yes. When?”

“Is tomorrow too soon? I would like to straighten this out. I can’t tell you any particulars over the phone about your grandmother’s estate. Can you drive to Denver?”

“Tomorrow’s good. Can you do me a favor, Mr. Garber?”

“What is it?”

“If anyone calls pretending to be me, don’t let them know I called and we have a meeting for tomorrow.”

“I won’t. Let’s make this an afternoon appointment since you’re coming in from the southwestern part of the state. What about four o’clock?”

“That’ll work. Thank you.”

“I look forward to meeting you.”

Fallon’s head spun as she put the phone down.Someone’s pretending to be me. I know it’s Shanna, and Dad’s helping her.The betrayal crushed her chest, threatening to suffocate her.How could Dad do this to me? I’m his fucking daughter!Tears slipped from her eyes as she stared at the people in the store.I have to find someone to drive with me to Denver. I don’t even know how to get there.She tapped in Sylvia’s number.

“Hey, Fallon. Is anything wrong?”

“No. I just wondered if you want to get away and go to Denver with me tomorrow.” She didn’t want to tell her about the situation. Even though Sylvia had been a wonderful friend, she wasn’t sure if she could keep a secret.

“Denver? Damn, girl. When you decide to start living you go all out.” She laughed.

“Yeah. Well, I’ve never been there and thought it would be great to spend the weekend and shop.”

“I’d love to, but your dad arranged another fight for Saturday night. I gotta stay around and help get things ready, and so do you.”

“I didn’t know Dad had set it up. Okay. We’ll have to do it another time.”

Disappointment curled around her as she strummed her fingers on the steering wheel. She’d go alone if she had to, but she really didn’t want to do it since the farthest she’d ever driven was to Alina. Without thinking, she dialed Diablo’s number.