A Caged Songbird's Escape: Into the Arms of a Predator novel Chapter 535

It was a question Laurel had been turning over in her mind for days. She had even consulted Lawrence Quinn about it.

His explanation was textbook: there was always a fractional margin of error in genetic testing.

But there was a far more sinister possibility. The sample itself was authentic.

Which meant Maya and Marcia knew exactly who the real Vera was, had secretly harvested her DNA, and bribed someone inside the lab to swap the samples.

Lawrence had personally delivered the vials to the facility. Who else had the access to tamper with them?

Laurel didn't have the energy to dwell on Lawrence's suspiciously close relationship with his secretary, Helena. She certainly wasn't going to waste her breath arguing about the morals of a secretary with a man she was about to finalize a divorce with.

Glancing at her watch, she realized she was already late for a meeting. She didn't have time to spell it all out for Jesse. "Figure it out yourself," she said dismissively.

With a tap of her screen, she ended the call and strode purposefully into the conference room.

But right before she crossed the threshold, she stopped dead in her tracks. She pulled her phone back out and dialed another number.

"Mr. Halloway, are you at the manor? Good. I need you to quietly pull the security feeds from the night of my grandfather's eightieth birthday gala."

"Yes, starting from the exact moment Lawrence Quinn arrived to collect the DNA samples. Copy every single camera angle on the first floor and send them to my secure email."

That was it.

The swap didn't necessarily happen at the lab.

It could have happened right under their noses.

***

Elissa sat in gridlock traffic during the evening rush hour, but not even the endless sea of brake lights could dampen her radiant mood.

It was wonderful.

She wouldn't be a stain on Rowan's life. It was absolutely wonderful.

While waiting at a red light, she gently rested a hand over her slightly rounded belly, her eyes softening.

As long as she had known him, Rowan always dragged Ian along whenever he traveled for business.

There was a brief silence on the line before Ian explained, "No, the trip was extremely last-minute. Since Mr. Murphy just aggressively acquired all those shares from the matriarch, he was worried she might try to retaliate while he's out of pocket. He left me here to keep an eye on things."

"Oh, okay." Elissa agreed, though a faint sense of unease settled in her stomach. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. "I understand."

After hanging up, she opened her car door. The biting chill of the late autumn air made her shiver, but when she looked up, she saw Janice Garrett standing a few yards away, leaning on her cane and holding a cashmere shawl.

Elissa immediately jogged over, sending the older woman into a panic. "Don't run! Walk slowly! You're carrying a baby for heaven's sake!"

She might be about to become a mother, but at heart, she was still just a reckless girl.

Janice shook her head in fond exasperation as Elissa approached, draping the warm shawl over her shoulders. "The temperature drops so fast these days. You need to keep an extra coat in the car."

"It doesn't matter if it's just a few steps to the door. One bad draft and you'll catch a terrible cold."

Listening to the older woman's relentless fussing, Elissa didn't feel annoyed in the slightest. Instead, she gently took Janice's arm and helped her walk. "How is your ankle today? Is the swelling down? You really should have just sent Mrs. Gable out with the shawl. What if you slipped and hurt yourself again?"