The Heart Left Behind (Cole and Yvonne) novel Chapter 191

Lorraine noticed the concern in my eyes and gently rubbed my brow. "Give me a week, and I'll produce an ad Ms. Langley is surely satisfied with."

She had confidence in the field she was skilled in, and I let her handle it on her own. I could use this time to investigate her and Sam's backgrounds further.

…

In the office, Murphy placed a stack of documents in front of me. "Here are Sam's academic records from childhood. It seems he's been an orphan since birth."

An orphan? Something didn't seem right about that.

"Where did he grow up?" I asked.

"I heard he lived in an orphanage until he was old enough for kindergarten. That's when Gerald took him in and raised him as his own son."

I examined the photos he gathered. "That's not how someone treats their adopted child. This looks more like he's making it up to him."

"Making it up?" Murphy followed my gaze and spotted something wrong. "Mr. Joplin, look at this photo."

He handed me a family portrait. Gerald's current wife was glaring daggers at him, her hatred practically oozing from the photo. It was the kind of hate that would push someone to torture and murder.

"Gerald's good at hiding secrets, isn't he?" I was almost certain now—Sam had to be Gerald's illegitimate son. The Sommertons probably refused to acknowledge him, and Gerald's wife didn't allow him to live with them.

Hence, Gerald could only create a fake identity for Sam and leave him in an orphanage. When Sam got older, he brought him back, claiming he was adopted. This way, no one would question him, and they would even think he was doing a good deed.

"What a cunning old fox." I tossed the photo back, uninterested in the family's fake smiles.

Out of all the photos, Lorraine appeared in only a handful. I leaned back with my hands resting behind my head. "What about Lorraine?"