Within the lab, time seemed to stop. Six-Thirty lifted his head, watching the two women. The older oneโs arms surrounded Elizabeth like a protective cocoon, Elizabethโs loss something she seemed to know by heart. Although he would never be a chemist, he was a dog. And as a dog he knew a permanent bond when he saw one.
โIโve spent the majority of my life not knowing what happened to my son,โ Parker said, holding a trembling Elizabeth close. โI have no idea what his adoptive family was like, if the bishopโs story was completely false or only partly true. I donโt even know what brought him to Hastings. The truth is, I still know very little,โ she said. โOr did until I checked the foundationโs
P.O. box and found something unusual buried beneath months of junk mail.โ
She reached down into her bag and took out a letter. Elizabeth recognized the handwriting immediately. Madeline.
โYour daughter wrote to Wilson and mentioned her family tree project
โthe one that appeared inย Life.ย She insisted that her father had been raised in a boys home in Sioux Cityโsomehow, she knew Wilson had funded it. She wanted to thank him personally, tell him the Parker Foundation was on her tree. I thought it might be a crank letter, but she had so many details. Adoptions are usually sealed, Miss Zottโ a heartless practiceโbut with Madelineโs information, a private investigator was finally able to ferret out the truth. I have it all here.โ She reached back into her bag to withdraw a large folder. โLook at this,โ Parker said, her voice defiant as she extended
her own faked death certificate, payback for her non-cooperation at the unwed mothers home. โThis is how it all started.โ
Elizabeth took the certificate in her hands. Madeline had once said Wakely believed some things needed to stay in the past because the past was the only place they made sense. And as it was so often with the things Wakely said, Elizabeth saw the wisdom in it. But there was one last thing she felt Calvin would have wanted her to ask.
โMiss Parker,โ Elizabeth said carefully, โwhat became of Calvinโs biological father?โ
Avery Parker opened the file folder again, handing over yet another death certificateโalthough this one was real. โHe died of tuberculosis,โ she said. โBefore Calvin was even born. I have a picture.โ She opened her billfold and extracted a weathered photograph.
โBut heโโ Elizabeth gasped as she took in the young man standing next to a much younger Avery.
โLooks exactly like Calvin? I know.โ She slid a copy of the oldย Chemistry Todayย magazine out and placed it next to the photograph. The two women sat side by side as Calvin and his even younger father looked up at them from their separate histories.
โWhat was he like?โ
โWild,โ Avery said. โHe was a musician or wanted to be. We met by accident. He ran me over with his bike.โ
โWere you hurt?โ
โYes,โ she said. โLuckily. Because he lifted me up, put me on his handlebars, told me to hang on, and rushed me to a doctor. Ten stitches later,โ she said, pointing to an old scar on her forearm, โwe were in love. He gave me this brooch,โ she said, pointing to the lopsided daisy on her lapel. โI still wear it every day.โ She glanced around at the lab. โIโm sorry about meeting here. In hindsight, I realize this might have caused you some pain. Iโm sorry. I just wanted to be in the room whereโโ She stopped.
โI understand,โ Elizabeth said. โI really do. And Iโm glad weโre here together. This is where Calvin and I first met. Right over there,โ she said, pointing. โI needed beakers, so I stole his.โ
โThat sounds very resourceful,โ Avery said. โWas it love at first sight?โ โNot exactly,โ Elizabeth said, remembering how Calvin had demanded
that her boss give him a call. โBut we ended up having our own happy accident. Iโll tell you about it sometime.โ
โIโd love to hear it,โ she said. โI wish I could have known him. Perhaps through you, I might.โ She took a shaky breath, then cleared her throat. โI would very much like to be part of your family, Miss Zott,โ she said. โI hope thatโs not too bold.โ
โPlease, call me Elizabeth. And youย areย family, Avery. Madeline understood this a long time ago. Itโs not Wilson she put on the family treeโ itโs you.โ
โIโm not sure what you mean.โ โYouโre the acorn.โ
Avery, her eyes a watery gray, took in some distant point across the room. โThe fairy godmother acorn,โ she said to herself.ย โMe.โ
โ
From outside they heard footsteps, then a quick knock. The lab door swung open and Wilson stepped back in. โIโm sorry to intrude,โ he said cautiously, โbut I wanted to make sure everything wasโโ
โIt is,โ Avery Parker said. โIt finally is.โ
โThank god,โ he said, putting his hand to his chest. โIn that case, as much as I hate to bring up business, thereโs a lot that needs your attention, Avery, before we leave tomorrow.โ
โIโll be right there.โ
โYouโre leaving already?โ Elizabeth asked, surprised, as Wilson shut the door behind him.
โIโm afraid I must,โ Avery said. โAs I mentioned earlier, I wasnโt really planning on telling you any of thisโnot before we had a chance to get to know each other.โ Then she added hopefully, โBut weโll be back soon, I promise.โ
โLetโs say supper at six, then,โ Elizabeth said, not wanting her to go. โThe home lab. Everyoneโyou, Wilson, Mad, Sixty-Thirty, me, Harriet, Walter. Youโll need to meet Wakely and Mason at some point, too. The whole family.โ
Avery Parker, her face suddenly familiar with Calvinโs smile, turned back and took Elizabethโs hands in her own. โThe whole family,โ she said.
โ
As the door closed behind them, Elizabeth bent down and took Six-Thirtyโs head in her hands. โTell me. How soon did you know?โ
At two forty-one,ย he wanted to say.ย Which is what I plan to call her.
But instead he turned and jumped up on the opposite counter and grabbed a fresh notebook. Removing the pencil from her hair, she took it from him, then opened to the first page.
โAbiogenesis,โ she said. โLetโs get started.โ