Ties That Bind

Chapter 47

"SO YOU WANT TO DRIVE THREE HOURS?" Terry buckled in beside her. "They're not going to be open when we get there."

"It's an orphanage. They've got to be open twenty-four hours a day."

"By the time we get there it will be six."

"Here, have a piece." She handed him a piece of gum. "Beer breath, yuck. And stop whining."

He stuffed the stick in his mouth. "Think of calling them? At least giving it a try?"

"I did, but they wouldn't give me any answers. Said I needed a warrant."

"Yet you think if you're in person you can change that answer."

"I can be persuasive."

"Or nag them to the point they concede?" He laughed.

"Oh shut up." She put the car into gear. "And you can manage the background check on Evan Frost on the way. Then when we get back from verifying the facts, we'll have someplace to go."

"You said Frost?"

"Do you listen to anything I say? Yes, that's the maiden name. I swear I mentioned the name."

She tapped on the steering wheel. "Type it in." She referred to the onboard computer system in the car.

She heard every key as Terry ticked off the letters in the name.

He shifted more to the side to face the monitor. "Okay, Evan Frost."

Madison swore she could hear the system grind away. "Why does everything take so long?"

"Just to piss you off."

"Oh shut up." She smiled at him. The system let out a small beep. "Okay, share." She held her next breath, waiting for the results.

"Here it is. Evan Frost, son of Evelyn Frost, father unknown. No criminal record." He paused looking up at her.

"Just means he hasn't been caught." She bobbed her head, wishing him to continue.

His eyes went back to the screen. Silence.

"What is it?"

"Beyond that, his information only goes up to a few years ago where he falls off the grid."

"What do you mean off the grid? Did he die?"

Terry shook his head. "Not according to the file."

Her mind was full of thoughts but nothing collective. She willed herself to focus. "If Evan knew about his brother, he could have every reason to frame him."

Terry stayed quiet, keeping his attention on the screen as he paged down.

She continued. "He saw Ethan as having everything he wanted. A life he'd never have. He felt like an outcast, unloved. Like he could disappear under a rock and not be noticed." She knew she used a cliché, but her words weren't forming.

"You're assuming Evan knew about Ethan." Terry kept scrolling down.

"Thinking along these lines would make sense. After years of this, rage and jealousy built up until he could no longer control it. He was willing to risk everything by trying to claim what wasn't his." Her thoughts ran to a conclusion. Her partner was focused on the screen. "Terry?"

"The file on Evan Frost stalled a few years back because he changed his name."

"Terry?" She leaned over.

"Eyes on the road."

"You can be so bossy."

"I learned that from my partner."

"In your words, hardy har." Why did she have to keep her eyes on the road? There wasn't another soul out here except for the occasional tractor that slowed her down. She didn't see any of those right now. "Terry, what do you have?"

The clicking of the keyboard stopped. "I can't believe it. I mean, you're likely going to, but I—"

"Terry!"

"He changed his name to Ethan Younge." They matched eyes.

"Guess he knew about his brother, then." Madison glanced at him, back to the road. "Address?"

"Dame Avenue."

"Guess we know where we're headed next."

Terry said, "Okay. You've explained the motive for framing Ethan. Now assuming he did, I can understand the bitterness toward his mother. But why Laura and Heather? What do they have in common with Evan besides the same orphanage? What makes a guy come back after them sixteen years later?"