North American Vampire Council & Past Calling (Hypernaturals 12 & 13)

Missing Person Formation

"Adrian and I are here to make this as non-threatening to you as we can. Sam wanted you to know he is alive, but that he understands if you never want to meet him or strike up any relationship. This is emotionally like the children that are adopted, having to decide if they want to meet their birth parent. Some do, and some do not, because they have a life and they had parents already. What is different here is one critical thing: Your mother did not tell you the truth about Sam. She went to great lengths to hide you. Emotionally speaking, this is more akin to finding out that you are adopted and your parents never told you. For many, blood relationships are important. To others, they are not."

Hannah has no way to know that Morgan is making a direct reference to us with that latter coda. I could tell from the flicker of a look my way. It's true: when Catori and Ben are born, they will have a lot of parents. Momma Morgan will be one of them.

Morgan pulled out a few documents from the plastic box. "This is your real birth certificate. Sam Parker is listed as the father. Your father." Morgan presented the legal document to Hannah.

"This is where your mother legally changed both your name and hers in a Los Angeles court." Morgan handed a multi-page court order over.

"This is where she changed you and her last name again when she remarried. This time in a San Francisco court." Another court document.

Morgan pulled out another stack of documents. "These are various rental agreements for apartments. The first in your mother's married name of 'Parker' then after she changed her name. Both list occupants as being you and her.

More pictures "These are your enrollments in public school, starting at Pre-K. The Tanya Parker name is gone by then, but the other name change is here. As you can see in the class pictures. Same child. You. One can presume that if these name changes are the same child, then the previous one is as well since the mother is noted as the same in all cases."

Morgan leaned back. "I have the chain of evidence here. It is irrefutable as to what happened and when. Sam has all this too except that I have redacted the names. I told Sam I would find you and talk to you, but that what you did with the information is up to you. That was Sam's commission as well. He is beyond sad about how hard your mother worked to separate herself from him. When you see the lengths she went to, you must wonder why. The incompatibilities were real, however, you need to understand: It was not physically abusive. That is what Lucy's mom told her: That Sam beat her. Sam would never hit a woman. Even if they deserved it, and by that, I mean a criminal we were chasing. If a woman had to be physically restrained as part of an arrest, and that involved hitting them, I had to do it. Sam absolutely would not. That is the upside to being his type of Southern Boy: A gentleman does not hit a woman. Sam had that drilled into him from birth."

Morgan spread her hands. "That is what we came here to show you. You have the truth now. All of it. Last two things." She handed Hannah an article about Sam's promotion to Captain.

Morgan laid a finger on the word 'Promotion' in the headline. "When I left Houston, it was because I took out a great deal of corruption in the department, at all levels, with Sam. Shortly after that, your father received what he deserved. That promotion in the article. He is a good man and my Partner. He always had my back no matter what, and I will always have his. Always."

"Last thing. Morgan produced a picture Bob Watts took of Sam and family, with Lucy. This one far better than the selfie looking one from earlier.

It is a Bob Watts picture, and so it is good. It also left an odd hole in the geometry. A sort of 'missing person' formation.

"That is from a few days ago. Sam, his wife Alison, daughter Lucy, his son Timothy. One child is missing." Morgan did not explain the oddity in the pose.