Most Wanted

Chapter Fifty-three

Griff entered his office ahead of Christine, who was tired, hungry, achy, and not completely delighted to see a woman sitting in one of the chairs opposite his desk. The woman had chin-length red hair, and was slim and pretty in a white V-neck T-shirt and hip yoga pants. She had been scrolling through her phone, but she leapt to her feet with an excited smile when they came in.

“Tanya Spencer, meet Christine Nilsson.” Griff eased into his desk chair with a tiny grunt. “And vice versa. From the Latin.”

“Christine, my God, are you okay?” Tanya beamed at Christine, her admiration plain. “It’s amazing, what you did today! You’re a hero!”

“Oh, I don’t know about that, but thanks.” Christine crossed the room and extended a hand, then stopped herself because it was covered with Band-Aids. “Tanya, I’d shake, but maybe that’s a bad idea.”

“Totally, of course, you are a hero! You could have been killed!”

“Luckily, I wasn’t.” Christine sat down, realizing who Tanya was, because her red hair was the tip-off. Tanya must have been Zachary’s new girlfriend, who had paid half of his retainer.

“Thank you so much for what you did for Zachary.” Tanya retook her seat, perched on the edge, close to Christine. “You risked your life to help him. The news is on every channel. I saw the video on my phone.”

“Well, it’s not the way I wanted it.” Christine and Griff exchanged looks since she had filled him in on the way over in the car. “But I’m glad that Zachary isn’t going to have to stand trial for a crime he didn’t commit.”

“I agree, that would’ve been an awful injustice.” Tanya’s eyes flared, a light hazel color, set close together, with no makeup. She gave off a vaguely organic vibe in brown huaraches. “I can’t stand that he’s in prison right now. He doesn’t belong in a disgusting place like that. He never did.”

“No, he doesn’t.” Christine found herself curious about Tanya, especially after Hannah had thought that she was the only girlfriend. “Anyway, it’s nice to finally get to talk to you.”

“Finally? What do you mean by that?”

“I heard about you from Zachary and the woman at the prison. You’re his girlfriend, aren’t you?”

“No,” Tanya answered, with a sheepish smile. “That’s just a story we made up to tell the people at the prison.”

Christine blinked. “So who are you?”

“I’m a single mom, and I conceived my son using donor sperm. Zachary was my donor.”

Christine couldn’t believe her ears. She didn’t know what to say or do for a moment. Griff had fallen uncharacteristically silent, watching her and Tanya. Christine was going to tell him tonight, so she might as well. She turned to face him, but before she could say anything, he winked at her.

“Christine, you didn’t really think I bought your reporter story, did you?”

“You didn’t?” Christine asked, her face reddening, despite the tiny cuts.

“I had my doubts. Like I said, you’re too nice.” Griff smiled, his eyes wrinkling into his deep crow’s-feet. “But I didn’t know what you were up to until Tanya showed up. You’re here for the same reason she is, aren’t you?”

Christine swallowed hard, looking from Griff to Tanya and back again, then took a deep breath. “Yes, I am. Zachary is my donor, too. Donor 3319 at Homestead. I was going to tell you, tonight.”

Tanya’s smile turned sympathetic. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bust you. You didn’t have to say if you didn’t want to. I just don’t think there’s anything to hide.”

Christine couldn’t say she disagreed, but she did feel bad and turned back to Griff. “I’m sorry I lied to you. It just felt too strange to tell you why I was really here. I’m pregnant, is the thing.”

Griff shrugged. “This is a brave new world, my dear. I would have lied to me, too.”

Tanya interjected, “Right, Christine, everybody’s different, so I totally get why you kept it to yourself.”

“Thanks.” Christine had never expected to meet another woman who had a child fathered by Zachary, so she was still trying to process the revelation.

“I used a donor because I hadn’t met anybody that I wanted to marry yet, all the men I met were too immature, and I didn’t want to miss out on having a child. I was going to freeze my eggs, but then I thought, why not just have a baby already?” Tanya’s face lit up. “My mom and dad were all for it, they’d been dying for a grandchild. We all just adore him.”

Christine understood completely. “So how did you find out about Zachary?”

“I’m a jewelry designer, and I have my studio at home. I keep cable news on in the background. I just happened to look up, and all of a sudden, there he was on TV. My donor. I recognized him from the adult photo he gave Homestead.”

“Me too.” Christine was actually happy to hear it, in a way. It made her feel less crazy.

“But it was super scary, thinking that the donor was a serial killer. Creee-py.” Tanya shuddered in an exaggerated way.

“Exactly.” Christine began to feel better, having the truth out in the open, even though it was awkward to have something so intimate in common with a perfect stranger.

“I freaked out and I called Homestead, but they wouldn’t tell me anything. Neither would my doctor. She didn’t even know.”

“That’s just what happened to us.”

“I live in Baltimore and I thought, Philly’s not that far. Let me go up and see what’s going on.”

“That’s just what I thought.” Christine felt her heart open up.

“So I went to Graterford, met Zachary, and I asked him, and he told me yes.”

“So you told him the truth?” Christine asked, surprised.

“Yes, didn’t you?”

“No, we haven’t told anybody.” Christine didn’t want to explain. “So you already have a child?”

“Yes. Ranger.” Tanya beamed. “He’s great. My mom is babysitting him so I could come here, but I’m home with him, all the time. He’s only eleven months old, but he’s already pulling himself up on the coffee table, trying to walk. You want to see a picture?”

“Yes, please.” Christine shifted over, her heart pounding.

“Here’s my little monkey man.” Tanya picked up her iPhone and displayed her customized phone case, which held an enlarged photo of an adorable strawberry-blonde toddler with bright blue eyes, patting a gray cat.

“He’s so cute!” Christine felt a happiness that was hard to explain, as well as confusion. She realized that she was looking at the half-sibling of her own baby.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the doorjamb, and they all looked over. Marcus stood in the doorway, his suit rumpled, his tie off, and his face a mask of concern as his eyes met Christine’s. “Honey, are you okay?” he said, hustling across the room.

“Marcus?” Christine said, confused, as he reached her side and enveloped her in a gentle embrace. She had no idea how he’d gotten here so fast, and it was hard to process that he was really here, even as she put her arms around his waist and laid her bruised cheek against his chest. She felt tears come to her eyes, but she didn’t want to feel any feelings in front of anyone else. She just wanted to go home and pray that everything could be okay again.

“Honey, I’m sorry I let you come down here alone.” Marcus released her, and his weary eyes scanned the cuts on her face. His lips parted, and he seemed appalled, but at himself. “Thank God you’re okay.”

“It’s okay, I’m okay.” Christine held back her tears, trying to compose herself. She gestured at Griff, stiffly. “Marcus, this is Griff, Zachary’s defense lawyer.”

“Nice to meet you,” Marcus said, nodding in Griff’s direction.

“Likewise. Your wife is an exceptional person.” Griff smiled, almost proudly.

“Thank you.” Marcus smiled back, his eyes glistening.

“And this-” Christine hesitated, not knowing how to introduce Tanya and too tired to keep lying, but she didn’t want to upset Marcus more than she already had.

But Tanya jumped to her feet, reached for Marcus’s hand, and pumped it with vigor. “I’m Tanya Spencer, and your wife is my hero! She risked her own life to prove that Zachary was innocent.”

“I know, it’s incredible.” Marcus’s face remained impassive, betraying none of the jealousy and resentment that Christine knew he must be feeling. “And Tanya, you are-”

“I’m a donor recipient of Zachary’s, too. Just like you guys. I have a little boy, and Zachary is his biological father.”

Marcus froze, then blinked.

Christine’s mouth went dry. “Honey, I’m sorry, I just met Tanya five minutes ago, and I shared with her and Griff that Zachary is our donor.”

Marcus’s gaze shifted to Christine, and there was a new tension around his mouth.

“Marcus, I’m sorry, it just came out.” Christine didn’t know what else to say. She couldn’t explain it anymore. She couldn’t make the situation any better. She was tired of apologizing for nothing, of keeping a secret that couldn’t be kept anymore. His ego was killing their marriage.

Griff had gone completely silent, and even the effervescent Tanya lowered herself into her chair, deflating like a birthday balloon.

Marcus inhaled visibly, turning to Christine. “Will you sit down, honey? We need to talk.”