Informed Consent by Melissa F Miller Read Free Book Online Page A

mother?”
    “Right.”
    They started their trek up the sharp incline, and Sasha hustled to match Naya’s long stride and drive home the point that she was in no way hobbled by her choice of fashionable footwear. “What did you find out?”
    “Not a ton. You know, she’s been dead for a long time. But, she left a digital trail of places they lived, hospitals where she worked, that sort of thing.”
    She nodded. Leo’s mother had been a traveling nurse. She imagined her globetrotting had created a decent footprint. “And?”
    “Well, her obituary’s available online, and it says that she was survived by one son, Leonard Connelly. At that time, he was identified as living in Washington, D.C.”
    “So anyone who knew her name could find out his name.”
    “Right. But, I’m sure it comes as no shock that the trail kind of goes cold at Leo. I mean, his name pops up in newspaper articles about your, uh, adventures. But he’s usually just listed as ‘federal agent Leo Connelly’ or something equally vague. No precise job title or department, let alone a personal residence. And he moved around a lot himself when he was with Homeland Security.”
    Naya was breathing harder now, which gratified Sasha just a bit because her feet were killing her. They were silent for a moment as they mounted the steepest part of the hill.
    When they crested the top, Sasha said, “How’s that get us to today?”
    Naya gnawed on her lower lip.
    “What?” Sasha pressed.
    Naya stopped walking and faced Sasha squarely. “Your mom.”
    “My mom?” What could Valentina possibly have to do with any of this?
    Naya gave a wry nod. “Yeah. When the twins were born, she donated altar flowers to her church in their honor.”
    That sounded like something her mother would do. “Okay? So?”
    “So, in the September newsletter, St. Mark’s listed Finn and Fiona’s birthdate, your name and Leo’s, and your current address in case anyone wanted to drop off a casserole or something.”
    “You’re kidding.”
    “Did you get a lot of casseroles?”
    “As a matter of fact, we did.”
    “Right. The newsletter for every month is archived on the church website as a PDF. It’s the only place I found your current address and Leo’s name. But it’s not hard to find. I mean, if someone was searching for him, they could connect those dots.”
    They could and, apparently, did. Sasha was silent for a moment, lost in thought.
    “It’s an honest mistake, Mac.”
    Sasha jerked her head up and met Naya’s eyes. “You mean my mom sharing our address? I know. I’m sure it seemed harmless to her.”
    Her mother didn’t fully understand the fact that there were more than a few dangerous people who would love to know where Sasha and Connelly lived. She did understand a community coming together to support new parents, though. It was simply a function of her frame of reference.
    “You could call the church and ask them to delete it.”
    She could and likely would. But the horse had already left the barn. Closing the door wasn’t going to change anything. “Good idea. Thanks for running it down. Did you find out anything about this Wynn character?”
    Naya shook her head forcefully. “Uh-uh. No. That guy is a cipher. Maybe Hank’ll have better luck.”
    “Maybe.”
    They reached the wrought-iron gate that surrounded the manicured lawns of Golden Village and paused to look up at the building.
    “It looks like some kind of fancy New England prep school,” Naya observed.
    It did. The rolling lawns, the elaborate landscaping, and the gracious, if imposing, brick structure combined to create a feeling of understated elegance and old money. If it hadn’t been for the discreet brass sign that read ‘Golden Village Assisted Living Center,’ Sasha would have assumed the building was a private mansion and walked right past it.
    She and Naya skirted the parking lot and circled around to the front of the building. Stairs led to a wide, shaded porch that was