“Because Mrs. Lawson blackmailed him,” Julian added.

Margaret did not flinch.

She stared back at Julian with cold, empty eyes.

“That is a lie,” Margaret said. “My lawyers will destroy you for slander.”

“My father kept the audio tapes, Mrs. Lawson,” Julian said. “He recorded his private phone calls.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small digital recorder.

He set it on the desk next to the paper.

“He kept them in a safe-deposit box at the Denver National Bank,” Julian said. “I opened it yesterday.”

He pressed the play button.

The sound of static filled the small room.

Then, a woman’s voice came through, clear and unmistakable.

*”If you want the state medical board to overlook your billing discrepancies, Dr. Morris, you will do exactly as I say,”* Margaret’s voice said on the recording.

*”The child cannot have Ethan’s DNA. Use the donor profile from the anonymous file I sent.”*

The recording cut off with a sharp click.

Ethan looked like he had been struck in the chest.

He turned slowly to his mother, his lips parting but no sound coming out.