Chapter 8 - The Man Lucy Saw Was Named Owen Mercer
I identified him two days after the birthday lunch.
Not through:
Lucy.
Through:
Emily’s old professional network.
His name was Owen Mercer.
Forty-two.
Commercial photographer.
He had worked with Emily on several design projects before Lucy was born.
I remembered him vaguely.
Tall.
Friendly.
Had photographed a landscape award event.
I called Emily’s former business partner.
“Was Emily close to Owen?”
A pause.
“Friend close.”
“What does that mean?”
“They worked together a lot.”
“Did they date?”
Another pause.
“Before you.”
“How long before?”
“Maybe a year?”
There.
That was all Vanessa needed.
A male friend.
Past relationship.
Timing she could distort.
Then Rebecca, Emily’s cousin and Lucy’s co-trustee, called me.
“Mark.”
“What?”
“Did Vanessa contact you about Lucy’s paternity?”
I sat down.
“What?”
“She emailed me six weeks ago.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I thought it was offensive nonsense and told her so.”
“What did she say?”
Vanessa had claimed she had “credible reason” to believe Emily may have had a relationship with another man during the period around:
Lucy’s conception.
Her argument?
If Lucy were not biologically mine, Vanessa believed Lucy might not qualify as a “descendant” under the older Bennett family trust.
Rebecca had responded that:
one, there was no evidence;
two, I was Lucy’s legal father;
three, the trust language needed professional interpretation and Vanessa had no authority to make unilateral assumptions;
four, this was an inappropriate basis to disrupt medical distributions without actual legal guidance.
Vanessa backed off.
Publicly.
Privately, she hired someone to:
find Owen.
Then invited him to:
Connecticut.
May you like
That was the man Lucy saw.
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