Lost Son: A Mirielle Laurant Thriller by H.N. Wake

Author:H.N. Wake [Wake, H.N.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Vinci Books
Published: 2025-03-20T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirty-One

BELMONT, BRONX, NEW YORK, NY

The reception desk at the Pediatric Unit of the St. Barnabas Hospital was decorated in bright primary colors of red, blue, and yellow and balloons had been painted on the walls.

Harriet approached the older male receptionist with a smile.

He asked, “When’s your appointment?”

She said, “I’m actually here to speak with a nurse. Verity Johnson.”

“Oh. Well, you’ll have to wait. She’s in with a patient right now.”

She smiled again. “That’s fine.”

While she waited, Harriet texted Finnegan Smythe from the NGO BankScheme. “It’s Harriet Godwin. I may be able to make it tomorrow for the music. That still on?”

He texted back quickly. “100%. We’re getting there around 5 p.m. Concert at Rumsey Playfield. Just text me.”

At the thought of a social outing, her heart raced. But the feeling was manageable. She sent him a thumbs-up.

He replied with a smiley face.

Thirty minutes later, the beautiful Ms. Verity Johnson, in hospital blues with a tag pinned to her chest, approached Harriet in the waiting room. “Are you looking for me?”

Harriet nodded. “Can we speak? It will only take a few minutes.”

“What’s this about?”

“Emil Hasting.”

Verity’s eyes widened. Then she said softly, “What about him?”

Harriet motioned to bench outside the sliding-glass door.

Once seated, Harriet handed over her phone. On the screen was the photo of the service of Emil’s funeral, zoomed in on the back row, where Verity had sat with the boy.

Verity handed the phone back with an inscrutable expression. “OK?”

“My name is Harriet Godwin. I work at an investment firm. We do research on companies. We make assessments. We take positions on companies we think have issues. Fraud. Deception. We short them.”

Verity watched her with perceptive eyes. “You’re shorting Hasting?”

“We’re looking into it. Honestly, it’s early days.”

“You want to learn more about Emil? How is that gonna help you?”

“I’m not entirely sure at this point. But I want to at least identify all the loose ends.”

Verity gazed across the street. “Well, I’m certainly a loose end.”

Harriet’s skin tingled.

Verity turned to her with a steady look. “Go ahead, say what you’re thinking.”

Harriet said, “That your son is Emil’s.”

Verity nodded.

“The family doesn’t know.”

Verity glared. “The hell they don’t, and they never will.”

Harriet held up her hands. “They won’t hear it from me. You can be sure of that.” She set her hands on her thighs. “When did you two date?”

“We went on our first date when I was just out of college. We were together a year without telling anyone. The second year, he told his mother.”

“His mother was OK with it?”

“Yes.”

“The sisters?”

“He never told them. They weren’t close.”

“You ever meet the mother?”

Verity straightened her top with a small tug. “Once. Over a lunch. I went with Emil. She was nice enough. Old money, polite. Never said anything untoward to me. We talked about her collections and the museums she visited. She was very into it. Sounded like she flew around the world a lot.” She shrugged. “I guess the way rich people do. They just decide where they want to go and they take a private jet and go.

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