Chapter3
�Alexander McLean, it should be on a list or something I guess.� AJ told the lady at the front desk. �Oh, AJ right?� She asked.�Yeah. That�s right.� He said answering.
The women disappeared in to the back as he waited. Then a very tall husky man appeared from the side door.
�Hello, Mr. McLean?� He asked looking at AJ. �Yes, that�s me.� He said turning towards him.
�Hello Mr. McLean, I�m glad you could come down here in such short notice.� The man said extending his hand to AJ.
�Yeah, well figured this is as good as time as any.�
�You can just follow me to the back.� The man said as he went back through the door. �By the way, I�m officer Gracen.� The officer said introducing himself as AJ walked beside him.
�Officer?� AJ questioned. �Is this chick trying to sue me or get me for child support or something? Because I swear she�s never even called me once.�
�Child support? Mr. McLean didn�t they tell you what this was about over the phone?� The officer stopped and asked him.
�Well not really I guess. They just said that my name was on some kid�s birth certificate and I was the father.�
�Mr. McLean, I�m sorry they didn�t explain the situation to you, but there is much more to the story.� AJ�s eye�s widened a little.
�The reason you were notified has nothing to do with child support or welfare. There is no mother, Mr. McLean she was murdered.�
A cast of concern fell over AJ�s face as he continued to listen to officer Gracen. �The child�s mother was shot to death a couple of weeks ago. We�ve been trying to find her next of kind. Both of the mother�s parents are deceased, they died some time ago in a car accident. There were also no cousin�s or siblings of any kind. She did have a brother, but he also died a while ago from a liver complication. The next thing we found was your name on a copy of the birth certificate, so then you were contacted. Since you�ve had no contact with the child or for that matter even knew the child existed we wanted to give you a DNA test. Just to make sure she�s really yours. After that, the decision will be up to you.� The officer told him.
�What decision?� He asked as he stared down at the floor.
�Well, the decision to keep her or not of course, Mr. McLean. I understand you have no other children and I�m also very much aware of your fame and career. I could understand that you wouldn�t want children in your life at this time.�
�What would happen if I decided not to keep her?�
�Well then she would be taken by the state and be given up for adoption. Before that could happen welfare services would have to place her with a foster family though, just a temporary home until a permanent one could be found. You would also have to sign your rights away of course.�
�And...if I decide to keep her?�
�Then she would be allowed to live with you for a 40 day period. In that time you would be monitored, to make sure you provide a well stable home for the child. After the 40 days are up you become her legal guardian and you are no longer tracked, unless you are seen as an unfit parent. If that were to be the case, then social services would take the child and place her in a stable home. You of course would have the right to fight to keep the child since you are her only living parent. Ultimately it would be left in a judge�s hands though.�
AJ seemed to be lost in thought. A strange thought came into his head, a thought he had never thought before and it shook him a little. What if...what if the child was his? No, it wasn�t, it couldn�t be. He pushed the thoughts away as he began following the officer again. He was lead into a small room where a doctor a waited him.
�Hello, just take a seat right there. My name is doctor Sykes� he smiled. �Now this is fairly simple, I�m just going to swab the inside of your cheek and that�s it. Simple enough hu?�
AJ looked at the strange looking doctor. He kind of reminded him of the Jerry Lewis version of the nutty professor. The doctor swabbed his cheek and put the swab in a little sealed bag.
�Mr. McLean, the sample will now be take down to the lab where they can analyze it. I put a rush on this so the results should be in tomorrow. I and the rest of my team are very eager to solve this case, and figuring out who the father of this child is will defiantly tie up one more loose end.� The officer said as he looked at the sample and then back at AJ.
�So who was the mother? Did you catch the guy who killed her?� AJ asked. �I can�t give that information out to you at this point, not until we know if you are apart of this case. But your done here now Mr. McLean, you may go. Thanks for your corporation.� The officer extended his arm once again.
�No problem, I mean it�s not like I had a real choice or anything right?� He gave a half smiled as he shook the officer�s hand. On the way back home he couldn�t stop thinking about it. The whole situation was really weird. Who was this girl and who was the mother? And why did she put his name on her daughter�s birth certificate? It made no since... no since at all.