Read Fast Lane for Free Online Page B

me in disbelief and told me there was nothing in them. I took the folder from her and went through it myself. She wasn’t quite right. While it didn’t identify her birth parents, it did list the name of Arthur Minnefield, a lawyer from Oklahoma City, who had obtained the baby for adoption.
    “ It doesn’t say who my parents are,” Mary murmured again.
    “ The adoption forms usually don’t,” the paralegal stated. “They usually only list the source of the adoption.”
    That wasn’t a hundred percent right. More often than not they also include the names of the birth parents. Thinking about the hoops Wilson had put me through simply to get the name of another lawyer made my foot start to itch. I would’ve liked nothing more than to have booted her out the window. I considered whether it was worth owing Tom Morton a favor and at least having her booted out of the firm, but after taking a deep breath, decided to let it pass. I copied down the name of the Oklahoma City attorney and then dropped the folder onto her desk.
    Mary was visibly upset. I guess she had convinced herself that she was finally going to find out who her parents were. Sort of like a kid waiting for her Christmas present only to open an empty box. It was cruel, but you see, life just ain’t easy. Even when it should be. Even when you’re doing okay and have a successful business and have people clapping you on the back and asking for your autograph. Even with all that, you still end up having your nose rubbed in it day in, day out. I guess Mary was just too young to understand.
    To cheer her up I offered to take her out for dinner. We ended up at a barbecue joint I know in North Denver. Mary brooded, chewing halfheartedly at a baby back rib. I watched her for a while and then remarked how we at least knew where she was from.
    “ We know the lawyer who arranged for my adoption is from Oklahoma City,” she corrected me.
    “ Odds are, so are you. I’ll make some calls. If I don’t get anywhere, I’ll head out there myself. Probably tomorrow afternoon.”
    “ Do you think you’ll find anything?”
    “ No doubt about it.” I licked some barbecue sauce off my fingers and drank down half a pint of beer. “I’m sure Minnefield’s records show who your birth parents are. I have a good feeling about this, Mary.”
    She took another nibble from her rib and then put it down. “I’m too nervous to eat.”
    “ Don’t be. I could be in Oklahoma for a few days. I would hate to think of you starving to death before I got back.”
    Her face had gotten very pale. “You really think you’re going to find out who my parents are?”
    The way she was looking at me did something to me. It was so touching, so innocent, her soft brown eyes so large and trusting. It gave me a warm feeling in my chest. I told her it was almost certain I would come back from Oklahoma City with the names of both her parents. I couldn’t see any way that I wouldn’t be able to find them. It was simply a matter of tracking down the lawyer.
    After dinner I dropped Mary off a couple of blocks from the Statler Building where she had parked her car. I went back to my office and checked for messages. There was one from Max Roth saying that he had made some progress and expected to have the job finished by the end of the week and he wouldn’t be needing any help from me. The other messages were from prospective clients. I copied down their details and then flipped though my pile of open case reports.
    There was a knock on my door. Mary came in, hesitated, and then took a step towards me.
    “ I’m sorry, I don’t want to bother you,” she started, her words kind of rushing together. “I just want to thank you for everything you’re doing for me. I can’t tell you how important this is to me.”
    As she talked her eyes changed subtly. There was an aching in them, a determination. They made my knees turn to water. I started to say something but just couldn’t think. I could