Chapter 8 Who Was He

Lyle and Novalee walked out of the hospital, immersed in conversation.

Meanwhile, Millard stumbled upon a Bluetooth headset on his wheelchair.

Gazing at it momentarily, he realized it was a high-end, limited edition Beats' Bluetooth headset.

Most likely, the young boy he'd seen earlier had left it behind.

Curiosity piqued, Millard lifted the headset and was about to ask Josue to put it away when a voice from the headset caught his ear.

What was happening?

Pressing it to his ear, he heard a woman's inquiry.

"If I want a paternity test by testing the amniotic fluid, when can I do it?"

He had a good memory, so he instantly recognized the voice as Pattie's.

Just having met Pattie the day before, he was sure of what he heard.

The ensuing conversation on the headset seized Millard's focus.

"When you are about fifteen weeks pregnant. The specific time relies on the baby's growth inside the womb."

"About fifteen weeks?" Pattie sounded anxious. "Then I have to wait for three months? It's too long. I can't hold on that long. Is there another way?"

"We can only do the paternity test when you are more than fifteen weeks pregnant. However, some advanced private hospitals and specialized centers can do the test on pregnant women's IV blood at six or eight weeks. Consult with them."

"Okay."

A rustling noise followed, signaling the conversation's end, and Millard placed the headset aside.

It appeared someone had bugged Pattie, possibly the young boy he'd encountered.

He looked only six or seven years old.

Who was he?

Intrigue swelled within him.

Handing the headset to Josue, Millard instructed, "A little boy ran into me in the hospital. This headset must be his. Have Cody find out who he is."

Josue's eyebrows shot up at this unusual request.

Why would Mr. Patel want to investigate a young boy?

As Josue took the headset, understanding dawned on him. "My god, this headset is worth a car! I believe he hails from an affluent background. Otherwise, his parents wouldn't have purchased such a high-end headset for a young boy. Are you not able to identify him, Mr. Patel?"

"I don't recognize him. He seems familiar, but I can't quite remember where we might have crossed paths before."

Josue nodded. "Alright, I'll have Cody investigate. Shall I return the headset once we find him?"

Millard's hand tapped his wheelchair's armrest, his mind on the boy's face and the overheard conversation.

After a brief pause, he said, "Hold on returning it. Give me his information first. I'll decide from there."

Josue's surprise deepened. "Yes, sir."

After a moment's silence, Millard added, "Make an appointment with Rowley for me. I'm visiting the Mitchell family this afternoon."

"Understood, sir."

At that instant, Josue's phone started to ring, and he answered promptly. Listening for a while, he faced Millard and conveyed, "Mr. Patel, Cody couldn't dig up any information about the boy you met."

Millard's eyes narrowed as he inquired, "He found nothing? What's the meaning of this?"

"Cody checked the hospital's surveillance footage but found it strangely altered. He didn't find any trace of the boy you mentioned. Upon closer inspection, he realized that parts of the video were replaced. Whoever did it was very skilled. The boy vanished from the video."

Millard squinted, remarking, "Well, that's quite intriguing."

Josue then shared another unexpected discovery. "Cody noticed someone unexpected in the surveillance video, though."

"Oh? Who might that be?" Millard's eyebrows lifted.

"Miss Shaw, or rather, Novalee Webb."

A surprised Millard questioned, "Novalee? What was her business at the hospital?"

After a pause, he commanded, "Have Cody send the video to me."

"Right away, sir."

The video arrived quickly, and Millard saw Novalee dashing into the hospital, rushing to the emergency department's nurses' station, and asking something with apparent distress.

A nurse responded, and Novalee appeared disappointed. She showed the nurse her phone before moving aside to make a call.

After viewing the video, Millard ordered, "Find out from the nurse in emergency department what Novalee was doing there."

"Of course, sir."

Millard received the information swiftly. "Mr. Patel, the nurse said Miss Shaw found a little girl with a congenital heart disease relapse yesterday. She took her to the hospital and paid the medical fees. Today, she came to see if the girl's parents were there. She wanted to be reimbursed."

"To get reimbursed?" Millard's eyebrows shot up again. "Does she seem in need of money?"

"I wouldn't say so."

"Neither would I. Furthermore..."

He paused, puzzling over why she'd be so desperate for the money.

"Did you learn the little girl's name?"

"Yes, her name is Carola Mitchell. She was treated and left the hospital shortly after."

"Carola Mitchell? Investigate her."

After a moment's thought, Josue added, "Rowley and Pattie raised a little girl named Carola Mitchell with congenital heart disease. When Rowley took over the Shaw Group, he benefited greatly from using his daughter's illness. I remember because he mentioned it to me several times."

As Josue spoke, realization dawned. "Carola is Rowley's daughter with his ex-wife, meaning..."

"She is Novalee's daughter," Millard concluded.

It suddenly made sense why she had been so frantic.

"Ah!" Josue's eyes widened as he exclaimed, "Yes! Novalee is Rowley's former wife, and they share a child. Mr. Patel, about the contract you wanted to sign with Novalee, do you still..."

"She's been married before. What of it?" Millard replied indifferently. "I merely want her to cure my disease. Her marital history is of no concern. Having a child might be beneficial, as I can use her as leverage to ensure Novalee signs the contract."