Marriage and Murder (Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Book 4) by Dianne Harman Page B

woman, and she said something to me when I told her about
Jesse that’s so sad. She said no mother was supposed to outlive her children.
You just never think you’ll outlive your children.”
    “Please give her my
condolences if you see her. I assume you’ll be going to the funeral.”
    “I don’t think so. I heard
today she’d decided not to have one. She’s going to have him cremated.
Evidently she felt she couldn’t go through another funeral. Her daughter,
Celia, moved in with her after her divorce, so at least she’s not alone. I
think she and Jesse were pretty close. My heart really goes out to her, but
enough of that. How are things in San Francisco?”
    “Things are good. I wanted
to talk to you a little more about Brad and his daughters. I have a huge favor
to ask of Mike. Do you think there’s any chance he could have a DNA test run on
Brad and his daughters? I was able to get strands of hair from all three of
them without any of them finding out, and I was hoping Mike could use them for
a DNA test. I really don’t want Brad to know about this in case it turns out
badly.”
    “Mike and I talked briefly
about it. He’s concerned about what would happen if it turns out that Brad’s
not the father of the girls.”
    “He’ll never know. I’ve
decided not to tell him anything about this. If it’s good news, of course I’ll
share it with him, and he’ll be ecstatic, but if it’s bad news, I’ll keep it to
myself.”
    “Julia, that’s a big
secret to keep all to yourself, and starting a marriage off with a big secret
like that could present some problems down the road. Marriage is all wine and
roses in the beginning, but as time goes by there will be some bumps in the
road. I don’t know of any marriage that’s been one hundred percent wine and
roses, and if someone says theirs is, it’s been my experience they’re not being
honest, or their head is stuck in the sand.”
    “I know what you’re saying,
Mom, and I understand why you’re saying it, but if Mike can’t or won’t do it,
I’ll find someone in San Francisco to do it. I see ads for that kind of thing
all the time. I even saw one recently where if you sent a sample of your dog’s
hair in to them, their lab could tell you what kind of breed the dog was. I do
have to admit it sounded kind of far-fetched, but maybe it’s legit. Anyway, do
you think Mike would do it for me?”
    “I don’t know. I’ll talk
to him a little more about it.”
    “Actually, Mom, I sent the
hair samples off to you by FedEx this afternoon. You should have it tomorrow
morning. How long do you think it will take?”
    “I have no idea. I know
Mike is pretty reluctant about getting involved in this. I’ve heard that there
can be a long wait to get the results, but if Mike’s willing, he might be able
to have it done on a priority basis. Let me see what he says, and I’ll call you
tomorrow.”
    “Mom, I really appreciate
it, and don’t worry. I have a feeling everything’s going to work out fine.”
    “All right, if you say so,
and you’re the one who knows Brad. I don’t. I’m just telling you what I think,
but the ultimate decision is yours, and it sounds like you’ve made up your mind.”
    “I’ve got to go. I have to
help Brad give the girls their nightly bath. Talk to you tomorrow or the day
after.”
    “Bye, love.”
    Mike looked at her when
she walked into the room where he was watching television. “Everything okay?”
he asked.
    “Yes and no. I just hope
Julia knows what she’s doing. We’ll be getting test samples of Brad’s and the
girls’ hair tomorrow by FedEx.”
    “So she decided to go
ahead with the DNA test, right?”
    “Yes. You probably heard
my end of the conversation. I’m not sure it’s a good idea.”
    “Well Mom, I’ve never had
children, but I’ve often heard that at some point in time a child has to cut
the apron strings. Seems like she’s snipped yours. I know this probably isn’t
going to make either