Carl stroked his beard. "Maybe the clothes he wore to the reading of the will were too large."
"Maybe he's sick," Michael muttered. He glanced at the first of his two laptops and then turned his attention to the second.
"We can only hope," said Carl. He made another entry in his search engine and began again. "Any luck yet, Jackie?"
Jackie frowned. "Not yet. Like Austin said, there is nothing in the credit card statements that tell us where in France they went the year Georgia was born. They flew to Paris and then the trail goes cold. Mathew flew to London a couple of times during those six months, but neither of them used the credit cards for anything else."
"They knew Nick could see what they were doing," said Michael.
Carl frowned. "They paid cash for the hospital bill? I wonder what it cost to have a baby twenty years ago."
"Maybe Mathew got lucky in the casinos that year," Michael suggested.
"Must have," Jackie muttered. "Still nothing on the nanny?"
"Nothing here so far," Michael answered.
"Austin is right," said Carl. "Adelaide Bertrand doesn't exist, at least not publicly. I looked for obituaries and found nothing, so hopefully she is still alive."
"She said she wanted to clear her conscience," Jackie thoughtfully said. "People don't usually do that until they think they are dying. Check the hospitals."
"You mean hack in? You've got the wrong guy for that," said Carl.
"Oh, I'll do it," Michael muttered.
"Great," said Carl. "I think I'll take a little nap."
"Not until we find the Nanny," Jackie said.
*
The fight between the Connellys didn't end the night before. It picked up early the next day with Mathew following Laura all over the house. He pestered her until she finally gave in and signed the lawsuit. Once that was accomplished, he took off in his bright red car, squealing his tires as he drove out the gate and turned down the street.
During the argument, Laura repeatedly called for Teresa, but as soon as she answered, Mathew sent her away. That was okay with her. Mathew's demeanor made Teresa uneasy. She waited in the hallway and as soon as he was gone, she went to Laura.
"You look terrified," Laura said when Teresa entered the living room. "You need not be. He is gone and all is well."
"You are not upset?"
Laura came away from the window, looked at the wall clock, and counted the hours. "We set a record this time. My husband just spent twelve straight hours in my presence. I held out longer than usual. Make me a drink, will you?"