Chapter 5 - The Certified Swab
The clinic Arthur Vance selected was far removed from commercial paternity startups. Located in an austere medical pavilion downtown, the diagnostics center handled high-profile estate litigation, corporate forensics, and chain-of-custody biological evaluations.
Agnes was already seated in the clinical consultation suite when Samuel, Fiona, and I arrived. She was dressed impeccably in a charcoal wool coat, her silver cane resting against her knees. When Fiona walked through the door, Agnes’s lined face softened instantly.
“Hello, my brave little starling,” Agnes said, opening her arms.
Fiona rushed forward, wrapping her arms around her great-grandmother’s neck. “Grandma Agnes! Are you getting a shot too?”
“No shots today, sweetheart,” Agnes chuckled softly, smoothing Fiona’s sweater. “Just a little tickle on your cheek with a cotton q-tip. Like cleaning up melted ice cream.”
A clinical pathologist in clean blue scrubs entered the room, carrying sealed vials and digital fingerprint scanners. Every single step was recorded under Arthur Vance’s watchful eye. Arthur held a handheld camcorder, documenting the unbroken chain of custody for the probate registry.
The pathologist swabbed Samuel’s inner cheek first, placing the swab inside a tamper-evident tube barcoded with his social security number. Next came Agnes, who offered her cheek without blinking. Finally, Fiona climbed onto the examination table, giggling as the soft cotton swab brushed against her inner cheek.
“There,” the doctor said, snapping the final vial into a locked metallic canister. “Triple-verified biological markers. Samuel Holloway, Agnes Vance-Holloway, and Fiona Holloway. Complete forensic comparative lineage analysis.”
Arthur snapped the camera off. “How long until the certified documentation arrives, Doctor?”
“Given the holiday backlog, four business days,” the pathologist replied. “We will cross-reference autosomal markers, paternal lineage Y-chromosomes, and maternal mitochondrial branches back three generations.”
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Agnes leaned forward, her eyes glittering with cold calculation. “Make certain the report details the legal lineage rights to the primary Vance trust, Doctor. I want no ambiguity when the curtains fall.”
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