Chapter 10 - THE REPORT RICHARD HADRichard had his own DNA report.
That was the next discovery.
Private.
Unwitnessed.
Conducted six months earlier.
Alleged samples:
Samuel.
Ethan.
Result:
Paternity excluded.
I stared at the copy.
“How did he get my DNA?”
Richard’s lawyer eventually explained:
A drinking glass from a Vale board retreat.
“How did he get Dad’s?”
Hairbrush from Dad’s house.
No chain of custody.
No witnessed identity.
No consent.
Could the laboratory technically compare submitted samples?
Yes.
Could anyone prove the samples belonged to us?
No.
The lab disclaimer said so.
Identity of submitted reference specimens not independently verified.
Richard had been carrying a biologically dramatic but legally weak piece of paper.
He showed it to Dad.
That was why Dad agreed to the formal test.
The private result did not prove fraud by Richard.
Maybe he genuinely submitted samples he believed were ours.
Maybe he made a mistake.
Then Hartwell’s direct test showed:
Whatever Richard’s private report had compared, at least one reference was wrong.
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That created a new question.
Was the error innocent?
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