Woody nodded, silent.
“I…I don’t know what else I can tell you. I…” She suddenly remembered something. “I have a photograph in my purse.” She opened her purse and took it out. She handed the picture to Kendall.
They all gathered around to look at it. It was a picture of the three of them when they were children, standing next to an attractive young woman in a governess’s uniform.
“Mother gave me that.”
Tyler asked, “Did she leave you anything else?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m sorry. She didn’t want anything around that reminded her of Harry Stanford.”
“Except you, of course,” Woody said.
She turned to him, defiantly. “I don’t care whether you believe me or not. You don’t understand…I…I was so hoping—” She broke off.
Tyler spoke. “As my sister said, your sudden appearance is rather a shock for us. I mean…someone appearing out of nowhere and claiming to be a member of the family…you can see our problem. I think we need a little time to discuss this.”
“Of course, I understand.”
“Where are you staying?”
“At the Tremont House.”
“Why don’t you go back there? We’ll have a car take you. And we’ll be in touch shortly.”
She nodded. “All right.” She looked at each of them for a moment, and then said softly, “No matter what you think, you’re my family.”
“I’ll walk you to the door,” Kendall said.
She smiled. “That’s all right. I can find my own way. I feel as if I know every inch of this house.”
They watched her turn and walk out of the room.
Kendall said, “Well! It…it looks as though we have a sister.”
“I don’t believe it,” Woody retorted.
“It seems to me…,” Marc began.
They were all talking at once. Tyler raised a hand. “This isn’t getting us anywhere. Let’s look at this logically. In a sense, this person is on trial here and we’re her jurors. It’s up to us to determine her innocence or guilt. In a jury trial, the decision must be unanimous. We must all agree.”
Woody nodded. “Right.”
Tyler said, “Then I would like to cast the first vote. I think the lady is a fraud.”
“A fraud? How can she be?” Kendall demanded. “She couldn’t possibly know all those intimate details about us if she weren’t real.”
Tyler turned to her. “Kendall, how many servants worked in this house when we were children?”
Kendall looked at him, puzzled. “Why?”
“Dozens, right? And some of them would have known everything this young lady told us. Over the years, there have been maids, chauffeurs, butlers, chefs. Any one of them could have given her that photograph as well.”
“You mean…she could be in league with someone?”
“One or more,” Tyler said. “Let’s not forget that there’s an enormous amount of money involved.”
“She says she doesn’t want the money.” Marc reminded them.
Woody nodded. “Sure, that’s what she says.” He looked at Tyler. “But how do we prove she’s a fake? There’s no way that—”
“There is a way,” Tyler said thoughtfully.
They all turned to him.
“How?” Marc asked.
“I’ll have the answer for you tomorrow.”
Simon Fitzgerald said slowly, “Are you saying that Julia Stanford has appeared after all these years?”
“A woman who claims she’s Julia Stanford has appeared.” Tyler corrected him.
“And you don’t believe her?” Steve asked.
“Absolutely not. The only so-called proofs of her identity that she offered were some incidents from our childhood that at least a dozen former employees could have been aware of and an old photograph that really doesn’t prove a thing. She could be in league with any one of them. I intend to prove she’s a fraud.”
Steve frowned. “How do you propose to do that?”
“It’s very simple. I want a DNA test done.”
Steve Sloane was surprised. “That would mean exhuming your father’s body.”
“Yes.” Tyler turned to Simon Fitzgerald. “Will that be a problem?”
“Under the circumstances, I could probably obtain an exhumation order. Has she agreed to this test?”
“I haven’t asked her yet. If she refuses, it’s an affirmation that she’s afraid of the results.” He hesitated. “I have to confess that I don’t like doing this. But I think it’s the only way we can determine the truth.”