INSTALLMENT 56 
 





Richardson Residence






   Nina peers out her bedroom window, waiting for the mail to arrive.  Ever since 
she'd mailed the samples to the DNA lab, she made sure to work her schedule 
around when the mail came.  Not that she didn't trust Gillian, but she knew her 
sister would call attention to herself.

   Just then she noticed the mail man stop in front of the mailbox.  She runs 
downstairs, exits the house, and gets the mail without anyone noticing.  As she 
looks through the countless bills and magazines, she comes across an envelope from 
the DNA lab.  Holding her breath, she makes her inside and discards the rest of
the mail on the dining room table before racing to her room.

   Sitting down on her bed, she stares at the envelope and doesn't know how to 
proceed.  A part of her is anxious to open up the envelope just to prove Alicia's 
lying and just a woman scorned.  Yet, she also thinks back to when her mother
reacted to Gillian's statement about women passing off another man's child as
their husband's.  She takes a deep breath, preparing to open the envelope before
hearing the front door slam shut.

   She sits in silence, trying to discern who else is in the house.  When she hears 
only silence, she wonders to herself if she's just imagining things.  Before she 
can internally answer that, she hears a knock on her door.