Papa’s face took on the dour look I associated with his disapproval, and Aunt Terry intervened before he could answer. “Let’s look to the future and not the past, Angelina.”
Well, I thought, if they won’t help, I’ll have to do some investigation on my own.
THE END
Exciting news! This isn't really the end.
The next book in the series will tell the story of Angie's mother. Guess where Angie's investigative talents came from?
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NOTES
Navigating a mystery writer’s mind is a lot like trying to make it out of a Halloween maze of dead ends. But every once in a while, an idea succeeds and the writer emerges from the twisted paths that lead nowhere. Such was the birth of Blood Kills.
It began in 2018, with the arrest of Joseph James DeAngelo, dubbed the Golden State Killer during his thirteen-year rape, assault, and murder spree in California. The news was full of the way that DNA and public databases were used to bring him to justice. And at the end of one of those stories, there was a link to an article entitled “DNA At the Fringes: Twins, Chimerism, and Synthetic DNA.” (1) That was too intriguing to ignore, so down the rabbit hole I went.
In The Iliad, Homer described the mythical Chimera as "a thing of immortal make, not human, lion-fronted and snake behind, a goat in the middle.” Turns out, there are human chimeras, too—people with more than one DNA profile.
Artur’s case is founded on the story of a man accused of sexual assault in Alaska based on blood found at the scene of the crime. But he couldn’t possibly be the perpetrator, because he was in prison at the time. However, as a child he had been a bone marrow donor for his brother, whose blood DNA was a perfect match for the crime scene evidence. The brother was a chimera. (2)
There are other ways for the body to hold more than one DNA profile. A person can absorb their unborn twin’s DNA while in the womb. (In My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Andrea Martin played Aunt Voula, who casually explains to uptight parents of the groom about the removal of a lump on her neck that contained teeth and a spinal cord from her unsuspected twin. I always thought it was fictional license, but no, it can really happen.) In fact, one mother almost lost custody of her children because doctors could find no evidence of her DNA profile matching theirs. (3)
There is even a condition called microchimerism, in which the recipient of a blood transfusion contains some of the donor’s blood DNA alongside their own for a time. (4)
Truth really is stranger than fiction at times… until a writer weaves it into her fictional universe.
______________________
1 Murphy, Erin E. “DNA At the Fringes: Twins, Chimerism, and Synthetic DNA.” The Daily Beast. The Daily Beast Company, October 7, 2015. Last modified October 7, 2015. Accessed January 21, 2021, https://www.thedailybeast.com/dna-at-the-fringes-twins-chimerism-and-synthetic-dna.
2 Ibid.
3 “She’s Her Own Twin,” ABC News, August 16, 2006, accessed January 21, 2021, https://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/shes-twin/story?id=2315693.
4 Rachael Rettner, “ Human Chimeras That Already Exist,” Scientific American (Scientific American, August 8, 2016), last modified August 8, 2016, accessed January 21, 2021, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/3-human-chimeras-that-already-exist/.
MORE ANGIE
She's dealt with cheaters and liars, not just on the job but also in her personal life. So PI Angelina Bonaparte knows first-hand what deception feels like. No matter what the danger, she won't stop until she gets to the truth.
Visit my website at https://nancirathbun.com, where you can read or listen to chapter one of each book.
Truth Kills – Angelina Bonaparte Mysteries #1
A murdered mistress. An accused mob boss. Can Angie and Wukowski put their differences aside to find the real killer?
Cash Kills – Angelina Bonaparte Mysteries #2
A double murder. A mysterious inheritance. Angie is about to follow the money all the way into a den of thieves.
Honor Kills – Angelina Bonaparte Mysteries #3
A missing husband. A suspicious obituary. Angie isn’t the only one tracking a dead man’s footsteps.
Blood Kills – Angelina Bonaparte Mysteries #4
A murdered metal sculptor. A Russian mobster on the hunt. Can Angie outsmart a vindictive killer who has her in his crosshairs?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I am a lifelong reader of mysteries – historical, contemporary, futuristic, paranormal, hard-boiled, cozy … you can find them all on my bookshelves and in my e-readers. I bring logic and planning to my writing from my first career as an IT project manager, and attention to characters and dialog from my second career as a Congregationalist minister. (My books are not Christian fiction, but they contain no explicit violence or sexual scenes, nor bad language beyond an occasional mild curse word.)
I grew up an Army brat, and have lived in Germany, France and Korea, as well as several states in the U.S. After my dad retired from the service, our family settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I raised my daughter and son there, while working at AT&T. I never expected to move after taking early retirement, but when my second grandchild was on the way, I wanted to be closer. One of my greatest joys is hearing my three granddaughters shout ‘Nana’ and run to me when I come in their front door in Fort Collins, Colorado.
My Maltipoo, Teeny, and I now live in Wellington, Colorado USA. No matter where I make my home, I will always be a Green Bay Packers fan.
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