The facilitator’s name was Marianne Voss.

Her letterhead named a private placement service that had closed fourteen years earlier.

Peter admitted he’d once called the number after Austin asked about his birth story, only to learn it was disconnected.

The next week was full of calls that went nowhere.

Hospitals kept records for different lengths of time.

Adoption files were restricted.

The state vital-records office explained that an adult adoptee could request certain information through an established process, but we should consult someone experienced in the law rather than assume a DNA result could open every archive immediately.

Peter found an attorney named Simone Harper, who specialized in adoption and records cases.