Jorge's son Julio was an environmental lawyer in Seattle, and he and Aiden had been inseparable since kindergarten.
His eyes flashed with anger. “I don't know who that woman is or whose baby she has, but it is not Aiden's. You can put money on that.'
'I should have known that,” Harriet said, tears welling in her eyes.
'Now, chiquita,” Jorge said, his face softening. He handed her a clean napkin from the table. “We'll get this straightened out.'
'So far, we aren't getting anywhere,” Aunt Beth said, and dipped a chip into the guacamole. “Every time we turn around, we find another question.'
'Let me get you something to drink,” Jorge said, scooping the avocado and lime peels into the empty salsa container with one large hand. “Limonada?'
They both nodded, and in a few minutes, he was back with three large glasses of freshly made lemonade.
'Now,” he said, “back to our situation. That woman was in here last night, after all you quilters had come and gone. This time, she was with a different man.'
'What man?” Harriet asked.
'A stranger,” Jorge replied. “A black man-someone I've never seen before. If he's from around here, he doesn't eat Mexican.'
'How did they seem?” Harriet asked. “Did they seem friendly?'
'Did you hear anything they were talking about?” Aunt Beth asked.
'I think they were arguing, but they didn't want anyone to hear. They were leaning toward each other-you know how people do. Their heads were close together. They stopped talking every time someone came near their table.'
'What makes you think they were arguing?'
'Please, chiquita,” he said in an injured tone. “Give an old man some credit. I know arguing when I see it, even if they were trying to keep it quiet.'
'I wonder who he is,” Aunt Beth said, and took a sip of her lemonade.
'He didn't have an accent like she did,” Jorge said. “I made a point of going by the table-you know, asking how their dinners were.'
'We're not convinced her accent is real,” Harriet said. “Mavis heard her yelling at someone in the grocery store, and she didn't have one.'
'What do you think is going on?” Jorge asked. “Did she come to town to try to scam Aiden? Surely she'd realize he'd know if he had fathered a baby.'
'We didn't,” Harriet pointed out. “Maybe she knew him in Africa and made some assumptions about a relationship he did or didn't have.'
'We're going to have to find out what Aiden knows,” Aunt Beth said. “If he knows this woman, maybe he can figure out what game she's playing. If he's never met her, it's a whole different ballgame.'
'Don't look at me,” Harriet said. “He's not speaking to me anytime soon.'
'We need to give him some time to cool down. That and time to rest. He'll come around.
'Now,” Jorge said as he stood up. “What would you ladies like to eat?'
Harriet had her favorite green enchiladas, and Aunt Beth went with a chicken tostada. They spoke only a few words while they ate.
They were nearly finished when the door opened, and Jorge ushered Robin in.
'Hi,” Harriet said. “What's up?'
'I wish I were here to eat,” Robin replied, looking at the remains of the guacamole. “Unfortunately, I just left the hospital. Neelie Obote died.'
'How?” Aunt Beth asked.
'From what?” Harriet asked at the same time.
'Here, sit down,” Beth said and patted the bench beside her. “Start at the beginning.'
Jorge returned with a glass of iced tea and a small plate of raw vegetables. He set both in front of Robin. The Loose Threads were frequent-enough customers he knew their preferences.
'As you know, I went to the hospital after we all left Aiden's.” She picked up a carrot stick and took a bite. “No one would tell me anything, but that was to be expected. She was in the emergency room, and at first it seemed like everyone was hustling around. The ER was pretty quiet today.
'After a while, it seemed like people weren't moving as fast. Then the doctor came out and spoke to me. He asked if I knew Neelie, and if I knew her next of kin. I explained how I knew her-or didn't know her, as it were. He's new, so he isn't one of the doctors we know. He didn't want to tell me what had happened, but he had no one else, and I think he got that I was going to wait there until someone told me something.'
'And?” Harriet prompted.
'He said Neelie had been in a diabetic coma, and that she had passed away. He asked me if I knew anything about her management of her diabetes. I said no and asked him if there was something unusual about what had happened.
'He wouldn't tell me, but his silence spoke volumes. We need to call Darcy and see if she's heard anything,” she concluded, referring to Darcy Lewis, a local criminalist and part-time Loose Threads member.
'I think we're better off not knowing,” Harriet said. “I mean, she's a stranger, and it appears she was up to no good. It's sad that she died, and I don't know what that means regarding the baby, but all signs point to the fact she was attempting some sort of scam.'
'I'll call Mavis and Carla when we're done here,” Robin said. “There's probably no point in trying to call social services until Monday.'
'What do you think they'll do with the baby?” Harriet asked.
'I think that will depend on whether they can figure out if she has relatives in Africa. If they can't find anyone for her, then I imagine she'll go into foster care here.'
Chapter 15
'By the way,” Robin said when she'd finished eating the plate of vegetables and a small bowl of guacamole Jorge had provided, “I called DeAnn to see how things are going.'
'I'll bet she is just over the moon,” said Beth with a smile.
'I guess.'
'What?” asked Harriet. “Is there a problem?'
'I'm not sure. Like I said, I called, and DeAnn said things were okay, but I could hear the little girl screaming in the background, and DeAnn sounded like she was really stressed. I didn't want to press too much, but she finally did admit that things were a little rougher than she had anticipated. The child has been screaming nonstop since she got there.'
'Did she talk to Joseph?” Harriet asked. “He's her social worker, isn't he?'
'Yes, she did call. He said sometimes children who come straight from the orphanage have a little rougher transition. I guess the kids usually go into foster care for a while first.'
'Do you think she wants any help?” Aunt Beth asked.
'I'm not sure she'd ask for it, but I think she's going to need some relief, especially if the little girl keeps crying.'
'Maybe I'll stop by on the way home from church tomorrow,” Aunt Beth said. “Just to see how it's going.'
Robin sighed. “I think that would be good. I'm going to go check on Mavis and Carla and Neelie's baby tomorrow, see if anyone's contacted them about her or anything.'
'Let us know what you find out,” Harriet asked.
'Maybe I'll give Phyllis a jingle when I get home and see if she has any ideas,” Beth said. “I'm sure Joseph is good at his job, but Phyl has been doing this a lot longer than he has. I'm sure she's seen it all.'
'I guess it couldn't hurt,” Robin said and stood up. “I better go-I just thought you would want to know about Neelie.'
