'Nancy didn't want to talk about it, so we don't really know the whole story, but we think she was involved in an adoption where the parents’ purpose was to acquire live-in help. She wasn't sent to school or allowed to have contact with the natural children. Her job was to clean, cook, iron-you name it.'
'How old was she when that happened?” Harriet asked.
'She would have been in grade school,” Mary replied. “I don't know where she lived or how she lived before that. I know she was with those people until she was around twelve and ran away repeatedly. Eventually, social services caught up with her and took over her care.
'We were her sixth foster family, and she lasted here longer than she had anywhere else, but she was a handful. She'd sneak out at night and meet with kids who were up to no good. When we had younger teens here, she'd help them sneak out.
'She had a special education tutor, so her school hours were different from the other children we had here, and she would get them to skip school to keep her company. She was caught shoplifting, and pretty much, you name it, she did it. I think we were starting to make progress just before she turned eighteen, but…” She spread her hands, palm up.
'She aged out of the system?” Harriet guessed.
'No,” Mary said. “Well, yes, but we told her she could stay here even after she turned eighteen. We told her she didn't have to pay us anything. We just wanted her to complete her education and learn to take care of herself, but she couldn't get out of Foggy Point fast enough.'
'Where did she live when she was younger?” Harriet asked. “When she was enslaved?'
'As far as I know, she's lived in Foggy Point her whole life-after Africa, of course.'
'That's really sad,” Harriet said.
'It is,” Mary said. “I have to say, though, my husband and I always feared the day someone would give us this news. It was never a question of if, just when and how.'
The front door opened, and a small Asian girl with long black braids and thick-lensed glasses came in, followed by a chubby blond-haired boy who looked like he was similar in age to the girl.
'Hi, Trin, Hi, Niko. Put your backpacks in your cubbies. There are cookies on the kitchen table, and I'll pour you some milk in just a minute.” She stood up. “I need to get them their snack,” she said. “Let me know if I can help with anything else.'
'You've been very helpful,” Harriet said, as she stood and arranged her crutches.
'Do you know if anyone is making funeral arrangements for Nancy?” Mary asked.
'I'm sorry, I don't.'
They left, confident Mary would rectify that situation.
'Not quite the snake pit I expected,” Mavis noted.
'Yeah,” Harriet said. “I was expecting a dirty, overcrowded hovel. Mary seems like the mother every child dreams of. Those two kids were well-dressed, clean and seemed sort of well-adjusted.'
'They looked well-fed, too.'
'The business about Neelie being a slave was sort of interesting,” Harriet said. “Given how normal we just decided Mary is, it makes me think she might be telling us the truth.'
'It would go a long way toward explaining why Neelie was so troubled.'
'If she lived in Foggy Point most of her life, I wonder if she was adopted here, too.'
'Phyllis would know,” Mavis said. “She always held classes for prospective parents that were open to all adoptive parents regardless of who was handling their transaction. That way, she could keep an eye on the competition.'
Mavis looked at her watch.
'I don't know how long your aunt plans on quilting before she stops for dinner, but you better hope we get home before she does.'
'She'll probably stay at my house as long as she can in hopes she'll be there if Joseph comes calling.'
'Let's just hope he comes to his senses and turns himself in before anything else happens.'
Harriet's cell phone rang as they pulled into the parking area in front of Aunt Beth's house.
'It's Aunt Beth,” she said to Mavis. She pushed the answer button. “Hi, I'm going to put you on speaker phone so Mavis can hear.'
'I was just calling to let you know I'll be working late on Phyl's quilt tonight. Aiden is going to go pick up a pizza and eat here with me to keep up the pretense. You two can go ahead and eat without me. If you're not too hungry, Aiden says he can pick up another pizza and come by with it. He said you can call and let him know what you decide.'
'How's the quilt coming?” Harriet asked.
'It's coming. Of course, I keep stopping and looking out the window, but otherwise I'm moving along.'
'I wish we could help,” Mavis said.
'You are helping-keeping Harriet safe.'
Harriet and Mavis shared a guilty smile then said their goodbyes to Aunt Beth.
'How about we let you rest a while and then decide about dinner,” Mavis suggested.
'I hate to admit it, but I think I could use a little rest.'
Chapter 37
Mavis was asleep in the padded rocker in Aunt Beth's living room, her feet up on a tapestry-covered hassock, when Harriet shifted slightly and the edge of a cushion poked her sore kidney. She'd been napping on the sofa but awoke with a start at the sudden pain. She scooted carefully into a sitting position and reached for her aunt's netbook.
A few keystrokes woke the computer and returned her to the search she'd been working on. She quietly worked while her friend napped.
'Oh, my gosh,” she said out loud. Mavis woke with a start. “I'm sorry,” Harriet said when she realized she'd awakened her.
'What happened?” Mavis asked then noticed the computer.
'I think I've found something about Iloai. I've been looking at missing children listings and websites related to the South Pacific. I found something on a missing person bulletin board. The timeline works, and the description could be Iloai.'
'Let me see,” Mavis said. She shook her pant legs straight and shifted her weight back and forth, restoring the circulation to her feet, then moved over next to Harriet.
The computer screen showed a grainy family photo; two adults and five children were grouped in front of a palm tree. One of the children looked to be around the right age, but the photo was too blurry to tell if it could be Iloai.
Harriet shifted to the next screen. It was a bulletin board posting asking for any information on a three-year-old girl who had disappeared from an early childhood education program in American Samoa.
'Well, you're right. It could be her. Or not, unfortunately,” Mavis said thoughtfully.
'I think I'll call Lauren.'
'Good idea-and see if she's eaten yet. Maybe she'd like to eat with us.'
Harriet called, and with only a few pithy remarks, Lauren agreed to come have a look at what they'd found and to stay for dinner.
'If it's okay with you, I think I'll go look over what Beth has in her freezer and see if I can put together a home-cooked meal for us,” Mavis said. “I like Jorge's food as well as the next person, but I always eat more than I should. I can put his goodies in the freezer, and you and Beth could have them tomorrow.'
She got up and went to the small but efficient kitchen. She returned a few minutes later.
'I called Beth, and she has a meat loaf in the freezer and I can make mashed potatoes and gravy, but that will take an hour to bake, or I can thaw some chicken in the microwave and then saute it with some vegetables and we can put it on rice.'
'Since my aunt undoubtedly has a selection of those precut, pre-cleaned veggie bags, the chicken would
