Brown Hartford.
Back in the car, Janie pumped him for information. Aaron squinted while he read the information off the screen of his iPhone.
“Okay, it looks like she lives on the north side of town. Linda Marie Brown, born September 18, 1963. Married Peter Higgins in 1982. Divorced in 1987. Then married George Hartford in 1994. Looks like they’ve lived here in Shreveport since 1999. Two kids, Christina and Natalie. Born 1997 and 2002.”
“I have cousins,” Janie said with a grin. “I’ve always wanted cousins.”
“It also says she’s been an educational diagnostician at an elementary school since 2004.”
“Wow, what a coincidence,” Janie muttered. “I mean, us working in basically the same field. Let’s go to her house.” She tapped the armrest of her door.
“Wait a sec,” Aaron said. “How do we want to handle this?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, it sounds like Kenneth’s mom—“
“My grandmother,” Janie corrected. He gave her a pointed look.
“Right. It sounds like your grandmother has a strained relationship with Kenneth, at best. At worst, they’re totally cut off. It stands to reason that he and Linda might not be on speaking terms, either.”
“There’s only one way to find out.” She bounced on her seat a few times. “Let’s go.”
His face was pinched, and Janie fought her impatience. “Aaron, seriously. I’m prepared for whatever we find. Even if it’s bad.” He still looked doubtful. “I promise.”
He shrugged and started the car, calling out the address for her to key into her phone. “Let’s just go in saying we have some questions about Kenneth, since his name popped up in your mom’s probate papers.”
“You mean tell the truth?” Janie let out a sarcastic gasp.
“Yes, but we’re not going to mention that you’re Kenneth’s daughter. We’ll play it like we did at JPI—we’re just investigating for a law firm.”
“Why do you insist on hiding my existence from my relatives? Has it ever occurred to you that they might be happy to find me?”
Aaron looked surprised. He glanced quickly at her, then focused his eyes back on the road. “Janie, it’s not like that. It’s just that most people in this world don’t want to be found. And anyway-“He stopped himself, and busied his hands with the cruise control buttons on the steering wheel.
“Anyway, what?”
“Nothing. Never mind.” After he finished with the cruise control, he started adjusting the sun visor, flipping it this way and that, looking for the perfect angle.
“Aaron. What?”
“I was just going to say that if they wanted to find you, they would have done so by now. Look how long it’s taken us to find them. One day? Two, tops?”
Janie opened her mouth to respond, then stopped herself. He was right, of course. Any of her relatives, including her father, could have found her over the last twenty years if they’d wanted to. It wasn’t like she and her mother were on the run. They’d lived in the same house since the late 1990s. All her life she’d thought that her father was ignorant of her birth. But he wasn’t. He knew she was alive, had raised her for at least a year. And then he’d abandoned her.
“I hadn’t thought of it like that.” She looked out the side window, embarrassed by her earlier excitement. She wasn’t headed towards a long-awaited reunion with a loving aunt and younger cousins. At best, she’d probably find a skeptical woman, resentful of her brother, uninterested in a niece she’d never met. “Maybe we shouldn’t go after all.”
Aaron’s face fell. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. We don’t know why your mom and dad were estranged. We don’t know that your relatives don’t want to be found. God, why can’t I keep my stupid mouth shut?” He wiped his palms up and down the front of his jeans.
“It’s the
Back in the car, Janie pumped him for information. Aaron squinted while he read the information off the screen of his iPhone.
“Okay, it looks like she lives on the north side of town. Linda Marie Brown, born September 18, 1963. Married Peter Higgins in 1982. Divorced in 1987. Then married George Hartford in 1994. Looks like they’ve lived here in Shreveport since 1999. Two kids, Christina and Natalie. Born 1997 and 2002.”
“I have cousins,” Janie said with a grin. “I’ve always wanted cousins.”
“It also says she’s been an educational diagnostician at an elementary school since 2004.”
“Wow, what a coincidence,” Janie muttered. “I mean, us working in basically the same field. Let’s go to her house.” She tapped the armrest of her door.
“Wait a sec,” Aaron said. “How do we want to handle this?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, it sounds like Kenneth’s mom—“
“My grandmother,” Janie corrected. He gave her a pointed look.
“Right. It sounds like your grandmother has a strained relationship with Kenneth, at best. At worst, they’re totally cut off. It stands to reason that he and Linda might not be on speaking terms, either.”
“There’s only one way to find out.” She bounced on her seat a few times. “Let’s go.”
His face was pinched, and Janie fought her impatience. “Aaron, seriously. I’m prepared for whatever we find. Even if it’s bad.” He still looked doubtful. “I promise.”
He shrugged and started the car, calling out the address for her to key into her phone. “Let’s just go in saying we have some questions about Kenneth, since his name popped up in your mom’s probate papers.”
“You mean tell the truth?” Janie let out a sarcastic gasp.
“Yes, but we’re not going to mention that you’re Kenneth’s daughter. We’ll play it like we did at JPI—we’re just investigating for a law firm.”
“Why do you insist on hiding my existence from my relatives? Has it ever occurred to you that they might be happy to find me?”
Aaron looked surprised. He glanced quickly at her, then focused his eyes back on the road. “Janie, it’s not like that. It’s just that most people in this world don’t want to be found. And anyway-“He stopped himself, and busied his hands with the cruise control buttons on the steering wheel.
“Anyway, what?”
“Nothing. Never mind.” After he finished with the cruise control, he started adjusting the sun visor, flipping it this way and that, looking for the perfect angle.
“Aaron. What?”
“I was just going to say that if they wanted to find you, they would have done so by now. Look how long it’s taken us to find them. One day? Two, tops?”
Janie opened her mouth to respond, then stopped herself. He was right, of course. Any of her relatives, including her father, could have found her over the last twenty years if they’d wanted to. It wasn’t like she and her mother were on the run. They’d lived in the same house since the late 1990s. All her life she’d thought that her father was ignorant of her birth. But he wasn’t. He knew she was alive, had raised her for at least a year. And then he’d abandoned her.
“I hadn’t thought of it like that.” She looked out the side window, embarrassed by her earlier excitement. She wasn’t headed towards a long-awaited reunion with a loving aunt and younger cousins. At best, she’d probably find a skeptical woman, resentful of her brother, uninterested in a niece she’d never met. “Maybe we shouldn’t go after all.”
Aaron’s face fell. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. We don’t know why your mom and dad were estranged. We don’t know that your relatives don’t want to be found. God, why can’t I keep my stupid mouth shut?” He wiped his palms up and down the front of his jeans.
“It’s the
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