crookedly, and Ellen caught a trace of Amy's wisecracking grin.
"Why did she go, may I ask?"
"Didn't like my boyfriend, Tom. They used to get into it all the time. Now she's gone and so's he." Gerry emitted another puff. "I made her stay and graduate high school, but after that, she went off on her own."
"Hold on a sec." Ellen rifled through the papers and handed Gerry the father's consent form. "Look at this. My son's birth father is Charles Cartmell, from Philly. Do you know him?"
"No."
"The name isn't familiar at all? He lives on Grant Avenue in the Northeast." Ellen had checked online last night but couldn't get a phone number or find a listing of the address.
"I don't know the name."
"If Amy is twenty-five now and gave birth to Will three years ago, it means she had him when she was twenty-two. So maybe the father was someone from high school, or the area?"
"She didn't go steady in high school." Gerry shook her head. "She saw a lot of different guys. I didn't ask no questions, believe me."
"Do you have her high school yearbook? Maybe we could look at it?"
"She didn't buy the yearbook. She wasn't the type." Gerry waved her off. "She was my baby, and I spoiled her, yes I did."
"Could I see her bedroom? There might be something in there that would help me."
"I cleared it out a long time ago. I use it for my son's girlfriend now."
Ellen began thinking out loud. "She must have stayed in the Philadelphia area, because she chose a lawyer in Ardmore. She even had meetings with the lawyer."
Gerry shrugged. "Cheryl might know."
"Can I have her number?"
Gerry hesitated. "Why exactly are you tryin' to find Amy?"
"It's a medical thing, about the baby," Ellen lied, having prepared for the question.
"Does she have to give it a kidney or something?"
"No, not at all. At most it's a blood test. His heart is acting up again, and I need to know more about her medical history."
"She didn't have no heart problems. None of us have heart problems. We got cancer, runs in the family."
"I'm sure, but the blood test will show more than that." Ellen was freewheeling. "If you'd prefer it, maybe you could give Cheryl my number and ask her to call me?"
"Okay, I'll do that." Gerry reached out and patted her hand. "Don't worry. I'm sure the baby will be okay."
"I don't want to lose him," Ellen added, unaccountably.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Ellen got into the cold car, turned the heat up, and took off down the street under a cloudy sky. Her BlackBerry started ringing as soon as she left the block, and she steered the car with one hand and dug in her purse with the other, finding the device by its smooth feel. She pulled it out, and the screen showed the same unknown number as before, so she answered the call.
"Ellen, where are you?" It was Sarah Liu, sounding panicky. "I've been calling you. You missed the projects meeting. Marcelo asked about the think piece."
"Damn." The Thursday projects meeting. She'd completely forgotten about it, preoccupied with finding Amy.
"Where are you?"
"I wasn't feeling well this morning." Ellen was fast becoming an accomplished liar. "Was Marcelo pissed?"
"What do you think? When are you coming in?"
"I'm not sure, why?" Ellen checked the dashboard clock, 10:37.
"We should meet about the think piece. I want to see your draft."
Ellen tensed. The week had flown. She hadn't even transcribed her notes from Laticia Williams. "We don't need to meet and my draft isn't ready."
"When will it be? Our deadline's tomorrow."
"Sarah, we're grown-ups. I don't have time to give you a draft, and I don't need yours. Don't tell Daddy."
"What the hell are you doing? You didn't call Julia Guest, and I greased it for you."
Ellen switched lanes to pass a VW Beetle, fighting annoyance. "Thanks, but I have my own leads. I won't need to talk to her."
"She's connected in the community, and she wants to talk to us."
"People who want to talk are never good leads. I don't need the community spokesperson."
"Why not call
"Why did she go, may I ask?"
"Didn't like my boyfriend, Tom. They used to get into it all the time. Now she's gone and so's he." Gerry emitted another puff. "I made her stay and graduate high school, but after that, she went off on her own."
"Hold on a sec." Ellen rifled through the papers and handed Gerry the father's consent form. "Look at this. My son's birth father is Charles Cartmell, from Philly. Do you know him?"
"No."
"The name isn't familiar at all? He lives on Grant Avenue in the Northeast." Ellen had checked online last night but couldn't get a phone number or find a listing of the address.
"I don't know the name."
"If Amy is twenty-five now and gave birth to Will three years ago, it means she had him when she was twenty-two. So maybe the father was someone from high school, or the area?"
"She didn't go steady in high school." Gerry shook her head. "She saw a lot of different guys. I didn't ask no questions, believe me."
"Do you have her high school yearbook? Maybe we could look at it?"
"She didn't buy the yearbook. She wasn't the type." Gerry waved her off. "She was my baby, and I spoiled her, yes I did."
"Could I see her bedroom? There might be something in there that would help me."
"I cleared it out a long time ago. I use it for my son's girlfriend now."
Ellen began thinking out loud. "She must have stayed in the Philadelphia area, because she chose a lawyer in Ardmore. She even had meetings with the lawyer."
Gerry shrugged. "Cheryl might know."
"Can I have her number?"
Gerry hesitated. "Why exactly are you tryin' to find Amy?"
"It's a medical thing, about the baby," Ellen lied, having prepared for the question.
"Does she have to give it a kidney or something?"
"No, not at all. At most it's a blood test. His heart is acting up again, and I need to know more about her medical history."
"She didn't have no heart problems. None of us have heart problems. We got cancer, runs in the family."
"I'm sure, but the blood test will show more than that." Ellen was freewheeling. "If you'd prefer it, maybe you could give Cheryl my number and ask her to call me?"
"Okay, I'll do that." Gerry reached out and patted her hand. "Don't worry. I'm sure the baby will be okay."
"I don't want to lose him," Ellen added, unaccountably.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Ellen got into the cold car, turned the heat up, and took off down the street under a cloudy sky. Her BlackBerry started ringing as soon as she left the block, and she steered the car with one hand and dug in her purse with the other, finding the device by its smooth feel. She pulled it out, and the screen showed the same unknown number as before, so she answered the call.
"Ellen, where are you?" It was Sarah Liu, sounding panicky. "I've been calling you. You missed the projects meeting. Marcelo asked about the think piece."
"Damn." The Thursday projects meeting. She'd completely forgotten about it, preoccupied with finding Amy.
"Where are you?"
"I wasn't feeling well this morning." Ellen was fast becoming an accomplished liar. "Was Marcelo pissed?"
"What do you think? When are you coming in?"
"I'm not sure, why?" Ellen checked the dashboard clock, 10:37.
"We should meet about the think piece. I want to see your draft."
Ellen tensed. The week had flown. She hadn't even transcribed her notes from Laticia Williams. "We don't need to meet and my draft isn't ready."
"When will it be? Our deadline's tomorrow."
"Sarah, we're grown-ups. I don't have time to give you a draft, and I don't need yours. Don't tell Daddy."
"What the hell are you doing? You didn't call Julia Guest, and I greased it for you."
Ellen switched lanes to pass a VW Beetle, fighting annoyance. "Thanks, but I have my own leads. I won't need to talk to her."
"She's connected in the community, and she wants to talk to us."
"People who want to talk are never good leads. I don't need the community spokesperson."
"Why not call
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