? Because I sent my change of address.”
“No, it’s about another matter.”
“What other matter?”
Jackie took a deep breath, noticed the receptionist was clinging to her every word , and lowered her voice. “We really should talk in private.”
Adelaide studied the candid look on Jackie’s face for a long moment, and then motioned for her to follow. She led the way to a large community room where several other residents were watching a game show on a large TV. “Don’t worry, most of them are hard of hearing,” she said, as she chose a table away from the others.
“Miss Bertrand, I am a private detective and I’ve been hired to find Georgia.”
Adelaide’s eyes widened. “Does Mathew Connelly know where I am?”
“No, and we aren’t going to tell him.”
“Do you swear?”
“I swear .”
Adelaide again searched the sincerity in Jackie’s eyes and relaxed a little…but just a little.
“ Miss Bertrand, Georgia stands to inherit millions if we can find her. Will you tell me what happened?”
She lowered her gaze. “What happened? Well, now let me see. I guess you could say I was a bit naughty as a girl. You know the way some girls are when they get with the wrong kind of people.”
“I understand, go on.”
“Well, because of it, I couldn’t get a visa to come to America. I so wanted to come, but there was no way until I ran into Mathew Connelly. I met him in a bar and we got to talking. He said he could get me a visa and naturalization papers. He said I’d never have to worry about a thing, not even the immigration laws. He was right about that part; my papers have never been questioned.”
“What did you have to do to get them?”
In the middle of the table, a small plastic vase with a single red artificial rose sat on a paper placemat. Adelaide began to nervously toy with the corner of the placemat, folding it up, and then smoothing the fold out again. “Just take care of his baby for a while. It turned out to be six years.”
“ How old was Georgia when you got her?”
“Just two days. He said she was born August 14 th .”
Jackie got a small notepad out of her purse and jotted that down. “Did he say anything about the baby’s mother?”
“He said the mother died and the baby was too little to travel back to America. My own daughter died when she was three and I was pleased to have a baby in my arms again. Georgia was such a sweet little thing. She hardly ever cried the way some babies do.”
“Did he give you money for her care?”
Adelaide emphatically nodded. “It was cash at first, and then he sent checks.”
“Do you remember the name of the bank?”
“Some bank in England. I don’t remember the name of it. The thing is, he never called to see how she was or sent a letter – just the money. I didn’t mind, I would have kept her forever.”
“Was there a return address on the envelope?”
“Just a postmark.” Adelaide realized what she was doing and put her hands in her lap.
“From where?” Jackie asked.
“All over the world.”
“I see.”
“There were three from Colorado, so I suspected that’s where he lived.”
“You told Mr. Gladstone that you took Georgia to a girl’s school.”
“Yes, on her sixth birthday. Out of the blue, Mr. Connelly showed up at my door. He handed me the visa and two tickets to London. He said to take her to Mary Cathleen’s Boarding School in England and leave her there.”
“Did he give you any identification to take with her?”
“No, everything was all arranged when we arrived. They were expecting us.”
When a tear rolled down Adelaide’s cheek, Jackie opened her purse again, pulled out a tissue, and handed it to her.
“Nothing in my life has ever been harder than leaving that beautiful little girl in the hands of strangers. Georgia cried and I cried, but there was nothing I could do. She wasn’t mine to keep, you see.”
Jackie waited until the nanny managed to pull herself together. “What
“No, it’s about another matter.”
“What other matter?”
Jackie took a deep breath, noticed the receptionist was clinging to her every word , and lowered her voice. “We really should talk in private.”
Adelaide studied the candid look on Jackie’s face for a long moment, and then motioned for her to follow. She led the way to a large community room where several other residents were watching a game show on a large TV. “Don’t worry, most of them are hard of hearing,” she said, as she chose a table away from the others.
“Miss Bertrand, I am a private detective and I’ve been hired to find Georgia.”
Adelaide’s eyes widened. “Does Mathew Connelly know where I am?”
“No, and we aren’t going to tell him.”
“Do you swear?”
“I swear .”
Adelaide again searched the sincerity in Jackie’s eyes and relaxed a little…but just a little.
“ Miss Bertrand, Georgia stands to inherit millions if we can find her. Will you tell me what happened?”
She lowered her gaze. “What happened? Well, now let me see. I guess you could say I was a bit naughty as a girl. You know the way some girls are when they get with the wrong kind of people.”
“I understand, go on.”
“Well, because of it, I couldn’t get a visa to come to America. I so wanted to come, but there was no way until I ran into Mathew Connelly. I met him in a bar and we got to talking. He said he could get me a visa and naturalization papers. He said I’d never have to worry about a thing, not even the immigration laws. He was right about that part; my papers have never been questioned.”
“What did you have to do to get them?”
In the middle of the table, a small plastic vase with a single red artificial rose sat on a paper placemat. Adelaide began to nervously toy with the corner of the placemat, folding it up, and then smoothing the fold out again. “Just take care of his baby for a while. It turned out to be six years.”
“ How old was Georgia when you got her?”
“Just two days. He said she was born August 14 th .”
Jackie got a small notepad out of her purse and jotted that down. “Did he say anything about the baby’s mother?”
“He said the mother died and the baby was too little to travel back to America. My own daughter died when she was three and I was pleased to have a baby in my arms again. Georgia was such a sweet little thing. She hardly ever cried the way some babies do.”
“Did he give you money for her care?”
Adelaide emphatically nodded. “It was cash at first, and then he sent checks.”
“Do you remember the name of the bank?”
“Some bank in England. I don’t remember the name of it. The thing is, he never called to see how she was or sent a letter – just the money. I didn’t mind, I would have kept her forever.”
“Was there a return address on the envelope?”
“Just a postmark.” Adelaide realized what she was doing and put her hands in her lap.
“From where?” Jackie asked.
“All over the world.”
“I see.”
“There were three from Colorado, so I suspected that’s where he lived.”
“You told Mr. Gladstone that you took Georgia to a girl’s school.”
“Yes, on her sixth birthday. Out of the blue, Mr. Connelly showed up at my door. He handed me the visa and two tickets to London. He said to take her to Mary Cathleen’s Boarding School in England and leave her there.”
“Did he give you any identification to take with her?”
“No, everything was all arranged when we arrived. They were expecting us.”
When a tear rolled down Adelaide’s cheek, Jackie opened her purse again, pulled out a tissue, and handed it to her.
“Nothing in my life has ever been harder than leaving that beautiful little girl in the hands of strangers. Georgia cried and I cried, but there was nothing I could do. She wasn’t mine to keep, you see.”
Jackie waited until the nanny managed to pull herself together. “What
Similar Books
