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Carls, I’ll put out some feelers about the names on the certificate. Pretty exciting stuff for your grandma. Do you think she knew about this? I’ll let you know what I find out.
What on earth? She laid aside the note and began to lift out the items inside. Under the christening gown and hat, fragile with age, she found more baby clothes as well as an oldbrown file with papers inside. The wool garment under it was a rich black mixed with brighter colors, and she recognized it as a highly prized Russian Pavlovo Posad shawl. She caressed its soft folds, then picked it up and shook it to make sure no spiders lurked within. Something hit the floorboards, and she looked at her feet. A small red egg lay beside her left foot. It seemed hardly worth the effort it had taken for someone to wrap it up. She picked it up and laid it aside with the shawl.
She opened the file and pulled out a sheaf of papers. It took a moment for the words on the top page to coalesce in her brain. Adoption papers. The child’s name was Mary Balandin, and it had been changed to Mary Padgett, Gram’s maiden name.
There was a note in Gramma Helen’s spidery handwriting.
Carly, I’m sorry to leave this on you to deal with. Somehow, I never found the courage to tell my sweet Mary she was adopted. I was fearful she would love me less. Do with this as you wish. I know you’ll pray about it and do the right thing.
Carly set aside the note to examine the documents under it. The top paper was from a nurse named Adams. A faded picture of two babies in a pram was clipped to the top, and Carly scanned down the text.
Mr. and Mrs.Padgett,
I thought perhaps you would like to have this photo of little Mary and her sister, Elizabeth. It was a shame we had to separate twins, but at least they both have good homesnow. Thank you for your generosity in welcoming Mary into your home. Her mother, Sofia Balandin, is grateful as well and enclosed the shawl and the egg so Mary had something to remember her by.
It was signed by a Nurse Adams at an orphanage in Savannah. Carly flipped the paper over to see if there was more information, but it was blank. Gram had a sister out there. She’d always wished she had a sibling but had grown up an only child. Carly was certain her grandmother had never seen the contents of this chest.
Carly had to find out if Gram’s sister was still alive. Wouldn’t that be the most amazing birthday present? Gram’s seventieth was in two months, and Carly had to try. Why hadn’t Eric mentioned this to her? She thought back to the week prior to his death. They’d been fighting a lot and barely talking.
But Eric had always detailed everything. She’d gotten his laptop back after the murder investigation had gone nowhere, and it was in her closet. Maybe he’d made notes about this and what he’d found out.
She scrambled to her feet, picked up an indignant Pepper, and rushed down the steps. Noah was beginning to squawk as she reached the second floor, so she set her squirming cat on the floor, then quickly washed the dirt from her hands before she picked up Noah. Carrying him in one arm, she grabbed the laptop from her closet and plugged it in beside her bed. While Noah nursed, she scanned through Eric’s files.
Bingo. A file titledMary Tuckerhad been created a week before he was killed. The first notation mentioned that Eric had called the home of Natalie Adams and spoken to hergrandson. He confirmed that his grandmother had worked at the orphanage for many years. The man, Roger Adams, had asked odd questions about old belongings. A day later, Eric noticed he’d picked up a tail. His final note mentioned he was going to install extra security at the house.
Carly closed the computer and gulped. Was Eric’s death connected to this somehow? Eric’s old partner would want to hear about this and see if it opened any doors.
***
Carly had Eric’s partner’s personal number, so she carried Noah out to the porch swing and called Kelly Cicero directly instead of trying her at the station. The baby’s eyelids drifted closed at the gentle movement of the swing and the sound of the water across Bay Street.
The phone rang twice. When the call was picked up on the other end, the first thing Carly heard was the sound of an infant crying.
“Carly? Is everything okay?” Kelly asked with a hitch of concern in her voice.
The sound of Kelly’s tired voice brought Eric back somehow. The last time they’d spoken was three months after Eric’s murder. At that time the police hadn’t made any real headway. “I’m not sure, Kelly. I-I found something I can’t explain.”
She launched into what she’d found in the chest and on Eric’s laptop. “Did you make a copy of his personal laptop information?”
“Sure, but no one mentioned that file. You say he picked up a tail after that call? It’s probably a coincidence, but the tailcould be related to his murder. Is there any information about who was following him?”
“No, nothing.” Saying it all out loud made it seem unlikely, but Carly clung to the hope it might lead to finding Eric’s murderer. “It all seems very odd, though.”
“I think it’s likely unimportant. Anything interesting in the old furniture that might explain it?”
“Not really. The usual things like collectibles. Even an old toy egg.” She paused at another infant wail. “I hear a baby in the background.”
“That’s Caroline. She’s four months old.”
No wonder Kelly sounded tired. “Congratulations! I didn’t know you were pregnant.”
And as far as she knew, Kelly wasn’t married. Carly hadn’t even heard she was dating anyone seriously. “I’d love to see a picture. I’ll send you one of Noah. My mother-in-law sent me baby pictures of Eric, and they’re identical.”
“I wish Eric could have seen him.”
“Me too. Are you missing your job?”
“I don’t really want to go back, but I have to work.”
