Indirect Route (6 page)

“Oh my God, Kenneth and Elaine.  Geez, I haven’t thought about them in years!” a lady by the name of Corrine Baxter exclaimed.  “They hung out down at the bowling alley almost every Saturday night, at least until the baby came along.”

“That would be me,” Janie said, raising her fingers ridiculously.

“You’re little Janie!” Corrine cried.  She seemed to be a very excitable individual.  Janie couldn’t help but wonder at the blandness of her life.

“Guilty.” She nodded and pointed at Aaron.  “My mother, Elaine, she died earlier this year.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Thank you.”  Janie deftly moved the conversation forward.  “The thing is, I never knew my father, Kenneth.  Something must have happened when I was a baby.  My mother always told me I was the product of an anonymous one-night stand, but I’ve learned since her death that wasn’t the case.”

“It most certainly wasn’t.”  Corrine waived them inside the house, clearly eager to tell them all she knew.  “Come on in, but ignore the mess.  My Eugene’s on a fishing trip, and I just can’t be bothered to keep the house when it’s just me and Tara at home.”  Janie could only assume that Tara was the tabby cat sitting on the windowsill, licking back paw.

“Sit.  Would you like some sun tea?  I’ve got a jar out on the porch.”

“No, thank you.” Janie said.  Aaron just shook his head.

“Well, you listen here, Janie.  I don’t know what happened between your mother and father, but it most certainly was not a one-night stand.  That man loved you to pieces.  And there’s no question that he was your father.  You’re the spitting image of him.  You’ve got his eyes.  And his dark hair.”  Corrine was beginning to look somewhat wistful, and Janie bit back a grin when Aaron cleared his throat to get her attention.

“Do you remember when they left Mobile, Mrs. Baxter?” he asked.

“Well, it would’ve been sometime around 1990 or so.  I remember I had just found out I was pregnant with Stephanie, my oldest.  Janie, you were about two years old, I guess.  Elaine came over one day and asked if we had any old boxes she could borrow.  She said that your father had found a new job in Tulsa, and that you all were moving.  I remember thinking it was strange, because your mama was packing everything by herself.”

“What do you mean?” Aaron leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees.

“Well, I brought boxes down to the house later that afternoon, and Elaine was packing real fast, all by herself.  I asked where Ken was, and she said he was still at work.  Which I thought was odd, you know, since he had a new job.  But your mama was always very independent.  Such a sweet woman.”

“So that was it?  Did you and my mom keep in touch?”

“No, honey, we sure didn’t.  By the next day, you girls were both gone.  I remember seeing Ken in the driveway and asking why he wasn’t with you.  He said he had to finish out his last two weeks at the pipe plant before he joined you.  By the end of the month, he was gone, too.” 

“What about other neighbors?” Aaron pulled a small pad of paper out of the front pocket of his jeans.  “Anyone they were particularly close friends with?  Anyone they might have kept in touch with over the years?”

“I’m afraid not, honey.  I remember Marla and me talking about them later on that year.  Marla used to be my next-door neighbor, but she and her husband moved to Ft. Lauderdale after the kids left for college.  Anyway, Marla and I always thought it was kind of weird that no one ever heard from the Browns again.  It just seemed like they would’ve come back for a visit at some point, since Kenny’s mama lives in Satsuma.”

“Wait, what?”  Aaron sat up straight, and Janie let out a little yelp of surprise.

“Yes, Ken was from Satsuma, just right up the road.  His father passed a long time ago.  I don’t know if his mama’s still alive or not, but her name’s Geraldine Brown, if you want to head up there and have a look.”

Aaron stood abruptly.  “That’s very helpful information, Mrs. Baxter.  Thanks for your time.”  He shook her hand quickly, and was turning for the front door when Janie grabbed the sleeve of his t-shirt.  She gave him a pointed look, and he shrugged his shoulders, looking confused.

“Mrs. Baxter…”

“Honey, call me Corrine.”

Janie smiled.  “Corrine, I can’t thank you enough for all your help.  You know, you’re the first person I’ve met who knew my father.  What was he like?”

The older woman placed a hand to her chest and smiled.  “Oh, he was a sweetheart.  And handsome as the day is long.  He charmed all the ladies on the block, but he only had eyes for Elaine.”

Janie smiled and stood, taking Corrine’s hand in hers.  “That’s lovely to hear.  And as much as we’d love to stay and chat some more,” she paused to give Aaron a meaningful glance, “we’re only here for another day, and we have more people to visit.  But thank you so much.”

“Anytime, anytime.”  Corrine walked them to the door.  She stopped at a table in the entryway and jotted something down on the back of a discarded envelope.  “Here’s my email address.  Please send me a note if you find Kenneth.  I’d love to know what happened to him.”

“We will, Corrine, I promise.”  Janie waived back at the house when they reached the car.  They shut their doors simultaneously, and then Aaron turned to Janie. 

“Satsuma it is, then.” 

Janie nodded enthusiastically, and they were off.

CHAPTER TEN

AARON

Satsuma turned out to be a tiny town about 30 miles north of Mobile.  Both Aaron and Janie were unprepared for how small it was—the sign at the city limits listed the population as 5,127.

“Wow, now this is small-town Alabama.”  Janie pointed at the gas station at the main intersection, which housed a mini-mart and an old trailer that displayed a dozen used tires around its entrance.  Aaron parked the car in front of the market and left the engine running.

“I’ll be back in a second.  I’m just going to ask and see if anyone knows where Geraldine Brown lives.  Lock the door.”  Aaron went to exit the car, but Janie squawked in protest.

“Seriously?”  Janie swept her arm across the car to encompass the parking lot and surrounding land.  “What boogie man is going to get me out here in the middle of nowhere?  The only thing I’m scared of is that car.”  She pointed to a rusted-out yellow Gremlin parked in front of the gas pump closest to the road.  “You could totally convince me there’s a dead body in that thing.”

“Don’t get your imagination started.  I’ll be back in a sec.”

“Nope, I’m going this time, slick.  You’ve inspired me to be more adventurous.  So
you
stay here, and
you
lock the door.”

Aaron shrugged, and obediently locked the door after she shut it.  He watched her walk across the parking lot and couldn’t help but admire her backside.  He felt guilty, but did it anyway.

Through the smudged glass door, Aaron could just make out Janie speaking to the teenaged girl behind the cash register.  She picked up a bag of Cheetos and put them on the counter, paid for them, then quickly returned to the car.

“Okay, it seems that Mrs. Brown now lives in a nursing home in Mobile.”

“What?  You’re kidding!”  Aaron hit his forehead against the steering wheel.

“I wish I was.  Problem is, the girl didn’t know
which
nursing home.  Mobile’s a relatively big city.  How long do you think it will take us to track her down?”

“A few hours, but that’s okay.  I’m not doing anything else today.” 

Janie smiled, and Aaron felt it in his chest.  Man, she had a pretty smile.  He had to stop thinking like a pimply-faced boy and concentrate on the job at hand.  Janie needed to find her dad, and he was going to make it happen.  The idea of being her knight in shining armor was becoming increasingly attractive.

By the time they made it back to Mobile, it was almost lunchtime.  They stopped at a local diner and ordered Janie a burger.  Aaron ate the Cheetos from the mini-mart, and ordered a coke in a can.

“I’ve got a list of all the registered nursing homes in the city.  What do we do, just start calling them?”  She sounded apprehensive, and Aaron didn’t blame her.  A quick glance at the list showed it to have at least twenty facilities listed.

“Is that a list put out by the state?” He asked.

“Yes, the Alabama Department of Senior Services.”

“Okay, let’s think about this.  Based on what we saw in Satsuma, I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that Mrs. Brown is not a particularly wealthy woman.  If we go with that assumption, I’d start with the nursing homes that accept Medicaid as payment.  Does it list those?”

“Umm, let me see…” Janie scanned the list, which was indeed separated into several categories.  “Yes, here it is.  It looks like…wow.  Only four of them except Medicaid.  Ouch.”  Janie grimaced.

“But good for us.  That narrows the list down significantly.”

Janie clapped briskly, then stole a Cheeto from his bag.  “You are so smart.  How did you get so smart?”

“Good breeding,” he said, wiping orange dust from his fingertips.

After lunch, Janie suggested that they return to the room to freshen up and make their calls.  She hit pay dirt at the third facility she dialed.

“Yes, Geraldine Brown.”  Janie said.  Aaron noticed the awkward face she made when claiming the stranger as her relative.

“Would it be possible for me to come see her this afternoon?”  Janie listened, nodded a few times, jotted down some directions on the hotel note pad by the phone, and hung up within five minutes.

“She’s taking a nap right now, but they said we could come see her between two and three o’clock.”

“Okay.  How do you want to handle this?” Aaron asked.

“What do you mean?  We’ll just go in and ask her about my dad.”  Janie reached over and began sorting through her purse, trying to find her pack of mints.  Aaron watched for a moment, then reached in his pocket and offered her a pack of gum.  She took a stick gratefully.

“With older people, sometimes you have to tread lightly.  We don’t know anything about this woman or her mental state.” 

“Okay, that sounds reasonable. What do you suggest?”

“First off, I don’t think we should go in there making some dramatic announcement about you being her long lost granddaughter.  It might confuse her, or make her defensive.”

Janie nodded.  “I agree.  But then what’s our excuse for being there?”

Aaron rubbed his chin, but he couldn’t think of a believable reason for the two of them to show up unannounced.

“Oh!” Janie cried suddenly.  “I…I might have an idea.”  Her look was almost bashful, and Aaron couldn’t help but grab her hand and pull her into his arms. 

“What crazy scheme have you cooked up?” 

“What if I said I was there to do a speech evaluation?  I’ve had geriatric patients in the past.  Sometimes they need strategies to help them preserve communication skills when they’re suffering from dementia.”

Aaron leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose.  “You’re a genius.”

“I know.”  They both laughed. 

“I feel like I’ve corrupted you, though.  What happened to your righteous indignation at the thought of lying?”

“You’ve turned me.  I’m a force of evil now.”  She reached up and covered his lips with hers, and once again, he felt like this was the mouth he could easily kiss every day for the rest of his life.  Realizing how premature such a thought was, he quickly pulled away.

“Let’s get a move on.”  Janie gave him a quizzical look, but reached for her purse and made her way to the door.  When they arrived at the nursing home, they signed in and the front desk and were directed to a semi-private room in a long, half-deserted residential hall.  Aaron found it to be oppressively sad, but plastered a broad smile on his face and took Janie’s hand as they made their way to room C 366.

The door was slightly ajar, and Aaron stepped forward to knock softly when Janie seemed unsure.  No one responded, so he stuck his head in and waved.  A small woman draped in a dark pink blanket waved back, not the least bit surprised at the stranger knocking on her door.

“Come in,” she called.  Her strong voice belied her small stature, and Aaron took Janie by the elbow as he entered.

“Mrs. Brown?” Aaron extended his hand and she gripped it tightly.  “I’m Aaron, and this is Janie.  Janie’s a speech pathologist.”

“Nice to meet you.  Please call me Gerri.”

“Hi Gerri,” Janie said.  Her voice was small, and Aaron wondered what she must be feeling.  To meet the grandmother she hadn’t even known existed until this afternoon.

“Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?” Janie asked, sitting on the edge of one the plastic-covered chairs near the bedside table.

“Of course not,” Gerri said, motioning for Aaron to sit as well.   “People ask me questions all the time.”

“We won’t keep you long, I promise.” Janie assured her.  “As a speech therapist, I make sure that as people get older, they hold on to their words as long as possible.  I’m sure you still have a lot to say, and we want to make it as easy for you as possible.” 

Gerri smiled.  “I don’t imagine anyone’s interested in what I have to say anymore.”

“No, you’re wrong!” Janie said with such vehemence that Aaron gave her a warning look.  He didn’t want her to scare the lady into silence.  “I mean, we need to listen to our elders, to hear the stories of our past.  Don’t you think?”

Gerri nodded, looking a little nonplussed.  “Of course, dear.  And as to your visit, I can assure you that I have no trouble speaking, or retrieving words.  I’m sure my daughter arranged for you to come by, but I don’t need any speech therapy.”

“Your daughter?”  Janie’s eyes widened. 
An aunt
, Aaron thought.

“Yes.  She lives in Shreveport, but she sends people to come see me all the time.  Doctors, therapists, wellness coaches.  It’s a wonder I ever get a moment’s peace.”

“How many children do you have, Gerri?”  Aaron asked.

“My daughter Eve is an only child.”  Aaron dared not look at Janie.  He cleared his throat and continued.

“Is that so?  I thought I read something about a son in your paperwork.”

“I had a son.  Kenny.  But not anymore.”  Her eyes wandered to the window, and Aaron reached to take Janie’s hand in his.

“When…” Aaron stopped, started again.  “When did he pass?”

“Oh, he’s not dead.  At least, not as far as I know.  He’s just not my son anymore.”

“I don’t understand,” Janie said in a choked voice.  “Did the two of you have a falling out?”

“You could say that.  But I don’t really like to talk about it.”  She looked from Janie to Aaron, then back to Janie again.  “Is there some test you’re supposed to conduct?  I’ll make sure you’re paid for your time, but I really don’t see any reason for us to pursue the speech therapy idea.  Do you?” 

Aaron felt the mood in the room shift.  Mrs. Brown knew something was up.  She was a sharp old lady, and she was on to them.

“I think she’s right, Janie.  It’s time for us to go, anyway.”  He stood and pulled Janie from her chair by her hand.  “We have another appointment across town.  Thank you for your time.”

“What did you say your name was, young lady?  Gerri asked, her gaze unwavering.

“I’m Ja—“

“Janie Jones.  I’m Aaron Dillon, and this is Janie Jones.  And we’d better be going,” he flashed a plastic smile and scooted to the door, Janie in his wake. 

***

“What was that all about?” Janie asked as soon as they were in the parking lot.

“She knew.”

“Knew what?”

“Who you were.  She figured out that you were Kenneth’s daughter.”  Aaron unlocked the car and placed his hand at the base of Janie’s spine, guiding her into the front seat.  Janie waited for him to walk around to the driver’s side.

“So?  Clearly she wasn’t confused.  I’d have liked to tell her who I am.”

“I don’t think it’s such a good idea.  At least not yet.”  Janie just stared at him, not understanding his rationale.

“Look, I think something bad happened with Kenneth.  Something bad enough that his wife left him and hid his existence from his daughter.  Something so bad that his own mother disowned him.”  He turned in his seat and took her by the shoulders.  “I think there’s a lot here that we don’t know, and I’m pretty sure that none of it’s going to be good.  You need to decide if this is something you really want to pursue.”

“But I do!  I think not knowing where he is or what happened to him will eat at me.”

Aaron sighed and dropped his hands.  “I get that.  Believe me, I do.  But I’m almost positive that if we continue with this, you’re not going to like what we find.  Can you live with that?”

“I guess.  I mean, what choice do I have?”

“Well, we could go home and forget the whole thing.  You’ve lived your whole life without your father.  It’s not like you’ll be losing anything by letting this go.”

“But I lived without him because I thought he was lost to me forever.  Now that I know who he is, it changes everything.  I have to know what happened.  Not just with Kenneth, but with my mom as well.  I need to know why she lied to me for so long.  It’s not something she did lightly.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t,” Aaron agreed.  He rubbed her shoulder supportively.  “Come on.  It’s been a long day.  Let’s put this on the back burner for a while.  I saw a movie theater near the hotel.  Let’s grab you some dinner and find something good to watch.  What kind of movies do you like?”

“Probably the type you hate.  Romances.  Period dramas.”  She grinned at the sour face he made.

“Maybe we can find a comedy,” he suggested. 

After dinner and a comedy spy flick, they made their way back to the hotel room, exhausted.  Aaron was pleased when Janie emerged from the bathroom in her pajamas and plopped down on his bed, rubbing her eyes with exhaustion.

“You’ve had a long day, huh?” He walked over and sat on the edge of the mattress.  She looked up at him and nodded, then yawned.  He leaned down and kissed her gently, marveling at her smell, and the softness of her skin.  She kissed him back with more intent than she’d ever shown previously, tugging at the collar of his shirt and pulling him on top of her.  He began to run his hands slowly over her skin, down her arms, then up again, over and over.  Her shiver made him light-headed.  Soon his hands made their way down her torso to her hips, which rose to meet his.

“Janie,” he murmured, kissing her neck, a strangled moan escaping from the back of his throat. He pulled up on his forearms and looked down at her.  God, she was beautiful.  Her large brown eyes were shiny, and he felt himself sinking into them.