“What year were you born?”
“I dunno,” Gwen said.
“Well, you’re ten years old, right?” Kate questioned. “So your birth year was—”
Gwen quickly did the math.
“Then this must be your picture,” Kate concluded, showing her the date stamp. “Beck wasn’t born yet. You were adorable.”
Gwen blushed and studied the picture more carefully.
Getting up on his knees, Beck shoved the pile of snapshots around. “Where’s my baby picture?”
“I’m sure there’s one there somewhere,” Kate said.
As the youngsters tried to make some order out of the snapshots, Kate managed to get their birthdates and jotted them down.
“Were y’all born in Knoxville?” she asked.
“I was born in Kentucky,” Megan said. “Someplace called Sulphur Well.”
“Eww, sounds stinky.” Beck pinched his nose.
Kate smothered a laugh. At least this project gave the children something to think about besides their mother’s death.
“Did your parents get married in Sulphur Well?” she asked.
“I dunno. Ma never said,” Megan replied.
“Do you know your mother’s maiden name?” Kate asked.
Shaking her head, Megan continued to arrange the pictures on the table. “Ma never said. I know her ma died before I was born.”
Kate thought it sad that the children had never known the special love their grandparents could have given them.
“Megan, do you know if your mother had copies of your birth certificates?”
Megan didn’t know the answer to that either. Or if Wyn was a nickname for something else. Or where he was born. Clearly the Maddock family hadn’t kept close track of their records or their family tree.
Kate scanned the photos for some other clue. Megan had set aside the picture of Glynis and Hank in front of a small log cabin.
“Where was that picture taken?” Kate asked out of curiosity.
Glancing briefly at the photo, Megan shrugged. “Someplace on Tellico Lake. Ma didn’t have a very good time. She said Hank spent all day arguing with his brother, so she came home early.”
An argument between thieves, Kate suspected. That was one picture that wouldn’t go into the family album.
A picture of Gwen’s fifth-birthday party suggested they were living in the run-down Knoxville apartment building Kate had visited. But there was an earlier snapshot of a small house on a grassy lot in the woods. According to Megan, the family had been living there when Beck was born. She didn’t remember the address but thought it was in Knoxville, or nearby. Perhaps after Wyn had gone to prison, Glynis had been forced to move somewhere less expensive.
Kate was becoming more discouraged by the moment. Picking up a fairly recent snapshot of the children, she smiled at how happy they looked, and felt her heart break a little more for the loss of their mother.
“Would you mind if I kept this snapshot of the three of you?” Kate asked.
Megan gave an indifferent shrug. “Sure, if you want to.”
When the children had the pictures sorted more or less chronologically, Kate asked them to tell her their favorite memory of their mother.
“Ma used to take me to the park and push me on the swings,” Beck said.
“When I was little, Ma sewed me a blue sundress that she said matched my eyes,” Gwen contributed.
Megan remained silent for a moment, her gaze focused on one of the snapshots that included Glynis. “I liked it when she brushed my hair.”
Again, Kate’s heart went out to the youngsters, and she vowed to brush Megan’s hair every chance the girl would allow.
Her voice broke when she spoke. “All...right. You’re all such good artists, why don’t you draw a picture of your favorite memories, and you can put those in the scrapbook too.”
Soon after they started working on their pictures, the doorbell rang. Kate grimaced as she went to answer the door. She really didn’t want to deal with any added problems just now.
As soon as she opened the door, Renee, dressed in a bright pink jogging outfit, swept into the room. “Oh, good, you’re home. Mother is driving me crazy, and I was hoping—” She stopped when she saw the children. “Is this a school holiday?”
“No.” Kate hooked Renee’s arm through hers. “I let the kids stay home today,” she whispered. “Yesterday we learned that their mother died in a car accident almost two months ago. They’re understandably—”
“Oh, my sweet little dears!” Her hand covering her heart as though she might swoon, Renee ran tippy-toed across the moss green shag carpeting to the kitchen table, her tote swaying from her arm. There she began kissing and hugging the youngsters, wailing about how sorry she was for their loss.
Beck seemed a little nonplussed by her exuberant overture, but the girls didn’t appear to mind.
Following Renee to the table, Kate felt a bit overwhelmed herself. While she was grateful for the older woman’s concern, Renee came off more like a tornado blowing through the house than a sympathetic friend.
When her oohing and aahing finally slowed down, Kate said, “Was there something you wanted, Renee?”
“Oh dear, it was nothing. I was simply going to ask you to babysit Kisses while I went for a massage. He’s not fond of the aromatherapy I prefer. But I can see your duty is to console these poor, poor youngsters, so I won’t impose on you.”
Gwen piped up. “I can babysit Kisses. Please. I love Little Umpkins. He won’t be any trouble, I promise.” She looked to Kate hopefully.
Kate’s inclination to roll her eyes at Renee’s antics nearly got the better of her.
Instead, Kate simply nodded. “I’m sure the children would love to have Kisses stay here for an hour or two.” No more than that. Although she had to admit, having an animal to cuddle might be good for Gwen.
“Oh, you’re a lifesaver, Kate. You too Gwen, sweetie.” She handed Gwen the tote with Kisses in it. “I’ll just fetch his lunch from the car. Of course, you’ll have to cook it for him.”
She scurried out to her car and back again in seconds, handing Kate a plastic container of whatever it was that made up Kisses’ lunch.
“Now don’t serve it to him too hot,” she warned. “We wouldn’t want him to burn his pink little tongue.”
“Of course not,” Kate mumbled.
The rest of the morning went surprisingly well. The children alternated turns holding and fussing with Kisses and working on their drawings, which were both artistic and touching. Megan took charge of arranging the contents of the scrapbook. She labeled the photos and mounted them on colored paper that she shaped using Kate’s pinking shears.
By midafternoon, Renee reappeared, apparently invigorated by her massage followed by a leisurely lunch at the hotel.
She oohed and aahed over the children, their scrapbook, and Kisses, then swept the dog up in his tote and was gone.
Kate exhaled an exhausted breath. That woman could wear out a marathon runner!
By the time Paul got home, the children were restless. Kate sent them outside to play, admonishing them to stay close by.
Paul slipped off his suit jacket and loosened his tie. “How are they doing?”
“Amazingly well, all things considered.”
“Kids can be pretty resilient. There’ll still be some bad moments, I’m sure.”
“I know.” Somehow she would have to make permanent arrangements for the children, plus deal with the trailer and what Glynis had left behind. “I’ve been trying to track down their father.”
“I thought you said he’s in jail.”
“That’s what they told me. But I didn’t have any luck finding him through the Department of Corrections Web site. I think it’s because I don’t have his name exactly right and don’t know his prisoner ID. If you can stick around for a bit, I thought I’d go see if Livvy can help me check the children’s birth records. Those should have the father’s name on them.
We’re running low on milk again too.”
“Sure, go ahead. I’ll start dinner if you’d like.”
She smiled and kissed him. “I knew there was a reason I married you.”
She grabbed a lightweight jacket from the front closet and drove into town. The sky had turned pewter gray with the threat of rain, and the wind had begun to whip the tops of the trees along Main Street. She parked and walked into the library.
“Hey, Liv.”
The librarian looked up from the magazine she was reading behind the front counter and lifted her glasses to the top of her head. “You definitely get points for being a frequent visitor to the library. What’s up this time?”
“Same general topic. Can you check marriage licenses and birth records on LexisNexis? I’m trying to locate Glynis’ ex-husband.”
“Let’s give it a try.” Setting the magazine aside, Livvy came out from behind the counter. “Is he the father of the children?”
“I’m afraid so. Glynis Maddock was married to Wyn Maddock, who’s supposed to be in prison. But I can’t locate him online. I’m guessing I’ve got his name spelled wrong or that Wyn is a nickname for something else. So I thought if I could find the children’s birth records, he’d be properly listed on those.”
“Should be.” In her office, Livvy sat down in front of the computer and brought up a new screen. “What county were they born in?”
“Two were born in Knoxville. Gwen and Becker Maddock.”
“Okay I’ll look there first. You have their birth dates?”
Kate provided the information and watched as the computer screen flashed from one set of information to another.
Livvy seemed to slow down, then start over again.
“That’s strange,” she said. “I can’t find any record of a Maddock born on those dates in Knoxville. I’ve checked nearby counties, but there’s nothing there either.”
“That is odd.” Kate pondered that for a moment. “The older girl was born in Kentucky, Sulphur Well. Can you see if there’s a record for Megan Maddock there?”
Again, Livvy deftly brought up a new screen and typed in the information.
“Nope. Nothing there,” she said, shaking her head.
Kate leaned back in her chair. “Well, those children didn’t simply fall out of the sky and drop into Copper Mill. There has to be some record of them being born somewhere.”
Livvy turned to Kate. “Could it be they were adopted? If it was a closed adoption, their names won’t show up in the birth records. But I can try court records and see if they turn up under adoptions.”
Kate didn’t think Glynis, with her long-standing financial struggle, would have been a good prospect to adopt three children. Although during her marriage, the family income could have been higher.
“I’m not optimistic,” Kate said, “but give it a shot.”
Once again Livvy went to work on her computer and found nothing. “Maybe no birth certificate was issued. If the mother gave birth at home, that sometimes happens.”
“But when the children enter school, don’t they have to present something that says when they were born?”
Thoughtful, Livvy tucked a strand of her auburn hair behind her ear. “What else can we check?”
“There has to be some way to track down Wyn Maddock. Can you check for an arrest record?”
“Here in Tennessee?”
“At this point I’m not sure of anything, but I got the impression from his daughter that he was arrested in Knoxville. She said he murdered someone.”
“How long ago?”
“They didn’t know exactly. The youngest child is nine, and he doesn’t know his father at all, so the crime that sent Wyn Maddock to prison must have taken place about that many years ago.”
While Livvy went back to work again, Kate glanced around the librarian’s office. A recent copy of the Copper Mill Chronicle sat on the corner of her desk. One corner of the Nashville Tennessean stuck out beneath it.
“I’m finding a bunch of robberies and driving-under-the-influence arrests, including one drunk-driving fatality.” Livvy scrolled down a screen. “Nothing about anyone named Wyn or Maddock. Let me check the Knoxville newspaper. Maybe they picked up the story.”
After a few more minutes, Livvy turned away from her computer and shook her head. “I’m sorry, Kate. I can’t find anything related to Wyn Maddock.”
How could that be? “Do you suppose Glynis changed her name or was using a false identity? Maybe she went back to her maiden name.”
“I don’t know. Whatever she did, she doesn’t show up in the records anywhere that I can find.”
“Glynis did have a driver’s license,” Kate said, recalling Skip’s database search. “That much I know. Other than that, I guess we’ve hit another dead end.”
The only other explanation Kate could think of was that Glynis was in witness protection, but that seemed pretty far-fetched. Surely if she’d been involved with witness protection, they would have provided better housing, and she wouldn’t have gotten involved with a crook like Hank Weller.
“I’m really sorry, Kate.” Sincere concern showed in her eyes. “Oh, I almost forgot. There was a small article in the Tennessean this morning that mentioned that Glynis Maddock was officially identified as the victim of a fatal accident a couple of months ago. Didn’t say much except that she and Hank had been living in Copper Mill.”
Reaching across her desk, Livvy slipped the Nashville newspaper out from under the Chronicle. “It’s in the local section under police activity. You’re welcome to take that with you if you’d like.”
Taking the paper, Kate was thankful for the library’s vast subscription to newspapers and for Livvy’s devotion to reading them. However, she was also concerned that anyone seeing the article would now have a trail to follow. She decided she’d study the paper at home later. She thanked Livvy for her help and left the library.
The rain that had threatened earlier had started, big drops splashing on the sidewalk. She made a dash to her car. In the distance, she heard the rumble of thunder. The lantern streetlights had come on in a futile battle to keep the darkening gloom away.
She groaned, realizing that she still had to stop at the Mercantile for milk and bread. Three growing children went through staples in a hurry.
She drove the short distance to the store and parked in front. The bright overhead lights inside the Mercantile contrasted with the early dusk settling over the town.
She grabbed a cart and she pushed it to the back of the store where the dairy products were displayed. She noted few shoppers in the store.
“Hey, Kate.” Sam Gorman looked up from restocking shelves with cottage cheese and yogurt to greet her. He wore khaki pants and a white shirt with the cuffs rolled up to his elbows. “You’re shopping late today.”
“Since the Maddock children moved in with us, I can’t keep up with the milk and bread they consume.” She pulled two gallons of milk from the refrigerator and put them in her cart.
“Speaking of the Maddock family, a couple of guys were asking about them earlier this afternoon.”
A frisson of alarm sparked in Kate’s mind. “What guys?”
Sam put the last of the cottage cheese on the shelf. “I didn’t get their names. Not from around here, that’s for sure. Said they were friends of Glynis from Knoxville.”
Friends? Or robbers looking for a stash of diamonds? “What did these men look like?”
Sam lowered his brows. “One guy, the talker, had a husky build, dark hair, and a beard that looked a week old. The other fellow didn’t say much. Taller and lankier than the first, narrow face with a beaklike nose. They seemed nice enough.” He set the empty carton aside. “Is something wrong?”
“I don’t know.” Sam’s description of the man with the husky build and whiskers could easily fit Perry Weller. “What did you tell them?”
“I told them the Maddocks lived out Smoky Mountain Hollow way. I hope I didn’t get Glynis in tro
uble or anything. They acted a little odd, but I figured no harm done if they were friends of hers.”
Briefly she told Sam about Glynis’ death and her involvement with a diamond thief.
“Whoa! That’s heavy stuff,” he said.
“I know. Do me a favor. If they come back, see if you can find out who they are. And don’t mention we’ve got the children at our house.”
He frowned and looked worried. “Whatever you say. I hope I didn’t stick my foot in it.”
The overhead lights flickered, followed by a crack of thunder rumbling across the sky.
He glanced up at the ceiling. “Looks like we may lose power. If the cash registers go down before you check out, you can square your bill with me later.”
Kate nodded. The sooner she could get out of here, the better. Because Kate urgently wanted to get to the Maddock trailer and find out who those two men were. If they were still around.
Chapter Fourteen
Rain and wind battered the Honda as Kate drove out of town. The windshield wipers battled to keep up with the onslaught. Lightning cracked across the darkening sky. Even at slow speed, Kate’s car created a squirrel’s tail of water spraying up behind it.
Few other vehicles had ventured out in the torrent. The empty road to Smoky Mountain Hollow loomed ahead like a fast-flowing river of black water. Streetlights were few and far between.
Shortly before she reached the turnoff to the Maddock trailer, a van lurched out onto the road, its headlights on high beam. Kate squinted as the van approached, the lights temporarily blinding her. She barely got a glimpse of the light-colored van just before the vehicle’s wake rocked her car. She had to fight to keep the Honda on the road and away from the rain-swollen ditch that drained the water toward Copper Mill Creek.
Peering through the windshield, she spotted the Maddock mailbox alongside the road and the break in the trees that led to the trailer. She turned right and felt her tires leave the asphalt pavement, crunching onto gravel and splashing into potholes.
Her headlights picked up the shadowed silhouette of the trailer. No lights were on inside, no vehicle parked nearby. She pulled up in front of the trailer as close as she could. Rain poured off the trailer roof at the corners in two matching cascades.
For the Least of These Page 11
