"That's a lot,” she admitted. “If it is our Nabirye Obote, then she's clearly not dead."
"Which makes us wonder why her baby is here with some other mother."
"What it really makes us wonder is if Nabirye has a baby at all."
"If she's doing politically dangerous work, she might have sent her baby here for safety,” Lauren suggested.
"Or Neelie might be trying to take advantage of her sister's situation and find a better life for her own baby."
"Didn't you tell me yesterday the baby's eyes were blue? So, we have to believe Neelie just coincidentally had a blue-eyed baby?"
"If she did have a blue-eyed baby, and she'd seen Aiden, it might have given her the idea."
"It sounds pretty bold, if you ask me."
"My experience with Neelie is that she's definitely bold enough to try something like that."
"If she's staying at Aiden's house maybe we can grill her after the shower."
Harriet could hear the clicking of computer keys in the background.
"I just sent you the link. When you've had your coffee, take a look."
"Thanks for finding this so quickly,” Harriet said.
"It's what I do,” Lauren said with a long-suffering sigh. “Later,” she added, and hung up without waiting for a response.
Harriet turned on her bar stool.
"This puts a different spin on things, Fred. After that bit of news, I think a walk is in order after all."
Beth had taken Mavis's quilt piece home the night before, so Harriet spent the morning auditioning fabrics for her dog quilt block. Her plan was to try to fashion a tumbling block pattern using light, medium and dark fabrics, one of which would be a dog print. If her color choices were good, three diamond-shaped pieces would be joined, creating a three-dimensional effect that would make it appear blocks were tumbling out of the quilt.
She cut two diamonds from each of the dog-print fabrics she'd collected then searched through the fabric on her storage shelves to find coordinating shades to complete each trio. It was a slow process-cutting diamonds, arranging the pieces on her flannel design wall and rejecting them when they didn't create the desired effect.
A glance at the clock told her she needed to end the process and get ready for the shower. For all her efforts, she'd found only one trio of colors that looked like they might work.
"Take a message if Aiden calls,” Harriet instructed Fred after she'd showered, dressed and wrapped her shower gift. “And don't open the door for strangers."
Fred meowed his agreement, and Harriet left for the party.
Chapter 9
Was that Neelie I saw driving your car down the driveway when I came in?” Harriet asked Carla when she entered Aiden's house.
Carla set a bowl of fruit salad down on the dining room buffet.
"I sent her to the store to buy formula and diapers that fit for the baby."
"Did it occur to you she might just take the car and run?” Harriet asked.
Carla's cheeks turned a dark pink.
"She wants something, and it isn't a car,” she said. “Trust me. My mom had boyfriends with that same look she has."
"Our Carla's clever enough not to let Neelie take her car without leaving a security deposit,” Mavis said as she came into the dining room carrying Kissa.
"Aren't you the sly one?” Harriet said.
"Not sly enough,” Carla told her. “I didn't get any new information from her."
Mavis patted Carla on the back.
"Now, honey, she's hardly settled in. You just keep your ears open. Let us do the rest."
The Loose Threads started arriving en masse, fixing plates of snacks and making tea.
"Did you tell everyone what I found?” Lauren asked as she sat down next to Harriet at the table. She had on a pink linen blouse with a Peter Pan collar, and navy blue pants. Her hair was swept back from her face with a navy blue headband. She looked younger and more vulnerable than usual.
"I haven't had a chance. Why don't you tell them?"
"I can't believe you're sitting on this gem. Where is the subject, by the way?"
"If you mean Neelie, she's at the store, and you don't need to say it, I already asked why she got to take a car. Carla's holding the baby hostage."
"Way to go, Carla,” Lauren said. “Looks like our little friend is growing a spine."
Harriet shushed Lauren. Fortunately, Carla was in the kitchen and well out of earshot.
"What did you find out?” Jenny asked. Her shoulder-length silver hair was turned under in her customary page boy style, and she was wearing gray wool slacks and a pale-blue crepe blouse.
The room quieted as Lauren explained her discovery that Neelie's sister was possibly still alive. She also told them about the lack of documentation for Kissa and Neelie.
"That's all the more reason Carla shouldn't be here alone with that woman,” Connie said when Lauren had finished.
"Who are you talking about?” Phyllis Johnson asked as she wedged her soft bulk into a dining room chair.
Three people started talking at once, but after only a few minutes, Phyllis was up to speed.
"Do you really think Aiden abandoned a pregnant woman in Africa?” Phyllis asked. “I've known him since he was a guppie. He used to give Avanell fits bringing home every stray dog and cat in Foggy Point. He wouldn't leave his own baby.” Her chair creaked as she settled her bulk. She tugged at the two sides of her pastel piecework jacket. “Mark my words, something else is going on."
DeAnn came into the dining room, ending all talk of Neelie, Aiden and Kissa.
"This is still happening, right?” she asked Phyllis. She wore a black vest with red appliquéd flowers connected by a green vine that twined from one front panel, around the neck, down the back and onto the other front piece. Leaves in three shades of green were spaced between the flowers. The vest was very striking over the red turtleneck sweater she'd paired it with. She wore tapered black pants and ankle boots to complete the outfit. It was a definite change from her usual jeans and green polo shirt with the Foggy Point Video logo she wore most week days-her family owned the video store, and she worked there part time.
"Yes, it's all real,” Phyllis said with a smile. “If everything goes as planned, this time tomorrow you're going to have a beautiful daughter."
"It's all so hard to believe,” DeAnn said. “I mean, Avery was born while David was still in graduate school. And Hansford…” She paused. “Well, he was a bit of a surprise, so he got AJ's hand-me-downs, which were already secondhand."
"Well, honey, you just enjoy every minute of it,” Aunt Beth said.
"No baby shower is complete without a couple of games,” Mavis said. “Let's move into the parlor across the hall."
In her mind, Harriet groaned. She'd been to a few baby showers when she lived in California, and she'd clearly demonstrated that her upbringing, in the hands of nannies and at boarding schools in Europe, Asia and only sometimes America, had left her without the common cultural references most children grew up with. Her parents believed reading children's books to children stunted their potential. When her mother read to her, it was from the periodic table; her father read her Shakespeare.
"Okay, everyone,” Mavis said when the women were settled on the chairs and sofas of the large dayroom. “In this one, there are small gold ‘diaper’ pins mixed in a bowl of rice. Your task is to pick out as many pins as you can in thirty seconds-while blindfolded."
This task proved harder than it sounded but didn't require previous knowledge of babies or culture. The next two games didn't, either, and Harriet relaxed. She knew she was among friends, but she was still sensitive about her weird upbringing.
Neelie came in the front door as the group was returning to the dining room to have cake and ice cream.
"Oh, hi, Neelie,” Carla said. “Would you like to join us for some cake?"
She looked wary.
"Where is Kissa?"
"She's in the nursery with Wendy,” Carla told her. “I hired a babysitter to stay with them during the shower."