Searching for Answers
by
Part 1
" Mike , I think it would be a good idea to call Katherine Sutton directly and find out if she knows anything," said Louisa .
"I've got a better idea," answered Mike . "Let's go to St. Louis and talk to her in person. I have some vacation time I can use."
The young woman thought for a moment. "Yeah, that would be better. Okay, you make arrangements to take a couple of days off, and I'll call the airline."
"Way ahead of you, little sister," grinned the engineer. "I called Headquarters before I came over. I'm off until next Wednesday."
"Today's Friday, so that gives us about five days," replied Louisa. "I hope we're doing the right thing, Mike . What if this person doesn't know he or she is adopted? We could really do some damage."
"She," said Stoker . Seeing his sister's confused expression, he elaborated. "The person we're looking for is a woman, Lou . Constance had her when she was sixteen."
Louisa chuckled and shook her head. "What else haven't you told me, Mikey?"
"Nothing, honest," replied Mike . "I've told you everything I found out."
"If you say so," grinned the young woman. "Go ahead and call the airline. Maybe we can get a flight this evening. I'm gonna go pack, then tell Hank what we're doing. Oh, by the way, I'd prefer an aisle seat."
Stoker picked up the phone and dialed. Within a few minutes, he had booked two seats on the 7:35 p.m. flight to St. Louis . After relaying the information to his sister, the engineer went home to pack his own bag, promising to return in an hour.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Thanks, Mami . No, Mike and I are leaving tonight. Well, we didn't want to waste any time. Right, I'll call you when after we check into the hotel. Bye."
"Is everything set?" asked Mike as he walked into the house.
"Yes. Mami and Rachel are going to take care of the twins while Hank is working," answered Louisa .
"Great. let's get going. We still need to pick up our tickets and go through security."
Louisa opened the sliding glass doors leading outside and stepped out onto the deck. "Hank!" she called, " Mike and I are leaving."
The Captain waved and leaned down to shut off the lawn mower. He crossed the yard in long strides and kissed his wife goodbye. "Call me when you get to St. Louis , honey. Good luck."
"Thank, sweetheart. I'll see you in a few days. Love you."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Okay, so how do you want to handle this, Lou?" Mike asked as the plane taxied down the runway. "Should we call first, or just show up at the agency?"
"I think we should call first. I told you about that secretary I talked to, right?" Stoker nodded. "She can tell us if Katherine is working without letting her know we're coming."
Mike grinned. "The element of surprise, huh? Is that how you found out about me?"
Louisa laughed. "No, that was more of a full-frontal assault with guns blazing," she joked. She paused for a brief moment, biting her lip. "This is so weird, you know? Kinda makes you wonder what else Constance could be hiding."
"Yeah, it does," admitted the engineer. "At least you know who your father is. She never told me,” he added sadly.
Louisa reached over and squeezed her half-brother's hand. "Don't worry, Mike . I plan to find that out. Whoever he was, I'm sure he'd be very proud to have a son like you."
Mike smiled shyly. "I just hope he is as great as your father is. I didn't get the chance to spend much time with Sam while he was here, but he seems like a really nice guy."
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for flying Delta Airlines. We're now cruising at 35,000 feet, so we have turned off the seatbelt sign. Feel free to move around a bit. My name is Lisa . If you need anything, please push the call button on your seat. We will be landing in St. Louis in about two hours, so relax and enjoy the flight."
Louisa smothered a laugh as Mike 's eyes followed the stewardess's progress as she walked down the center aisle. The girl smiled at them as she passed.
"Um, Mike, I think it's impolite to ogle the crew," grinned the young woman, playfully poking her companion with her elbow.
"What? Oh, yeah, I guess it is," replied Stoker . "I, uh, need to use the latrine." He stood up and headed for the rear of the plane.
Louisa caught the eye of the elderly lady sitting across the aisle and chuckled. "My brother," she giggled. "I should have brought a leash and a muzzle."
The woman smiled. "Nature of the beast, my dear," she said. "I'm Millie Sanders."
"Louisa Stanley," replied Louisa, reaching out to shake the woman's hand. "And that gentleman you just saw break the air speed record is Michael Stoker."
"Are you going to St. Louis to visit family, Mrs. Stanley ?"
"In a way. My brother and I just found out that we have a sister. We're on our way to the adoption agency to see if we can find out any more about her."
"I wish you luck," said Millie . "I'm going home for my nephew's funeral. He had leukemia."
"I'm so sorry. How old was he, if you don't mind me asking."
"Seventeen," answered Millie , brushing away a tear.
"So young," mused Louisa . "It's never easy to lose a loved one, but I think it's more difficult when they're that young."
"Do you have children, Mrs. Stanley ?"
"Please, call me Louisa . Yes, I have two. A boy and a girl. They're twins. Would you like to see a picture?"
"I'd love to." The elderly woman got up and sat down beside her. She smiled when she saw the photograph. "Aren't they precious? You and your husband must be very proud."
"We are. Emma and Matthew can be a handful sometimes, but I wouldn't give them up for the world."
Mike returned, his cheeks flushed. He smiled as Louisa introduced him to Millie and shook her hand.
"So, did you get a phone number, Mikey?" Louisa teased with a wink.
"No, I told you. I went to the latrine," he answered.
"Right," the two women chorused. "We know how you men operate," added Millie .
"All right, you got me," admitted the engineer with a chuckle. "I asked her for her number, but she turned me down."
"Tough luck, pal," said Louisa . "You didn't use one of Johnny 's lines on her, did you?"
"Of course not," defended Mike . "None of them work anyways."
"I best be getting back to my seat, Louisa . Michael , it was a pleasure to meet you. Good luck finding your sister."
“Thank you, Millie. I'm very sorry about your nephew.”
Louisa was quiet for the rest of the flight. Mike eyed her curiously, but made no effort to draw her into conversation. As the plane began its descent, the young woman finally spoke.
"You ready for this, Mike ?" she asked softly.
"As ready as I'll ever be," returned Stoker . "You having second thoughts?"
"No, I just have a weird feeling about this, like something bad is going to happen."
"It's probably just your stomach telling you it's hungry," joked the engineer, trying to lighten the mood. "I've been listening to it growl for the past hour."
"Only because it was competing with yours , Mikey," laughed Louisa. "After we check in, why don't we have a late supper?"
"Sounds good to me. I'm starving!"
After checking into a hotel and calling home, the siblings asked the desk clerk about the local restaurants. The man recommended Mario 's, an Italian eatery across the street.
"I'm so full, I can hardly move," said Louisa an hour later, putting down her fork. "You still got room for dessert, Mike ? That cheesecake looks absolutely divine."
"Why don't we split a piece, Lou ? I doubt I could eat a whole slice by myself," answered Mike .
"Same here. So, what flavor should we have? Plain, amaretto, or chocolate?"
"Chocolate!" grinned Stoker.
“My thoughts exactly,” answered Louisa with a wink. “If I had any doubts aobut us really being brother and sister, you just erased them!”
After polishing off the decadent dessert, they lingered over coffee and talked about meeting with Katherine Sutton . Louisa stopped in mid sentence when Katherine herself approached their table.
" Louisa ? Mike ? What are you two doing here?" asked the social worker, clearly surprised to see them.
"We came to see you," replied Mike . "We have some questions about our sister."
The woman paled. "Sister? What sister?" she stammered, stalling for time.
"The baby Constance had when she was sixteen," said Louisa . "Does that ring a bell?"
Katherine frowned. "This is neither the time nor the place to discuss that," she answered. "Since I know that it won't do any good to play dumb, meet me in my office at 9 o'clock tomorrow morning. I'll tell you what I know."
"We'll be there," said Mike , getting to his feet and pulling out his wallet. "Come on, Lou . "Let's get out of here."
"Right behind you," answered Louisa .
Katherine watched them leave, then sighed heavily. She jumped when her date came up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder.
"Who were those people you were talking to, Kathy ?" said the man.
"My sister's children," replied Ms. Sutton . "Will you excuse me for a minute? I need to make a phone call."
Her date nodded. Katherine quickly located the phone and dialed. "Connie, it's Katie. Louisa and Mike are here in St. Louis . How do I know that? Because I just ran into them at Mario's. Somehow, they found out about Amanda . Of course I recall who adopted her. Yes, I understand. Okay, I'll keep you informed. Bye."
The social worker leaned against the wall next to the phone and shuddered. "I certainly hope those two are prepared for this. You've really stirred up the fire now."