Chapter Three

Over a week had passed and still no progress on the Sanders case. I had searched all the databases for an Anna Sanders, but with no avail. None of them matched any of the girls in the picture. Instead of working on the case, I was at the moment with Henry at the junk yard. I felt I could go here to get my mind off work. It was a Saturday after all.

“Have you found any links to the berries that use to live here?” he asked me as he organized what looked like junk to me.

“No, I haven’t found the time. I have been working on this case,” I replied

“Case? What are you? Some kind police woman?”

“Private Investigator,”

“Like the ones you see on TV. My wife is into those kind of show, lord knows I don’t understand it.”

I laughed.

“Well, can you tell me about it or is it one of those if you told me you’d have to kill me?”

“Unfortunately, my job is not that exciting. No, the case is me trying to find a lady’s birth mother.”

“Oh,” he dragged out.

“Yeah, I have been working on it for over a week and still nothing.” I sighed. I pulled out the picture again and stared at it again hoping something would pop out at me. Then I notice the girl furtherest to the right's jacket had a llama. Maybe a school mascot. I asked Henry.

“Yeah, that the mascot of Sugar Valley University.” He answered

“Henry, you just helped a lot. I have to go,” I said as I ran to my house. I called a taxi and left for the library. 

At the library, I used the closest computer and googled Sugar Valley University. The school website popped up. My mouse quickly went to the tap that read Alumni. In the search box, I typed in Anna Sanders. Two pictures popped up, but only one matched a girl in the photo.

Anna Maria Sanders had fair hair that was cropped short and a tan complexion. She was smiling big for the camera making her green eyes light up. So this was Tamara’s mom. I scrolled down to read more information then tabbed over to her pictures. My eyes scanned them till I saw the one that I held in my hand only this one happen to have color. That's when I discovered that one of the girls was blue.

I quickly read the caption and jotted down the name Celine Mitchell. Though I didn’t have time to check into it now, I knew this could be my first lead.

I went to the station. It was empty save for the blonde.

“What are you doing here?” Sabrina said “It’s Saturday”

“Could ask you the same thing, but I don’t really care so I’m going to save my breath” I replied curtly and turned to my office.

I immediately searched Anna Maria Sanders in the database. It popped up several, but I found the one I was looking for. Unfortunately, this one was dead.

A newspaper article on her said that she died during the birth of baby girl.

That can’t be right, I thought, Mrs. Johnson said that she last saw her mother when she was three. Maybe she was thinking of one of her foster mothers.

Either way, it stilled didn’t explain how she ended up in foster care, because it said here in the database that Anna was married to a William Davis. Where was Tamara’s father?

After a few minutes of searching, I found him. Apparently after the death of his wife, he went crazy, blaming the child for her death. He currently resided in the Sugar Valley Mental Facility.  

I printed out the articled on her mother’s death and all the information about her mother along with her father’s information. As I waited for the old printer give me my papers, I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Mrs. Johnson’s number.

“Hello,” her soft voice answered.

“Hello, Mrs. Johnson, I am calling you to tell you that I have found your mother and father. Would you like to come down to the station today?”

“Oh, yes, I’m on my way.” The call dropped.

I sat down in my lumpy chair and took a look around my office for the first time. It was very plain with gray walls and green carpet like the Chief’s office. There was nothing more that an old wooded desk, the chair that I now sat in and two chairs in front of my desk. I made a mental note to get some plants or something for my office. If I was to stay here for an extended amount of time then I couldn’t stay in this boring office.

A soft knock disrupted my thoughts.

Thinking it was Mrs. Johnson; I grabbed the papers off the printer and sat with my back straight before I said come in.

Tamara stepped in and grabbed a chair in front of my desk.

“Your mother is Anna Maria Sanders married to William Davis, your father.” I began “She graduated from Sugar Valley University and unfortunately died while giving birth to you. Here is all the information I could get for you.”

“And what about my father,” she asked “Is he dead, too?”

“No, he is currently living at the Sugar Valley Mental Facility.”

“Oh,”

“I’m really sorry for your loss Here is the information I could get on your father.” I handed her all the papers.

“Thank you, so much.” She got up to leave. “Now, at least I can know where I came from.”

“You’re welcome,” then she left.

Case Closed.

I sat in my office for a few more minutes, before I remember the name I had gotten. Using the database, I searched Celine Mitchell. Luckily, there was only one blue Celine Mitchell. I printed out all the information on her before locking up my office.

When I arrived at home, I walked over to the junk yard where I knew Henry would be getting ready to leave. The sun began to set leaving the sky a beautiful pink and blue. The air was just beginning to turn cold for the night. I knocked on the office door of the junk yard.

“Hey, Katie. Solve that case of yours?” he said in a friendly tone.

“Yeah, I did. Thanks a lot for your help.” I said “I also think I might have a lead on the Berries.”

“Really, now”

“Yep, but I probably won’t look further into it until Monday.”

“Good, go home and get some rest. And stay in bed tomorrow.”

I laughed

“That I will. That I will”