Don't Say a Word - Barbara Freethy [126]
"I can't seem to focus on reading the article. I can't look away from my mother." She smiled sadly. "How could I have forgotten her until just this second? How could I have forgotten them all? My sister, my father, my mother?"
He put his arm around her, pulling her close. "You suffered a trauma. Everything you knew was ripped away from you when you were too small to understand what was happening. Sarah gave you love and comforted you. She took care of you and became your entire world."
"And she surrounded me with people. First Gino and all his relatives, then Lizzie."
"Exactly. There were so many good people in your life who loved you that there was no reason for you to search your brain for anything else. It was probably too painful to try to remember, so you didn't."
"You're being too easy on me," she said.
"No, you're being too hard on yourself."
"I feel like I betrayed my mom and dad by forgetting who they were, and my sister, too. What am I going to say when I see Elena? How am I going to tell her that for the past twenty-five years I never gave her one thought?"
"You'll say what's right," he assured her. "I'm curious as to whether or not she ever remembered you or your parents."
"I just hope we can find her. What if she's no longer in DC?"
"Then it will take longer."
Julia kissed him on the cheek. "I like your confidence. You make me believe in the impossible. Thanks."
"No problem." He returned his gaze to the computer, but he wasn't thinking about the information on the screen; he was thinking about Julia. She was making him believe in the impossible, too.
It was a cool crisp September day in Washington DC. The cab ride from the airport was long and nerve-racking after an equally long and nerve-racking flight. They'd hit lots of turbulence, which had done nothing to calm Julia's upset stomach. But at least they were here, and they had come armed with one address, that of the DC Ballet Company, located near the John F. Kennedy Center of Performing Arts. On the Internet, they'd discovered her sister's name, Elaine Harrigan, listed among the former stars of the company. Unfortunately, there had been no photo. Not that Julia needed to know what her twin sister looked like. All she had to do was gaze in the mirror.
"You're missing all the sights, the White House, the Washington Monument, the Capitol," Alex told her. "What's so fascinating about your hands?"
Julia realized she was still staring down at her tightly clasped fingers. "I was just thinking." She lifted her head. "And worrying about what's coming next."
"Hopefully a reunion with your sister."
"I want that-I think. I'm nervous. What will I say? What will she say? Then I worry that we won't find her at all."
He took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "Stop trying to predict the future."
It was good advice, and she wanted to take it. She looked out the window just as the Kennedy Center came into view. It was a beautiful, magnificent building set on the banks of the Potomac River. Her sister had probably danced there, Julia thought. Just like their mother, she'd taken to the stage, danced her heart out, and probably drawn the applause of thousands.
The cab passed by the center and a few blocks later stopped in front of a two-story building with white columns and a fountain in front of it. A sign over the door read dc ballet company. Alex gave the driver money to wait for them. Julia kept her large handbag with her. She had a tight grip on it, knowing that even though they'd flown across the country, someone might still be on their tail.
They entered the building and stopped at the information desk in the lobby.
"Can I help you?" a young woman asked.
"We'd like to speak to whoever is in charge." Alex offered her a charming smile, and the woman responded immediately.
"That would be Mrs. Kay," she said. "Can I tell her what this is regarding?"
"Elaine Harrigan," Alex said. "She danced here several years ago. We're relatives of hers, and we're trying to find her. Do you think Mrs. Kay could give us a few minutes of her