you can help me with that? I have a release from the girl’s biological and legal father.” George took a copy of the release from his briefcase and handed it to Mandy.
Mandy looked it over. “Is this the girl’s last name? Calhoun?”
“No. It would be Harrington. Sunshine Harrington.”
“Well, to begin with, I wouldn’t have access to that database. But I don’t think anyone will do a search for you without proof that the person who signed the release is her father.”
“And who does have authority to access the database?”
“Probably Mr. Oxblood. He’s the executive director of the hospital. But he’s out, too. His father passed away two days ago. The wake is going on now and the funeral is tomorrow, so he’ll be back on Monday. And don’t even ask. I wouldn’t dream of disturbing him during this time.”
“Who’s covering for Dr. Jeffreys while he’s away?”
“That would be Dr. Burroughs, but she wouldn’t okay a search of the database without Mr. Oxblood’s go-ahead. And neither would Dr. Jeffreys. Not with the name on the release being different.”
Tommy understood that getting angry wouldn’t get him anywhere. As difficult as it was, he needed to be patient. There were other avenues he could pursue in the meantime. “Okay, Mandy. Can you get me in to see Dr. Jeffreys first thing in the morning when he gets back?”
Mandy penciled him in for 8 a.m., before the doctor would begin his rounds.
If Tommy was right, he didn’t need to call Helen at Vital Records or Abby at County Community Services. It seemed that Angelina hadn’t succumbed to the leukemia, so there wouldn’t be a death certificate. And he didn’t think anyone had turned her over to foster care. If he couldn’t get anywhere with his search, he’d double back to both places and have them check the name of Sunshine Harrington. But he suspected that the person who found Angelina Calhoun at the Mayo Clinic, alone and frightened, was Trudy Harrington, on her way to work. He figured she’d read the records tied around Angelina’s waist and made an instant decision: She would take care of this child, get treatment for her and raise her and love her as her own daughter. Dani may have had George Calhoun pegged from the start after all. Damn, I must be losing my touch. Now he needed to find Trudy Harrington to confirm his theory.
The hour was getting late and he was tired. He decided to call it a night and take a drive out to Byron the next day to poke around and see what he could find.
After his morning stop at Dunkin Donuts, Tommy found a bookstore that had street maps for Olmsted County. He mapped out a route to Aspen Road, got in his car and thirty minutes later stood in front of the beige, vinyl-sided house at 4 Aspen Road. After he knocked on the door and received no response, he walked to the front window nearest the door. Curtains covered the windows, but it appeared that no lights were on inside. He walked to the back of the house and still saw no evidence of movement. Well, this is what legwork is about. He walked to the house to the right of No. 4, identical in all respects except the color, and knocked on the front door. A young woman, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, opened the door, and Tommy could see two toddlers sitting on the floor inside, hunched over toy trucks and making vroom sounds.
“Yeah?”
“Excuse me, miss. I’m looking for the folks who live next door,” Tommy said as he pointed to the beige house.
“What about?”
“It’s a personal matter.”
“Well, I can’t help you anyway. I’m just a baby sitter.”
Tommy thanked her and moved on to the next house. A middle-aged woman dressed in casual pants and a loose-fitting sweater answered the door with a bright smile.
“Good morning, ma’am. I’m looking for Trudy Harrington. She lives at No. 4 over there. Do you know where I might find her?”
The woman’s smile disappeared. “Are you a friend?”
“No, ma’am. I’m an investigator and it’s urgent I find her or her husband.”
“Well, I’m sorry to tell you, they’re both deceased. Ed passed away a number of years ago, but Trudy just died recently, maybe ten or so days ago.”
Tommy’s face dropped. “Do you know their daughter?”
“Sunshine?”
“Yes, I need to find her.”
“Can I ask what this is about?”
“It concerns an inheritance.”
“Her daughter was just here, for the funeral, I assume. I wasn’t really