Emma and I exchanged glances, my expression probably as disappointed as that on Emma’s face. I didn’t know how much to say; I didn’t want to go spilling stuff that had no relevance if Julie didn’t live here, but at the same time, I was picking up an odd undercurrent in the room. I got the distinct feeling these people knew Julie, and there was definitely something going on here. Once more I exchanged glances with Emma, who nodded slightly, so I began talking.
“My name is Darryl Morgan; Julie and her brother, Mark, are my cousins; their mother is the younger sister of my father, Robert Fraser. She moved away from Bristol, from the family home, and the family lost touch with her soon after Julie was born. Emma?”
Emma took up the story.
“Sandra, or Lois, as we called her, is my younger sister. She disappeared with her children after her marriage broke down. I came looking for her several times, but the place she lived in had been redeveloped, and there was no trace of her. Darryl here finally heard from one of his colleagues that a girl called Julie Jameson had once been treated for a concussion at the local hospital, and this was the contact address given. We were hoping it was my niece; the age is correct, and the next of kin was listed as Mark Jameson, so we put those together and came here to ask if you knew anything about her whereabouts. Can you help us at all please?”
All the time Emma was speaking, the Asian lady was looking intently at me, studying my features. When Emma had finished speaking, she spoke directly to me.
“If you find cousin, if you find… Julie, what you say to her? If she not know about family, like you say, why you want to maybe turn her life upside down? Maybe she happy, maybe she not want to know about family?”
Emma chose to answer her.
“We just want to know that she and Mark are OK, nothing more; a long time ago, I tried to persuade Sandra to let me take the two of them home with me, I was afraid of what might happen to them; I couldn’t get her to give them up, and I’ve been haunted ever since by the possibility that she’d somehow hurt them; she was capable of doing it, too, and I’ve always believed I didn’t do enough to safeguard those two little children!”
She took a handkerchief from her pocket and dabbed at her eyes; the Asian lady’s eyes seemed to soften, and she smiled at Emma.
“Maybe they OK, maybe they have family now who take care of them, maybe you have nothing to worry about?”
My ears pricked up; this lady knew Julie, she knew her and she was protecting her! Emma seemed to have picked up on that as well; her eyes narrowed as she studied this tiny little woman in front of us. She swiped at her eyes once more and smiled wanly.
“I hope so, really; I just wish I knew for sure. Julie was such a lovely little baby, she had the most beautiful green eyes, and Mark, he was such a serious, sweet little boy, he loved his sister so much; even though she was my sister, and I loved her dearly, neither of them deserved to have Sandra for a mother, she had no time or love for either of them. She was so vindictive, and so angry with them for what their fathers did; that’s why I tried to take them away. Perhaps if I’d tried harder we wouldn’t have lost them so long ago!”
The Asian lady and her daughter both stood up, looking at Emma sympathetically.
“We not know this Julie Jameson, but we ask around; if you say this her address once, perhaps other neighbours know; we ask them. You leave number with my daughter. If we hear anything, she or her husband call you; you not worry, I very sure you find her, it just take time! You look like kind people, so my daughter and me we do whatever we can to help you!”
They showed us to the door, and as we were leaving the Asian lady took my elbow and drew me away a little.
“You not worry; I think Julie fine, I think she happy, and maybe… maybe she look for you too; if I hear anything I let you know, I promise!”
I looked at her, at the twinkle in her eye, and once again I got the feeling she knew more than she was telling me, but was holding back for reasons of her own.
“How do you know…?” I whispered, and she smiled at me, no she twinkled at me, suddenly looking no older than her daughter.
“I not know, just guessing, but you know what? I am very good guesser!”
With that we made to leave, then I remembered something.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t even ask your name…”
She smiled at me, and linked arms with her daughter.
“My name Anh; Anh Morrison, this my daughter Nia; do not worry, when we hear something, we let you know. I think everything be OK!”