Lost and Found by Card Orson Scott

Author:Card, Orson Scott [Card, Orson Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, Young Adult, Mystery, Science Fiction, Paranormal, Contemporary
ISBN: 9781982613402
Amazon: B0BVTGSY4P
Goodreads: 122768236
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Published: 2019-09-10T07:00:00+00:00

“So yeah, I guess that’s great that my micropower didn’t completely malfunction, but—”

“The name ‘Karen’ wasn’t an accident. It means something to the woman who took care of her or she wouldn’t have chosen it. And maybe the woman was crazy, maybe it was part of her fantasy that she carried Renee in her womb, but maybe it wasn’t.”

Shank pulled the car over. They were only around the corner from the Delamares’ house. Shank pulled out his mobile and hit a speed-dial number, just one digit.

From the ensuing conversation it was clear that he had called Mr. Delamare’s cell, and he asked Delamare to get away from his wife and daughter to a place where they couldn’t hear the conversation. Only then did Shank ask his big question.

“Was Renee born through some kind of surrogacy situation?”

Apparently Mr. Delamare took it personally for some reason, because he was talking loud enough for Ezekiel to hear snatches of what he said. Shank didn’t even try to calm him down until Delamare said something about “real daughter” and then Shank quietly said, “Of course she’s your real daughter, and there’s no reason at all that you should have told me, ever, that there was a surrogate involved. It wasn’t relevant, it wouldn’t have changed the way we investigated. It only became relevant now because it sounds to me like this kidnapper was a surrogate mother.”

Apparently this calmed Delamare down but also frightened him.

“No, no,” said Shank. “I don’t think this crazy woman was necessarily the surrogate mother who actually gave birth to Renee. That’s pretty unlikely. But somehow she knew Renee was a surrogate birth. So maybe this woman was also a surrogate. Maybe she got so attached to the baby she was carrying that she changed her mind about giving it up, only the legal work was tight and she couldn’t change her mind or somebody convinced her that she couldn’t or maybe the baby was simply taken. They advise surrogates not to name the unborn baby because it only makes it harder, but for some reason this woman called the baby Karen and that’s the name she gave to Renee.”

More from Mr. Delamare that Ezekiel couldn’t make out.

Shank, however, was loud and clear. “You’re absolutely right, this is pure speculation. But it’s speculation that gives me some phone calls I can make and some things I can look up and maybe one of those avenues of inquiry will lead somewhere. That’s why I needed to know, and I appreciate your telling me.”

Another string of information from Delamare.

“Of course we’ll check the actual surrogate,” said Shank. “And yes, it’ll make my job much easier if you simply tell me her name and contact information. It’s not a breach of contract for you to tell me information that will allow us to clear this woman as a suspect.”

Mr. Delamare was looking for a paper. He found it. Meanwhile Shank had pulled out a pocket notecard wallet so he could write down the address.

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