On Monday morning, I found a message from Jocelyn on Facebook. I thought it was a good sign that she wanted to talk to me too. After my conversation with Cedric and hearing his thoughts about Jocelyn, I felt like it was imperative that I talked to her again, maybe with a bit more of an open mind. Earlier this summer I let my guard down unknowingly with a person and missed catching significant clues about their character.
Jocelyn and I agreed to meet at my home around mid-morning. Normally, Amos and I would have gotten together, but he was still on a secret mission. I noticed his truck was missing when I peeked out the living room window. I told myself I wasn’t spying on Amos. Still, who stands by the window peeking out the blinds? Besides it was not any of my business what Amos did with his time. It would have been nice for Amos to finally meet Jocelyn in person and give me his expert opinion.
When the doorbell rang, I opened the door to find Jocelyn dressed in a navy sweatshirt, jeans and white sneakers. I thought she looked more subdued than the last two times we had met in person. She was at least twenty-six years old, but somehow she seemed so much younger. I opened the screen door. “Well, I was wondering if you knew how to get here. Come in.”
Jocelyn didn’t step inside right away, but looked over her left shoulder to Louise’s house. She turned to me looking sheepish. “I’ve been in the neighborhood before.”
I eyed Jocelyn. Now that didn’t occur to me. “I imagine you’ve been searching around for Louise for some time, haven’t you?”
Jocelyn nodded. “She’d been in that house for so many years. It seemed like a good place to start.”
“That’s a good point. Did you ever run across William while you were here in the neighborhood?”
“No, not here.” Jocelyn looked down at the porch floor as though something was more interesting to her.
She didn’t really answer my question. “Why don’t you come inside? It’s a bit chilly out there this morning.”
Jocelyn stepped inside and I closed the door behind her. I had purposely left Porgy out to examine the guest. I have learned to monitor the dog and how he reacted to people. His comfort around my family and Amos spoke to his behavior and doggy thoughts of people. He sniffed around Jocelyn, but he didn’t bark at her.
Jocelyn didn’t seem to mind. She reached down and scratched Porgy behind the ears. “Such a cute dog.”
“He’s a good little watch dog. I inherited him this past summer.”
Jocelyn smiled. “I miss having a pet. My family always had a dog.” She looked around the living room. “You have a beautiful home, Ms. Eugeena.”
I don’t know why, but Jocelyn seemed nervous. “Thank you. I have some questions, so I appreciate you stopping by so we can talk.”
Jocelyn bit her lip. “I knew you probably had more questions after we talked over at Carmen’s last week. I thought it might be best for you to talk to other members of my family.”
“Your mother?”
“No, no. My aunts. Most of the information I have and that my mom knew came from my aunts Thelma and Ruth.”
“I would love to meet them. When would be a good time?”
“Now. That’s if you can come.”
“Honey, I’m retired. I’m can come and go as I please. Let me get Porgy settled, and I will be ready to meet your aunts.”
About ten minutes later, I climbed into Jocelyn’s car. As she drove off, I hoped to get Jocelyn to talk more about herself. I really hadn’t learned much about her. “I don’t know why at my age I’m surprised by such a small world, but that’s nice you have a friend like Carmen.”
“Carmen is the closest person I have to a sister. One of the few people who has stuck by me through thick and thin.”
“Jocelyn, you didn’t tell me where you worked?”
Jocelyn kept her eyes on the road, but her skin grew reddish around the ears similar to my son’s when he was embarrassed. “I haven’t been as successful as Carmen. We both took the same college-level classes and I went to College of Charleston for a while.”
I commented, “Well, life happens. We all sometimes end up on a path we don’t plan.”
“I strayed off my path because I got caught up with the wrong guy. Carmen was always good about not dating and hanging out. She stuck to her studies. I guess that’s why she’s a physician now. I, on the other hand, got pregnant, dumped by the guy I thought loved me, lost the baby, and somewhere I lost myself. My mom wanted me to go back to school, but I have just worked different jobs over the years, mostly retail and waitressing.”
“It’s understandable. My daughter has had some difficulties after losing her best friend in a tragic accident. She’s just now finding her way.” I asked, “Is that what you do now? Waitressing?”
Jocelyn glanced at me. “I get decent tips. I have been saving to go back to school.”
“Good for you! I was asking because the detective seemed to be concerned about William recognizing you somewhere. I just thought maybe he saw you at work.”
Jocelyn was quiet for a moment “I have seen William Hopkins before last Sunday, but I didn’t know who he was at the time. I just thought of him as an obnoxious customer.”
“You served him at your job?”
“Yes, I did. He was there with some young guy. They always seemed to be talking business and I think I overhead something about some healthcare app. Sounded interesting.”
“How many times do you think you’ve seen William?”
Jocelyn shrugged, “Hard to count. Maybe about three or four times?”
“He must have really liked the food at the restaurant.”
Jocelyn glanced at me. “I’m sure there were other aspects that he liked. I work at Hooters. It’s known for very pretty waitresses who don’t mind showing…”
“I think I know.”
“You can see why my mother stays disappointed in me. I don’t even know if it was worth it to try to find my grandmother.”
“Why would your mother be so angry? It made sense to try again. It helps you know your own roots.”
Jocelyn was quiet again before responding. “I think my mother blames Louise, you know, for my grandfather’s death.”
Why blame Louise? I wanted to say more, but decided to hold my tongue. It sounded to me like Louise and August naively fell in love at a time when it was not acceptable to be an interracial couple. They both were so young and I knew from personal experience becoming pregnant as a teenager wasn’t the ideal time to enter motherhood.
We soon arrived at the Manning sisters’ home. They lived in a neighborhood similar to Sugar Creek. As Jocelyn slowed down in front of a brick house, I heard her take in a sharp breath. “Oh no. She’s not supposed to be here.”
I leaned forward. “Who?”
Jocelyn pulled into the driveway behind a white Mercedes. She cut off the engine and sat staring ahead.
“Jocelyn, is this still a good idea to visit?”
She turned to me. “I don’t know, it maybe your lucky day, Ms. Eugeena. You will get to meet my grandfather’s sisters and my mother.” With that Jocelyn opened the driver’s side and stepped out, her face full of anxiety.
I opened the passenger door, feeling a bit nervous. I was about to meet Louise’s long lost daughter in the flesh. How is Clarice Miller feeling about her biological mom now? Would she ever want to meet her? She was Louise’s only living child.