Person or Persons Unknown by Anthea Fraser

summarized, ‘and a father who scarpered. Connected, obviously.’
    â€˜It seems not. He emigrated before he even knew she was pregnant.’
    â€˜If they know that much about him, they must know his name,’ Max argued.
    â€˜You’d think so, but Zara swears not.’
    â€˜What about her grandparents? Surely they must have known him?’
    Rona sipped her wine thoughtfully. ‘I didn’t think to ask, but Gemma wasn’t living at home. She was sharing a flat with another girl – the one who found her.’
    Max shook his head despairingly. ‘God, love, you attract them like a magnet, don’t you? The Harvey business was bad enough, but once it was cleared up, I thought that was that. I never dreamed it was the start of your becoming a pseudo-detective. I tell you, my nerves won’t stand it. How many more times are you going to put yourself in danger?’
    â€˜It needn’t be dangerous,’ Rona protested unconvincingly. ‘People are searching for their birth parents every day.’
    â€˜Well, she’s already found her mother, hasn’t she? Or rather, she knows who she was. The fact that she’s dead should be the end of it. As to her father, are you proposing to fly to Australia and search the outback for him?’
    â€˜Don’t be facetious, Max,’ Rona said crisply. ‘I came to you for advice.’
    â€˜Well, that’s easy enough: don’t touch it with a bargepole.’ He eyed her over a laden forkful of lasagne. ‘Not that I flatter myself you’ll take it. You’re using me as a sounding board, aren’t you?’
    She smiled wryly. ‘I hoped you wouldn’t notice!’
    â€˜What’s your gut feeling about it?’
    â€˜I don’t know. It smacks of banging my head against a brick wall, but I admit I’m intrigued. If Barnie’s agreeable and I
do
take it, I’ll set myself a time limit. If I don’t get anywhere in, say, six weeks, I’ll give up.’
    â€˜I thought these things could take years.’
    â€˜I can’t spare years. I need to earn a living.’
    The clock on the mantelpiece chimed seven.
    Max put his empty plate on the tray. ‘I’ll have to make a move, love. I didn’t finish preparing upstairs, and they start to arrive at quarter past.’
    â€˜OK. Thanks for listening.’
    â€˜Let me know what you decide.’
    Rona garaged the car in Charlton Road, snapped on Gus’s lead, and turned towards home. The dog, ever hopeful, tugged in the direction of the footpath leading up to the park, but she shook her head. It would be dark soon.
    â€˜Tomorrow,’ she promised.
    As she walked slowly back to the house, her mind replayed the conversations she’d had, first with Zara Crane and then with Max. He had a point, she thought; Gemma’s parents must surely have known who the father was. She wondered if Zara had obtained her mother’s birth certificate, which would give their names.
    Back in the house she fed the dog, but still wasn’t hungry herself. She went up to the study, switched on the computer, and typed out everything she could remember that Zara had told her. Then she sat staring at the screen, trying to decide what to do. Would Barnie be interested in articles on the search for birth parents? Surely it would be fascinating to learn of the different reactions – parent to child, child to parent, and how often parents refused even to meet their offspring? She would have to sell it to him if she were to proceed with Zara’s request; though she was freelance, she tended to confine herself to
Chiltern Life
,
and couldn’t offhand think of anyone else to whom to send the article. And the more she thought about it, the more she felt she’d like to do it.
    Finally, hunger at last beginning to stir, she turned off the computer and went downstairs, deciding to go along to Dino’s for a meal. She