Not Our Daughter

Forty

Jade began a slow walk through a busy parking lot over to the Hula Hut, a Tex-Mex restaurant under a thatched-roof pier with lake views. Her parents had told her they would often come to the Hula Hut back when they lived in Austin, and had brought her as a baby many times. In the near distance over to her left, she could see the glimmering lights of the downtown Austin skyline. Jade had to admit she could feel her nerves jumping. She’d felt courageous when she’d insisted on doing this earlier. But as she stepped up to the restaurant’s front doors, she started to doubt herself. What if Hailey McGee absolutely lost her mind when she identified herself? What if she screamed or passed out?

Jade knew she had to be ready for anything. Her mom had tried to role-play with her on the drive over—bringing up various possibilities—but there was just no way to know what she was in for without stepping inside the building. A small crowd hung around out front, probably waiting for tables. From the look of things, the restaurant was busy. That might not be a good thing if she was trying to get Hailey to stop and talk to her for a moment. She entered the building and was immediately met with the sweet smell of sizzling fajitas and the loud ruckus of a hundred people drinking cocktails and having a great time. Rather than roaming aimlessly, she threaded a group waiting in the small lobby and stepped up to a hostess who looked overwhelmed.

“How many?” the hostess said, barely even looking up.

“Is Hailey McGee working tonight?” she asked.

“Yeah, she’s out on the back patio. You want to request a table out there?”

“No, I’m good. Thanks.”

The hostess immediately went back to the mob. Jade shifted around the hostess stand and stepped into the restaurant proper. There was a bar on the upper level. The second level was a dining room. And through the downstairs windows, Jade could see multiple outdoor patio areas that sat right on top of the water. The phone in her hand buzzed. She held it up. It was a text from her nervous mom. You okay? She quickly clicked the like button, rolled her eyes, and moved down the stairs into the dining room. Her mom was probably going to text her every two minutes until she returned.

As she crossed through the tables, she had to be on her toes to not collide with waitstaff, who moved a mile a minute. Jade tried to imagine sitting in here with her parents as a baby. She obviously couldn’t remember anything. But it made her mind wander. Her parents had another life. Under different names. In a different city. They were wealthy, lived in a big house, and drove nice cars. Which was so different from the life she knew growing up. She had a whole family she’d never met. Most were in Arizona. A family her parents hadn’t seen in thirteen years. And she was about to meet her aunt. A woman who still thought her parents were murderers. It was surreal and still impossible to process.

“Excuse me, sweetie,” said a waitress, flying through with a tray loaded with margaritas.

Jade quickly stepped out of the way, moved to the back of the restaurant, walked outside through a glass door, and entered the patio areas. There was another bar outside in front of her. And to her left looked to be an outdoor dining area. Jade scanned the bar first but didn’t see anyone who looked like Hailey in there. So she walked to her left, climbed a short set of stairs, and then peered into the dining patio. That’s when she found her. Jade swallowed the lump in her throat. Hailey McGee. A wave of emotion immediately surged up inside and her eyes grew moist. She’d gone her whole life without having any extended family. And now she was suddenly standing in front of a woman who shared her same blood. Someone she didn’t know even existed ten hours ago. Her hands were trembling. She wanted to bawl her eyes out right now but knew she couldn’t. Not now. Later. Jade closed her eyes, took the deepest breath possible, and let it out slowly. Then she did it again. And a third time. She gradually started to calm herself down. After wiping her eyes dry, she looked at the phone and brought up the photo from more than thirteen years ago. Hailey held her in both arms, smiling up at the camera. According to Jade’s parents, she’d been probably only seventeen or eighteen in the photo. That would put her in her early thirties now.

Hailey was thirty feet in front of her, circling an outdoor table, handing out meals. Jade could feel her heart begin racing faster as she approached. But Hailey didn’t even look at her the first time she zoomed by. Her eyes were locked on a back door to the kitchen area. She pushed through the revolving door and disappeared. Jade chastised herself for letting her pass without a word. Come on, be brave, you got this! You can’t stand here all night! She huddled out of the way in the corner of the patio until Hailey reappeared with another tray in her hands. Jade watched her distribute food to another table and once again head toward the kitchen.

One more quick breath. And then Jade stepped out in front of her, causing her to quickly stop to keep them from colliding.

“Sorry, honey,” Hailey said.

“Hailey McGee?” Jade said, feeling her throat catch.

Hailey tilted her head. “Yes?”

“It’s me,” Jade said. “Marcy.”

Saying that name out loud felt strange. Like she was talking about someone else.

For a moment, Hailey looked confused, her forehead wrinkling up. “Who?”

“Candace’s daughter,” Jade clarified.

She then brought up the phone to show the waitress the photograph. This made Hailey gasp, drop the empty tray, and put both hands to her mouth.

“Please don’t freak out,” Jade whispered. “I just need to talk to you.”

Hailey’s eyes were wide. “But ... how? How’re you here?”

“Can we talk in private? Please.”

For a few seconds, Hailey didn’t even move, her eyes locked on Jade.

“You all right, girl?” asked another waitress, who was exiting the kitchen.

Hailey seemed to realize she was just standing there, blocking everyone.

“Yes ... yes, I’m okay,” she stammered, but her eyes never left Jade.

“Please,” Jade said again. “It’s really important.”

“This way,” Hailey said. She moved down the steps, circled around the outdoor bar, and led Jade over to a pier with several boats tied up. She didn’t look all that happy when she turned back around to face Jade again. “Is this some kind of cruel joke? Did my ex put you up to this because of the news right now? Joel is so damn mean.”

“I don’t know any Joel,” Jade said. “But it’s really me. I promise.”

Hailey again put her hands to her mouth. “You do look so much like my sister.” Then her eyes grew wet. She reached out with both hands, immediately grabbed Jade, and pulled her in for a hug. It felt weird to hug a stranger, but Jade didn’t fight it.

“I can’t believe this,” Hailey said, stepping back, tears rolling down her face. “But how’re you standing here right now? I’ve been watching the news. I saw where you’d been found with those horrible people in Colorado.”

“Because those people are here with me.”

Hailey’s mouth dropped. “What?”

Jade spoke quickly so Hailey wouldn’t panic. “They’re not horrible people. They did not kill my mother—your sister. Someone else did that night. And they only took me to keep me safe from the same dangerous people.”

Hailey frowned. “They’ve brainwashed you.”

“No, I promise you that’s not true. Someone has been trying to kill us while we’ve been running from the FBI the past two days. That’s why we’re back here in Austin. I need you to talk to them. Because we believe it’s the same person who killed my mother. And if we don’t figure it out, he could kill me next.”

Hailey’s eyes narrowed. “Do you know how crazy this all sounds? I should ... I should probably call the cops or something.”

“No, please don’t. If you ever cared about me, you won’t do that.”

Hailey swallowed, her eyes growing wet again. “I did care about you. So much. I was heartbroken when they took you. I just ... I can’t believe this. Look at you. You’re beautiful.”

“Well, I have a chance to be back in your life now. If you’ll help us.”

Hailey took a deep breath, let it out slowly. “Where are they?”

“In the parking lot up the hill.”

She glanced up the hill, bit her bottom lip. “Okay, give me a sec. Let me get someone to cover for me.”