Abandoned

1 A Life Worth Escaping

Bento thought back over his life and realized that it had been one spent at the bottom of Brazilian society. His parents tried to give he and his eight brothers and sisters as good of a life as they could. Theirs was a hard life being servers of the wealthier. His mother was a maid to several families that were not necessarily rich, but they were well enough off to have a part time maid. His father was a laborer that was often unemployed and looked for day labor. They both worked hard to keep a roof over their head and keep everyone clothed and fed. They were firm but they never beat any of them.

He always figured their big mistake was having eight kids. He was the youngest. He got all the hand me downs in clothing. He was also often the one that got the least food when times were extra hard.

His tumbles with his brothers and sisters hardened him and he learned to get what he needed. He knew it had definitely shaped how he assessed those that he mixed with.

His schooling was spotty, but he did get through Ensino Médio, (secondary education). He was not a great student, and he did not like the school environment.

Then after getting out of school the reality of his situation hit him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t find a meaningful full-time job. To no avail he tried every means possible to land a job that paid well enough that he could move away from his parents and live on his own.

Then one of his school friends got him to become a “distributor” which was a fancy name for becoming a drug dealer. It turned out he was very good at being a distributor and was soon making enough money that he was able to enjoy some of the things in life that he had always seen others enjoying such as a day on the beach, eating at a restaurant, even dating. This made him become even better at distributing. He was soon rising in the ranks of the local drug ring. He was called in to meet with the two big bosses who congratulated him on his good sales and gave him a bigger territory to manage.

He was able to move into a much better neighborhood and into a decent apartment. Decent in that it was at least a step up from what he had been living in.

Not long after he met Janaina at a small local diner. He asked her out and soon they were dating on a regular basis. He was pleased that she was attracted to him. She had a knockout figure and her tanned white skin, black hair set her apart from other young women he had his eyes on.

It helped his ego that she said that he was the best-looking guy that she had ever thought of going out with. It was about a year later that he proposed.

His mother suggested he bring Janaina to dinner so that she and his dad could meet her.

That dinner turned out to be a catastrophe.

His mother was surprised and upset that Janaina was white. She let him know that she did not approve and didn’t want mulatto or a pardos for a grandchild.

His father didn’t say anything, but he did not come to his defense either.

It was clear that he was not going to get the approval of his parents, but he was not going to change his mind because they objected.

When he got married, his brothers and sisters attended his small wedding but neither of his parents showed up. Janaina had no relatives and there were only a few of her friends at the wedding. Almost all of the distributors that he managed were in attendance, which made him feel good since it showed him that he was doing a good job with them. He also realized that he truly was a drug dealer.

He was making enough that he could afford a small loft apartment, some new furniture and food was no longer an issue for him. It seemed that the two of them were headed into a good life.

Less than a year later, Janaina let him know that the was going to be a father.

This was good news, but it also bothered him.

Good news in that he wanted to be a father.

It bothered him that his child would someday find out that he was a drug dealer. He had become one of the top distributors and the big boss had put him in charge of several other distributors. His job was to make sure that those working for him gave him the right amount of money and that they kept only the cut they had agreed to. He was very good at making sure that those working for him were “honest.”

Since all the sales money came to him and he took it into the office, he was often in possession of more money than most people made in a year.

The day came when he rushed Janaina to the hospital and waited outside of the delivery room. They had spent many hours looking at baby names and had selected one for a boy and one for a girl. It would either be Afonso if a boy or Aurea if a girl.

The nurse who came out let him know that he had a beautiful baby girl and that he could see her through the window in the nursery. He stood looking through the glass and what he though was the best-looking baby in the nursery.

He waited until she as carried out and followed the nurse to the room Janaina was in. He gave her a hug and then held Aurea for the first time. He though his heart was going to break because he was so happy.

A few days later, Aurea came home with Janaina. A home that now had a happy but worried father. He decided that he had to find a better life for his family than the one he had grown up in. He dutifully saved as much money as he could while he looked around for a way to escape his current role managing half a dozen distributors.

He was aware that he couldn’t just tell his bosses that he was getting out of the distribution business. He was at a level where he had seen what happened to those that cheated or tried to move to another organization. Those people were somewhere pushing up grass and flowers. They could neither quit nor change allegiances. He did not see a way that he could possibly escape his current situation.

He was watching the news about a shooting in Cincinnati, Ohio and listened as a black female detective was being asked about the fact that she had solved a fifteen-year-old cold case and had saved the person who was now a young woman that had two children by her kidnapper. The story seemed to spark and light a fire within him. He had no idea where Cincinnati was located other than in the US, but he now had a goal. He would leave Brazil and go to Cincinnati. He would go where a black woman was seen as a heroine.

He found out where Cincinnati was located. He then found out how much it would cost to get there.

His goal to save the astronomical amount and to get visas took him much longer than he anticipated. The time turned into years and his role in the drug distribution business continued to flourish.

Aurea’s sixth birthday was the catalyst that finally and very loudly fired the starting gun. During the party she said that she wanted to be just like him.

“Just like him.” “Just like him.” “Just like him.” Kept going through his mind. He didn’t want any of his children to ever be just like him at least not the person that he currently had become.

He got the tourist visas for the US. He then skipped the payment on his apartment and arranged with Janaina to leave the country. He was short on the amount of money to pay for the airline tickets, but he had an upcoming money collection round that would give him what he needed and enough money to live for a few months in the US.

He figured that the amount of money did not matter. If he took it his fate would be the same no matter the amount. He made his collection rounds and headed straight to the airport where Janaina and Aurea were waiting for him.

He was constantly looking out for anyone that might be looking for him.

He was a wreck by the time that they got on the plane. He knew that he would be hunted but once on the plane he was able to relax and when the plane finally took off, he felt that he had made his escape.

He doubted that anyone would learn where he had gone, and he was going far enough away that he figured no one would be sent after him.

The plane laned in Miami where they went through customs before going on to Cincinnati on a regional flight.

He was surprised that they landed in Kentucky at the Cincinnati International Airport. He got a ride to the hotel that he had rented that was on the western side of the city. He rented a room with two beds, for two weeks. On the same day as his arrival, he walked across to the other side of eighth street and got two jobs. One was as a short order cook and the other was managing the cash register at a gas station. He was surprised at how easy getting started was for him. He wondered about how long it would take to work his way up to some bigger, better paying jobs.

He asked Janaina to find as inexpensive an apartment to rent as possible and to get Aurea enrolled in school.

He was surprised at how quickly Janaina found a furnished two-bedroom apartment that was over a small restaurant in the downtown area. It was very basic and had mostly older furniture and appliances.

It was within walking distance to his two current jobs and the school where Aurea would go. This would allow him to continue working where he was until he could figure out how to get some better job or jobs.

He was impressed when Aurea took the school’s entrance test and got placed one level above what he and Janaina expected. She had done so well that the principal commented that she was being placed one level above that was normal for her age, because her math and reading scores were so high that it was warranted. The principal also said that her verbal English skills were a little rough but good enough that she would have no problems.

Janaina was also very happy about everything. She had Aurea enrolled in school and she had talked herself into a part time job at the restaurant that was just below the apartment.

He was relieved that with their three incomes, they would be able to pay the rent, have enough money to buy food and be able to save for a rainy day. He figured that in a few months they would be in good financial shape.

The year flew by. There was little time for anything but work and more work. He made it a point that whenever he could the three of them did something together. They often went to the riverfront and enjoyed the free games that were available there and to have a picnic on the lawn.

On one occasion he splurged and rented a segway so that Aurea could experience riding it. They had a great time riding it together for a short time, but he was afraid that they might have a wreck.

During the summer they attended several free outdoor concerts where they sat on the hillside and enjoyed a picnic. Then during the winter, they made it to the ice-skating rink and all of them tried their luck on the ice.

Aurea was the one that seemed to be a natural. He and Janaina took off their skates and watched Aurea go around the rink. They held hands and smiled as they watched their beautiful daughter laughing and enjoying herself.

In the spring they walked across the Purple People’s Bridge and when they got to the other side, he bought Aurea a bratwurst that they all ended up sharing.

He and Janaina agreed that their move to Cincinnati was the best decision they could have made.

Aurea spent almost all her extra hours at the main public library. Janaina had enrolled her in an after-school program that featured a variety of supervised activities. This allowed her to work at the restaurant while Aurea enjoyed herself in a safe environment.

It was a good year and it seemed that life for him and his family was on an upward path.

He was standing at the grill flipping a series of burgers when the cashier said that there was a rather tough looking dude at the counter asking to talk to him. He walked out and almost fainted when he saw Cristiano standing on the other side of the counter. He knew that Christiano was the mean partner of the drug distribution ring in Sao Paulo and if he was in Cincinnati, it meant trouble. He almost turned and ran but instead he faced Cristiano as if he had no fear when in fact, he was about to wet himself.

Cristiano spoke to him in Portuguese and asked him if he had the money that he had taken from his operation.

If the situation hadn’t been so serious Bento would have laughed. He had spent the money and there was no money other than the little he and Janaina had been saving. That amount was a far cry from the money he had taken from the drug business. He knew if Christiano had personally made the trip he was there to make a point and to make an example of what happened when someone crossed the organization.

Christiano shook his head and smiled as he said that if he got his money back, he would only kill him but if that didn’t happen, he would take some of that payment from Janaina before he killed her.

He figured that there was no money, so he said that he was also planning to cut out his tongue and cut off his ears, take them back to Sao Paulo and hang them behind the bar with a sign that declared that thieves were always caught and rewarded for their actions.

He asked what Bento had to say while he still had a tongue.

Bento stood silently as he thought about what he had to do.

Christiano nodded and said that he would be waiting out in the parking lot and that Bento should make it easy on himself. If he came out to the parking lot, he would kill him before cutting out his tongue.

Bento nodded and put up his hand and then turned and went back into the kitchen area. He did not stop at the grill but headed straight out the back door. He ran all the way back to the apartment.

Janaina had just returned from school with Aurea. She was surprised to see him and when she understood that they had been found she was as afraid as he was. She knew that they had to make a run for it, and she knew that they had to find a safe place to leave Aurea.

She said that they needed to get out of the apartment, and they needed to get Aurea to a safe place.

He convinced her that they would be safe until the next day.

Janaina said that she knew where they had to take Aurea and they had to do it very early the next morning.

A few hours before sunrise they all left the apartment with all the food they could carry and with Aurea’s clothes, the few toys she had and a family picture of the three of them together in the park. It all fit in a large black plastic bag.

Aurea was confused about what was happening. She kept asking why they were walking across town in the dark.

Janaina led the way and crossed on the walking bridge that led to Mt. Adams. She was taking her to the only place she felt that Aurea would be safe. She did not know how she was going to be able to leave her there by herself, but she knew that she had to leave her and that she and Bento needed to try to make their escape afterwards.

She stood and looked up the three long series of steps that led to the house. She took Aurea up and had her sit on the porch swing with all her things. She then gave her a hug and let her know that she was loved but she had to stay here where she would be safe.

Bento knelt down and gave her a hug and repeated the fact that she was loved. He handed her a large envelope and said that she should give it to the lady that would come out on the porch later in the morning.

He looked at Janaina and said she should stay.

Janaina shook her head and said that Christiano had come for her as well. Back in Brazil he had often threatened to have her when she was through with her lover. He would just find her later, so she was going as well.

They both descended the steep steps and walked back to the downtown area.

They asked each other where they should go. They came to the realization that there was no place to run to.

They decided to have breakfast at the restaurant where Janaina worked and wait for the inevitable.

They had just finished their breakfast when Christiano walked in. He looked around and asked if he could join them at their table. He smiled and asked if they were ready for a ride out to the countryside. He then asked where their lovely daughter was and when he got no answer he simply said “good” I have no interest in her.

He stood up and said they should follow him.

The owner came out and asked if everything was OK.

Janaina smiled, said that she appreciated his concern, but everything was fine as she gave him a hug and then followed Christiano out to the car.

The owner followed but stayed in the doorway. He took a picture of the license plate and stepped back inside. He figured he had enough of his own problems and didn’t need to get involved in his employee’s problems. He suspected that they were in the country illegally.

Christiano instructed her to sit in the back and let her know that he had a gun that would be aiming at Bento if she tried anything.

He then got on seventy-one, drove several exits past King’s Island before exiting and driving through the farm country. Then at a sign that declared that the road was to be used by only authorized personnel, he turned and went into the forest. He hoped that it would not be used while he was having the graves dug and he was covering them up.

He stopped the car and instructed the two of them to get out and walk around to the front of the car. He screwed on a silencer as he walked around to meet them.

Janaina saw what he was doing and as fast as she could she ran towards him. She hoped to knock him down so that Bento could kill him.

Bento realized what she was doing and rushed after her.

Christiano barely had time to finish putting on the silencer before he was hit and knocked back a step by Janaina. He shook his head and said “muito ruim para você” and shot her between the eyes.

Bento thought he was going to get a chance at taking Christiano down when he felt the bullets hit him in the chest. He gave Christiano a finger and then the world went black.

Christiano shook his head when realized that he would need to dig the graves to bury the two. He had planned to have the two dig their own graves.

He put on his rubber gloves, cut off Bento’s ears, his tongue and put them into a plastic bag between aluminum foil and sealed it. He dropped the bag into a US priority mail envelope that he would mail when he got to the airport.

He found a place where a natural dip in the land provided some initial depth and then he went to work. He decided that one grave would be sufficient. He put them both in, covered the grave, made sure there was a rock layer across the top and then put old leaves and some tree branches over all of it. He stepped back and decided that it would never be found.

Not far from the grave he found a large flat rock and put the gun under it. It was a gun that he had paid for in cash on the street and would never be traced to him even if it was found.

He then left but before reaching the highway, he threw the shovel into the ditch.

He felt justified and successful as he drove back to the airport.

A short time later, he drove into the car rental and a few moments after that he rode the shuttle back to the terminal. Once inside he dropped his envelope into the mailbox then walked up to the check-in counter.

He was not flying directly back to Brazil but was flying west to visit the Grand Canyon and then walk out on the see through walkway that would give him a look down into the canyon. He also planned to visit Bryce canyon and enjoy a hike before flying to Mexico City where he would spend several days and then fly back to Sao Paulo.

He figured that he might as well mix some pleasure with business. The business had been quickly done and the pleasure, though brief was what he was on his way to do.

He looked forward to getting back to Sao Paulo and a relaxing time there. He hoped that the mail would get there before him.

2 The Package on the Porch

M

att was still out with the EMT team, but Alex figured he would be arriving shortly. She was ready to prepare breakfast and was waiting until he arrived. She had invited Johnnie to join them and afterwards they would take their normal ride into work.

She hoped that Matt had an easy night, but she knew that was seldom the case. He told her the time right after the closing of the bars usually was peak time for his team to make several runs from some accident to the nearest hospital.

The doorbell rang and she figured that Johnnie had arrived. She went to the door and opened it.

She was not surprised to see Johnnie, but he was holding a bulging black bag in one hand and had his other hand on the shoulder of a beautiful, auburn-haired young girl who looked to be frightened.

He commented that she had been sitting on the porch swing and said that her mother and father had dropped her off where she would be safe.

Alex knelt down and asked the young girl her name and learned that it was Aurea. She then asked Aurea why her parents had left her on the porch.

“Because they wanted me kept safe and you are the only one, they trusted to keep me safe,” Aurea quietly replied. She gave the envelope she had in her hand to Alex and said that her mother said that it was for her.

Alex accepted the envelope looked in it expecting to find a note and was surprised that it did have a note, but it was also filled with one-hundred-dollar bills. She looked up at Johnnie and asked what was in the black bag.

He put it down, looked into it and replied that it looked like clothes and a few other odd and ends.

Alex asked Aurea to follow her and as she led the way to the kitchen she asked if Aurea would like to have some breakfast.

She had Johnnie put the bag down just outside of the kitchen door.

She handed the envelope to Johnnie and asked him to count the amount of money in it.

She offered Aurea some eggs, pancakes, and a lot of syrup.

That got a smile from Aurea.

Alex asked when her parents would be back to pick her up.

Johnnie chuckled and said that given what was in the bag and the money in the envelope he figured it might be a long time.

Alex was trying to figure out what to do when Matt walked in from the backyard.

He smiled and said that he wasn’t expecting company for breakfast.

Alex gave him a hug and introduced Aurea who had been dropped off on their front porch for safe keeping.

Alex asked him to sit down, and she would get him his breakfast.

Matt sat down and started a conversation with Aurea.

Alex knew from past experience that kids normally liked Matt and Matt had a natural way of talking to them.

He first asked her for her mother’s and father’s name. He asked where she was from and learned that they had come from Sao Paulo. He learned that they had been in Cincinnati almost a year.

He soon knew what school she was attending and the names of her teachers. He learned that her favorite place was the library where she normally spent her after school time. She liked the River Front Park because there were free games. He found out the address where she and her parents lived.

Alex kept quiet as she wrote down what she was hearing.

Johnnie joined her and asked what she was planning to do about the situation.

She replied that she was going to take the day off to find out what was going on.

Johnnie offered to help and suggested that he call Mary and ask her to come over to watch Aurea while the two of them investigated the situation. He added that Matt needed to get to bed and get some rest since he had been out the entire night.

Alex thought for a minute and then said that if Mary didn’t mind her help would be greatly appreciated.

Johnnie gave a little laugh and commented that Mary would most likely love to do it. He walked out into the backyard and made a call. A short time later he walked back in with Mary.

Matt finished his breakfast and thanked Aurea for sharing her time with him. He looked at Alex and asked if she had the situation covered and smiled when he saw her mouth a thank you to him. He nodded and said he was going to take a shower and then get a good night’s sleep.

Aurea asked who was going to take her to school.

This was something that Alex had not thought about.

Mary sat down at the table and asked where she went to school. She said that she would take her and asked when she had to be there.

Mary looked at Alex and asked if she had the right idea of why she had been called.

Alex nodded and said that if Mary could accompany Aurea and find out her routine it would be a great help. She added that all expenses would be paid. She also asked if she could get one of the guest bedrooms ready for Aurea.

Johnnie pointed to the black bag and said that he figured everything that she had was in the bag.

Mary opened the black bag, looked into it, and let out a whistle. She reached in and took out a framed picture of Aurea and her parents. She handed it to Johnnie and said the picture might come in handy.

Alex walked out of the kitchen to the back porch and called the Chief. She informed him of the situation and let him know that she was going to treat the situation like a case, but she was going to take the day off to do so.

He said that she did not need to use her vacation and that he wanted her to come in and that he wanted Trey to join her in her investigation. He made the point that parents dropping off their child on a strangers porch was very unusual and he figured the situation merited handling it like an actual case that needed to be investigated.

She agreed to come into the office with Johnnie and to get things organized.

When she went back into the kitchen, Johnnie asked her if she planned to eat breakfast.

She shook her head and said that the two of them should plan to ride to work and figure out what the next step would be.

She went to the drawer in the kitchen and took out several hundred dollars and gave it to Mary and told her to use a taxi and spend whatever she needed but to get receipts because the situation might turn into an actual case.

Mary looked at the amount of money and shook her head and asked what she thought a taxi was going to cost.

Aurea asked if Alex was going to find her parents.

Alex sat down at the table and put her hands on Aurea’s hands and said that she was going to do everything possible to find them but while she was looking Aurea would be staying in a room in the house and would be kept safe. She should plan on going to school, then to the library afterwards and that later they would all have dinner either at the house or at a restaurant.

She then said that she and Johnnie were leaving, and that Mary was going to make sure she got to school and afterwards to the library.

She looked at Mary and asked her to find out what she could from the teachers and the librarians.

She followed Johnnie down the front steps to where they had their bikes chained.

The two talked back and forth via their headsets on their ride down the hill to the police station.

Once there, Alex stopped to get her cup of coffee before heading over to her desk.

She knew she was in for a quiz when Trevor smiled and asked why she was late for work.

Trey handed her half of a bear claw, and she slowly took a bite before replying to Trevor.

Johnnie walked in with his coffee, looked into the donut box, and picked out a glazed cake donut.

She smiled and replied to Trevor’s question that she had been looking for a suitable case that they could work on, and she was going to make sure he got the exciting end.

Trevor laughed and said that he had never figured out what end the dull part of any of her cases happened to be.

The Chief came over and suggested that she, Johnnie, and Trey accompany him into his office.

Bill laughed and said that it seemed that they were going to be left out.

The Chief looked over to him and said that he should be glad to be able to relax while he ate his donut and had his coffee.

Once in the office, the Chief asked Alex to explain the situation. He made the point that parents dropping kids off to a stranger for safe keeping was very unusual. He stated that he was going to treat it as a formal case that involved potential danger. He said that he had already informed his bosses and they all agreed that given the history of your cases it was warranted.

Alex shook her head and asked what they meant by the history of her cases.

He asked her how many times she had been shot and ended up in the hospital.

She nodded and said that it was more times than she cared to think about.

He handed her the folder that was labeled, “The package on the front porch case.”

She read the label and laughed. She said that it was the most beautiful package that she had recently seen. It had dark brown eyes, auburn hair, and a honey-colored skin and it was well composed and polite. She knew she was from Brazil but had yet to follow up on that.

The Chief smiled and said that she should make sure that she did not get too attached to that beautiful package.

He asked her how she planned to proceed.

She said that the place she was going to start was the hole in the wall diner just a few blocks away. Then she was going to the Cincinnati Library and talk to some librarians and finally she was going to walk to where Aurea went to school and see if she could talk with Aurea’s teachers. She said that by the late afternoon she hoped to figure out how she would proceed.

She added that she had Mary was looking after Aurea and probably talking to some of the same people.

The Chief then asked if she planned to leverage the rest of the team.

Alex smiled and said that she would love to as soon as she had something for them to do but at the moment, she was not sure what that might be.

He nodded and looked at Trey and simply said, “have her back.”

Trey smiled and asked if he meant “hold her back.”

The Chief laughed and said for him to do both.

Alex smiled, waved her case folder, and walked out of the office.

She walked over to where Bill and Trevor were sitting having their morning coffee and asked them if they wanted to come along and enjoy brunch at a small local restaurant.

Trevor nodded and said that he would love to but that she had to lead the way into the restaurant because he did not want to be asked along just to serve as a shield.

Bill gave Trevor a shove and said that the next time bullets flew he was going to stand behind him.

Alex led the team to the small restaurant. She and Johnnie had made it a point to try breakfast and lunch at almost all the downtown establishments. This particular one had been visited once but had never made it to their favorite list.

She walked in and was greeted by the same person who had served her before. She asked for a table for five.

He smiled and said that he was pleased that she had decided to come back. He asked her to be patient because his normal waitress was absent.

Alex put in her order for tea and a scone and once the orders were in, she asked where the waitress that was absent had gone.

The owner said that she and her husband had an early morning breakfast and as they were finishing a large rather rude man came in and spoke to them in a foreign language. Then the waitress got up gave him a hug and followed the man out to his car.

He said that he followed them out to door, and that he got a picture of the license plate. He pulled out his phone and pulled up the picture.

Johnnie took the phone and sent the picture to all of them. He looked over at Trevor and asked him to follow up on it.

Alex asked the proprietor what language the rude person had used.

He shook his head and said that it was not Spanish but seemed similar.

A few moments later, Trevor’s phone buzzed. He kept saying, “yes, yes, OK,” and then hung up.

He looked around and said that the car was a rental that had been rented at the airport.

Alex asked that he and Bill follow up and see if it was still out and if not see if they could find out to what airline the renter had gone to. She added that the car should be impounded so that forensics could go over it in detail and get fingerprints and DNA.

Trevor nodded and said that he was glad that so far, he and Bill got the easy end of the case.

Alex smiled and said that they should get going while the trail was hot and to make sure neither of them got shot.

Once they had left, she looked at Trey and Johnnie and said that she was beginning to think that they would not find Aurea’s parents alive. She hoped that she was wrong but to have someone come to Cincinnati from Brazil to meet with them felt ominous to her.

She wondered what the two had been running from. She looked at Johnnie and asked if he could look them up on some database that would have their visa information. And if he could follow their names to wherever it might lead.

She was quiet for a moment then asked Trey whether she could bring Aurea to his grill out on Sunday.

Trey nodded and said that he had just gone through all the toys that Nolan had outgrown. He was planning to pass them on to friends or give away. He figured he had plenty that might interest Aurea but there would be no kids her age to play with at the grill out.

Alex smiled and said that Matt was coming along and would fill in.

She then suggested they go to the library and see what they could learn there.

Johnnie nodded, said that he still had many librarian friends that he was sure would have noticed Aurea and might have some information that might prove useful.

Several librarians knew Aurea and commented that she was a bright young girl that must have been related to Johnnie because she always made sure to attend the lectures that had refreshments provided.

That gave Johnnie a laugh. He added that no one as pretty as Aurea would be a relative of his.

He asked what other things that Aurea was into and learned that Aurea loved to do research on the internet and by research she was into researching famous individuals and the histories of various countries.

Trey asked if that was common for someone so young and learned that it was not and that was why it was being mentioned.

Alex asked about Aurea’s parents and learned that Aurea’s mother would sign her in and then leave for work. She would return on time to sign Aurea out and take her home. It was clear that the mother took very good care of her daughter and the two of them were close.

Alex thanked each of the librarians and then took a moment to summarize that they had learned that Aurea loved the treats she could get at the library, and she was into learning about the history of the world around her. She added that the treats would be attractive to any kid but Aurea arranged her time so she could enjoy one each day. She was also a serious young lady in that she was into studying history and famous people.

Back in the office, Johnnie focused on getting into the database that would have the visa information for Aurea’s parents. He also ran the face recognition program against the news databases in Sao Paulo. It did not take long for him to find a couple of articles that had Bento’s picture. Several times he was standing behind the ring leaders of a drug distribution ring that controlled most of Sao Paulo.

Once again Alex commented that she was feeling more and more like they would not find either Janaina or Bento alive. She wondered if either of the two ring leaders might be the one that had left the diner with the two.

She asked Johnnie to go back with a picture of the two and see if the diner’s proprietor recognized either of them. She also asked him to send the pictures out to Bill and Trevor to see if any of the ticket agents recognized either of the two.

She led the way to the school that Aurea attended and once there she introduced herself and the fact that she was trying to find out what she could about Aurea’s mother and father. She did not learn much but was asked to clarify the fact that Aurea was accompanied to school by a Mary Higgins, and she wanted confirmation that everything was legal and appropriate.

Alex assured her that Aurea was being looked after while she tried to locate her mother and father.

She was then able to talk to several of the teachers that had nothing but praise for Aurea, her behavior, and her high standing in all of her classes.

She unexpectedly felt sense of pride in the positive information she was learning about Aurea.

After returning to the office, she was sitting at her desk when Bill and Travis returned from the airport and said that they had struck pay dirt in that one of the ticket agents recalled one of the men in the pictures and called him a rude dude because he was upset that he couldn’t get a first-class seat.

He was headed for the Grand Canyon and was traveling on a one-way ticket. The agent conjectured that he must be leaving from that airport on a ticket of some other airline but when he had asked about helping to make a good connection, he had been told to mind his own business.

Thank You for reading this far.