Fergus Schmidt:That is such great news,Bec. I’ve been searching for my BF for five years and the best match I’ve found is a seventh cousin. I think I’ll give up soon.
Bec McKenna:Sorry to hear that. Sending u the strength to keep going. U never know when u will get a break thru!
Karen Finn:Screen shot EVERYTHING asap!!!!!
Bec McKenna:U mean the results?
Karen Finn:YES!!! Every bit of information about the match!! They might not know you exist! They might know you exist and not want to open an old wound!! I found a half-sibling through DNA and reached out on Facebook, but they blocked me.
Bec McKenna:Oh no so sorry to hear that. Hopefully theyll come round. Thanks for the advice, will do that now.
Zelda Merlino:This is an excellent match. To find your BF, you will need to work out which side the match is on. You can use your mother’s name to help you with this, as well as your other matches, even if they are only weak. I’m a Search Angel, I help people find their family members using DNA tests and family trees. I’m happy to help, I’ll DM you.
Bec McKenna:Thank u all for your support. Ive got a search angel helping me now. Please cross yr fingers and toes for me. Hopefully Ill have good news to report back to u all!
Chapter 13
‘Beer, please,’ Meg said to the surly blonde barmaid.
‘What sort?’ the barmaid asked, chewing gum.
Meg checked the taps for a craft beer she recognised. ‘Stone and Wood, thanks.’ She glanced up at the screen above the bar that showedDeal or No Deal.
‘Six ninety,’ the barmaid said, plonking down the glass. Froth ran down one side as it hit the bar.
Meg sat at the nearest table and took a sip of her beer, enjoying the cold sensation. What a waste of a day. She’d achieved absolutely nothing. Her only hope of rectifying that at this stage was to strike up a chat with a local over a drink. Unfortunately, the place was almost empty except for an old couple with a bushwalking map spread out on their table and a few old blokes at the far end of the bar who were busy flirting with the teenage barmaid.
Meg opened the to-do list on her phone. It hadn’t been a particularly ambitious plan for day one, but she’d made no tangible progress at all. She’d been just about to ask the café owner about the protests when Isobel Ashworth walked in. Poor woman. Such a public humiliation!
Meg had waited for half an hour after the confrontation for the chance to speak with the café owner again, but she was rushed off her feet. Eventually, Meg gave up.Follow up with owner of Apple Tree Café, she wrote on her list for tomorrow.
After she left the café she’d gone back past Hartwell Gaol, but they were having a meeting—every worker on site appeared to be standing in a huddle in the open space inside the compound walls. She’d taken a few steps inside the gate, straining to hear, but she couldn’t get close enough. When the group eventually disbanded, she’d tried to catch someone’s eye. The only person who’d noticed her was a formidable-looking woman with a sharp haircut and red glasses that matched the eye-catching print on her dress.
The woman had walked over and met Meg’s eyes, frowning. ‘Can I help you?’
‘No, sorry. I was just looking.’
The woman held her gaze until Meg turned to go.
The council chambers were even more unwelcoming. How anyone managed to work in a place like that, Meg would never know. She stood at the counter for a few minutes while a balding man with pallid skin pretended not to notice her.
‘Excuse me?’ she’d asked eventually.
He’d glanced at her with raised eyebrows in lieu of a greeting.
‘I’m wondering if I can see the records about the Hartwell Gaol development. I submitted a request online but I haven’t had a reply.’
He clicked his tongue and sighed. ‘You’ll have to speak to Adrian.’
‘Adrian who?’
‘Gorecki. He’s in the Strategic Planning Team, they approved the development.’
‘Okay great, thanks.’
He turned back to his screen.
She cleared her throat. ‘Is he here? Can I speak with him now?’
