Chapter 24

24

2023

Janelle crossed the lobby of her building and pushed the button to call the lift. She turned to Jonas. "Is it okay if we stop by Maggie and Dan's for a minute? I want to thank Olivia and show her the photo of Mary Alice's token."

He nodded. "Good idea. I think she'd like to see it."

The lift door slid open, and Jonas held it back so Janelle could go first.

She stepped in, grateful he'd suggested picking up dinner and sharing it at her flat while they read more of Mary Alice's story.

They stepped out on the third floor and crossed the landing to Maggie and Dan's door. She knocked and waited a few seconds.

The door slowly opened, and Cole looked out.

"Is your mum home?" Janelle asked.

He nodded and pulled the door open wider. "She's in the living room."

Janelle stepped inside, followed by Jonas.

Dan, Maggie, and Olivia turned toward them. Maggie's face was flushed, and Dan's dark eyes snapped. Olivia stared at her dad with rigid shoulders and glittering eyes.

Janelle swallowed. They had obviously walked into the middle of something. Jonas sent her a questioning glance, silently asking if they should stay or go.

"Sorry." Janelle turned to Maggie. "Should we come back later?"

Maggie sighed. "No, it's all right. What can we do for you?"

"Jonas and I just wanted to stop by and thank Olivia for her help today."

No one said anything for a few seconds, then Dan huffed and motioned toward Olivia. "She helped you with something?"

Olivia crossed her arms and glared toward the windows, anger and hurt flickering in her eyes.

"Yes," Janelle continued. "She has good research skills, and she used them to help us find some important records today."

Maggie nodded. "I'm glad she's been helpful."

Janelle turned to Olivia. "With the information you gave me, I was able to locate Mary Alice's letter and token as well as her book. I took some photos." She pulled out her phone and crossed the room toward the girl.

Olivia looked down at Janelle's screen. Her hardened expression eased as she viewed the image of the round metal token with the words Remember My Love etched on the front. "Her mum left this with her?"

"Yes. Jonas and I are going to read more of her story tonight."

"Her mum must have really loved her." She sniffed and lifted her gaze to Dan. "Unlike some parents."

Dan sighed. "Olivia, you know we love you. How many times do we have to say it before you believe us?"

"If you loved me, then you wouldn't take away my phone."

"If you'd stick to the rules, we wouldn't have to."

"Oh, you and your rules! That's all you care about!"

Dan shook his head. "That's not true. Maggie and I are trying to do what we think is best. And right now, you're showing us you're not able to handle your phone as you should."

"You just don't want me to talk to my friends."

"We told you—you can talk to them during the day, but not at night."

"But Tony works during the day. The only time he can talk is at night."

"You have the phone until nine. There must be some time he can phone before that."

She glared at Dan. "There isn't! And now he thinks I don't care!"

Dan closed his eyes, obviously trying to control his temper. "Olivia, you have to follow the rules if you want to keep your phone."

"You don't understand. You're ruining my life!"

Dan's eyes flashed. "That's enough. Go to your room. And don't come out until you settle down and can talk to us in a respectful tone of voice."

"Fine!" Olivia marched down the hall, and two seconds later, her door slammed.

Maggie lifted her eyes to the ceiling. "Lord, help us. What are we going to do with that girl!"

Janelle sent her a sympathetic look and whispered, "What happened?"

Maggie lowered her voice. "She snuck out here again last night to talk to Tony. When we confronted her, she said she's tired of Dan checking her calls and texts, so she cleared her whole history."

Dan held up her phone. "That's why I'm taking it away."

Janelle swallowed. No wonder Olivia was upset. That phone was her social lifeline. But she could understand why Dan and Maggie needed to give Olivia consequences for her actions.

Jonas caught Janelle's eye and looked toward the door.

Janelle returned a slight nod. "We should give you time to work this out."

Maggie walked them to the door and rubbed her forehead. "I never realized having teenagers could be this hard."

Janelle gave her a hug. "I'll pray for you, and hopefully tomorrow will be a better day."

"You're still taking her to the museum tomorrow morning, right?"

"Yes. I'll pick her up at eight thirty."

Maggie heaved a sigh. "Thanks. I hope she'll be in better spirits by then."

Janelle smiled and nodded. "See you tomorrow."

Jonas settled on the couch next to Janelle, resting his shoulder against hers. The more time he spent with her, the more certain he felt about pursuing their relationship. Janelle had a depth and sincerity he admired. Their shared faith was also a plus, and he couldn't deny the attraction he felt whenever they were together. She was special and well worth the pursuit.

They'd finished their dinner of fish and chips and were enjoying a bowl of fresh strawberries while they talked about what they'd discovered that day. He'd steered away from discussing the documentary. No need to pressure her. He had time to convince her that it was a worthy project. Instead, he decided to focus on his plans for the fundraising film.

"I'd like to use some child actors in the historical part of the film. Do any of the museum staff have kids who are six to ten years old? Using volunteers rather than paid actors would help us stay on budget."

Janelle nodded. "That's a good idea, and we have costumes at the museum you could use." She thought for a moment. "Ruth has identical twin daughters who are eight, and Peter has two boys in that age range." She smiled. "Maybe Maggie and Dan would let Cole and Caleb take part."

"Those two have a lot of energy. They'd probably be great in front of a camera."

"Do you need any teenagers? Maybe we could involve Olivia. Acting in a film might help her take her mind off Tony."

He gave a slow nod, his thoughts traveling back to the argument between Olivia, Dan, and Maggie. "Olivia seems obsessed with that boy. What do you know about him?"

Janelle relayed what Olivia had told her about Tony the day they'd had lunch together, along with what Maggie had said.

Jonas's shoulders tensed as he listened. "She's never met him in person?"

"No. He doesn't live in London."

He shook his head. "That doesn't sound good—especially the way she describes him liking everything she likes and being so sympathetic about her parents' divorce."

"Why is that a problem?"

"It sounds off, and it makes me wonder if he's really a sixteen-year-old boy ... or someone older."

Janelle's brow creased. "Really?"

He nodded. "When I was doing research on the film for the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, I watched a few videos they use to teach online safety to teens. Some of the warning signs they show in those videos fit the situation with Olivia and Tony."

Janelle sent him a doubtful look. "I know she spends a lot of time texting and talking to him, but don't all teenagers do that?"

"Maybe, but the way Olivia is reacting to Dan and Maggie about him seems out of proportion. It's like he's got an emotional hold on her. The term they use in the training is groomed. We should probably mention it to Dan and Maggie."

Janelle grimaced. "I hate to bring more conflict into their relationship."

"If Tony has bad intentions, then Olivia needs to be protected."

Janelle clicked her tongue and sent him a doubtful glance. "Are you sure? I remember what you told me about your friend Sarah. I understand it's a sensitive subject for you."

He stiffened. "I know what I'm talking about. And not just because of what happened to Sarah. I did a lot of research about human trafficking, and I know how teens are targeted and taken. It's a serious problem, Janelle."

She studied him a moment more, then gave a slow nod. "Okay."

He shifted his gaze away and took a drink of lemonade. Janelle didn't seem convinced Olivia might truly be in danger, but he couldn't let this go. If he was right about Tony, the potential consequences were too steep. He'd have to talk to Maggie and Dan. If he ignored it and something happened to Olivia, he'd never forgive himself.

Janelle glanced at the file on her desk containing the research she and Jonas had collected, then shifted her gaze to the photo of Mary Alice's token on her laptop screen. After reading the Gazette articles and Mary Alice's book, she had the full story of what had happened to those girls in 1885, and what they'd suffered had gripped her heart.

That morning, Jonas had shown her his outline for the script of the documentary he wanted to make. He wanted her approval and support to move forward with the project and enter it into a film festival, using the information they'd found about Mary Alice and her family.

Her stomach tensed. She had to speak to Amanda, but she dreaded confronting her boss. Was Amanda aware of what had happened back in 1885? What would she say when she learned Jonas wanted to make a documentary including that information?

She closed her eyes. Lord, I need courage. In my heart, I believe Jonas is right. We need to be honest. But if Amanda knows and has been hiding it ...

She blew out a breath. Worrying ahead of time was not going to solve the problem. She had to face it head-on and trust the Lord to guide her conversation with Amanda.

She tapped in Amanda's number and lifted the phone to her ear. Amanda answered, they exchanged greetings, and Janelle listened to Amanda's update on the twins, who were still in the NICU.

At a lull in the conversation, Janelle shifted in her chair. "There's something we need to talk about."

"Oh dear. That doesn't sound good. Is someone on staff giving you a hard time?" Amanda's voice carried a light, humorous tone.

"No. This is something more significant."

"Okay. What is it?"

Janelle steeled herself. "When Jonas and I were researching Foundling Hospital history for the gala film, we came across some information that's quite ... surprising."

"What did you find?" Her tone was totally serious now.

Janelle gave a short summary, then held her breath, waiting for Amanda's reply.

"Are you sure this is true?" Amanda sounded genuinely surprised.

"Yes. We found the same information in a few different sources, including a firsthand account from one of the girls who was sold. When she was an adult, she wrote a book about her life. What she wrote matched what we read in the Gazette articles."

Silence buzzed along the phone line for a few seconds, then Janelle forged ahead. "I remember there was a guest archivist here from Canada a few months ago. She asked you about an incident in 1885. You told her a girl ran away, but she was later found and returned to her family."

"Yes, I remember."

"I think that girl was the one who was sold to a brothel."

Amanda pulled in a sharp breath. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, very serious."

"I had no idea."

Janelle sank back into her chair. "Thank goodness."

"Wait! Did you think I knew about this and was trying to keep it hidden?"

"I didn't know what to think. You're the expert on Foundling Hospital history. It seemed odd that you wouldn't be aware of it."

Amanda sighed. "Some children did run away. We have records of that, but I never knew any of them were sold into such terrible situations."

"How could we have never heard about this?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe it was purposely hidden by the staff, or they hoped it would be forgotten."

That made sense. No doubt the staff regretted what had happened to those girls and wished it would fade from everyone's minds.

"Do you remember how shocking it was when we discovered the milk scandal in 2015?" Amanda's tone grew more intense.

"I wasn't working at the museum then, but I heard about it."

"We had to call in a private research group. The cost was outrageous. The media blew the story out of proportion, and there was a huge drop in donations. Even though it happened more than a century ago, it gave a negative impression of our work."

Janelle swallowed. "Now that we know what happened in 1885, we have to decide how to handle it."

"There's no need to do anything about this right now."

Janelle swiveled toward the window, praying for courage. "Jonas wants to include what we learned in a documentary."

Amanda gasped. "No! Absolutely not! It would shock our donors and cast a permanent dark cloud over the museum."

"I'm not talking about the fundraising film he's making for the gala. He wants to make a separate, longer film that would focus on Mary Alice's story."

"That is out of the question. We are not paying for a documentary, especially not one that would damage our reputation."

"He's not asking us to fund the documentary."

She huffed. "Good, because we can't afford it. And I'm not about to give approval for a project like that."

Janelle braced herself. "He doesn't really need our approval or permission. The information is available to the public online and in the British Library and National Archives. Anyone could find it and use it however they want."

Amanda made a frustrated noise in her throat.

"I'm sorry. I know this is hard to hear with everything else you have going on."

"You have to convince him to drop the idea. We can't risk this getting out, not when our budget is strained to the breaking point."

Janelle's thoughts scrambled. "What if someone else discovers what happened and releases it in a damaging way?"

"I'll be back in a few months. Let me handle it then."

"Can we risk waiting? Wouldn't it be better to work with Jonas? He says he can show this in a balanced way and make it clear we're committed to honestly portraying our history rather than hiding the negative parts of our past."

"And you believe that?" Amanda's high-pitched voice conveyed her rising frustration.

Janelle pulled in a calming breath. "I believe he can make a documentary that's honest yet still gain sympathy and support."

"Janelle, human trafficking is a hot-button issue! Announcing our involvement, even if it was in the past, will hurt us. I'm sure of it."

"But if we try to hide this, and it becomes known, won't that cast even more doubt in everyone's mind?"

"I can't make the decision right now!" Amanda's harsh tone made it clear the discussion was over.

Janelle closed her eyes. Was it Amanda's decision to make, or was it hers? Did she have the courage to ask that question? She might be the acting director, but Amanda would eventually return. And when she did, Janelle's response to this situation could determine her future at the museum.