The company where Abigail works handles all the genetic processing for FamilyFind DNA, which allows people to research their genetic heritage in addition to developing their family trees and connecting with matches. She proposes that Genevieve set up an account with them, so she can transfer her results for comparison with their database, which Genevieve does. Abigail sits down with Genevieve a week after her eighteenth birthday in April to review her matches. Abigail has already noted an extremely close match, a woman in the Atlanta area named Alyssa Caine, whose icon is that of a fairy princess, and whose username is “princess81”.
“Must be a Disney fan,” she remarks to Genevieve.
There are also a number of strong matches from a study of the Levy family, including three women who identify as sisters named Rosales from around Charleston, South Carolina. Their relationship to Alyssa Caine, if any, is unknown, but Genevieve seems to be similarly related to them. Abigail’s research into the surname suggests they’re most likely of Sephardic Jewish origin.
“Let me introduce you to someone,” she says to Genevieve.
When Abigail was still in college, she created an alter ego for herself on Facebook called Zelda Burch. Zelda is ultra conservative, pro-life, pro-NRA, pro-death penalty, and claims to be a stay-at-home mother of three. Her favorite activity, other than attending church, is to collect recipes, which she frequently shares with her “family” on Facebook. She also posts inspirational memes with cute baby animals, and frequently shares the results of click bait online polls she’s taken: in a former life, she was John the Baptist, and the Brady Bunch character she’s most like is Cousin Oliver.
Since college, Abigail often uses Zelda to troll anti-gay groups around the area. To learn more about Genevieve’s birth, she’s used Zelda to establish contact with her cousin Barbara. From posts on Barbara’s page, Abigail has determined that Barbara was “betrayed” by a cousin into acting as a surrogate for “some other woman’s baby”.
Abigail introduces Genevieve to Zelda and shares what she’s learned so far about the circumstances surrounding Genevieve’s birth from Barbara. Genevieve has an insight and looks up Alyssa Caine and while poking around Alyssa’s photos, they get their first shock. Alyssa has a photo of her mother posted, Sarah Melinda Rosales Walker.
“Do you see what I see?” Genevieve says.
Alyssa’s mother could almost be Genevieve’s twin.
In response to a friend request, Alyssa sends them a message to determine how she knows Zelda. Genevieve uses her social engineering skills to learn from Alyssa that her older sister once lived in Boston. Abigail calls up a list of Rosalind’s publications from MIT in the 90s.
“Alyssa’s maiden name is Walker,” Genevieve says.
“Between 1993 and 1997, one name keeps popping up, Walker, Leah J. She’s co-author on most of your mom’s research papers from that time and primary on more than a dozen with Rosie as co-author.”
“Leah. That’s her. It has to be.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Lucky 13. I know what it means now.”
“Lucky 13?”
“Never mind. It’s just something my mother used to say.”
Abigail searches Google for Leah Walker in Atlanta. This takes her to a page for L. J. Walker Security Consultants.
“Hey, check this out. Looks like she went back home.”
Abigail clicks the link for About. A photo of Leah appears along with her profile. Genevieve walks over and looks at the photo.
“Hello, mother.”
At that very moment, Abigail has an idea which she shares with Genevieve. “How would you like a graduation trip to the East Coast?”
