Web of Secrets

Sarah drooped in disappointment. “I understand,” she said, into the phone. “If you’re going to be late, you’re going to be late. I’ll just put everything in the oven until you get home. Love you.” She hung up and went back to stirring her sauce.
A few moments later, the phone rang. She put down her spoon and reached to answer it.
“Sarah? Sarah Baker?” said a man with a raspy voice.
“Yes, this is she.”
“I know this may sound a little strange, considering you don’t know me. But I happen to be in possession of some interesting information concerning your parents—your natural parents, that is—and I thought we might…”
“Who are you? How did you get my name?”
“I really can’t tell you very much over the phone, but if you want to know who your father and mother were, meet me tomorrow morning in front of the main library. Say around nine-thirty?”
She clutched the phone. “If this is some kind of game, I’m not amused. Why can’t you just tell me over the phone?”
“Look, if you want the information, you’ll just have to trust me. Meet me in front of the library like I said and I’ll tell you everything, and I mean everything.” He paused, then added, “Your mother’s name was Rebecca.”
“How will I know who you are?” she asked, but he had already hung up.
Sarah placed the receiver back on its hook and stood there for a few moments, wondering if maybe somebody was playing a sick joke on her.
“Oh my god!” she yelled, smelling the burning sauce. She hurried to remove the pan from the stove.
Mark ate two helpings and had to resist a third of his favorite meal—fresh tomato and eggplant sauce over pasta. It didn’t matter to him that the sauce had been left on the stove a little too long.
“So you think this guy was serious?” he asked, pushing his plate to one side.
“I don’t know.” Sarah pushed her food around her plate. “His last comment really struck me, though. It made me wonder how much he really knows.”
“Well, I’ll tell you one thing. I don’t want you going near that library alone. This guy could be a kook…or worse. I think we better check it out before you do anything.”
“But what if he’s telling the truth? You know how much I’ve wanted to search for my natural parents. My folks didn’t know anything about them. I always found an excuse for not doing anything, and I’d hate to pass up the chance that he really does know something.”
Mark nodded. “I know how much this means to you, but I still think you should wait and maybe…”
“If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll call Dolores and have her follow me. She used to be a cop and she’s never without her cell phone.”
“I don’t know,” he said shaking his head. “I still don’t like the idea of you meeting some stranger. But if it means that much, go ahead. Just make sure Dolores is close by.”
Sarah smiled and twirled a hefty forkful of linguini into her spoon. “I’ve suddenly got an appetite.”