Darlene and Tiffany left Boston at 6:00 p.m., changed flights in Toronto, and boarded the three-hour flight to St. John’s. To calm her nervousness, Darlene took out her mother’s family tree printout. She had close to memorized it over the last week, but now confusion was setting in.

“Grandma’s grandparents, that would make them your what?”

“My great-great-grandparents,” Tiffany said quietly.

“So, according to Grandma’s research and this DNA Strands website, a Mary Rourke was born in John’s Pond and got married there in her twenties to a Peter Nolan, also from John’s Pond.”

She pulled out a map and pointed to the red “X” marked on the island of Newfoundland. Tiffany nodded.

“The Nolans were both doctors. Mary went to university in Boston. Aunt Ammie was born there, too.”

“Okay,” Tiffany said as she stifled a yawn. “We’ll figure it out when we get there.”

“Tiffany Emma Carter,” Darlene said. “Pay attention.”

“I get it, lots of Boston connections. And whatever the relationship, I’ll call her Aunt Ammie without the air quotes.” Tiffany stuffed her hands in her hoodie’s pocket and grinned as her fingers moved beneath the fabric. Darlene squeezed them through the pouch and smiled. “Besides, what could be so interesting about any of them? I mean, beyond great-great-almost-a-hundred-and-one-year-old-aunt-slash-cousin interesting?”

Darlene shook her head and laughed. “I’m sure Aunt Ammie will remember lots of stories. Mary died sometime in the 1950s or ’60s.”

“Grandma certainly had lots of questions,” Tiffany observed.

“Grandma’s ‘evidence,’” Darlene said as she air-quoted.

At the bottom of the last sheet, Darlene tapped the capitalized word JOURNALS, which was followed by a red circled “Mary and Peter.”

–Excerpted from The Stolen Ones by Ida Linehan Young. © by Ida Linehan Young. Published by Flanker Press. flankerpress.com