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About fifty yards away, I spotted a woht red and orange parachute that had been strung up between two caht of the infant I approached, stopping about fifteen feet away I wasn’t sure what constituted personal turf out here and I didn’t want to trespass

"Hi," I said "I wonder if you could give hteen Her dark hair was pulled up in a ragged knot on top of her head She wore shorts and a cotton shirt, unbuttoned down the front The baby worked with such vigor that I could hear the sucking noise from where I stood "You lookin’ for Eddie?"

I shook nes Grey Do you happen to know her?"

"Nunh-unh Eddie er than me Is she permanent?"

"I understand she’s been out here for years"

"Then you ht check at the Christian Center down here on the left Trailer with a sign out listing all the activities Lot of people register with theency What’d you want her for?"

"She has a daughter up in Santa Teresa who hasn’t heard from her for months She asked me to find out why her mother hasn’t been in touch"

She squinted at me "You some kind of detective?"

"Well, yeah More or less I’m a friend of the family and I was down in this area anyway so I said I’d check it out" I took out the two snapshots Irene Gersh had given me I moved over and held them out so she could see "This is her trailer I don’t have a picture of her She’s an old wo at the photographs "Oh, yeah, that one I know her I never heard her real name Everybody calls her Old Mama"

"Can you tell me where to find her?"

"Not really I can tell you where her trailer’s at, but I haven’t seen her for a while"