I insisted that we visit a hospital, but she firmly refused and begged me to take her home. When I questioned the unfamiliar suitcase, she explained that her blue one had broken and Margaret had given her a replacement.

A man answered and told me something that made my stomach tighten.

“Margaret Feeney died in March 2018. My wife and I live in her former house, and nobody named June has stayed here.”

My mother had lied about her entire trip, and I had no idea why.

 

Part 2: Four Photographs and a Brother I Never Knew
The following morning, I found Mom sleeping in my father’s old blue recliner, still wrapped in a quilt and wearing her oversized cardigan. On the table beside her lay a train ticket showing that she had traveled from Pittsburgh to Erie three days before returning home.

Beside the ticket was a leather luggage tag bearing the name Samuel J. Reiner and a Pittsburgh address. I had never heard that name before, and its connection to my mother’s mysterious journey frightened me.

When I noticed that her bedroom door was open, I entered and found the black suitcase near her bed. Although I had never searched through my mother’s belongings before, I opened it because I was increasingly concerned about her health and safety.