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“What have you been hiding from me?” I asked.

Mom Gigi wrapped her fingers around her cup of tea. “Agnes, Heidi, and I have known each other for a long time.”

“You have?” Vanessa blurted. “From where?”

“We’re part of the Lunch Lady Club.”M?placed a hand over mine.

“I thought that was just a small meeting with your friends after work,” Vanessa said.

“It was a small meeting that grew over time,” Agnes said. “A lot of the lunch ladies are moms who worked those hours so they could be home with their kids after school. Their pay sucked, so we often had other jobs on the side.”

“Then we met someone who changed our lives,” Gigi said, looking at me. “Your mom, Susan, discovered Harris Foods LLC—the company supplying food to the schools—also owned a pharmaceutical company.”

“Harris Pharmaceuticals?” I asked.

“Yes,” said Mom Gigi. “Susan started looking into it and found evidence that children were eating food with ingredients that made them sick.”

“Kids suddenly got rashes, developed respiratory issues, depression, anxiety, mood swings, and so on,” Vanessa’s mom said. “I noticed the mental changes, especially in kids I was familiar with.”

Mind control and behavior patterns.

Milton’s words echoed in my head. The Trogyn, the CIA, Harris Pharmaceuticals, and Harris Foods LLC were all linked.

Vanessa gripped my thigh under the table, revealing how much she wanted to hurt these people. I covered her hand with mine, trying to soothe her, even though I felt the same way.

“The principals of the schools and the superintendents were all in on it.” Agnes sipped from her tea mug. “They chose what vendor to feed our kids. It was always Harris Foods LLC.”

Agnes continued to tell us that my mom had started the Lunch Lady Club. I had assumed she was a regular lunch mom at the school. Pride, regret, and anger surged in me. She had died trying to do what was right.

Vanessa rubbed her hand on my thigh, and I looked at her. We didn’t need to say anything to each other. Her eyes told me she understood my emotion.

The Lunch Lady Club started out small but grew to include other moms from different cities and states.

“When Susan gathered evidence that connected Harris Pharmaceutical to Harris Foods LLC,she wanted to report it to the police department.” Mom Gigi clasped her hands together onthe table. “She spoke to a school police officer, who suggested she set up an appointment to talk to the police chief.”

“But then your whole family was murdered the next day.” Agnes pressed her lips into a tight line.

I swallowed, trying to calm the rage building inside me as I connected the dots. “Was his name Officer Collins?”

Agnes nodded.

“I would’ve died from my injuries if I hadn’t been transferred to the hospital,” I said.

This wasn’t a question but a fact. These people had wanted to obliterate my entire family because my mother planned to expose their evil intentions.

“Fate led us to kill Dillon Harris that day in the alleyway.” Heidi wrapped an arm around Vanessa. “I knew his family would blame us for everything. We didn’t have a chance against them back then.”

“These people need to pay,” Vanessa seethed.

“They will,” I said calmly. Everyone turned to look at me as though they heard more in my voice. They were right, but I didn’t want them to worry. “But it’s going to take time. Do you have any of the evidence my mom gathered?”

“Sadly, it burned with the house,” replied Mom Gigi.

I looked over at Ellen, who had been sitting quietly, listening to our conversation. “Was Ellen a lunch lady too?”

“Hell, no.” She made a face. “I don’t have the patience for that. My mom was friends with Gigi.” She held the fresh spring roll in her hand, preparing to dip it into the peanut sauce. “When she passed, Mom Gigi adopted and taught me everything about the Lunch Lady Club. I’m now their outstanding accountant.” She smiled, dumped the spring roll into the dish of sauce, and bit into it.

I looked at Mom Gigi. “You have a knack for harboring orphans.”