How did Linda grandmother throw of any suspicion that Linda was in her home during the christmas season?

Christmas was a day of feasting for both blacks and whites, and Harriet's grandmother had two guests over. One was a white constable and one was a free colored man who wanted to try and pass himself off as white. This led him to "do any mean work for the sake of currying favor with white people." He was a despicable man whom Harriet hated even more than the constable, for at least that man did not pretend to be someone he was not. The intention of inviting these men over was to let them wander freely through the house and see that no one was hiding there.