Chapter 11
Ronan
Two hours after leaving the house on Pickman Road, Ronan sat in a conference room at the Salem Police Department along with Ten, Jude, and Fitzgibbon. Cisco wanted to have a meeting with the cold case team, but he was late in arriving.
While they waited, Ronan continued to look for information about Kitty Maxwell.
After the slain nurse crossed over, Ten had told Ronan about her sisters, Lucy and Candy.
Ronan hadn’t had any luck with finding Candy and was on to the next sister.
He did a quick Google search and got several results for Lucy Maxwell.
One article marked the twentieth anniversary of Kitty’s disappearance.
Lucy kept her maiden name and bought her parents’ house so that Kitty would be able to contact her when she decided to come home. “I found her,” he muttered
“Found who?” Jude asked.
“Kitty Maxwell’s sister, Lucy.” He sent the story link to Ten, Fitz, and Jude. “I checked the obits and there’s no mention of her.”
“I’ll do a deeper dive to get her phone number. We’re gonna need a DNA test to prove who the bones belong to,” Jude said, as Cisco walked into the room, looking like he hadn’t slept in days.
“Can someone please explain to me how a fifty-year old set of bones found in a dilapidated frat house is related to the St. Agnes House?” Cisco shook his head.
“I hadn’t thought of that place since high school, twenty-something years ago, and now, within the span of a week, we’ve got two major cases with direct ties to the House. ” Cisco’s attention was on Fitzgibbon.
“It’s all thanks to Tennyson,” Fitz said, wincing as the words left his mouth.
“Tell us how you really feel, Fitz.” Ronan rolled his eyes.
“I didn’t mean that like it sounded.” Fitz cleared his throat and took a deep breath.
“Natalie Fairchild made an appointment with Ten. She had a friend who’d worked with him in the past and had great results.
Ten can’t find the spirit she’s hoping to connect with, which leads Ten to believe the spirit is alive.
Everly tells us the graves at Act of Mercy are empty and we reunite Natalie with her long-lost daughter.
What happened today with Jace was a crazy bit of happenstance. ”
“Happenstance?” Cisco asked. “Kitty Maxwell has been missing for fifty plus years. Finding her bones isn’t a coincidence.”
“I agree,” Ten said, jumping into the conversation. “You’re right about it not being a coincidence, but not in the way that you’re thinking.”
“Run that past me like I’m a cranky five-year-old, please.” Cisco rifled a hand through his hair.
“Like you said, Kitty Maxwell has been missing for a long time. Jace said that he stumbled and crashed into the wall, which led to her remains being discovered. The stumble wasn’t an accident.
Kitty tripped him. She wanted her remains to be found and knew she could trust Jace.
According to what she told me, the house was empty for years after her murder.
It was bought by Salem State and used as campus housing for undergrads.
There was no way Kitty could trust her remains to a bunch of over-sexed teenage nitwits, so she bided her time.
You’ve heard the saying about what’s done in the dark coming into the light? That’s exactly what’s happening here.”
Cisco blew out a harsh breath. “When news of this body’s identification breaks, reporters are going to be all over the St. Agnes House.
Now that Natalie is reunited with her daughter, it wouldn’t surprise me if she sold her story to the media and/or wrote a book about her experience.
I just got off the phone with the mayor before I walked into this meeting and we both agree that the SPD needs to get out ahead of this story.
I’ve scheduled a press conference for two.
I want Ronan and Jude there to answer questions and to deliver brief remarks to the media.
Brief, Ronan. Think Gettysburg Address short.
I would ordinarily choose Fitz to speak, but since his husband discovered the body, it’s best if you’re on the sidelines for this one. ”
“Understood,” Fitzgibbon said. “I’ll take Ten with me to go inform Lucy Maxwell that we think we’ve found her sister and to see if she’ll give us a DNA sample. I’ll also ask if there’s anything she can tell us about Kitty’s time at St. Agnes House.”
“Good plan,” Cisco said, standing up when his phone buzzed. “Father Joseph Baker from St. Agnes Parish is here. I called and asked for a meeting. The church deserves to know what’s coming before the tidal wave hits.”
“Fitz, if you and Cisco don’t mind, I’d like to sit in on that meeting. I spoke with the Father the other day.”
“I was going to ask the two of you to come along.” Cisco turned his attention back to Ronan.
“You grew up in the Catholic Church and have some understandable animosity toward their stance on certain issues, but please remember how many people of faith are going to see and hear you speak today. Find a way to bring everyone together instead of leading a march with pitchforks and torches. Got it?”
Ronan nodded. He’d already started composing remarks in his head. He knew what Cisco was looking for. He only hoped he could provide it. He motioned Ten toward him. “I’ll see you at home later. Let’s order Greek Life. After today, no one’s gonna be in the mood to cook.”
“Agreed,” Ten said. “After Fitz and I are finished speaking with the priest and Lucy Maxwell, I want to go see Jace. It’s not every day you find a body bricked into a wall.”
“Give him my best.” After Ten and Fitz left, Ronan grabbed his phone and started typing out what he wanted to say at the press conference. “What do you think?” Ronan handed Jude his phone.
Jude nibbled his bottom lip as he read. “It’s good. I like the tone of it.”
When Ronan stood he felt butterflies dance in his stomach. “Feel free to add your own two cents if I’m missing something important.”
“Are you okay? I’ve never seen your hands shake like that before.” Jude wore a concerned look.
“I don’t think I’ve been this nervous to speak in front of a group of people since high school when I had to do a recitation from Othello. I had a crush on a guy in the first row. Thank fuck the podium hid my erection.
Jude snorted. “At the press conference make sure to keep Leviathan in your pants. If all else fails, think about Marlon Brando swimming naked in a vat of chocolate pudding.”
“Not helping, asshole.” Ronan grinned. “Let’s do this.” Reading his notes one last time, Ronan left the meeting room and headed toward the stairs.
When he and Jude entered the media room, it was packed with reporters.
Four television cameras were stationed at the back of the room, while the podium had eight microphones set up, along with two digital recorders.
Ronan held up a hand to bring the room to order.
“I’m Cold Case Detective Ronan O’Mara and this is my partner, Detective Jude Byrne.
We’re here today to ask for the public’s help with a series of cold cases that range from fifty to seventy years old. ”
The assembled press gasped. “Is the Salem Police so inept that there are stacks of unsolved murder cases half a century old lying around waiting to be solved by armchair detectives?” Linda Barton from CBS Boston asked.
Ronan offered the reporter a brief smile.
“Actually, Linda, these cases aren’t murders at all.
” He turned to Jude for a bit of reassurance.
What Ronan was about to say was going to shock everyone in the room.
“In 1955 St. Agnes Parish opened a home for unwed mothers. It was in operation until 1975. Most of the babies that were born in the St. Agnes House, as it came to be known, were adopted by families through various Catholic charity organizations. Over the years, fifty-seven children were reported to have died, either at birth, or soon after, but now, we have reason to believe that those children may have been sold to wealthy families while the birth mothers were told their children had died.”
The room erupted in shouted questions. Each reporter was louder than the next.
Ronan held his hands up to settle the room.
“I realize this is a long shot, but if you were one of the women who were told your child had been lost, please have your DNA tested and uploaded to public databases. I realize there is a cost associated with this and we will be setting up a GoFundMe account to assist families wishing to connect with each other.”
Jude shot Ronan a questioning look.
There had been no mention of a GoFundMe to help with costs, Ronan was speaking off the cuff. He would make the first donation and knew other contributions would soon follow.
“You’re accusing the Catholic Church of selling babies in a post-World War II black market?” John Jameson from Channel 5 asked.
“Not at all,” Ronan said. Cold sweat trickled down his spine.
“The Cold Case team is working to put the pieces together. If anyone listening to the sound of my voice has any information about the St. Agnes House please get in touch with the SPD. The same goes for any mothers who delivered a baby at the house or anyone who worked at the facility. We would very much like to help reunite as many families as we can.”
“We’d also like to say,” Jude began, “that the statute of limitations has run out to charge anyone involved with kidnapping and selling infants, so no one who comes forward with information about these children will face criminal consequences. As Detective O’Mara said, we just want to reunite families. ”
“You said earlier that you have reason to believe babies were sold to wealthy families, what evidence do you have to prove this theory?” a reporter from The Boston Globe asked.
Ronan swallowed hard. The last thing he wanted to do was involve Tennyson in this matter.
“A woman who gave birth at St. Agnes House came to us after she took a DNA test and found her lost daughter alive and well, which is why I’m hoping mothers and siblings of the lost children of St. Agnes House will get tested.
As I said, these children were born between 1955-1975. Jude and I will take a few questions.”
Hands shot up all over the room. Ronan pointed to John Jameson. He’d been very helpful with investigations in the past.
“Do you have any leads on who was responsible for selling babies? It’s been seventy-one years since the first children were born at St. Agnes House. Is anyone connected to the organization still alive?”
“We don’t know. That’s why we’re asking for the public’s health. Please reach out to the Salem Police Cold Case Unit. We can be reached by phone, email, and text.” Ronan looked around the room for the next question. “Chaz, from the Salem News.”
“Reports are surfacing about a set of human remains found bricked into a wall at a house out by the Salem State University campus. Is there any truth to the rumors that the remains are that of Kitty Maxwell, a nurse who worked at St. Agnes House?”
Ronan gritted his teeth. He should have known Chaz would be onto the story.
He’d worked for the paper for over twenty years and had connections and sources all over the city.
“We’re working on making a positive identity.
We do not have information on cause of death at this time.
Again, if you have any information about Miss Maxwell, please reach out to the Cold Case team. ”
“What does the Catholic Church have to say on this matter? You’re making some pretty serious accusations here.” A reporter from the Boston Herald asked.
“I’m not accusing anyone of anything,” Ronan said, battling to keep himself under control.
“We’re simply trying to find out what happened to the missing children born at St. Agnes House.
I’m sure the church will make a statement on the matter in due time.
I can tell you that St. Agnes Parish is being advised of this situation as we speak. ”
“Detective O’Mara, are you available for an interview with the network?” The man calling out the question was a well-known reporter from ABC.
“Yes, Jude and I are both available.” Ronan stepped back from the microphone.
He knew it was going to be a long afternoon answering questions and begging for the public’s help.
He’d been in the room when Natalie Fairchild had been reunited with the daughter she’d lost over fifty years ago.
Ronan would make it his mission to bring as many families together as possible.
Appearing on the network news would reach millions of people who might have information on the lost children and the doctors who took advantage of their vulnerable patients.