Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
The day the letter arrived from the Mississippi State Penitentiary, Lorelei stuck it in her purse. She was too nervous to open it right away. She didn’t even look at it until after she’d spent the evening with Lucy and put her to bed.
Then, when she was alone and the house was quiet, she took the letter out of her purse, carried it into the living room and sat down on the couch.
A red stamp signified it was correspondence from a correctional institution. That was the only way she could tell it was from Greenstone; his prison number and not his name appeared in the return address.
She planned to call Serenity and Reagan to tell them he’d replied.
They’d been waiting for more than two weeks.
But she wasn’t quite ready to alert them.
The reason she’d decided to be the one to write him was so she could have a few minutes to herself, should he deign to reply, to absorb the contents and evaluate how his response made her feel.
Because of her background, seeing Greenstone mattered more to her, on an emotional level, than it did to her sisters.
Serenity had been raised by a wonderful family; she’d known the love and security that brought.
Reagan hadn’t gotten quite as lucky in that area.
She’d been raised by a difficult mother.
But these days, she was so fulfilled being with Rally and raising their child, the past didn’t seem as important to her.
Lorelei was the one who’d had a terrible childhood and been unlucky in love.
Steeling herself for what could amount to a stinging rejection, or even a lie claiming he wasn’t guilty of the crimes for which he’d been imprisoned, she tore off one end of the envelope and slid out the lined paper inside it.
His handwriting could only be described as elegant.
He’d written to her in cursive, and not many people did that anymore.
As far as Lorelei could tell, he hadn’t made even one mistake, despite the fact that he probably wasn’t allowed an eraser.
From what she’d read online, prisoners were given a golf pencil and nothing more.
The perfection of what she saw indicated that Greenstone had taken his time and wanted his reply to look as civil and dignified as possible.
His words seemed to convey the same thing.
Dear Ms. Cipriano,
Thank you for your letter. I would certainly be willing to meet with you and your sisters and help in any way I can.
Assigned visitation for my unit is the third Monday of the month from 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., but that can change depending on several factors, so you might want to check the website before you come.
I will add you to my visitation list. That way, there won’t be any problems the day you arrive.
In case you’ve never visited a prison before, be aware that you will need to bring a valid state or federal I.D.
, and there is a dress code. Again, I refer you to the prison website so you can read about that and other rules, which should make your visit go more smoothly.
For instance, you will need to leave your cell phone, purse and other personal belongings locked in your car, as you will not be allowed to bring them in.
I look forward to meeting the three of you.
Sincerely,
Father Greenstone
He’d signed it Father Greenstone. No doubt he’d been excommunicated when he was convicted.
Lorelei guessed that would be standard procedure.
So it was probably just a name he still called himself.
Was there some significance to it? Was he once again trying to lay claim to the credibility and respect typically afforded a man of the cloth?
Lorelei dialed Serenity and together they added Reagan to the call.
“So what do you think?” Reagan asked after Lorelei read Greenstone’s letter aloud. “Will this trip be worth it?”
“We have to take the chance,” Serenity replied.
“I agree with Serenity,” Lorelei said. She’d already decided she owed that much to the woman who’d tried to take her in and care for her as a baby. But she couldn’t say she knew what to make of Greenstone’s response. He seemed polite and well-educated. But was he truly interested in helping them?
That remained to be seen.