Chapter XXVI
MAE SUCKED IN a breath and tried to compose herself while she waited for Winona to catch up at the corner of the big brick building. Her skin felt clammy, and the sweat she felt along her collar was turning frigid. The cold air burned in her lungs.
Winona was in no better shape. Red splotches had appeared haphazardly along her neck and cheeks, while the tip of her small nose now flamed red. As she wheezed in a breath, Winona fumbled over to the door. Mae grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “Let me just catch my breath…” Mae rasped out.
Winona nodded, but her eyes darted back and forth between Mae and the doorway.
Mae knew her respite would be short. She smoothed down her coat and checked that the paperwork was within easy reach in her bag.
She straightened one last time and preceded Winona to the doorway, rapping on its worn wooden face.
The same nun from the day before opened the door hesitantly. As her face was revealed, instant recognition was apparent on her visage. “Ladies,” she began, “can I help you?”
“Yes, please,” Mae said as she gathered up her faculties and tried to create an authoritative tone. “We are here to see the matron regarding a legal matter needing immediate attention.”
“Please come in.” She gestured to a set of chairs just inside the entrance. “You may sit here while I check to see if she is available.”
The women walked over to the chairs as the nun marched down the main hallway.
Winona craned her neck up and down the hall, her eyes roaming over the various doors and the stark emptiness that surrounded them, obviously scanning for any sign of Lily.
Mae, on the other hand, took in the surroundings slowly, making a mental note of the quality of the few surrounding pieces of furniture and decorations.
The flooring was solid oak, freshly buffed and shined.
Images of vast cornfields and farmlands rolled along the walls of the hallway, encased in solid cherry-wood frames.
Even the chair upon which she perched was well made and detailed with fine scrolling.
Mae raised her eyebrows slightly as she continued to peruse the entryway.
Her own home in New York didn’t shine like this.
As it was close to midday, the smell of simmering food wafted through the halls.
Mae was suddenly aware of the bile tumbling in her gut, a reminder of its emptiness, which was compounded by the gravity of her next venture.
Mae reached out to Winona, silently reminding her to sit.
They couldn’t afford to look worried or uncertain about their next move.
Winona sat and had just finished crossing her ankles when the nun became visible again down the hall. As she exited the room, Mae heard a low, steady voice. She fumbled to recognize it before the door shut again. Her eyes darted to the door—he was still here. What had they been talking about?
Across from her, Winona's hands had closed into fists in her lap, her eyes fixed down the hall where the nun had come from.
As the nun approached, Mae saw that a deep blush had crept up her neck to rest on her cheeks.
Her hands clasped in front of her habit, and her knuckles were white with tension.
“This way, ladies,” she forced out as she turned on her heel to lead them down the hall.
“Mother Superior will see you in her office.”
Mae followed the nun directly. She could sense Winona wavering back and forth in the hall in her wake.
Most likely, Winona was trying to catch a glimpse of the children.
Mae let her eyes stray from side to side as she kept her head straight.
She perceived the closed doors without having to look at any of them.
The nun stopped abruptly, turning an about-face.
Mae drew up short and almost bumped into her flowing frame.
A navy sleeve pointed through an open door to their right.
The light from the doorway cascaded into the hallway, creating a beacon in the dimly lit passage.
Mae entered to see the matron peering over her glasses, hands folded neatly on her desk, a look of irritation apparent in her features.
“Sister Margaret said you had a legal issue requiring my immediate attention?”
While the matron appraised Mae and Winona’s bedraggled appearance, Sister Margaret closed the door, a soft click reverberating in Mae's ears. She glanced at the chairs across from the desk and stayed on her feet. “Yes, Matron.” As the watch swung forward, her hand closed around it for a split second before moving it aside to draw out the papers. She reached into her bag and drew out Judge Matthews’s paperwork.
“I have an order issued regarding the placement of two children in your care. The courts have issued it, effectively preventing the placement of these children.” She conveniently left out the fact that it had been issued by a New York judge.
She hoped the matron wouldn’t notice, but one look at her unmoved expression told her it was unlikely.
The matron reached out a hand for the document.
As she skimmed the document, her eyes narrowed before resuming their brutal assessment of Mae.
“This document has been issued by a judge in New York. It has no legality within the state of Kansas.” She tossed the document onto the desk in Mae's direction.
“Yes, that is correct, Matron. However, the order could not be executed in New York prior to the children’s departure due to the rushed timeline of their movement.”
“Unfortunately, that is not my concern.” The matron’s words dripped with feigned sympathy.
“The stay was issued pending investigation into the illegal removal of children, all of whom have been promptly placed in your care for adoption.”
The matron sat back in her chair, moving her clasped hands into her lap.
Her eyes kept a steady bead on Mae's face, ignoring Winona entirely. Mae waited a beat before continuing. “It seems that the local church in New York has been complicit in the improper removal of children. Once investigators begin tracing placements, they rarely stop.” She had almost stuttered at the words ‘improper removal.’ There was no proof, just a hunch. She hoped she hadn’t overplayed her hand.
“It’s a shame that such alleged events may have come to pass. But I can assure you that all children who have come into our care and been placed out for adoption have been legally removed via a court order for abuse and/or negligence.”
“There was no neglect wit me Lily and those courts never saw me.” Winona said, contradicting the matron. “And me Lily is here just the same.”
The matron’s lips pursed as if she had tasted something bitter.
Mae knew this game of cat and mouse could still go either way, and she realized that Winona’s intrusion lent weight to her side.
The matron paused to glance at Winona before continuing.
“Well, Madam, we here at the Children’s Home of Topeka cannot be connected in such a horrendous scheme.
” The matron’s mouth turned up in a satisfied smirk, inadvertently signaling to Mae that her hunch had been correct.
“Yet.” She waited. “You see, Matron, I have it on good authority from Judge Matthews in New York, that the entire system is to be investigated. It would be too bad if there were explicit instructions to review your beautiful Children’s Home with its luxurious furnishings.
One may begin to,” she paused to add emphasis and let her eyes purposefully roam around the room’s furnishings, “wonder.”
At this, the matron unclasped her hands and brought her elbows to rest on the arms of her chair.
Steepling her fingers, she analyzed Mae.
Mae forced her back to remain straight and let a look of innocence play across her features.
Her chest thumped against her breastbone, though she willed her breaths to appear steady.
Mae examined the matron’s hesitance to speak and added weight to the pressure point.
“Of course, I’m sure they will automatically gloss over your connection if it weren’t to be pointed out.
You know how easily attention can be diverted in cases such as these.
” Mae's stomach turned at her glib use of the veiled threat.
She puffed out her chest, hoping that the sudden movement would read as a surge of confidence.
“What connection?” The matron drawled. “Everything is in order within our files. There is no connection, Madam.”
Mae recognized the condescension in the matron’s tone.
The twist in her stomach blossomed into a fire.
“I’m sure your files are much more complete than those that were scrutinized in New York…
” Mae pointed out. “Of course, once they have wind of a scheme such as this, they tend to act like a dog with a bone. Turning over anything and everything that can allow them to make an example out of someone else.”
Mae saw the point land. The matron’s steepled fingers pressed together more firmly, turning her pointer fingers a startling red at the point of contact.
Mae saw her jaw clench tighter before she threatened, “I believe this may be a matter for the local police then. Perhaps I shall have them called if we can’t come to an agreement. ”
Perspiration formed on Mae’s hairline. Despite the urge to clench her hands, she managed to keep them relaxed.
“Absolutely.” The word slipped from her mouth, and immediately doubt took over, and she wanted to recall it.
“I’m sure the community would be quick to talk about the possible scheme that may be connected to the home.
Although,” Mae purposefully glanced at one of the faces stationed behind the matron, “I’m not sure your benefactors would be quite so understanding. ”