The man behind the glass partition glanced at Kerry, but only momentarily, as she walked through the door. The five waiting room chairs were occupied, four with people and one with an oversized purse. Kerry stepped around the awkwardly placed furniture, over a pair of outstretched legs, and then leaned against the back wall.
Jeremy Turcot had been working in the same clerical position since Kerry first arrived in Lake Pines. He was quiet, efficient, and operated strictly by the rules. Which is what left Kerry with a feeling of unease as she waited her turn to speak with him.
Kerry’s purpose for standing in Jeremy’s waiting room at eight-thirty in the morning on a Thursday was purely personal. She could not only be reprimanded for overstepping her professional boundaries should she decide to use her provincial credentials to gain information, but she could also lose her job. Her father repeatedly warned her to be careful in her search for Dominique’s birth parents, cautioning that she might not be ready for whatever she was about to learn. As she shifted the weight of her body against the wall, she wondered if she should’ve heeded his warning. In the end, Kerry decided she owed it to Dominique to learn the truth about what happened to her birth mother and that she’d decide what to do with that information once she had it.
Half an hour after walking into the waiting room, Jeremy waved Kerry over to the counter.
“How may I help you?” he asked, with the faintest amount of enthusiasm as he held his eyes fixed to his computer screen.
Jeremy’s mannerisms were the antithesis of friendly. He angled his body away from the reception counter, and he shielded his eyes in oversized tinted glasses as he remained transfixed to his screen.
“I’m looking for some information on a patient of the hospital,” Kerry slid her official credentials under the plexiglass partition, and holding her breath she hoped it would elicit some cooperation.
Jeremy glanced at the card and then raised his eyes above his glasses. “The morgue is on the lower floor.”
“Actually, she was a patient fifteen months ago,” Kerry slipped her identification card back into her pocket. “She was the victim of a hit and run the night an ambulance brought her to the emergency room, which was also the night she gave birth to a little girl.”
“It sounds like you have all the information you need on the patient,” Jeremy folded his arms, already eager for Kerry to leave the office. “What was it that you thought you’d get from me?”
“I wanted to read her file,” Kerry leaned forward on her folded arms. “Just to make sure nothing was left out.”
He shook his head, “Unless you have written authorization from either the patient or her doctor, I can’t release any information.”
Kerry bit her bottom lip and let out a deep breath, “I can’t get that.”
“Then I can’t help you.” his response was terse.
“It’s really important I see her file,” this time Kerry’s tone was more pleading. “I won’t even leave the office with the file, I’ll read it here.”
“If it’s so important, then get the authorization and I’ll release the files.”
“But I can’t.”
“Why?”
“She’s dead.”
Jeremy stared at Kerry, narrowing his brow, unsure of how to respond.
Kerry rubbed her eyes and ran her hand through her hair, “Look, I haven’t been entirely honest with you.”
“Really?”
“The girl whose file I want to see is my daughter’s birth mother. She was rushed to the hospital the night Dominique was born because she was the victim of a hit and run. I owe that young girl everything, and she may have family that doesn’t even know what happened.”
Jeremy’s demeanor softened, “Why would you risk what you have with your daughter? What if they fight to have her back?”
The question took Kerry by surprise. She had been afraid of that exact thing, but in the end, it was about doing what was right for Dominique. And if she had a father or family that wanted to be part of her life, it wasn’t Kerry’s place to keep them away.
And that’s what she told Jeremy.
“What was her name?”
“Katie Lancaster.”
Jeremy turned away and entered Katie’s name along with the day she arrived, gave birth, and then died at the hospital.
A few moments later, Jeremy was sliding a printout under the plexiglass partition. “I’m adopted, so I know what a special thing it is that you’re doing. Good luck.”
Kerry thanked Jeremy and then left his office and read Katie’s hospital file as she walked. Most of what she read was exactly what Gloria had already told her. The information that was new to Kerry was what was written at the end of the file.
Anger rose quickly as she read the last paragraph, and Kerry’s pulse quickened. She folded the pages and tucked them in her pocket and headed directly to the police station.
✽✽✽
Kerry burst through Simon’s office door. Her face was flush with anger and her eyes shouting words she wasn’t sure how to speak.
Simon held up a finger and spoke into his phone, “I’ll call you back,” Simon said as he ended his call. “What’s wrong? Is it Dominique?”
“No, well, sort of,” Kerry stammered.
She pulled out the folded pages she had shoved in her pocket and handed them to Simon who unfolded them and shook his head as he read it.
“I’m still not sure what you want me to see.”
“Look at the date,” Kerry stabbed her finger at the sheet.
“It’s the day Dominique was born,” Simon raised his face from the pages. “Is this girl Dominique’s birth mother?”
Kerry nodded.
“Why do you have this?”
Kerry wasn’t sure if she saw upset, betrayal, or confusion on Simon’s face. She steadied herself as she confessed what she had done and why she wanted to find out who their daughter’s birth mother was. Kerry prepared herself for a flurry of protests from Simon, but none came.
“I hadn’t realized she died that same day.”
Kerry’s tears came all at once, “I know I should be happy with the fact we have Dominique in our lives, but I can’t help but feel sad that the person who brought her into this world suffered.”
“I’m still not sure what you want me to do about this?” Simon waved the sheet of paper in the air.
“The name she gave the hospital was Katie Lancaster, but when the staff tried to reach the next of kin when she died, they realized that the name she gave them was false. Her parents don’t even know she died, or that she had a child. And look what the nurse said the police officer’s response was when they came to investigate the hit and run.”
Simon’s jaw clenched as he read the line of text Kerry was referring to.
Possible runaway, no family to contact, and no leads.
“They dropped the investigation!” Kerry snapped.
“I wasn’t in the office during that time, I took some vacation time to spend with Dominique after we brought her home. I had no idea.”
“But we do now,” Kerry added. “So what do we do?”
Simon’s phone rang just as he was about to answer, and he held up his finger and asked Kerry to wait.
Simon’s face soured when the person on the other end of the line spoke.
“Hi Wayne… yeah, okay… I’ll send over the rest of the file later today… okay, bye.”
A heavy silence continued for a few moments until Kerry spoke. “That didn’t sound too friendly.”
Simon briefly explained what had happened with Chloe Stuart’s case and how Wayne and his task force were in charge, and Simon and the Lake Pines Police Department were out.
“Don’t you think you’re being too harsh on him?” Kerry asked. “After all, that’s his focus now,” Kerry said, referring to Wayne’s position on the National Human Trafficking Task Force.
“No, I don’t. We’re perfectly capable of investigating Chloe Stuart’s case.”
“Think of what Wayne is dealing with. He’s trying to save innocent lives. And who's to say that Katie Lancaster couldn’t have been one of those vulnerable kids?”
Simon let out a deep sigh, releasing his anger and suddenly feeling guilty for how he reacted to his friend, “You’re right.”
“Support Wayne because he’s your best friend, not just because he’s a cop and maybe you can see past your upset at losing a case,” Kerry said. “After all, what’s more important?”
“You’re right,” Simon said, feeling the sting of embarrassment. “Thanks for reminding me about that.”
“And this?” Kerry pointed to the sheet. “What can we do about this?”
“Let me see what we can do about tracking down who Katie Lancaster really was, and hopefully it won’t turn our lives upside down.”