Pam Huddleston’s Winnetka law office occupied the first floor of a small building on Green Bay Road near Elm. In the waiting room Georgia took in the thick oriental rug, a coffee table with a fan of today’s papers, and a wall of floor-to-ceiling bookcases. Except for the vacant receptionist’s desk—their concession to the weekend, no doubt—it could have been someone’s living room.
She sat on an upholstered chair, listening to muted conversations floating out from two offices. The office door nearest the waiting room was open, revealing the profile of a man in a sweater-vest, sleeves on his blue shirt rolled up. He was on the phone, his feet kicked up on his desk. The door to the other office was open only a crack, but Georgia could hear a woman murmuring in hushed tones. She couldn’t hear the conversation, but she assumed it was Huddleston and that she was delivering bad news, until the mood was abruptly shattered by a raucous laugh.
Never assume.
The woman who emerged from the office five minutes later had short curly dark hair and ruby-red lipstick. She wore a beautifully tailored pants suit, subtle but expensive-looking jewelry, and stylish boots. Ellie hadn’t told her Pam Huddleston was so attractive. Georgia felt underdressed in her jeans and blazer.
“Hi, Georgia.” The lawyer extended her hand. “So nice to meet you.”
“Thanks for squeezing me in, Ms. Huddleston. Especially on a Saturday.”
“It’s Pam. Don’t mention it. I was up here.” She smiled. “Anyway, Ellie said I needed to see you ASAP.”
Georgia returned a cautious smile. The lawyer led her into her office.
The office matched her style, subtle but expensive. Oak desk. Executive chair, another oriental rug, nice bookcases, and two sculptures of women that looked vaguely African.
“So,” Huddleston said after she settled behind her desk. “Ellie said you were interested in adopting?”
“Well, not me personally.”
“Good. Because I don’t do them anymore.” She paused. “But I can refer you to someone who does.”
“That’s all right. I’m just looking for information.” Georgia tipped her head to the side. “Why did you stop?”
Huddleston shrugged. “The laws governing adoptions in Illinois changed a few years ago. I haven’t kept up.”
“How did you get into it?”
“It’s funny. I kind of fell into it. I would hear about someone who was looking for a baby. Then, as if by serendipity, a young pregnant woman would pop up.”
“Pop up? From where?”
Huddleston smiled. “You’d be surprised…housekeepers…daughters of friends who get into trouble, people who wanted to know their babies, or their daughters’, or their nieces’ would be placed in a good home. Sometimes, a priest or rabbi would call me about one of his flock. It happens.”
“So you’d be the agent—the broker?”
“I was the lawyer who put the parties together.”
“And you’d do the paperwork?”
“Such that it was.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, as you know, selling babies is against the law. So there was never any contract. It was usually done on a handshake.”
“But money changed hands.”
“The would-be parents typically paid for the birth mother’s maternity expenses. Sometimes it even worked out.”
“What do you mean?”
“It means that the girl—the birth mother—could change her mind at any time. Happens a lot after a baby is born. Mom decides she wants to keep it.”
“Then what?”
Huddleston flashed her a rueful smile. “Then everyone is up shit creek. There’s really nothing anyone can do. That’s one of the reasons I don’t do them anymore. It’s too fucking emotional. But, like I said, I can refer you to someone who does.”
“That’s okay,” Georgia said. “I thought there were some bureaucratic procedures, too. Doesn’t Cook County get involved?”
“Sure. In every adoption, the parents file a petition. The birth mother has to consent; then the court does a cursory investigation. They appoint a guardian ad litem to make sure the baby is going to a good home. If everything’s kosher, an order of adoption is entered.”
“What if a couple was—or knew they would be—turned down?”
Huddleston frowned. “Meaning?”
“What if the couple was older, or same sex, or in some way more desperate for a baby than others? What if they were turned down from legally adopting?”
Huddleston sat up straighter, her face a cloud of suspicion. “What are you getting at?”
“Well…” Georgia cleared her throat. “What if—hypothetically, of course—there was a service that took all comers? Even though it’s against the law?”
“Are you talking black market babies?”
Georgia nodded.
Huddleston didn’t answer for a minute. Then she laced her fingers together on the desk. “I’m not gonna lie to you. The thing you have to realize is that children are considered a commodity these days. There is a growing, almost frantic need to parent. At the same time there’s a dwindling number of healthy babies available.”
“So I hear.”
“And there will always be people with a blank check. A rich trader…an elderly man with a younger wife…a—”
“So it’s possible,” Georgia said.
Huddleston nodded. “That’s another reason I got out of the business.”
“Ethics?”
“If it’s an illegal adoption, someone has to forge the papers—the birth certificates, adoption papers, and such.”
“Presumably a lawyer.”
Huddleston nodded. “They’d have to show receipts for payments—I mean expenses—time spent on the arrangements, crap like that.” She flipped up her palm. “Too risky.”
“So, basically, what you’re saying is whether it’s a legal adoption or illegal, chances are the parties would benefit from having a lawyer.”
“You bet.”
Georgia hesitated. Then, “Have you ever heard of a lawyer named Chad Coe? From Riverwoods?”
“No, but like I said, I’m out of the loop. Did you check ARDC?”
“All I could find out was that he’s active.” She paused, then dug out a business card. “If you hear anything, could you let me know?”
Huddleston took the card, then shifted in her chair. “Georgia, you seem like a straight shooter to me. And I know Ellie is. So I have to ask. Why are you chasing this down? Why not turn it over to the police?”
Georgia didn’t answer.
“If it turns out to be a black market baby ring, you could end up tangling with some very nasty people.”
Georgia hesitated. “I have a sister who is pregnant and might be involved with them.”
Huddleston kept her mouth shut. For a lawyer it was a rarity.