Wade looked back again, trying to remember the details of the odd meeting.
Shirley was suspicious and not done asking questions.
“What kind of offer?”
“That's what I wanted to know, but he said that it would have to wait until he could meet with both Katie and I, at a suitable time.”
“Well, this surely isn't a suitable time.”
Wade started the car.
“Indeed.”
****
Stan Turnbull called his sister as he headed out of the cemetery.
“Hi, it's me. I made contact with the couple you suggested. They have the card, so watch for their number on your caller ID.”
“Did they seem interested?”
“Hard to say, but I'm going to call my Texas contact anyway.”
“Okay, I will let you know as soon as I hear.” She hung up.
Stan wheeled his car into traffic and punched Benny's number in. It rang several times before he finally picked up.
“Hello?”
“Benny, this is Zeb.”
“Hey, I got the package you sent last month.”
Stan narrowly missed a moped on the side of the road and swore into the phone.
“Zeb, you there?”
“Yeah...Yeah, I'm here. It's time to start the scouting. You understand the drill?”
“Yeah, got it.”
“Good. It’ll probably be month’s rather than weeks but I'll be in touch.”
Stan hung up without waiting for Benny to respond. If his instincts were right, this couple will eventually call.
****
It was three months later when Susan finally saw the number she'd been waiting for pop up on her caller ID. She quickly stepped into one of the empty hospital rooms and closed the door.
“Johnson and Carr, may I help you?” she drawled in her best southern voice. She didn't want to risk Wade Duncan recognizing her voice.
“Yes, is Zebulin Johnson in?”
“May I ask who is calling?”
“Wade Duncan.”
“Very well, Mr. Duncan,” she drawled. “Let me see if he's free. Please hold.”
Susan covered the phone and waited an appropriate amount of time before coming back on the line.
“Mr. Duncan?”
“Yes.”
“Mr. Johnson is in a meeting, but said he should be done shortly. Do you have a number where you can be reached in the next half hour?”
Wade said the lawyer could call his cell phone and gave her the number. As soon as she hung up, Susan called her brother.
“Stan?”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“Duncan just called. I told him you were in a meeting and got his cell phone number.”
She gave him the number and hung up.
****
Wade picked up on the second ring.
“Hello?”
“Mr. Duncan, this is Zebulin Johnson, returning your call.”
“Yes, Mr. Johnson. Do you remember giving me your card at the cemetery in March?”
“Of course.”
“Well, you mentioned you had an offer for my wife and I. Can you elaborate further on it?”
“I'd really rather not over the phone. Is there a time I could come by and meet with the two of you?”
Wade cupped his hand over the phone and looked at Katie.
“He wants to come over.”
Katie just shrugged and said tonight or tomorrow night would be okay.
“Tonight or tomorrow night would be fine,” he repeated back into the phone.
“Okay, say… seven tonight?”
“Sure, see you then.”
Wade hung up and looked at his wife. Curiosity had gotten the best of them, and they needed a distraction anyway.
“Mom will be here, so she can listen in, too.”
“Yeah, I don't imagine that it will matter if she's here.”
****
At seven o’clock sharp, there was a knock at the door. Wade opened it to find the same large man from the cemetery, only this time he was carrying a brief case. Wade invited him in and they went into the living room, where Katie and Shirley were waiting. After making introductions and getting a cup of coffee for Zeb, there was a pause. Wade brought the conversation around to the purpose of the meeting.
“Mr. Johnson, you said you had an offer for us. What sort of offer are we talking about?
“Actually, I'll get to the offer in a minute, but first, let me say again how terribly sorry I am for your loss.”
Katie looked uncomfortable, but managed not to break into tears.
“Thank you.”
“Also, what I am about to tell you is highly confidential and, regardless of the outcome, must not be shared with anyone outside of this room.”
He looked at each of them as they nodded their heads.
“I have a couple—my clients—who have suffered a loss similar to yours.”
“Oh, I'm sorry,” Katie and her mom said at the same time.
Zeb nodded. “I'm sure they would appreciate that. And, like you, their loss took place in childbirth.”
Katie looked stricken. Wade was immediately worried for his wife.
“Please get to the point, Mr. Johnson.”
“Of course. They lost their daughter during the birth of a grandchild; however, the child survived. A little boy.”
For a moment there was silence in the room. Katie appeared to be holding her breath. Was this man about to say what she was thinking? The tension in the room bore down on Katie as she stared at the lawyer. She felt it would crush her.
The lawyer finally continued.
“My clients are looking for a home for the child.”
Suddenly, everyone was talking at once, Wade to Katie, Shirley to Katie, Katie to Wade and Wade to Shirley. Only the lawyer was silent.
Finally, just as quickly as they had started, they stopped. Everyone was now looking at the lawyer. He waited a moment and then continued like the outburst had never happened.
“My clients are older, their daughter was 29 when she died, and they feel unable to take care of the child. They have tasked me with finding a suitable home.”
There were several minutes of silence. Each appeared lost in their own thoughts.
Wade spoke first.
“What about the father?”
“Their daughter never revealed the father’s name to them and all efforts to identify him have failed.”
Several more minutes passed before anyone spoke. Again, it was Wade.
“I assume, since you are here, that you are considering us for the new home.”
The lawyer nodded.
Wade looked at Katie for affirmation and could see it in her eyes.
“Obviously we would be interested. What is involved?”
“Well, there are a series of forms that must be filled out and submitted, both to my clients and to the state. They will examine the documents and then inform me of their decision.” He hesitated. “There is one issue that will need to be resolved, however.”
“What's that?” Shirley and Katie said, in perfect unison.
Zeb smiled and Wade just shrugged his shoulders.
“They do it all the time.”
“The death of their daughter and the medical care for the child has left them nearly fifty thousand dollars in debt. Their finances have been devastated. They are asking that the adoptive parents accept responsibility for those debts and pay them off at the time of the adoption.”
The lawyer allowed the stipulation to sink in.
Katie's face immediately reflected the lump forming in her stomach. She knew they didn't have that much. She looked at Wade, who appeared to be calculating in his head.
“That's a lot of money, Mr. Johnson. Even if we could come up with it, what assurances do we have?”
“Mr. Duncan, I would not be here—especially with the turmoil that you have had in the last few month’s—unless this was a legitimate offer. All paperwork would be in order and you would not be asked to relinquish any funds until the child was legally adoptable to you.”