Secrets of the Heart (21 page)

“Let’s take her to the judge,” said Warneke.

Judge Clarence Waymore had finished his last case for the day at the county courthouse and was taking off his robe in his chambers when there was a knock at his door.

He laid the robe on the back of his desk chair and waddled to the door. He was a short, rotund, bald man who wore half-moon glasses low on his nose. He opened the door to find officers Bud Fox and Kale Warneke standing there with a young mother and her little girl.

“Your honor,” said Fox, “this is Kathleen Stallworth and her daughter, Megan Kathleen.”

“Yes?” A look of irritation passed over the judge’s face.

“Mrs. Stallworth asked to talk to you, sir. She does have that right, doesn’t she, since you signed the court order?”

Waymore glanced at the wall clock behind his desk. “It’s almost five o’clock. I don’t have time to see her now.”

“But we’re supposed to take the child to John Stallworths home, sir. And this mother has asked to see you.”

“Oh, all right…come in.”

Waymore did not offer Kathleen a seat. Fixing her with penetrating gray eyes, he said, “What is it, Mrs. Stallworth?”

“I want to know how you can legally take my child from me and place her with my in-laws when the law has not proven me to be an unfit mother.”

“It is a matter of finances, ma’am. You’re not capable of providing your daughter proper food, housing, and other necessities.”

“How do you know what I’m capable of? Have you seen my bank account? Have you looked into my holdings?”

“Mr. Stallworth told me that you have a very small bank account, and I have taken his word for it. Tell me, how much money do you have in the bank?”

Kathleen swallowed hard. “Well, only about three hundred dollars. But Peter has stock in the company. I don’t know exactly what it’s worth, but I’m sure it would be seven or eight thousand dollars. All I have to do is sell the stock.”

Waymore was shaking his head. “This can’t be true, ma’am. I asked John Stallworth if Peter had stock in the company. He told me he didn’t and that all you have is what’s in that bank account.”

Kathleen felt as if she’d been struck in the face. “John Stallworth is lying, your honor, but there’s no way I can prove it. I asked you a moment ago if you could legally take Meggie from me and place her with my in-laws without proving I’m an unfit mother. You didn’t answer my question. All you said was that it’s a matter of finances. Well, I’ve worked jobs before, and I can work jobs again. I’ll find a way to see that Meggie is well cared for. I’m taking her with me now, and we’re going home. If you want to investigate me in a month, fine. In the meantime, I’ll prove that I can provide for Meggie and myself.”

She took the child’s hand and started toward the door.

“Wait a minute!” Waymore growled. “These officers are taking this child to her grandparents right now. You can peacefully allow it or go to jail. The choice is yours.”

Kathleen’s voice thickened with anger. “I know what this is! John Stallworth slipped you a bribe under the table, and you took it! You don’t care about the law! All you care about is getting your palms greased with money!”

The judge’s eyes bulged in fury, and he motioned to the officers who had brought Kathleen to see him. “Officer Fox! Officer Warneke! Arrest this woman! Put her in jail for contempt of court!”

John and Maria Stallworth stood outside Kathleen’s jail cell, looking at her through the bars while a guard stood nearby. Meggie leaned against her grandfather, weeping.

“You have no right to do this to me!” Kathleen said. “Just because I’m not from your snooty, uppity level of society, you’ve never approved of me nor accepted me into the family! You’ve no doubt plotted to take Meggie from me from the moment you learned Peter was dead! Well, Meggie is one-half Kathleen, as sure is as she is one-half
Peter! Why would you want her under your roof? I’m going to fight you! I know you bribed that fat judge, and I’m going to—”

“Kathleen!” John cut across her words. “Shut up and listen to me! I can have you released with a word to the police chief. Now, if you’ll cool down and keep a civil tongue in your mouth, I’ll do just that. You can walk out of here in a few minutes. But if you continue this tirade, Maria and I will let you rot in this place. We’re taking Meggie with us, but you can go on with your life
outside
this jail if you stop this foolishness.”

“Kathleen,” Maria said, “you know we love this sweet child with everything that is in us. And you know we have plenty of money. Meggie will get the best of care and grow up in the lap of luxury. She will have everything she wants and needs. I have even hired a nanny to watch over her twenty-four hours a day.”

Kathleen took a deep, shuddering breath, set her eyes on her in-laws, and said, “How often can I see her?”

John’s mouth turned down. “Maria and I talked about it. We’ve fixed it with the judge that you do not have visiting rights. It would only keep Meggie upset.”

Kathleen fought down her wrath, looked past her in-laws to the guard, and said, “May I have a few minutes alone with my daughter before these people take her?”

The guard took a forward step. “I think that is reasonable,” he said. “Would you like her in the cell with you?”

“Yes, please.”

To the Stallworths the guard said, “You folks can wait in the office. I’ll bring the child to you in ten minutes.”

John and Maria left the cell block reluctantly as the guard opened the barred door to Kathleen’s cell. He closed it behind Meggie and said, “I’ll be back in ten minutes, ma’am.”

Kathleen sat down on the cell cot and pulled Meggie onto her lap. The little girl clung to her mother, confused and afraid.

“Honey, listen to Mommy,” Kathleen said in a soft, steady voice.

Meggie pulled back and looked into her mother’s eyes.

“Meggie, I want you to go home with Grandma and Grandpa for now. They love you and they will take care of you. I will come for you as soon as I can. Do you understand?”

Meggie nodded.

When the time was up, the guard came and opened the cell door. “I’ll take her to the grandparents now, ma’am. And I have instructions to release you within half an hour.”

Meggie was trying not to cry as she looked over the guard’s shoulder at her mother. Kathleen waved and said, “I love you, sweetheart. Mommy will see you as soon as I can.”

As promised, Kathleen was released half an hour after the Stallworths had left with Meggie. As she walked home, a boiling hatred churned within her. She vowed that somehow, someday, she would lay her hands on enough money to hire a lawyer and get her daughter back.

“Y
OU STILL DON’T HAVE IT QUITE RIGHT
, Stan. Put more shoulder into it when you swing. Gerald, you seem to have gotten the knack of it. Take another swing and let Stan watch.”

It was midafternoon as Tom Harned instructed two new men on how to use pickaxes to cut into the walls of the Comstock Lode. They were deep inside the dark bowels of Mount Davidson. The only light came from overhead lanterns hanging from thick wooden beams.

“Tom!” came the familiar voice of Hank Mitchell.

“Over here, Hank!”

There was the sound of rapid footfalls, then Hank came into view. “Tom! Hilda Jensen is outside, all upset. She wants to see you. She’s got Caleb with her.”

“Is something wrong with Loretta?” Tom asked.

“I don’t know. Hilda only said she needed to see you in a hurry.”

Tom turned to the new men. “You guys go ahead. Practice your swing, Stan. You help him, Gerald. I’ll be back when I can.”

When Tom emerged from the mouth of the mine, Caleb ran toward him, crying, “Daddy, Mommy’s real sick!”

Tom gathered his son up in his arms and looked at Hilda’s pallid face.

“It’s the baby, Mr. Harned,” she said. “The baby’s comin’! Loretta’s in labor, but she’s losing blood.”

A cold dread seized Tom. “Is the doctor at the house?”

“Yes, sir. He’s got his nurse with him.”

Tom set Caleb on the ground. “Son, Hilda will take you home.”

With that, he bolted toward town.

Tom bounded onto his front porch, puffing from exertion, and rushed through the door.

Dr. Frank Nelsons nurse, Edna Roberts, had heard him coming, and was waiting for him at the bedroom door. The look on her face terrified him.

“Mr. Harned,” she said, taking a step toward him, “Dr. Nelson is doing everything he can, but—”

Tom rushed past her into the bedroom.

The doctor glanced up as Tom drew near the bed. “I’m doing what I can, Tom,” he said, the seriousness of the situation evident on his face.

Loretta’s face had a gray pallor, and deep lines of pain were etched on her lovely features. Her hair was matted to her forehead with sweat. Suddenly she gasped for breath, her eyes pinching shut. The labor pains were coming so close together that she had no time to rest between contractions.

Tom took her hand in his and tried to loosen her grip on the bedsheet. “Honey, I’m here.”

Loretta opened her pain-dulled eyes and gave him a weak, shaky smile.

“Its going to be all right, honey,” Tom said, pushing a lock of hair off her damp forehead. He leaned over and kissed her cheek.

Loretta jerked and moaned as another spasm of pain hit her and more blood flowed.

Dr. Nelson shook his head and glanced at his nurse.

Footsteps thumped on the parlor floor, and they heard Hilda’s voice telling Caleb he couldn’t go into the bedroom.

Tom leaned close to Loretta’s ear and said, “I’ll be right back.”

He was back in just a few moments and said to Loretta, “I sent Hilda to get Pastor Humbert. I want him to pray for you.”

Loretta nodded as her body jerked under the pain of another contraction.

Less than twenty minutes had passed when Hilda appeared at the
bedroom door and said, “Pastor and Mrs. Humbert are here.”

Tom hurried to the parlor and was met by Caleb, who flung himself at his father and clung to him. As he gripped his little boy’s hand in his own, Tom looked at the pastor and said, “Thank you for coming, Pastor…Laurie.”

“How is she doing?” Humbert asked.

Tom explained Loretta’s condition as best he could, telling them she had lost two previous children in miscarriage. “Please pray for her, Pastor,” Tom pleaded, his face pinched with anxiety. “I’ve got to get back to her.”

Tom returned to Loretta’s bedside and held her hand. She was exhausted, both from the constant hard contractions and the blood loss.

“The baby’s coming,” said Dr. Nelson. “Push, Loretta! Push!”

Loretta summoned every ounce of strength she could muster and gave one final push.

The doctor handed the tiny, limp form to Edna without a word, then glanced at Tom as she hurried away with the baby.

“I don’t hear the baby crying,” Loretta said weakly.

Dr. Nelson remained silent as he worked to stop the hemorrhaging.

Tom gazed into his wife’s pain-darkened eyes and could barely say the words. “Honey, the baby’s…the baby’s dead.”

The exhausted mother closed her eyes and ejected a heartrending cry.

Before Tom could say anything more, she reached up a shaky hand and caressed his cheek, saying in a cracked whisper, “I…love…you.” Then her hand fell limply to the bed, and she stopped breathing.