Page 61 of Cause and Effect

“I know. How about we go tomorrow,” I said. “Neither of us have to be in court. Do you?”

“No. I’m free tomorrow. I’ll call Sal and see if he can get us in.”

“Sounds good.” I smiled.

“How’s Laurel?” he asked.

“She’s okay. Bro, you should have seen her this morning.” I leaned back in my chair. “She found out this boy at school has been bullying Sara, and she laid into him. I thought the kid was going to cry.”

“What did she say to him?”

“After giving him the rundown about his life and alcoholic father, she told him he was a loser kid who would endup in juvie and possibly prison when he was older. Then she told him that if she caught wind of him bullying Sara or any other kid at the school, she would string him up a tree by his underwear for the whole school to see.”

“Stop it.” He laughed. “She didn’t.”

“Yes. She did.” I chuckled.

My office door opened, and Laurel stuck her head inside. “Our clients are here.”

“Okay. I’ll meet you down there,” I said. “Gotta go, bro. Work calls. I’ll see you later.”

I walked into the conference room, and Laurel introduced me to Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. After I shook their hands, I turned to Colton Finch.

“I don’t think we ever had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Finch.” I extended my hand.

“Mr. Hamilton,” he nodded, shaking my hand.

“Let’s get down to business, shall we?” Laurel said. “Mr. Finch, your client abandoned her one-month-old baby outside a fire station late at night because she couldn’t take care of her. Now, she wants her back after my clients took Kayla in, took care of her, and are in the middle of adopting the child.”

“My client was suffering from postpartum depression at the time, Ms. Evans. She didn’t fully understand what she was doing. You have children. Surely, you can sympathize with that.”

“I can. To be fair, I did have a little bit of postpartum depression after my twins were born, but not once did I even think to abandon them. Did your client seek medical help before or after she abandoned Kayla?”

“She’s seeking professional help now.”

“And how long has it been?” Laurel asked.

“Three months.”

She laughed. “Your client had a choice. She could havegotten help before she decided to abandon her baby. It’s been a year, Mr. Finch. The State of California recognizes child abandonment if the parent has no contact with the child after six months.”

“She wasn’t in the right frame of mind, and we’ll prove it.”

“Kayla is our child,” Mrs. Anderson spoke. “We love her, take care of her, rock her to sleep every night, care for her when she’s sick. We’re her parents!”

I reached over and placed my hand on Mrs. Anderson’s arm.

“But you are not Kayla’s birth parents,” Mr. Finch said. “Make no mistake. That child belongs with her birth mother. We all make mistakes, and my client knows what she did was wrong and is doing everything she can to rectify it. She misses her baby and is fully prepared to take care of her. We’ll see you in court,” he stood and gathered his files. “My office will go to any means necessary to ensure my client gets custody of her child.”

“Are you threatening us?” I asked.

“Not at all. I’m fully aware of the reputation of your firm, Mr. Hamilton. You’re not the only one who plays dirty. So, be prepared.”

“Trust me, Mr. Finch. We’re fully prepared. We have a Morgan.”

“And what the hell is that supposed to mean?” His brows furrowed.

“You’ll see in due time.” The corners of my mouth curved upward. “Have a good day, Mr. Finch.”

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