Page 112 of Facing the Enemy

“God knows what is best, Sara. Let’s pray for His will.”

Through moistened eyes, the girl nodded, and I prayed for her. At theamen, she thanked me. “The people who want my baby are so nice, and I wonder if I’m being selfish. I mean they told me we could have an open arrangement.”

“How do you feel about an open adoption?”

“Ms. Wright said the situation could be very emotional, and I agree. Once I gave up my baby, seeing him or her would be horrible. I couldn’t bear hearing my baby call another womanMommy.”

“When are you due?”

“Three weeks. If I’m going to sign papers, I need to do so soon. Ms. Wright said a midwife could deliver here, and the couple would want to pick up their child right after the birth. They’d even pay the midwife and give me five thousand dollars to help until I got on my feet.”

I smelled fraud, but I needed more information. “Is this an opportunity for other birth mothers here?”

“I don’t know. Ms. Wright asked me to keep our conversations private. Some of the others might view my decision to give up my baby as wrong, and there was no point in upsetting any of them.”

“Where do the potential parents live?”

“I assume here in the Houston area.”

How many others had experienced Sara’s situation and been duped? “I will pray for the right decision. Why a midwife?”

“Ms. Wright suggested it when we talked about giving up my baby. She said hospitals have lots of paperwork for the birth mother and adoptive parents to complete, and as long as I was healthy, this made the most sense.”

“Understandable. Would you feel safer in a hospital environment?”

“If the baby or my health became a problem, a vehicle would escort me to the hospital. It’s free.”

Clyde Washington had transported a few women to the clinic for appointments, and they didn’t return to the van. Had any of them been drawn into a scam? Dare I show her a few pics on my phone?

“Sara, friends of mine got mixed up in an illegal adoption scam.”

“How awful.”

“She and her husband gave an attorney thousands of dollars to arrange for a private adoption. Then he disappeared, taking their money, and the so-called pregnant woman faked her baby bump.”

Sara shuddered. “Ms. Wright told us about a Vietnamese woman who had her baby stolen. Scared us all.”

“What would we do without Ms. Wright? My guess is she’d strangle anyone who tried to hurt her birth mothers. Anyway, the family is a friend of mine, and they gave me photos of a few people who might be involved. Do you have time to see if they’ve been lurking at the clinic?”

“Sure.”

I pulled up Emily Lock. Nothing.

Norman Peilman. Nothing.

Peter Florakis. Nothing.

Harvey Sinclair.

Sara studied his pic. “I think I’ve seen him at the clinic. Not a doctor or anything, just in the waiting room while his wife had an appointment.”

“Did you talk to him?”

“Briefly. He said I reminded him of his niece. He wanted to snap my picture to show her, but I refused.”

“Smart move,” I said. We were getting closer.

The door opened and Ms. Wright stepped in. “I hate to interrupt, but, Risa, there’s a call for you in my office.”