Chapter 15
"Francine, I'm not so sure I'm comfortable with this," Amanda groaned. They were sitting in the car outside of the first adoption agency.
"Amanda, we've gone over this. All I need you to do is pretend you're going over all your options before you make any kind of decision," Francine reminded her.
"But Francine, I thought you said we were going to the agencies to talk to them to see if they met with the victims," Amanda stated.
Francine gave her a condescending smile, "Amanda, we are going to talk to them. But I have a feeling they aren't going to easily give us information if they know we're federal agents. So, if they think you're a potential client, maybe referred to by a friend or a coworker, then who knows what kind of information they'll be willing to give us."
Amanda glared at Francine, "That's lying. You know I hate lying."
"And you work for the federal government, so it's part of your job, Amanda," Francine smirked.
Amanda looked down at her rounded belly and sighed, "I guess but I still don't have to like it."
Francine held her hand out as she stated, "Rings. You don't want to stir up any questions about why you're wearing wedding rings and you're looking at options for giving up your baby, do you?"
Amanda fisted her hand tightly. "No, I guess not," she groaned. She wiggled her rings off her finger and squeezed her hand tightly closed again. She rubbed her hands together, massaged her ring finger to hopefully smooth out the depression left behind. "I guess I'll just have to keep my hands in my lap or something," she stated.
As Francine watched Amanda remove her rings she suggested, "Will your new ring fit on your left hand? That might draw less attention if you keep fiddling with your hands like that."
"Good idea, Francine. I think it might be a tiny bit bigger but that should do the trick," Amanda agreed as she switched the amethyst and sapphire ring Lee gave her in February to her left hand. She flexed her fingers once more and nodded, "That should work."
Francine gave her a smile, "Good. So, give me your pitch one more time before we head in."
"My name is Amanda Keane. My baby is due next month. I am not in a position financially to support this child, so I want to find a family that can give him or her everything I can't," Amanda repeated the schpeel she and Francine came up with on their drive to the adoption agency.
"Right. And who am I?" Francine prompted.
Amanda rolled her eyes, "You are my best friend who only wants to help me because I'm all by myself. The baby was conceived …. Oh, Francine, do I have to say it?"
Francine shook her head, "Yes, Amanda, finish everything we talked about."
"The baby was conceived during a one-night stand after a bachelorette party where I had too much to drink and I have no idea who the father is. There, are you happy?" Amanda nodded sharply.
"See, it's not that hard," Francine encouraged her. "Now, let's head inside."
Together, they entered the building where Amanda played her part perfectly. The admitting receptionist asked them to have a seat while she called out to one of the counselors on staff. Twenty minutes later, Amanda and Francine were in her office, sitting across from Gretchen Delucia. "Ms. Keane, our receptionist explained you have a rather sad situation on your hands. Would you like to give me a little more detail?"
Amanda covered her belly with her hands and sighed, "I just want what's best for this little one and well, I'm not in the best position right now to do that. I've thought long and hard about this, and I know that another family will love this baby just as much as I do, only they can give him or her what I can't." Amanda looked up at Ms. Delucia as tears silently slid down her cheeks.
"Well, I can assure you, Ms. Keane, that we will do our best to help find you the perfect family for your baby," she stated compassionately. She turned to Francine and asked, "And who may you be?"
"I'm just a good friend looking out for what's best for everyone," Francine stated with a smile.
Ms. Delucia turned back to Amanda and asked, "Have you had any medical care?"
Amanda made eye contact with Francine and quickly stated, "Just from a local clinic back in Illinois. I moved here a few weeks ago. I don't even remember the name of the place to be honest."
Ms. Delucia nodded as she jotted down a few notes, "That's okay. We have a wonderful doctor on staff here that can give you an examination. We do require all of our mothers to be to have one to ensure the health of both the mother and the baby."
Amanda's eyes widened nervously. "I'm not … I can't…" she stuttered, trying to find the right lie.
"We don't charge any of our mothers a fee for the exam if that's what you're worried about," Ms. Delucia assured her.
Seeing Amanda's clear discomfort, Francine added, "I think Amanda's also trying to state she doesn't have time today to do that. She just started working at the company I work at and they are sticklers on clocking in on time. As a matter of fact, we do need to get going soon but maybe you could give us more information?"
Ms. Delucia nodded again, "I understand. And it's a lot to take in. I do have a few more pamphlets on our agency, including one with staff information if you'd like. You can read them on your own time and then call to schedule an appointment if we look like a place you're interested in working with. We've helped place thousands of infants over the last twenty years." She reached into her desk and pulled out several colorfully printed pages which she placed in front of Amanda.
"Oh, thank you. That would be lovely. It's such a big decision and I want to make sure that it's going to be the right one, you know. I'll look over all of these and get back to you soon," Amanda rambled as she scrambled to her feet. She reached across the table and shook Ms. Delucia's hand. "Thank you again."
"Ms. Keane, if you're not from this area, how did you hear about us?" Ms. Delucia asked.
Amanda glanced at Francine one last time as she stated, "Well, my cousin's daughter mentioned she was going to use you for her baby's adoption and said you were the best."
"Oh really? What was her name? Maybe I'll remember her," Ms. Delucia added.
"Jenny… Jenny Pantadano…" Amanda watched Ms. Delucia's face as she said the name.
The color drained from Ms. Delucia. "She was one of those victims. That poor girl. I'm so sorry," she whispered.
Amanda pressed her lips together in a thin line, "Thank you. I just know she had nothing but good things to say about your agency. I'll be in touch." She turned to Francine to leave.
Francine gathered up the pamphlets Ms. Delucia had placed on the edge of the desk. "I think we can find our way out," she stated before she tugged on Amanda's arm. "Come on, Amanda, we need to get you to work on time or our boss will be very upset with you."
Amanda followed Francine outside to the car before she spoke. "I don't think that woman has anything to do with the murders. Did you see the look on her face when I mentioned Jenny's name?" she stated intuitively.
Francine agreed, "She went whiter than Lee when he hasn't been on vacation for a while." She looked at Amanda and burst into laughter. "Sorry…I just realized how that sounded."
Amanda smirked before she stated, "It's okay, Francine. You're right. It has been a while since Lee's had a week of sitting on a sunny beach in the Riviera or in Mexico. And maybe we could all benefit from some time away but right now we have a case to solve. So, let's see what the next place has to say."