Lori got up, trying to smile, and took her leave with the comment that she had to hurry to work and write her story about the break-in and fire. It was to Kelly’s credit that she didn’t ask Lori to downplay the event, but then surely Kelly knew that Lori would be fair.
As she was leaving the building, Lori noticed that the competition had arrived in the form of a television van and reporters from two other local papers. One of them, Alton Kessler, had penned some of the most lurid accounts of the agency’s past troubles.
Also on the scene was Florence Villi. The plump, saturnine cleaning lady at Tiny Blessings brushed past Lori on her way inside, her mousy brown hair caught up at the back of her head in a short, thin ponytail. No doubt she had been called in to help with the cleanup. She’d have a big job ahead of her, even with the fire contained to a single room.
Glancing back at the eighteenth-century stone front of the graceful old former bank building, Lori thought of all the photos that lined the walls of the adoption agency. What a tragedy it would be if Tiny Blessings lost pieces of its heritage to this dastardly act. Tragedy, it seemed, hung like a pall over everything lately.
Suddenly the words of the 44th Psalm came to mind.
For our soul has sunk down into the dust;
Our body cleaves to the earth.
Rise up, be our help, and redeem us for the sake of
Thy loving kindness.
Hurrying toward her car, Lori prayed that the attorney Kelly had recommended would be her salvation. She called from her cell phone for an appointment even before she pulled away from the curb.
Ramon laid aside the newspaper and looked up at the television mounted high in the corner behind the counter in the Starlight Diner. He reached for the coffee cup that the waitress had just refilled. The news this morning was all about the break-in and fire at the Tiny Blessings Adoption Agency.
“Pity, isn’t it?”
Turning his head, he encountered none other than Lori Sumner herself. Considering that he’d just finished her account of the crime, he might have conjured her out of thin air. Her simple black slacks and matching turtleneck should have lent her a masculine air. Instead they seemed to heighten her femininity. With her sleek, golden-brown hair caught at the nape of her neck, her light green eyes took on breathtaking brilliance. Clearing his throat, he hastily set aside his cup and got to his feet.
“It certainly is.”
“I hope Pilar isn’t too upset by it all.”
“So do I. It’s the last thing she needs right now.”
His sister’s pregnancy was beginning to take a toll on her energy. She wouldn’t complain, of course, having feared that she might never conceive, which was one reason she and her husband, Zach, had decided to adopt right after they’d married. Now, with two preschoolers and a baby on the way, Pilar had her hands full. But her dedication to her work at the adoption agency would never waver, hence Ramon’s concern.
Lori glanced at the newspaper he had just laid aside. “I see you’ve read my piece.”
Smiling to himself, he smoothed his tie with one hand. He had to hand it to her. Of all the accounts of the break-in and fire that he had heard or read, hers was the most incisive.
“You write a fair, detailed, unbiased story. Especially compared to the character assassination that jerk Kessler at the other paper makes his speciality.”
Kessler’s reporting relied heavily on innuendo and speculation, much of it seemingly designed to trash Kelly Van Zandt. Ramon couldn’t help wondering what the man had against the director of the adoption agency. Lori seemed to concur with Ramon’s assessment of Kessler’s reportage.
“Faint praise, indeed.”
“It wasn’t meant to be.”
“In that case, thanks.”
Ramon inclined his head. “You’re welcome.” Reaching down he pulled out a chair. The act was completely unplanned and took even him by surprise. Nevertheless, he issued the invitation formally. “Care to take a seat?”
She shook her head. “No time. I’m just picking up a cup of coffee on my way to work.”
“Ah.” Unaccountably disappointed, he wondered what had gotten into him. “Have a good day then.”
“You, too.”
With that she walked away. He folded himself down into his chair, his gaze falling on the newspaper again. Lori obviously enjoyed her work, judging by its quality, and had the determination to ferret out a good story. But then he already knew that she had her share of spunk. Few people would have pled their own case to the opposition the way that she had. Apparently she’d had lots of practice standing up for herself. How else could she have survived all that she’d endured in her lifetime?
Ramon shuffled aside the newspapers and picked up the file that he’d received by special delivery only that morning. He’d hired a private investigator to check out Lori even before he’d met her, and the resulting report was surprisingly thick. Lori Sumner was an open book; being a ward of the state until age eighteen had guaranteed it. The report gave Ramon plenty of ammunition to use against her in court and also made him loath to do it.
A movement at his side had Ramon looking up again. His brother-in-law, Zach Fletcher, grinned as he dropped down into the chair that Ramon had pulled out for Lori.
“How you doing?”
Ramon chuckled. He’d been determined to dislike Zachary Fletcher, but it just wasn’t possible. For one thing, he’d made Ramon’s sister, Pilar, ridiculously happy, and he was turning out to be a very fine father to the children they were in the process of adopting, Adrianna and Eduardo. For another, Zach was exactly what a good cop should be, a first-rate detective who went after the truth.
“Fine. You?”
“Never better.” After signaling the waitress for coffee, Zach smoothed his wavy brown hair and folded his arms against the tabletop. “So what’s up with you these days?”
Ramon folded his napkin just so across his thigh. “I’m sure Pilar’s told you about the custody case.”
Zach made a face. “Yeah. She feels pretty bad about it since she’s the one who recommended Lori as an adoptive parent.”
“I guess that should’ve been my first clue.” Ramon sighed.
“Meaning?”
“When I first took on this case I expected to be dealing with a spoiled rich girl, a do-gooder with little real-world experience and no appreciation for Latino culture. Instead, I find that Lori Sumner is not only open-minded but a survivor of some of life’s most devastating blows.”
Zach nodded. “Pilar’s told me some of her story. Guess her father was never a part of her life, then her mother died when she was young.” He shook his head. “You’d think she’d have been adopted, but instead she grew up in foster care.”
Lori had languished in foster care
