The Advocate's Quandary: Legal Suspense Murder Mystery by Teresa Burrell

Author:Teresa Burrell [Burrell, Teresa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Silent Thunder Publishing
Published: 2024-11-21T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 29

Friday morning

The courtroom bristled with the low murmur of attorneys shuffling papers. Sabre sat at the counsel table, with Bob next to her.

As the wall clock ticked away seconds, County Counsel leaned toward Marta Padmore, Bonnie’s social worker, and whispered, "You understand that these are not mere suggestions. The court's orders are explicit, and we must comply."

When Judge Hekman took the bench, she didn’t look happy. The case was announced. "Ms. Brown, you set this case for a special hearing, correct?”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

“You may proceed.”

She stood and stepped forward. "Your Honor," Sabre said, "the importance of sibling bonds cannot be overstated, especially in the tumultuous lives of children in foster care. These siblings have been torn from the home they knew. Being able to visit each other is not just a comfort—it is a lifeline that provides emotional stability during a time when everything else is uncertain."

“Spare me the rhetoric, Ms. Brown. I know full well the importance of sibling visitation.” The judge turned to face Kohn and her client, the Department’s social worker.

Marta Padmore, her tall, slender frame accentuated by angular features, rose from her seat. She was middle-aged with dark straight hair and a silk buttoned-up blouse. "Your Honor," she began, "while we understand the concerns, the foster parents have expressed serious reservations about the visitation."

Sabre tightened the grip on her pen.

"Bonnie has stability in her new environment," Marta continued. "But she’s a very fragile child. Introducing variables, such as sibling visitations that she’s not equipped to handle, could be disruptive.”

Sabre straightened her spine. "Your Honor, I would like to point out that these children are on a track for reunification, and the Department should be providing them with reunification services, one of which is sibling visitation. I must emphasize that the negligence lies with the foster parents who have repeatedly ignored court orders." She held up a stack of documents, each page a testament to missed connections and broken promises. "In addition, the social worker claims Bonnie is fragile, yet she’s failed to provide Bonnie with the court-ordered therapy she desperately needs."

The judge shifted her focus between them, a fulcrum upon which the fate of the case teetered.

"Separating siblings can cause profound trauma," Sabre pressed on. "We risk inflicting more damage by denying Bonnie the comfort of her siblings’ presence."

“Why hasn’t there been a visit?” The judge scowled. “I specifically ordered it last week.”

When the social worker didn’t answer, Sabre spoke up and summarized Wendy Thornfield’s failures to participate or call and explain.

The social worker tried to defend her. “The first visit, Bonnie had to be taken to the doctor, and for the second, they got stuck in traffic,” Padmore said. “It’s not like they were deliberately avoiding the visits.”

“I see.” Judge Hekman looked over her glasses. “And why didn’t Ms. Thornfield call and let anyone know?”

“I can’t answer that, Your Honor. I don’t know.”

“Please find out. I also want to see an invoice and a report from the doctor explaining the child’s symptoms and the services that were provided.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.