Bye Baby Bye by Marshall Kelly

Author:Marshall, Kelly
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kelly Marshall Books
Published: 2023-11-22T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

The hard part of my plan now was waiting. Waiting for Father Lee to contact Father Dominguez by encrypted email. Waiting for Father Dominguez to “accidently” see something in Tenancingo that might be of help to our cause. When and if Jose were ever free, I know he would insist on Catholic rites for Anna. Perhaps before. If Jose wanted Anna baptized, we would have to wait for him to approach Father Dominguez.

I felt sneaky, but the news of my plan had to stay between very few people. I couldn’t even tell the governor. He had done so much for us including going out on a political limb with his contentious meeting with Attorney General Forrester. Now the FBI was apparently following the AG’s directives and downgrading the level of participation in Anna’s case. Mean-spirited, heartless, cruel. I wanted to get even, but how do you get even with the Department of Justice and the FBI? Their retribution could be life-altering and lasting.

I went home and detailed my conversation with Father Lee to Dad. He exclaimed, “Just brilliant, Maddie.” He grinned from ear-to-ear at first, then his face clouded: eyebrows wrinkled, jaw tightened, lips drawn in a tight line. “But once we have confirmation that Anna is in Mexico, what do you propose we do?”

“I haven’t decided yet. Suggestions?”

“The question is how do we prove she’s there without compromising Father Dominguez? Even if we go to the consulates requesting Anna be returned to you, we must have proof she’s in Mexico. And we’ve antagonized two of the agencies that might be of help to us." Dad clucked his tongue. "I wonder how good Dixon is at eating crow.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m thinking Dixon might attempt to patch things up with DOJ and the especially the FBI. We’re going to need their help.”

“And if he won’t play pattycake with them?”

Dad eyeballed me and pursed his lips. “It makes everything harder.”

“I’m going to ask to meet Dixon for dinner. It promises to be a tricky conversation. How to explain to him without mentioning Father Lee and Father Dominguez. That’s critical. Loose lips…well you know the rest.”

“Get on the horn.”

I rang Dixon’s private cell number. It went straight to voicemail, but I left an urgent callback request.

I didn’t know quite what to do with myself while I waited for the governor’s call. My heart was full of hope. I was excited for news, but it may be a while before we heard anything. If at all. That was the reality. I got manically busy: cleaned my room, then forced myself to enter Anna’s room and cleaned it top to bottom. I tried not to think as I picked up each knick-knack and wiped the dust from the porcelain artifact. Cleaning her crib proved to be pure torture—like a knife in the heart. It was hard not to think how confused Anna must have been when a total stranger plucked her from her bed. Did she cry? I didn’t hear her if she did.

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