After Anna(21)

‘If she returned my effing calls, I’d tell her!’

‘She wants to hear it from me, in court. That’s why she’s here.’ Noah knew it was true. ‘Put me up or you’re fired.’

‘Noah, really?’

‘It’s the least I can do for her.’





Chapter Fourteen


Maggie, Before

Maggie knocked on the front door, buoyed by her meeting with Ellen. She was one step closer to taking Anna home with her, with the last hurdle to go. James R. Huntley, Esquire, read a brass plaque affixed to a distinctive clapboard house, painted a darkly dramatic eggplant color, its shutters and front door enameled black. Amber lights glowed from within, through more beautiful colonial windows, each bubble in the glass attesting to its authenticity. Congreve was Puritan Heaven.

The front door opened, and a portly silhouette stood in the threshold, extending a hand. ‘You must be Maggie, Anna’s mom. Come in.’

‘Thank you, Mr Huntley.’

‘Please, call me James.’ James guided Maggie inside, shutting the door behind her. ‘I see the resemblance.’

‘Thanks.’ Maggie smiled.

‘Let me take your coat, please.’ James reached for Maggie’s coat and hung it on a brass coatrack in the entrance hall, which had wafer-thin Oriental rugs, mahogany Chippendale chairs against the walls, and Currier & Ives prints above the wainscoting, their pastel hues colorized in an old-timey way.

‘Can I get you coffee or tea? I’m addicted to green tea these days.’

‘No, thanks, I just had coffee.’ Maggie had stopped in town at a drive-through Starbucks.

‘Follow me.’ James lumbered ahead of her into his office, his oxford shirt creased in back, which he had on with baggy suitpants and a rep tie. He waved a meaty hand at a Windsor chair across from his cluttered desk, and they both sat down. Another lovely Oriental rug covered the floor, and more Currier & Ives prints lined the eggshell walls next to glass-covered bookshelves containing the Internal Revenue Code, copies of Trusts & Estates magazine, and the Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning. The lighting was soft and elegant, shed by lamps with crystal bases.

‘Thanks for seeing me on such short notice,’ Maggie said, setting her purse down.

‘Not a problem. Anna told me she would be contacting you.’ James frowned, tenting his fingers on the desk. ‘Of course, I was troubled by what she’d been told about abuse by you. However, I read the custody order and supporting documents you emailed me, and they contained no reference to physical abuse or neglect. I see the sole reason for your losing custody was your postpartum disorder. They allayed my fear about physical abuse.’

‘Yes,’ Maggie said, relieved. ‘I never abused her, I swear.’

James frowned. ‘My condolences on the passing of her father, Florian. I never met him, by the way. He hired my partner, who has since retired. When I went solo, Florian retained me to stay with Anna’s matter.’

‘How often did you see her? I don’t really know how this works or what you do vis-à-vis Anna.’

‘Allow me to explain. Anna’s father created a trust for her benefit, and I am in charge of the trust.’ James opened his hands. ‘Trusts and estates law can be technical, and I’m not one of those lawyers who likes to keep the mystery. So I’ll break this down for you.’

‘Great.’ Maggie settled back, happy to listen.

‘I meet with Anna generally once a year, and I’m a trustee. I am responsible for managing the trust assets, keeping accounts and other necessary records, filing income tax returns, and following the terms that Florian established in making distributions to Anna. I have discretion to use the trust assets for Anna’s health, education, and support.’

‘So you pay her bills?’

‘Yes. I’ll contact Congreve Academy to inform them that she will not be finishing this semester. I’ll ask for a refund of the second semester tuition, but I may have to settle for prorating it. The tuition for boarders is $65,000.’

‘Wow.’

‘You get what you pay for. I’m not cheap, either.’ James smiled. His teeth were perfect, if tea-stained. ‘By the way, the trust pays my fees, too. But your issue isn’t about the trust, it’s about custody. I reviewed the documents that you emailed me, and your parental rights to her have not been terminated. In other words, your postpartum disorder rendered you unfit for custodial purposes at that point in time, but did not terminate your legal rights as her mother.’

‘I thought so,’ Maggie said, encouraged.

‘The law in Maine, and undoubtedly jurisdictions including Pennsylvania, is that with the death of Anna’s father, her legal and physical custody go to you. Nevertheless, I think you should go to family court in Pennsylvania and ask them to award you custody.’

‘Do I have to do that before I take her?’

‘No. It’s just a formality. You have the absolute right to make legal decisions about her future. Anna is not legally emancipated, so until she’s eighteen years old, she’s under your legal authority. You have the authority to take her, and I think that is reasonable and certainly desirable in the circumstances.’

‘Great!’ Maggie felt like cheering, but didn’t.