Page 44 of Home Body
Neither young woman doubted that, seeing that the clerk looked like she could have witnessed the original settling of Amberton in person in the 1800s.
Deflated, Dalia scooped up her fake birth certification. “Thanks.” Her tone made it clear she meant, “Thanks for nothing.”
They left and crossed the street to a pretty square that sat in the middle of the small town. Tall maple trees and blooming lilac bushes made it a welcome reprieve. A bench in the white gazebo gave them a place to sit and plan their next move.
“The smell of lilac is heaven, isn’t it.” Kenyon took in a deep breath.
Dalia sighed. “Yes, I have to admit this town is lovely. But instead of answering any questions, this place has only given me more questions.”
An old gentleman, stately in a button-down shirt with a bow tie and walking with a cane, came toward them on the flagstone path. They watched as he made his way to the gazebo, stopped, and placed his cane in front of him with both hands on the brass knob.
“Hello, ladies. Let me introduce myself. I am Saul Stanislaus Steinburg and I have lived in Amberton my entire life. And I do believe you were just lied to in the courthouse.”
Dalia popped up. “Come, sit with us, please.”
Kenyon skootched over and the man made his way up the steps and sat down in the middle of the bench. Dalia sat backdown at his side. He settled his cane in front of him and again kept both hands on its topknot.
“You see, although your birth certificate is indeed fake, many of us old-timers remember Dr. Clive Upton all too well. That old bag in there…” he tipped his head toward the courthouse “…remembers him, too. But she won’t admit it because she and others want to squelch the rumors that give this town such a bad name. Upton was quite infamous in his day and many suspected illicit dealings. But no one could ever prove that, and he was never charged with a crime.”
“What was his suspected crime?” Dalia asked.
Mr. Steinburg inhaled, looked Dalia in the eyes, and said, “Selling babies.”
“Wait. Selling babies women didn’t want?” Kenyon was aghast.
“Selling babies women didn’t want and babies whose mothers were told they’d died. I’m sorry to have to share this piece of what many consider to be gossip with you, but I think you have a right to know. There were far too many ‘stillbirths’ at his private little hospital to make sense. The hospital is torn down now, so there’s nothing to try to find there. No records or anything. But too many young women went away heartbroken because they thought their child had been born dead. Somehow in the midst of all that Clive became a very wealthy man.”
“Is he still alive?” Dalia asked breathlessly, hope welling up within her.
“No. Good riddance, I say. He died fifteen years ago. But his nurse is still here. Nellie Franklin. She lives down on Borden Road.” He pointed with his cane. “You can’t miss it. It’s the only one that still has a fieldstone foundation and carriage house like in early times. But I warn you, she’s a cantankerous old crone. We seldom see her in town. She might even be dangerous.”
“I’m going out there anyway.” Dalia offered a hand and he shook it. “Thank you so much.”
He turned to Kenyon and shook her hand, too.
“If I may ask,” Kenyon said, “why are you telling us all this?”
The stoic man sighed. “Because my niece used him for her delivery in 1975.”
“Oh how sad,” Dalia said.
“They knocked her out right as the baby was crowning. When she came to, she was told her daughter had been stillborn. She never believed it. She’d felt that baby inside her, healthy and kicking and feisty, ready to come into the world. She begged to see it. The nurse, that damned Nellie Franklin, refused to show her the body, saying it had to be ‘disposed of’ right away for the sake of sanitation. Hell, I bet a dime to a dollar there was no body. That baby was alive and well and garnered top dollar for those thieving kidnappers.
“That whole debacle almost killed my niece. She mourned that child for the rest of her life, even though she had a son, too. I feel certain I have a grandniece out there somewhere. Somebody needs to dig into that horrendous maleficence and provide justice for all those tormented mothers and innocent babies who were stolen away.”
Dalia felt a stab to her heart. Was he talking about her? Yes. She knew it. She was one of those babies. She could feel it as surely as she could see the sorrow in the old man’s wrinkled face.
He continued. “God knows we tried in our day. We talked to law enforcement, lawyers, judges, preachers, other doctors, the mayor and town council, all to no avail. Upton had bought off too many people is what I think. Finally, perhaps somebody will pay.”
Both women had turned in their seats to face him, mesmerized by this unbelievable tale of horror. Dalia said, “Mr. Steinburg, I feel certain I’m one of those babies.”
“It seems you might be. That’s why further investigation is necessary. We’ve been waiting for you or someone like you for years. Someone who is living proof of our age-old suspicion. But you must prove it.”
“I promise we’ll do all we can.”
“Excellent. Now, ladies, you may feel free to take your leave. I’ve told you all that I know. You don’t have to stay here to keep an old man company. Besides, everyone in town knows that at this time each day, this is my bench.”
After effusive professions of gratitude, the women started to walk away. It was Dalia who turned back. “Mr. Steinburg, how did you know they lied to us at the courthouse?”
