“He left the juvenile court system and decided it was better to be in the adult system for a while before he retired. He just didn’t have the heart to sit in juvenile court for even one more case. Sending his granddaughter off to that awful facility for ten long months broke his heart—and completely destroyed their relationship.”
Tears sting my eyes before spilling over on my cheeks. His heartbreak is still as alive today as it was the day he sentenced her. The judge and his granddaughter. George and Margot. “Marcia was her lawyer, wasn’t she?”
“That’s right, she was,” Louise replies. “Marcia did everything she could possibly do to try to help Margot. Even when she had Margot’s parental rights taken away, had her declared mentally incompetent, and then had her incarcerated in a psychiatric hospital, at our request, it was all to save Margot from herself.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Layne
My visit with George and Louise lasted much longer than I thought it would when I left home this morning. Louise shed a lot more light on what happened in the first few months of River’s life, when Margot kept her away from Ace. I heard the pain in Ace’s voice this morning as he described not knowing if his baby was being cared for, or even where she was.
He’ll be comforted to know that Louise recognized the symptoms of Margot’s rapid cycling bipolar disorder and took River away from her. Margot would stay at George and Louise’s house with River when she was thinking clearly, though their relationship was still strained. Then she’d leave when the urge to party with her friends became stronger than her desire to be with her daughter.
Margot became increasingly reckless with her own health, using drugs and alcohol as her buffer to the world. After being missing for a week, she showed back up strung out on meth and talking out of her head. A heated argument ensued between Margot, George, and Louise when Margot tried to take River with her. In Margot’s ramblings, Louise deciphered that Margot planned to trade River for more drugs. Louise immediately called the police while George barricaded the exits. A social worker from the Division of Family and Children Services was summoned to their home and the process to take Margot’s parental rights away was initiated.
That’s the case Marcia was working on the summer I came to Georgia with her as an intern. We stayed in another town because of Marcia’s familial involvement in the case. She was worried about my safety should the ruling not turn out to be in her favor. I think about how close I was to meeting Ace at that time, but it was best that I didn’t. I wasn’t ready to give Bobby up, and Ace was going through the most tumultuous time of his life then.
When I turn into the driveway, I know my plan to beat Marcia here so I can share everything I’ve learned with Ace is dashed. Her rental car is already in the driveway, parked behind Ace’s truck. With a deep, calming breath, I walk inside and immediately assess the situation. Body postures, facial expressions, and eye contact are all crucial to reading what’s not being expressed verbally.
“Laynie!” River calls and runs to me with her arms stretched up.
“Hi, baby girl,” I greet her and swing her up to my hip.
“Look who’s here! She’s my grandma,” River says excitedly and points at Marcia. Only, in her sweet, four-year-old voice, “grandma” sounds like “gam ma.”
Marcia rises and crosses the room until she’s standing in front of me. “Hello, Layne,” she says softly. “I’ve missed you.”
“Hi, Marcia. I’ve missed you, too.” While still holding River, I pull Marcia into a hug. My eyes lock with Ace’s over Marcia’s shoulder, and I recognize the look of relief and contentment in them. When we separate, I look between Ace and Marcia and say, “Sorry I’m late to the discussion. Where are we in the timeline of information sharing?”
Marcia and Ace both laugh nervously. “I’m not sure we talked about anything in a chronological order that would make sense to you. Where have you been?” Ace replies.
“I’ve been at George and Louise Edwards’s house since I left home this morning,” I admit.
Marcia’s gaping mouth and wide eyes reveal her shock. “Did they tell you?”
“They told me everything, Marcia.”
I put River down and kneel down to talk to her. “River, I need to talk to your daddy and your grandma. I need you to go play in your room for a little while. Okay?”
“Okay,” she agrees begrudgingly. “Can you talk fast?”
“I’ll try,” I chuckle. “I’ll come get you when we’re done.” With that, she walks to her room, stopping every few feet to look over her shoulder, just in case one of us changes our mind.