{"id":24242,"date":"2026-09-28T18:41:54","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T18:41:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=24242"},"modified":"2026-09-28T18:41:54","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T18:41:54","slug":"part-27-carols-sealed-affidavit-proved-she-had-tried-to-stop-st-agnes-years-earlier-making-her-later-choice-about-rebecca-even-harder-to-explain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=24242","title":{"rendered":"PART 27 \u2013 Carol\u2019s Sealed Affidavit Proved She Had Tried to Stop St. Agnes Years Earlier, Making Her Later Choice About Rebecca Even Harder to Explain"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The courthouse archive occupied the basement of a stone building built before anyone considered fluorescent lighting a human rights issue.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca said that.<\/p>\n<p>The clerk did not laugh.<\/p>\n<p>We arrived the next morning with Maya.<\/p>\n<p>Emily remained at my house with Anna and Grace.<\/p>\n<p>She had listened to Carol\u2019s recording.<\/p>\n<p>She did not want to talk about it yet.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca respected that.<\/p>\n<p>Maya had called ahead.<\/p>\n<p>The file was sealed, but because Carol was deceased and Rebecca had potential standing related to connected records, Maya believed we could at least confirm its existence and petition for access.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, the clerk surprised us.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe seal expired.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maya frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTen years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy is it still marked restricted?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDatabase issue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca whispered:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The clerk returned with a thin paper file.<\/p>\n<p>Not digital.<\/p>\n<p>Not copied.<\/p>\n<p>Original docket folder.<\/p>\n<p>1980.<\/p>\n<p>In Re: Confidential Placement Records.<\/p>\n<p>Petitioner listed only as C.H.<\/p>\n<p>Carol Henderson.<\/p>\n<p>Age twenty-two.<\/p>\n<p>Before she met me.<\/p>\n<p>Before Emily vanished completely from her life.<\/p>\n<p>Before Rebecca.<\/p>\n<p>Maya opened the file slowly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon&#39;t touch pages unless I ask.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca looked offended.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know how paper works.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour family has hidden evidence in gardens.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFair.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The first document was Carol\u2019s sworn affidavit.<\/p>\n<p>Maya read silently first.<\/p>\n<p>Then looked up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis matters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She slid a photocopy sheet toward us but kept the original flat.<\/p>\n<p>Carol described her own adoption experience with Emily.<\/p>\n<p>She stated that when she agreed to placement, representatives from St. Agnes promised continued updates and the possibility of contact.<\/p>\n<p>Those promises stopped.<\/p>\n<p>She later learned similar promises had been made to other young women.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOther women?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carol named Theresa Nolan.<\/p>\n<p>That was the connection.<\/p>\n<p>Theresa had apparently met Carol through the church.<\/p>\n<p>Both realized their paperwork differed from what they remembered agreeing to.<\/p>\n<p>Carol contacted an attorney.<\/p>\n<p>Not Ruth.<\/p>\n<p>Not Father Harlan.<\/p>\n<p>An independent lawyer.<\/p>\n<p>She filed a request to inspect placement procedures.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d Rebecca asked.<\/p>\n<p>Maya turned the page.<\/p>\n<p>St. Agnes opposed.<\/p>\n<p>Confidentiality.<\/p>\n<p>Privacy.<\/p>\n<p>Protection of adoptive families.<\/p>\n<p>All familiar arguments.<\/p>\n<p>Then an affidavit from Father Harlan.<\/p>\n<p>He denied wrongdoing.<\/p>\n<p>He described Carol as emotionally unstable after relinquishment.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe lied.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maya kept reading.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cApparently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carol\u2019s own attorney submitted evidence that she had sought contact calmly for years.<\/p>\n<p>Then came Ruth.<\/p>\n<p>A statement.<\/p>\n<p>Not as family liaison.<\/p>\n<p>As a character witness.<\/p>\n<p>For Carol.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca blinked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrandma defended Mom?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At first, yes.<\/p>\n<p>Ruth wrote that Carol was responsible, intelligent, and credible.<\/p>\n<p>That surprised all of us.<\/p>\n<p>Then Maya turned the page.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWait.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A supplemental statement from Ruth two weeks later.<\/p>\n<p>Completely different.<\/p>\n<p>Carol had become obsessive.<\/p>\n<p>Confused.<\/p>\n<p>Unreliable.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened in two weeks?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maya pointed to another filing.<\/p>\n<p>The case was withdrawn.<\/p>\n<p>By Carol.<\/p>\n<p>Voluntarily.<\/p>\n<p>No reason listed.<\/p>\n<p>My daughter leaned back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo Grandma flipped, then Mom withdrew.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The file did not say.<\/p>\n<p>But an envelope at the back contained correspondence released after the seal expiration.<\/p>\n<p>One letter.<\/p>\n<p>Carol to her attorney.<\/p>\n<p>I can no longer proceed.<\/p>\n<p>Someone has contacted the Daltons and told them I am attempting to take Emily back.<\/p>\n<p>They intend to relocate.<\/p>\n<p>If I continue, I may lose all possibility of ever finding her.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca closed her eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrandma.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Likely.<\/p>\n<p>Not proven.<\/p>\n<p>Another letter clarified.<\/p>\n<p>Carol wrote:<\/p>\n<p>Mrs. Miller has advised me that further action will cause additional harm to Emily.<\/p>\n<p>There it was.<\/p>\n<p>Ruth had stopped the lawsuit using Emily.<\/p>\n<p>Same leverage she later used in 1984.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe learned it worked,\u201d Rebecca whispered.<\/p>\n<p>Maya looked toward her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrandma learned Mom would abandon anything if she thought it might cost her Emily.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maya nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is plausible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca continued reading.<\/p>\n<p>Carol withdrew the case.<\/p>\n<p>St. Agnes avoided scrutiny.<\/p>\n<p>Theresa\u2019s complaint disappeared inside the same sealed file.<\/p>\n<p>Five years later, when Ruth proposed taking Anna\u2019s child, Carol already knew St. Agnes could distort records.<\/p>\n<p>She knew Harlan could lie under oath.<\/p>\n<p>She knew Ruth could manipulate institutional processes.<\/p>\n<p>And still she participated.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca looked sick.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis makes it worse.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maya did not disagree.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought maybe the affidavit would explain why Mom trusted them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt shows she didn&#39;t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My daughter stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe knew.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe knew exactly what they were capable of.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo when Grandma said Anna\u2019s adoption was fine\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCarol had reasons to doubt that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReasons?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe had evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maya closed the file.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can stop.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo. I\u2019m okay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She wasn&#39;t.<\/p>\n<p>But this was not about physical danger.<\/p>\n<p>She had the right to continue.<\/p>\n<p>Maya opened the next document.<\/p>\n<p>A handwritten note from Carol\u2019s attorney, Daniel Pierce.<\/p>\n<p>Interview with client.<\/p>\n<p>C.H. states Ruth Miller has threatened loss of information regarding Emily Dalton if action proceeds.<\/p>\n<p>R.M. appears unusually knowledgeable regarding confidential placement records.<\/p>\n<p>Recommend reporting St. Agnes irregularities to state authority.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca looked up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maya searched.<\/p>\n<p>A copy of a complaint.<\/p>\n<p>Filed.<\/p>\n<p>Received.<\/p>\n<p>Then closed.<\/p>\n<p>Reason:<\/p>\n<p>Insufficient evidence.<\/p>\n<p>No complainant follow-up.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMom stopped.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Again.<\/p>\n<p>Almost truth.<\/p>\n<p>Almost action.<\/p>\n<p>Then fear.<\/p>\n<p>Maya flipped to the final page.<\/p>\n<p>A handwritten note.<\/p>\n<p>Not Carol\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>Attorney Pierce.<\/p>\n<p>C.H. says one day she will collect enough evidence that no one can dismiss this again.<\/p>\n<p>Grace\u2019s binders suddenly made complete sense.<\/p>\n<p>Carol had spent the next thirty-eight years doing exactly that.<\/p>\n<p>Collecting enough evidence.<\/p>\n<p>Not because she invented the mission after betraying Anna.<\/p>\n<p>Because she had already begun before.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe was investigating before me,\u201d Rebecca whispered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe abandoned the case.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen spent decades rebuilding it privately.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen used the same corrupt system to adopt me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maya&#39;s refusal to make the story easier was almost cruel.<\/p>\n<p>Also necessary.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca sat down again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t understand her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I answered without thinking.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She looked toward me.<\/p>\n<p>I had spent two days resisting that conclusion.<\/p>\n<p>Now it seemed clear.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCarol learned the system was dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe also learned fighting it could cost her Emily.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen Ruth offered her information about Emily in exchange for cooperating with your adoption.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe knew it was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd she chose the one thing she wanted most.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwo things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I swallowed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEmily.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca looked away.<\/p>\n<p>I continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat doesn&#39;t excuse it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut it explains why knowing the system was corrupt didn&#39;t stop her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca stared at Carol\u2019s affidavit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause knowledge wasn&#39;t the missing thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCourage was.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I nodded.<\/p>\n<p>For a long time, none of us spoke.<\/p>\n<p>Then Maya said:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere&#39;s another issue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCarol\u2019s 1980 complaint may help authenticate the later ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca looked up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSame names.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTheresa.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHarlan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRuth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSt. Agnes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maya explained that the old filing proved concerns about record irregularities existed before Rebecca\u2019s case.<\/p>\n<p>Not hindsight.<\/p>\n<p>Not a story invented decades later.<\/p>\n<p>Contemporaneous evidence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat strengthens everyone?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPotentially.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca looked at the file again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTheresa wants one page.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot a lawsuit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo we don&#39;t use her name publicly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCorrect.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut her old complaint could still matter?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith permission.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca picked up her phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCall her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maya nodded.<\/p>\n<p>Theresa answered.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca explained carefully.<\/p>\n<p>No pressure.<\/p>\n<p>No promise.<\/p>\n<p>When she finished, Theresa was silent.<\/p>\n<p>Then:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI forgot Carol filed that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI went with her to the lawyer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca closed her eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy didn&#39;t you continue?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was pregnant again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith my second child.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A child Theresa had apparently raised.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was married by then.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca said nothing.<\/p>\n<p>Theresa continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy husband knew nothing about the first baby.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo you were afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you ever tell him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThirty years later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow did he react?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe made coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca smiled faintly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said, \u2018You should&#39;ve told me.\u2019 Then he made coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes simple kindness feels miraculous because cruelty has been so elaborate.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca explained Maya\u2019s question.<\/p>\n<p>Would Theresa permit anonymous use of her 1980 complaint to support preservation and investigation?<\/p>\n<p>Theresa asked:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWill my son\u2019s name appear?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy current family?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWill anybody contact him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen yes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maya wrote it down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWritten consent will follow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Theresa agreed.<\/p>\n<p>Before hanging up, she asked:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you send the page?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maya smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s going out certified today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was still what mattered most to Theresa.<\/p>\n<p>Her page.<\/p>\n<p>Not the institution.<\/p>\n<p>Not the scandal.<\/p>\n<p>Proof.<\/p>\n<p>After the call, Maya asked the clerk for certified copies of the file.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca stood near the doorway.<\/p>\n<p>I joined her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou okay?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWant to leave?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We waited.<\/p>\n<p>Then she said:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMom tried.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd failed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen became part of the thing she tried to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd then tried again for thirty years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow do you judge someone like that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I thought of Carol\u2019s recording.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s becoming your favorite answer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBetter than pretending.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She nodded.<\/p>\n<p>Maya returned with copies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere&#39;s one more name in the file.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJudge Leonard Vale.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe ordered part of the St. Agnes review sealed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maya pointed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis daughter adopted through St. Agnes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Conflict.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid he disclose it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot in the file.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca\u2019s face changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow many people were protecting themselves?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maya answered:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProbably more than you want to know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That afternoon, we returned home.<\/p>\n<p>Emily sat with Carol\u2019s recorder in her lap.<\/p>\n<p>She looked exhausted.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca stopped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou listened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll of it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThree times.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca waited.<\/p>\n<p>Emily\u2019s mouth trembled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe said my name.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe said it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca moved closer.<\/p>\n<p>Emily started crying.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor forty-eight years, I was afraid she forgot what she called me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca knelt in front of her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe didn&#39;t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily shook her head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then she opened one hand.<\/p>\n<p>Inside was a folded paper.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSomething inside the recorder case.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn&#39;t know it had a pocket.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNeither did Grace.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily handed it over.<\/p>\n<p>Carol\u2019s handwriting.<\/p>\n<p>One sentence.<\/p>\n<p>If Emily ever hears this, tell her the name I gave her at birth was Catherine Emily.<\/p>\n<p>Emily froze as Rebecca read it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy middle name.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca looked up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Daltons named me Emily Catherine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Everyone went still.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey didn&#39;t know?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The adoptive parents had unknowingly reversed the names Carol chose.<\/p>\n<p>Or perhaps someone had told them without documenting it.<\/p>\n<p>Another tiny thread crossing a supposedly sealed adoption.<\/p>\n<p>Emily began laughing through tears.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe gave me my name.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Not legally.<\/p>\n<p>Not completely.<\/p>\n<p>But somehow it survived.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca handed back the note.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis belongs to you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Emily held it against her chest.<\/p>\n<p>Then Grace entered from the dining room carrying the old blue binder.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI found something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We all looked toward her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d Rebecca asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJudge Vale.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Maya had just mentioned him.<\/p>\n<p>Grace opened the ledger.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe appears in six cases.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cConnected how?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOrders sealing records.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll St. Agnes?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAny connected to our family?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Grace nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGrace\u2019s adoption.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My sister\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEmily\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carol\u2019s first daughter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Rebecca\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room became quiet.<\/p>\n<p>One judge had sealed or approved records in three generations of our family\u2019s placements.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca whispered:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSame judge?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Grace turned another page.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Carol interviewed him before he died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a transcript?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Grace nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe told her why.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=24243\">Click here to continue reading: PART 28: The Judge Who Sealed Three Generations of Our Family\u2019s Adoptions Admitted Why He Helped, and Rebecca Finally Saw How the System Survived<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The courthouse archive occupied the basement of a stone building built before anyone considered fluorescent lighting a human rights issue. Rebecca said that. The clerk did not laugh. We arrived &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24215,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24242"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24242\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24277,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24242\/revisions\/24277"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/24215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}