A House Divided (14 page)

C
harlotte drove into the garage and was glad to be home. When the caseworker had authorized them to take little MJ, Racquel had lost it even more. She’d rushed out the door behind them, yelling and screaming, and Vanessa had held her back as much as possible. At one point, when Curtis had turned to look at her, he’d broken into tears himself. It had been too much for him to bear, and now as he pulled in next to her and got out of his SUV, Charlotte could tell he still wasn’t happy.

She stepped out of her car, too, opened the back door, unfastened the seat belt, and slid MJ out of his carrier. He’d been fast asleep, but now he was wide awake, rustling around in her arms and looking at her.

Curtis walked around his vehicle, unlocked the door leading to the kitchen, and disarmed the security system. “I’ll bring his bags in.”

“Thanks,” she said.

Charlotte repositioned her shoulder bag and walked inside. As soon as she did, however, MJ started to fret.

“Ohhh, what’s the matter?” she said, rocking him. But it did no good, as MJ whined louder. “Are you hungry, sweetie? Is that what the problem is?”

Curtis came in, set the little suitcase down on the floor and MJ’s baby bag on the island.

“Here,” Charlotte said. “Hold him while I fix his bottle.”

Curtis took his grandson and sat down in one of the chairs. “It’s okay,” he told the baby, trying to calm him. “Papa’s baby is going to be just fine.”

Charlotte pulled one of his bottles from the bag, turned on the faucet, and waited for the water to warm up. When it did, she held the bottle under it for a bit, squirted a few drops on the top of her hand, and went back over to where Curtis was sitting. Now MJ cried real tears.

“Okay, okay, okay,” she said, taking him back and cradling him in her arm. “Here you go, sweetie.”

MJ acted as though he hadn’t eaten in weeks, and before long he’d sucked the formula so intensely, he had to stop every now and then to catch his breath.

Curtis raised his eyebrows and smiled. “Our grandson’s a greedy little baby, isn’t he?”

Charlotte thought about the comment Vanessa had made about that very thing. “I guess so.”

She sat in the kitchen until MJ finished eating, then she tossed a soft cloth across her shoulder, held him upright, and gently patted his back. When he’d given one last burp, she got up and saw that he was sound asleep.

“I’m going to go put him down,” she said to Curtis, who seemed sad again.

“That’s a good idea. I’ll call Matt. I spoke to him on the way home, and he was in tears, baby.”

“Once I get MJ situated, I’ll call him, too. This whole thing was totally unexpected, so I’m sure he’s pretty upset.”

Charlotte went up the stairs and while she’d been planning to lay MJ down in his bassinet, she couldn’t help sitting down with him in the wooden rocker. “You’re finally home where you belong,” she whispered to him. “And no one loves you more than I do.”

She rocked back and forth and closed her eyes. It had taken a lot of maneuvering and plotting, but she’d finally gotten what she wanted. MJ was there with them for good, and she no longer had to worry about visitation. She didn’t have to ask Racquel or anyone else when she could see him or when he would be able to sleep over.

Charlotte rocked in the chair for what seemed like a whole hour, but when she heard someone knocking, she opened her eyes. Curtina and Agnes eased the door open and strolled in. Agnes had picked Curtina up from school, so they’d probably just gotten home.

Charlotte pressed her forefinger against her lips, letting Curtina know that right now even her inside voice would be too loud, and that she needed to whisper.

“Hi, Mommy,” she said softly. “Can I hold little MJ?”

“No, sweetie you’ll wake him, and he’s also too small. You can hold him when he’s older.”

Interestingly enough, Curtina didn’t ask any more questions, but she couldn’t stop admiring her baby nephew.

“So how was school?”

“Good,” she said, a little louder than a few seconds ago.

Charlotte pressed her finger against her lips again.

“Sorry, Mommy,” Curtina whispered.

“He’s such a fine-looking little man,” Agnes said.

Charlotte smiled and stood up. Since MJ was still asleep, she figured it was best to lay him down while she could. She’d purchased two bassinets, the one there in the nursery, and the one downstairs in the family room, and she was glad she’d remembered everything.

She pulled the blanket over the lower half of his body, lifted the baby monitor from the dresser, and she, Agnes, and Curtina tiptoed out. When she closed the door, leaving it slightly cracked, Curtina said, “Is MJ spending the night with us?”

“Actually, sweetie, he’s going to be staying for a while.”

“Yayyy! Is Matt coming home, too?”

“Maybe this weekend.”

“I can’t wait to see him.”

“Honey, I have to make a couple of phone calls, so why don’t you go downstairs with your dad? I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Okay.” Curtina turned and headed down the hallway.

“I’m really sorry that this happened, Miss Charlotte. I know you and Mr. Curtis don’t mind keeping little MJ, but poor Racquel must be devastated.”

Right after Charlotte and MJ had left the Andersons, Charlotte had called Agnes and updated her.

“She really took it hard, and I totally understand,” Charlotte said. “People are so dirty and cruel nowadays, so there’s no telling why someone has lied on her and Vanessa.”

“The truth will prevail, though,” Agnes assured her. “God will see to it.”

Charlotte forced a smile onto her face, but Agnes’s words troubled her. This wasn’t the kind of comment she wanted to hear, so she quickly pushed it from her mind. “I’m sure it will.”

“Well, I’m going to warm up dinner and head home,” Agnes said. “But let me know if you need anything before I go.”

“Thanks for everything. I think we’ll be fine, so I’ll just see you tomorrow.”

Charlotte went into her bedroom and closed the door. She pulled out her phone to call Matthew, but first she took deep breaths to settle her nerves. She knew she had to sound the way he expected her to sound or this conversation wouldn’t go well. She needed to show as much sympathy and compassion toward Racquel as possible.

The phone rang two times before Matthew answered. “Hey, Mom.”

“Hey, son…how are you?”

“Not good, and I don’t know if Racquel can take this. After you and Dad took MJ, her mom said she laid around like a zombie. She wouldn’t even talk to me.”

“She was having a very tough time while we were there, and I was heartbroken. She doesn’t deserve this and neither does Vanessa. But you know they’re innocent, Matt.”

“I may have to come home.”

“Honey, I know you want to and I understand why, but you really can’t afford to miss more days. And you know we’ll take very good care of MJ.”

“I know that, but Racquel needs me.”

“Well, you should at least go to class tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow is already Friday, so I’d only be missing one day.”

Charlotte wanted to say more, but she could tell how adamant he was about flying home and she didn’t want to anger him.

“I need to check on Racquel again,” he said, almost as if he couldn’t think about anything else. “I’ll call you back, Mom.”

“Okay, honey.”

Charlotte ended the call and wanted to call Meredith to thank her for all she’d done. But since Curtis might walk into the room at any time, she decided it was best to wait until he left for the church in the morning. She had called her mom during the drive from Racquel’s, right after she’d called Agnes, and of course Noreen couldn’t have been happier.

But then it dawned on her. She still hadn’t called Janine. She hurried to dial her number because had Charlotte not planned this DCFS episode and hadn’t seen it coming, Janine would have been one of the first people she would have contacted. If she didn’t tell her until tomorrow or another day, Janine might get suspicious.

“Hey, girl,” Janine said.

“J, you’ll never believe what happened this afternoon.”

“What?”

“DCFS took MJ from Racquel.”

“What? Why?”

“It’s a long story, but apparently two accusations were made. One by a neighbor about Vanessa and one by someone in a store about Racquel. They were accused of child endangerment.”

“No!”

“Yes. Racquel called Matt, and he called us. So, we had to go get MJ.”

“He’s in your custody?”

“Yes, but only until the investigation is complete.”

“I don’t get this,” she said.

“Neither do we. It doesn’t make any sense.”

“So, they accused both Vanessa and Racquel?”

“Yes, and when that happens, DCFS can remove the child.”

“Gosh, I really don’t know what to say. And poor Racquel. She must be crazy out of her mind. I know I would be.”

Charlotte sat on the side of the bed. “She’s pretty upset and so is Matt.”

“Is he coming home?”

“He wants to, but I’m trying to get him to stay.”

“This is so unfair to both of them. Yes, they made a mistake, but they’re good kids and they don’t deserve this.”

“I know. I’m just sick over this whole thing, and I’ll be glad when Racquel and her mom are cleared.”

“Well, at least they have you and Curtis. And if you need me to babysit or do anything else, just call.”

“I really appreciate that, J, and please keep us in your prayers.”

“Of course. I’m going to pray daily that Racquel is reunited with MJ, and that the people who did this are found and arrested.”

It wasn’t until now that Charlotte thought about something. Why hadn’t anyone considered that maybe the accusations might hold some relevance? Why hadn’t anyone realized that even the most innocent-looking people could be guilty as charged? Instead, Curtis, Matthew, Agnes, and Janine were mad at the world because of the
lies
someone had told on Racquel and Vanessa, and they wanted justice. To them, Racquel and Vanessa simply weren’t capable of abusing little MJ, and Charlotte just wished people weren’t so trusting. This was the very reason so many children truly were abused and nothing was ever done about it.

“Well, I just wanted to fill you in, but I’d better go,” she said to Janine.

“I’ll check on you guys tomorrow.”

“Thanks, J.”

Charlotte ended the call and was sort of glad it was over. She loved Janine, but she could tell she was planning to do exactly what she’d said: pray every single day until MJ was returned to his mother—and until the “people” who were behind these accusations got what was coming to them. Janine didn’t know it, but she was praying for bad things to happen to her own best friend. It was the reason Charlotte would have to limit her conversations with her. At least until she figured out a way to keep MJ for good and everyone accepted it.

C
harlotte smoothed baby lotion across MJ’s arms and chest, and he happily kicked his legs. She’d just finished giving him a bath, and this was one thing he seemed to like. Charlotte was glad, because last night he’d cried on and off for hours until she’d finally had to get up for good, go into his nursery, and hold him. She’d rocked him for so long that she’d eventually dropped off to sleep herself, and it hadn’t been until Curtis had come in around six a.m. that she’d woken up. Before then, Curtis hadn’t even noticed she was missing from their bed, but this morning he’d told her that if this continued she should just wake him. He wanted to help take care of MJ as much as he could, and Charlotte appreciated that, especially since it had been years since they’d had to get up with a baby in the middle of the night.

Charlotte dressed MJ in a baby-blue-and-white onesie and rubbed a tiny bit of baby oil between her hands. She delicately massaged it across his hair and then skimmed over it with his tiny little brush. He didn’t seem to mind that, either, so maybe he was just the kind of baby who enjoyed feeling clean and refreshed. Charlotte also knew that once he got used to being with her versus living with Racquel and Vanessa, he’d soon be sleeping through the night and wouldn’t need someone to hold him all the time. He just needed to become familiar with his new environment and the people around him.

Charlotte cradled him in her arms. “So does that feel better, sweetie?” She smiled at him, and the joy stirring in her heart was unexplainable. She wondered if all grandmothers felt this way about their first grandchild, because she’d never experienced anything comparable. Curtis certainly loved his grandson, too—she could tell by the way he gazed at him and the way he cuddled him—but she didn’t believe Curtis or anyone else could love MJ as much as she did. She was sure Matthew and Racquel loved him a great deal, but her feelings for MJ were on a whole other level. MJ would know she was his grandmother, but when he was older he’d tell others how his nana had been more like a mother to him.

Charlotte fed MJ, rocked him to sleep, then laid him in his bassinet. Curtis had already left for the church, Curtina was at school, and Agnes was at a doctor’s appointment, so Charlotte was finally free to call Meredith. She answered on the second ring.

“It’s good to hear from you,” she said. “I’ve been wondering how things were going.”

“Everything’s great, and thank you, Meredith. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

“You were very kind to me right after my husband passed away, and I’ve never forgotten that.”

When Curtis and Charlotte had first founded Deliverance Outreach, she’d worked as a paralegal for Schaefer, Williamson, and Goldberg, one of the top law firms in Mitchell, and this was how she and Meredith had met. Meredith’s husband had owned a number of companies, but after he passed, she’d fired the current legal team and hired Charlotte’s bosses. As time had gone on, when it had become necessary for Meredith to come in to sign numerous documents, Charlotte had been the person to meet with her. They’d hit it off from the very beginning, and Meredith had become her mentor. She’d even advised Charlotte on her personal life and had given her many words of wisdom. Then, as their relationship had progressed, she’d told Charlotte that if there was ever anything she could do for her, all Charlotte had to do was ask. This, of course, was the second time she’d had to do so, and she couldn’t be more grateful to her friend.

“I wanted to tell you, too,” Meredith said, “that the reason I didn’t call you right before DCFS showed up was because I thought it would be better if you were naturally surprised. That way your reaction wouldn’t seem orchestrated.”

“I wondered why I hadn’t heard from you, but I’m glad you didn’t call, because it worked. I was totally caught off guard, and I responded to Matt and everyone else accordingly.”

“So how is Matthew taking the news?”

“Not well. He’s already called twice this morning, and he’s flying home tonight or tomorrow.”

“Did the caseworker say how long the investigation will take? That was the one thing my contact never told me.”

“No, but I looked online and read that it could be thirty to ninety days. It just depends.”

“Have you thought about what you’re going to do if the mother and grandmother are cleared?”

“By then, I’ll have gotten Matthew to call off his engagement and file for custody.”

“Do you think he’ll really do that?”

“If I’m persuasive enough. I just need to get him to see how wrong Racquel is for him.”

Meredith didn’t respond.

“Is there something wrong?” Charlotte asked, not understanding why the conversation had turned awkward.

“Well, I guess I’m not sure how well this is going to end. I’d told you long ago that if I could ever do anything for you I would, but I have to tell you…I never felt good about taking someone’s baby. I just feel so sorry for that poor mother. I also think you need to make sure you’ve covered all your tracks, because if this backfires I’m not sure your son will ever forgive you. I’ve covered everything on my end, but all I’m saying is that you should be careful.”

Charlotte heard her, but she didn’t see where she had anything to worry about. She’d done right by her grandson, and God was going to honor that. “Matt has been upset with me many times before, but he’s always gotten over it.”

“This is different, though. You’ve hurt the young woman he loves, and you’ve taken their son away.”

“It’ll all work out. You’ll see.”

“I hope so, but just be sure about what you’re doing. The deed is done, but once the baby’s mother is cleared you could easily give your grandson back and pretend this never happened. You could do the right thing.”

Charlotte hadn’t come this far for nothing. “MJ will be so much better off with Curtis and me. We’ll be fine.”

“It’s your choice, of course, but because my part in this is really troubling me, I thought I should tell you: I’ve been having a lot of come-to-Jesus moments, and my conscience has been getting the best of me.”

“Why?” Charlotte asked.

“Let’s just say I’ve been a little under the weather, and at my age you never know when you’re last day is coming. I’ve done a lot of things in my life that I’m very sorry for, and if I could take this one back, I would. I’m starting to lose sleep over it.”

Charlotte wondered where all these morals and regrets were coming from. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, and taking MJ really was necessary. Not everyone is meant to be a mother, and unfortunately, Racquel wasn’t ready. She’s too young, and now that she doesn’t have a baby to take care of, she’ll be able to go to college with no worries or responsibilities. She may not see it now, but someday she’ll be thankful things happened the way they did.”

“I hear everything you’re saying, but I’m also trying to get you to see that you can correct this. You don’t have to continue with this scheme.”

Charlotte could appreciate these come-to-Jesus moments Meredith had mentioned, but she hoped Meredith would get over them soon—at least until Matthew was able to take MJ from Racquel for good. Charlotte had always been able to trust Meredith, and she prayed her friend wouldn’t disappoint her. There was also no room for anything or anyone who could end up ruining things.

It was the reason Charlotte chatted with Meredith for another five minutes but then ended the call. As soon as she did, though, her phone rang, and Racquel’s name and number displayed. Charlotte held the phone in her hand, listening to it ring and watching the screen, but she never answered it. Maybe she would have, had it not been for all the times she’d tried calling Racquel and Racquel had ignored her. When the ringing stopped, she heard MJ crying through the baby monitor, so she went to the nursery and picked him up. He hadn’t slept even thirty minutes this time, so Charlotte took him with her to the family room. She knew he couldn’t be hungry. Thankfully, before long, he settled down and just looked at her. He seemed content, and now Charlotte knew everyone was right about his wanting to be held all the time. He loved it, but she would have to find a means to break him from that. Matthew hadn’t acted this way, nor had Marissa, so this was something very new for Charlotte. Although, maybe it was like she’d been thinking earlier—MJ just needed to get used to them.

Charlotte flipped on the television, but her phone rang again. She shook her head when she saw that it was Racquel. It had only been ten minutes since her first call, and Charlotte wasn’t planning to answer this time, either. Then, when her cell stopped ringing, the house phone rang, and Charlotte got up and walked over to it. It was Racquel again. Charlotte wasn’t in the mood for hearing all the crying she knew Racquel would do, but maybe she would call her back later. Maybe once Matthew got home, he could deal with her, and Charlotte wouldn’t have to talk to her at all.

She waited a few minutes and then called her mother.

“Hey, honey,” Noreen said.

“Hey.”

“So how’s my great-grandson?”

“He’s good. Just laying here in my arms.”

“Did he sleep well last night?”

“Not at all, and he likes to be held a lot.”

Noreen laughed. “Like you.”

Charlotte hadn’t thought about that and laughed, too. “I guess you’re right. I was just thinking about Matt and Marissa and how they rarely cried about anything, but maybe he got this from me.”

“I’m sure he did, because you were awful. You only slept if you were in my arms, your father’s, or someone else’s. You really didn’t care who held you, just as long as you didn’t have to lie in your crib.”

“Well, I hope this gets better.”

“It will, but I can’t say when.”

“Oh well. But hey, are you and Daddy still driving over this afternoon?”

“Yes, we were planning to leave by noon, but your dad had a few things to do this morning. We’ll be in the car by one, though.”

“Sounds good,” Charlotte said, looking to see who was beeping her phone. “Mom, this is Curtis, so I’ll call you back, okay?”

Noreen told her they would just see her in a few hours, and Charlotte pressed the button.

“Hey,” she said.

“Hey. Look, I have a conference call in a few minutes, but did Racquel try to call you? She says she tried you twice but didn’t get an answer.”

Charlotte rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “I haven’t checked my phone. MJ just woke up, so I had to feed him again,” she lied. “I also just got off the phone with Mom. Maybe she called and left a message.”

“She says she called the house phone, too.”

“If she did, I didn’t hear it.”

“Well, baby, please call her back. She wants to know how MJ is doing.”

“I will.”

“I’ll call you later,” he said. “Oh, and one more thing. Matt’s taking an eleven o’clock flight, so he’s already at the airport in Boston. He just called me.”

“That’s great,” she said. She’d been hoping Matthew wouldn’t arrive until late tonight or sometime tomorrow, though, because that way he’d have very little time to spend with Racquel. He’d have to return to school on Sunday evening, so if he hadn’t come home until tomorrow, they’d have only one day together.

“Okay, I have to go,” Curtis said. “Love you.”

MJ had only been away from the Andersons for one day, actually not even twenty-four hours yet, so Racquel needed to get a grip. She was starting to annoy Charlotte. But Charlotte knew if she didn’t call her back, the next thing Racquel would do was complain to Matthew. So she forced herself to dial the number.

“Hello?” Racquel answered in panic mode.

“I’m sorry I missed your call,” Charlotte told her.

“Is MJ okay?”

“He’s fine.”

“Did he sleep well?”

“Yes.”

“Has he been crying a lot?”

“Not at all.”

“Is he eating all right?”

“Yes.”

“Mrs. Black, I miss him so much. Can you believe this is happening?” she said. Charlotte heard tears in her voice.

“No, I can’t, but this is only temporary. We all know you and your mom are innocent, so you’ve got to hang in there, sweetie. You have to be patient.”

“But I’m his mother, and he needs me. I need
him
.”

Charlotte looked down at MJ, who was still lying in her arms, wide awake. “I think he’s about to go to sleep, so I’d better go. I can call you back if you want, though.”

“Do you mind putting the phone up to his ear? I just wanna tell him how much I love him.”

What a waste of time
, Charlotte thought, but she placed the phone up to MJ’s ear, anyway. She only did it as a way to get rid of Racquel, but she hoped this wouldn’t be a daily request. She wanted Racquel to stop calling her, period.