The Summer My Father Died

Morgan sat in his home office thinking about what happened at the farm a year ago. He was fortunate to find a generous buyer after the FBI combed the acres discovering Carolyn’s shallow grave. A week after Morgan found Carmen, a lawyer track them down and gave Carmen her inheritance along with the location of her mother’s gravesite. Her mother never gave up on her daughter’s safe return. She sold the bakery years ago and moved to California.

After paying respects to her mother, Carmen laid Carolyn to rest and moved out the country to start a new life. While she was trying to forget about years of captivity, Morgan was trying to figure out why his grandfather and father did such a thing and where were her children.

“I cannot believe this shit is happening,” Morgan said to himself as he continued to star off into space. He was in such deep thought that he did not notice his wife Stella standing in front of him.

“Honey are you ok?” Questioned Stella.

Morgan snapped out of his trans and responded, “Yes baby, I’m just thinking.” He observed the box with brown wrapping paper as Stella placed it on the desk.

“It has no return address on it,” said Stella before taking a seat.

“Well, that’s suspicious, hope it’s not a bomb, “joked Morgan.

“Baby with all the things that have been going on there is no telling, so stop joking around,” Stella warned.

“Yeah you are right, and it has no mailing label so it must have been dropped off,” said Morgan.

He tore off the paper and used his pocketknife to cut through the clear tape that sealed the box. Once the box was open he went through the contents that consist of birth certificates with photos of newborn babies attached. The last item was a white envelope with Morgan written on it.

He picked up the envelope, retrieved the letter from inside before reading it aloud so that Stella could hear.

Dear Morgan,

My name is Nancy, I was a close friend with your mother before the tragic car accident.

I have been following the coverage on the farm and Carmen’s captivity on various news stations and I know you have a lot of questions.

To start your father was not the mastermind behind what happened, he just didn’t have the courage to tell anyone. The truth is that your grandfather was in danger of losing the farm and needed the money. After exhausting his resources, Mr. Tillman found out about the black market. There were families who were unable to have their own children and were willing to pay top dollar for newborn babies. Mr. Tillman captured Carmen and Carolyn to have the babies so he could sale them.

The photos and the real birth certificates are the babies that Carmen gave birth to along with the only daughter that Carolyn gave birth to before she died. I know you are wondering how Mr. Tillman was able to get birth certificates for the babies, and the answer is that there were others involved. Remember Sheriff Lacey and his son Sheriff Tony they were involved along with his wife Alissa who worked for vital statics and her sister Racheal who was a registered nurse at the local hospital in our hometown.

Sheriff Lacey, Alissa and Nurse Racheal took the secret to their grave while Sheriff Tony continues to walk around as if he had nothing to do with it. I was furious when I saw him on the news discussing the farm as if he were really investigating. Trust me, I am sure he has sabotaged anything that links him to the crime. I know you are wondering how I knew about this and why I did not tell the authorities.

When your father found Carmen, he confided in me and I told him to set her free. Your father was afraid that he would be held responsible because the Sheriff was involved. It took me several months but with persistence he finally agreed to set her free the night he took me to the airport. I remember he gave me his word that he would release Carmen as soon as he returned to the farm that very night.

A week later I contacted him and he confirmed that Carmen was free. When I asked for details he explained that she just wanted her freedom and didn’t want anything to do with the children. He gave her a substantial amount of money before taking her to the train station.

Then a year ago, I saw you and Carmen on the news. I was devastated that five years had passed and he never released her. I assumed right before your father died he sent me the birth certificates and photos along with a short letter. The package arrived the same night you discovered Carmen. In the letter he said that if Carmen ever wanted to find her children then this would be a start.

Based on the news, the FBI assumed that Carmen was held as a sex slave and know nothing about the children. Your father also found a safe where your grandfather kept the money he received for the babies. Besides the money he used to save the farm it should be one million dollars.

Your father placed the money in a safety deposit box at the “Farmers Credit Union”. In the envelope there is a key and a bank member car with you name on it.

Morgan I am so sorry about what happened, but you now hold the key to make things as right as possible with Carmen.

Nancy

After reading the letter, Morgan and Stella were overwhelmed with the latest information.

“We have to do something,” said Stella.

“I know, we need to start with going back to my hometown and getting that money from the deposit box,” responded Morgan.

The next morning, Morgan and Stella traveled back to Kansas City Missouri. While flying they decided to give Carmen whatever money was in the safety deposit box.

While they relaxed in their hotel room the night before going to the bank, Morgan went through the birth certificates and photos. He placed the certificates in order based on date of birth. There was Kenneth, Ethan, Carmen, Asia, Renee, Evan, Michelle, Eva, Patton, Nicole, along with Carolyn’s daughter who was named after her. He then separated Carmen’s kids’ boys from the girls but kept them in birth order.

As Morgan sat back looking at the documents, he was mortified to find that the first letter of the boys’ names spelled KEEP and the first letters of the girls’ names spelled Carmen. He shook his head realizing that his grandfather was a sick man. The next morning before going to the bank, Morgan made two copies of all the birth certificates and photos. He then went into the bank replaced the money in the deposit box with the original birth certificates and photos and requested the bank manager write out a cashier’s check to Carmen

“Wow nine-hundred thousand dollars divided by eleven children is almost ninety-thousand per baby and that’s not including what he used to save the farm,” said Stella.

Many people will say that Morgan was crazy for not keeping some of the money, but he wanted nothing to do with it. In his eyes, no amount of money could pay for Carolyn’s death and Carmen’s captivity.

Before heading to the airport, they stopped by the post office and sent a copy of the photos, certificates and cashier’s check priority mail to Carmen in Catalonia Spain.