Page 23 of The Advocate’s Ultimatum

She stopped.

“You’re going to take the case,” Bay said. It wasn’t a question.

Sabre turned back. “I haven’t decided yet.”

Bay held her gaze. “You will.”

Chapter 9

Tuesday late morning

Sabre sat at her desk in the old Victorian house that had been remodeled into offices and booted up her computer. Her own case database had years of color-coded files, names, notes, and reminders she'd built over nearly a decade. If she had represented Bay or anyone connected to her, she'd likely find it fast.

She typed: Mercer

Several files loaded, all connected to Mercy Hospital, but no one with the name Mercer, not even a witness or reporting party. Sabre opened each file anyway. None fit.

She tried the name Bay, and Joy Bay, but got nothing. She found two people named Lila, but none that could possibly be connected to Bay.

Sabre shifted in her chair. That wasn't right. If the girl had been in dependency under that name, she would find traces somewhere. Maybe not Bay herself, but a parent, sibling, prior referral—something. Sabre was starting to think she was right after all. She didn’t know this girl.

She grabbed her phone and called Social Services.

“Maxine, are you busy?”

Maxine laughed. “Are you calling because you miss me or because you need something?”

Sabre smiled. “Both?”

~~~

Twenty minutes later, she sat in a chair beside Maxine's desk at DSS while the administrator accessed her system. Rows of files filled the screen.

Maxine frowned. “Lila Bay Mercer?”

“Or Bay Mercer. Or Lila Mercer. Or Joy Bay.”

Maxine kept typing. “Nope.” She tried again with different spellings. Still nothing.

Sabre frowned. “What about just Mercer?”

Maxine clicked through several results. “We have a couple of cases with that last name, but no Bay, or no Lila, and one was before you were even here. You weren’t counsel on the other one either. Besides, the kids would be too young.” Maxine looked over at her. “Who is this girl?”

“I'm not sure yet.”

“Well, she's not in dependency, at least not under that name.”

Sabre sat quietly for a second. Then she stood, thanked Maxine, and left.

~~~

An hour later she sat in the probation office and went through the same process. The clerk found nothing for Bay, Joy, or Lila Mercer, or anything under Ridden. She ran a reverse check with Sabre’s name, then handed her the list.

“I’m sorry,” the clerk said. “There’s no juvenile history before this current case.”

“Thanks for your help.”

~~~