“As my head matured to match my body, I decided to never let someone else’s opinion shape who I was on the inside. So,” Sin relaxed her shoulders and took a cleansing breath. “I decided to dress and act and talk in a way that made me feel comfortable, not in a way that made others comfortable.” She sat back and waved her hands from her head to her feet. “This, for good or bad, is the result of my decision.”
Dr. O’Rourke leaned forward and squeezed Sin’s hand. “Thank you,” she smiled.
“Boy, this shit is getting deep,” Sin said.
Dr. O’Rourke laughed to break the tension and looked at her watch. “It’s getting late and I still have a lot of paperwork to finish. It’s not that I’m not enjoying the conversation, but was there a reason you came to see me tonight?”
“That’s one of your qualities that I like,” Sin said. “You’re direct. Others probably think you’re a bitch, but I like it.”
Dr. O’Rourke blushed.
Sin leaned across the table as her expression turned serious. “I need your help.”
O’Rourke just stared at Sin
“Look, I’m not good at beating around the bush, so here it is. If you can’t do it or you’re uncomfortable just say so and I’ll . . .”
“For someone who doesn’t beat around the bush, you just beat the hell out of that one. Just ask.”
“I might need to get into the morgue and if I do, I need to do it without anyone knowing.”
Dr. O’Rourke sat her glass down. “That was unexpected. May I ask why?”
“You can ask, but I won’t tell you.”
“I would like to help, but I can’t―won’t―do anything that goes against my medical ethics,” Dr. O’Rourke said. She stood up and held out her hand. “It was a pleasure to see you again, Sin, and I appreciate your candidness, but I need to get back to my ‘paperless’ office. I will see you on Tuesday when you bring Thomas in for his appointment.”
Sin stood and took her hand. “I understand, and for what it’s worth, I hope we can be friends outside of here some day.”
“I’d like that. Listen, I hope there are no hard feelings, but this job is the only thing I have going on in my miserable life right now.” Dr. O’Rourke closed her eyes momentarily, before continuing, “The military brass wasn’t happy when I, a civilian, was placed in a position of authority. I’m being watched like a hawk.” She shrugged, “I’m sorry.”
Back in the lobby, Sin spotted a nurse talking to a distraught woman. The woman was crying hysterically and talking non-stop in Spanish.
The nurse was waving her hands in front of his face, shaking her head and repeating, “No habla Spaneesh.”
“Maybe I can help,” Sin said.
The nurse gladly let Sin interject. She spoke in Spanish to the woman and gave her a tissue to wipe her eyes. Turning her attention to the nurse, she said, “No habla Spaneesh? That’s the best you got?”
She shrugged. “I’ve been meaning to take a class, but I just haven’t found the time.”
Sin rolled her eyes. “You live in South Florida―find the time.”
The nurse huffed at Sin and stomped away. “Bitch,” she mumbled under her breath as she stormed away. Sin turned her attention back to the woman. She mentally translated her words into English while listening in Spanish.
“My name is Alejandra and I am from Nicaragua. My daughter left home four months ago and I have never heard from her.”
“Why did she come here?”
“We are poor, very poor, and I wanted a better life for my daughter. My Tia was sick and needed medical help.” Tears streamed down Alejandra’s cheeks. “I had no money to care for her. These men came and said they were from a church and would get her the care she needed.”
“And you just let them take her?”
“They promised to help me raise the money to join her.” Her upper body jerked up and down in utter despair. “I didn’t feel as if I had a choice,” she wailed.
I really need a filter, Sin thought, that was a shitty thing to say.
Sin reached out and held Alejandra close. “How did you get here,” she asked.
“I was able to sell everything I own, including my home, to raise the money for a ticket.”
“Why are you looking in a hospital? How did you know to come to Key West?” Sin had to stop herself from asking too many questions. They were just tumbling around her brain at breakneck speed.
Alejandra moved away from Sin and pulled a piece of paper from the pocket of her tattered dress. “This is where they told me they were bringing Tia.”
Sin knew what it was before she even unfolded it―a brochure for The Prophet Heap Orphanage for Girls.
“The lady there, Rosa, said they have never had any girls named Tia.” Alejandra’s rate of speech raced as she continued. “I was told to come here because some girls have been found . . .” She couldn’t finish the sentence. Her emotions short-circuited, and she fell into Sin’s arms, a puddle of despair.
As Sin tried to calm Alejandra, she saw Troy walk in. His complexion was pale and chalky.
She could see him try to put on a brave face as he neared. “What’s going on?” he asked.
Sin rehashed her conversation with Alejandra.
“I would like Alejandra to look through pictures of all the girls who have been found to see if her daughter is among them.” She raised an eyebrow. “Any idea where I might get such pictures?”
Troy rubbed his face with the palm of his hand. “Give me a few minutes and I will see what I can do.”
Sin kept Alejandra company until Troy came back—carrying a file in his hand.
“The coroner had pictures of all the girls,” Troy said as he arrived.
Sin mouthed the words, ‘thank you.’
“Do me a favor,” she said, “and
