“I know you’re upset, Evelyn, but these allegations are serious.  We have to discuss them today,” attorney Harold Neiman said.  

Court had apparently left Evelyn Landers quite shaken, evidenced by the mascara running down her otherwise flawless cheeks.  As she walked with her attorney towards her champagne-colored Range Rover, she said, “I will look at my schedule and see if there is a good time this week for a meeting.”

“You’re not planning on coming with me to my office right now?” Harold asked.  “This is extremely important, and we can’t just wait until a time later this week.  These aren’t matters easily discussed outside of my office, and I certainly won’t discuss the facts with you on the street.  There are eyes and ears around, if you know what I mean.  I’m surprised that the Sheridan Press isn’t following us to your car.”

Evelyn Landers’s demeanor stiffened as she approached her car.  She turned towards her attorney and brusquely dismissed his suggestion to work on her case.  “I have a million things to do today.  I didn’t expect for this nightmare to happen.  You may not realize this, but it’s currently my busiest season for philanthropic work, and I’m committed to more projects than I care to count.  I can’t just drop everything because an overly zealous prosecutor has decided to drum up an unsubstantiated case against high-profile citizens in the midst of election season.  Believe me, anyone with a little savvy in this town knows exactly what Karl Swensen is doing.  Unfortunately for my family, we’re going to have to endure these ridiculous allegations until our name can be cleared – which is your job, Harold.  I trust you will be getting this matter properly dismissed.”

“Evelyn, accusations of child abuse do not just get dismissed without an investigation.  Social Services is going to continue snooping around and digging into your family’s background.  I’ll object, of course, but you have to understand that they have a right to investigate this case.  If they don’t find enough evidence to support pursuing this case – the key word being if – then they’ll dismiss the case on their own.  But I’ve done this for long enough to know that cases like this don’t get filed without there being some evidence out there to support it.  This is serious stuff.  Your philanthropic commitments are commendable, but they’re going to have to play second chair to your current family predicament until the case gets adjudicated.”

Evelyn unlocked her car and sat on the posh, tan leather seat.  She put her keys in the ignition and started the car, leaving the door ajar, thus causing the safety system to beep repeatedly.  While Harold was pleading with her about adjusting her priorities, she applied her peppermint frost Estée Lauder lipstick.  While confirming that it was properly applied in the overhead lighted mirror, she said, “Thank you for your concern, Harold, but I am perfectly capable of managing my own priorities and don’t need the lecture.  I’ve raised four kids, three of whom excel both academically and athletically.  I’ve managed to perform my duties as the ‘doctor’s wife,’ remain an active and avid volunteer, all the while managing to tend to my last child – who is quite a handful.  But, since you seem to know what’s best for me at the moment, I will follow you to your office for a chat.  But don’t expect me to stay long, as my day is quite booked.”

* * *

“That’s exactly what I don’t get, Evelyn,” Harold Neiman said to her once they were settled behind closed doors in his corner office of Neiman and Wiley.   “I know you are an incredible mom and a dutiful wife, and that you constantly go out of your way to keep giving yourself to charitable causes.  But right now, when your family needs you the most, you seem almost put off by the demands placed on you by the judge.  From what you’ve described, Levi has been a challenge since birth.  You –”

“A challenge?”  Evelyn nearly shrieked in response.  “A challenge is kicking a fifty yard field goal.  A challenge is running a sub-five minute mile.  I know all about challenges, Harold.  Describing Levi as a challenge is an injustice to the word.”  Evelyn uncrossed her legs and re-crossed them again, shifting her weight in the high-backed, maroon leather wing chair.  “You have no idea what I’ve been through.  Not only has this little guy been throwing tantrums since he broke my ribs during my seventh month of pregnancy, but he’s constantly testing my ability to trust my own motherly instincts when it comes to childhood illnesses.  My other kids got sick, and I was able to deal with it without any problem because they got normal kid illnesses:  the flu, chicken pox, ear infections, pneumonia, you name it.   But nothing Levi has had could be considered normal by any stretch of the imagination.  In fact, he’s probably had everything but the normal stuff, and it’s taken every ounce of my strength to see to it that his ever-changing needs continue to be met.  You can’t even imagine how much of my time tending to Levi has taken away from the other kids.  Do you know how many sporting and other special events I’ve missed?  And after all these years of me bending over backwards to make sure that Levi gets loved and cared for in every way, I’m being accused of purposefully making him sick!  I can’t even begin to tell you how unnerved I am over this.  It’s like a cold slap in my face, after everything I’ve done for that child.”

“I agree with you, Evelyn.  It is offensive,” Harold replied, trying to slowly lessen the degree of tension that had been bubbling between them.  “And you certainly do not fit the profile of a Munchausen by Proxy mother.  In fact, you have demonstrated –”

“Have you researched this disorder?” Evelyn hissed.  Without giving her lawyer a chance to respond, she venomously continued, “I have.  I looked it up in Luke’s medical book and on the Internet, and I’m horrified that anyone would even consider applying that disorder to me.  It’s vile and disgusting.  What parent in their right mind would purposefully induce an illness in his or her child to gain attention or sympathy?  And who would think that I could be that type of parent?  That does not describe me in the slightest.   I have made sure that Levi’s medical needs have been met, but that’s by responding to the medical condition – not creating it.  I don’t consider the attention that I receive in the process to be anything remotely like a benefit – it’s a burden.  A burden I willingly and lovingly assume, as it is being done for my son whom I love.  I apologize if I’m coming across strong to you right now, but I want to make sure that there is no confusion between us when it comes to my treatment of Levi:  I have never sought medical treatment on his behalf simply because I was bored or needed attention.”

After catching her breath, Evelyn stood up from her chair, walked over to the wet bar and began pouring herself a glass of water. 

“There’s Scotch if you need something stronger,” Harold offered.  “It’s been a trying day.”

Evelyn turned to Harold, and began to speak to him once again – but this time, in a more subdued tone.  “I have too much to do today, Harold; otherwise, I’d definitely take you up on your offer of a good, stiff drink.  I still need to drop off baked goods at the church, pick up Lauren from volleyball before taking her to swim practice, get Ben to his private wrestling coach, drop off Austen’s waiver form so he can run for Homecoming King, and make dinner for the kids,” Evelyn paused for a moment, clearly getting worked up for the tasks ahead of her.  “To top it all off, tonight there is a benefit dinner for Luke’s new wing at the hospital.  I’m sure my family’s dilemma will be gossiped about non-stop.  I’ve seen the whispers, the nods, the looks – I’m not an idiot, Harold, and it hurts.  It kills me to think for one second that there are people who might actually believe that I’d do something as despicable as poison my own son!”  

Evelyn sighed.  “That drink is sounding better and better.  If only I didn’t have to drive.”  With that, Evelyn began to pack up her bags to leave Harold’s office.

* * *

“You forgot to pack my conditioner, Mom,” Lauren Landers whined while rummaging through her swim bag on the way to the YMCA. 

“I’m so sorry, Lauren,” Evelyn said, releasing a sigh, “I’ve had a straining day.”

Lauren rolled her eyes.  “You always say that, Mom.  You have your usual headache, too?”

“As a matter of fact, I –,” Evelyn started before stopping herself.  She was exhausted, and didn’t need to justify anything to her twelve-year-old daughter.  Evelyn found herself apologizing to Lauren a little too much lately, because it seemed that she was never able to do everything “just right” in Lauren’s eyes.  Wasn’t it just yesterday when she had reached out to hold her mommy’s hand?  Didn’t she beg Evelyn to play Barbies with her and to have tea parties?  Now, it seemed that Evelyn’s only involvement in Lauren’s life was making sure that she owned the hippest clothes, ensuring she had a fully charged cell phone, and providing her with a constant supply of Bumble conditioner.  Where did my darling little girl go? 

Evelyn looked in her rear-view mirror and focused on the young woman in the back seat – the sweaty, muscular young woman wearing a volleyball uniform.  Didn’t she realize that her mom had spent all day in court fighting to get her little brother back?  Was she that self-absorbed that she didn’t even realize that today was the day they were supposed to get Levi back from foster care? 

“Levi has to stay at Mrs. Kelly’s house.”  Evelyn watched Lauren’s reaction in the rearview mirror as she slowly uttered those words.

Lauren lifted her head up for the first time since she jumped into the Range Rover and returned her mother’s obvious stares in the rearview mirror.  Lauren’s face softened a bit.  “I thought Dad said that the judge would have to give him back today.”

“That’s what we thought, honey, but the judge decided that Levi should stay in the foster home for a little while longer.  They aren’t finished evaluating the case, but I am sure that it won’t be long until –”

“Is the judge going to give Levi to another family?” Lauren interrupted.  “Jessalyn Jones, this girl in my geometry class, said that they can make kids live in new families forever if they want to.”

Evelyn turned left on Dow Street and accelerated toward the YMCA.  She had suddenly become anxious to drop off Lauren, as the conversation had begun to make her head pound.  Evelyn carefully calculated her response.  “They are not getting Levi a new family, Lauren.  And who exactly is this Jessalyn Jones girl to be educating you on the foster care system?”  Evelyn spit the words out like cotton balls, thick and stringy. 

“She’s a girl in my geometry class,” Lauren calmly replied.  A few minutes went by before Lauren started up on the topic again.  “Ben said that the judge has no case against you.  He said that if you were gonna poison one of your kids, it would be him instead of Levi.  Ben said that –”

“What?” Evelyn gasped.  “That’s not an appropriate thing for Ben to say, Lauren.  You know that I would never harm any of you.”  Evelyn’s foot began to press harder on the accelerator, and she found the car skidding to a stop in front of the Y.  “Have a good practice, Lauren,” Evelyn conclusively stated.  “Borrow conditioner from Amy.”

After Lauren hopped out of the car, Evelyn sped off.  As Evelyn scooted away from her inquisitive daughter, she glimpsed at the mothers around her who were cautiously escorting their young children into the YMCA.  What happened to the days when I was one of those moms?  Was it that long ago that I had to wheel Levi in a stroller across this parking lot, while escorting Austen, Ben and Lauren to swimming lessons?  A thought unexpectedly popped into her head:  what if Ben was thinking that I’d poison him back then?

Ben was the second-eldest Landers child – and possibly the brightest, but cloaked with entitlement and aggressiveness.  He was fourteen now, just weeks shy of his fifteenth birthday, and a sophomore in high school.  Despite his honor roll status and varsity wrestling prestige, Ben had a chip on his shoulder the size of Mt. St. Helens.  He relentlessly picked on Levi, and frequently engaged him in “friendly” wrestling matches.  Evelyn sighed as she thought about those wrestling matches, which were more similar to a gladiator battle than a brotherly tussle.  Ben was three times Levi’s size and five times his weight.  Levi didn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell during the matches, though he never turned down an opportunity to interact with his older brother – even if it meant he’d be tossed around like a rag-doll.

Evelyn considered the fact that Ben and Lauren were discussing the probability of her poisoning her children.  Did they really think that she was capable of poisoning one of them?  What kind of a monster did they think she was?  They had no problems entrusting her with cooking for them, cleaning for them, running them around town to every event imaginable, heading up their fundraisers, and planning their family’s lavish vacations, but they didn’t trust that she would never poison any of them?

Evelyn raced up Fifth Street toward the high school, completely unaware of her speed.  She wanted to turn in Austen’s Homecoming King release form and then hightail it back to the sanctum of her home.   What she needed now, more than anything, was to close herself off from the world.  In a way, it was nice not having Levi home.  She missed him, for sure, but she sure didn’t miss his endless demands.  He was always sick.  He had constant doctor appointments and lab tests.  When Levi wasn’t at the doctor’s office or in a hospital emergency room, he was in the principal’s office for fighting at school.  It wasn’t uncommon that one of his classmate’s mothers would call under the guise of conversation, only to reveal the true nature of the call – that Levi had said or did something to her son or daughter that was offensive.  Evelyn was tired of making excuses for Levi, tired of apologizing for him, and tired of trying to figure out what was wrong with him.

Evelyn was so deep in thought that she didn’t immediately notice the flashing red lights in her rear-view mirror.  When the siren finally drew Evelyn out of her reverie, she immediately pulled the car over to the shoulder of the road and anxiously awaited the officer’s approach.

“In a hurry?” the officer asked.  Evelyn didn’t recognize him.  He must have been new to the force. 

“I’m sorry,” Evelyn managed to reply.  “I’ve had a lot of things on my mind, and I obviously didn’t realize how fast I was going.  I’ve had a difficult day and –”

“All my days are difficult, too, ma’am.  That doesn’t excuse me from the speed limit, though, does it?” the officer callously replied, before asking Evelyn for her driver’s license and registration.  Evelyn was definitely flustered at this point and watched as he took her documents back to his squad car.  From her side mirror she saw him begin speaking into his two-way.  The conversation seemed to last forever; Evelyn expected that the officer was radioing her information in to dispatch, but couldn’t imagine why it was taking so long.  Ten minutes later, the officer, appearing both angry and disgusted, finally returned to Evelyn. 

“Here you go, ma’am.”  The officer abruptly handed Evelyn her driver’s license and registration.

“Sir, I haven’t had a ticket in over twenty years – I’m an extremely safe driver.  I apologize for losing sight of my speed, but you have no idea how awful my day has been.  As it is, I’m going to be late picking up my son from wrestling practice.  Would it be possible to just issue me a warning instead of –”

The officer interrupted Evelyn’s pleas and handed her a piece of paper.  “The date on the ticket tells you when you need to appear in court.  You’re probably familiar with that.”

Evelyn looked incredulously at the officer.  “What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, not sure exactly why he would take that sort of an attitude with her.  She certainly was not about to take flack from some rookie cop.

“It means exactly that.  Good day, Mrs. Landers,” the officer somberly replied.  Without so much as a blink of his eye, he began walking back to his squad car.  Evelyn could only presume from the snide remark that the dispatcher was filling him in on the details of the juvenile charges pending against her.

As she shifted her car back into gear, she made a mental note to herself to complain about the officer’s disposition.

* * *

“Why didn’t you get him back, Mom?  Dad said that –”

“Your father wasn’t in court today, Ben, I was.  Alone.  Delivering babies is apparently more important to him than bringing his son home.”  Evelyn winced as the bitter words escaped her lips.  She knew that her statement was unfair and that she was speaking out of frustration.  “I’m sorry,” she quickly added, “I didn’t mean that.  I’m just upset.”

Ben slipped off his seatbelt and reached into his wrestling gear bag, which was sitting on the back seat.  He pulled out a baseball cap and put it on his wet head.  He’d just finished wrestling practice and wanted to be dropped off at the YMCA to lift weights with the football team.  Normally, Evelyn would have objected and insisted that he come home with her so that he could do homework and she could make dinner, but she didn’t have the energy.  She nodded and put the car in drive, careful to obey the speed limit on her way back down the hill. 

“When does he get to come home?”

“Do you miss him?” Evelyn asked, in a hopeful tone. 

Ben rarely missed an opportunity to pick on Levi.  Evelyn suspected that if Ben missed his little brother, it was only because he didn’t have anyone to tease.  Ben didn’t dare pick on Austen.  Austen was two years older and the quarterback of the football team.  Ben lived in Austen’s shadow.  And Lauren could hold her own.  She was two years younger than Ben, but she was very athletic and confident, and if she couldn’t out-run Ben, she certainly could outwit him. 

That left Ben with ten-year-old, defenseless Levi.  Levi was either whiny and sick or angry and throwing tantrums.  He provided constant fodder for Ben.  Levi never figured out that if he didn’t react to Ben’s taunting, Ben would eventually get bored and leave Levi alone.  Instead, Levi played right into Ben’s trap – crying to Evelyn the minute Ben looked at him sideways, or worse – running full bore at Ben with his little fists hammering wildly.  Ben would clobber Levi to the ground with one quick swipe.  Levi would holler out in frustration or pain, and Evelyn would come to the rescue, scolding Ben and babying Levi.  It was a never-ending cycle that drove both Levi and Evelyn crazy.

“Yeah, I miss the little squirt.  It’s too quiet at home without him bawling about something.”

Evelyn shot Ben a scowl before letting out a large sigh.  It wasn’t worth the confrontation to remind Ben that his little brother was alone and scared, trapped in a stranger’s house.  Evelyn wasn’t sure that Ben really even cared about anyone other than himself.  She had thought about making him see a psychiatrist, but Luke vehemently objected to her suggestion. 

“Well, I miss him very much,” Evelyn said.  “I’m sure that Austen and Lauren miss him, too.” 

When Ben didn’t respond, she changed the subject, inquiring about school and homework and Homecoming events.

After she dropped Ben at the YMCA, Evelyn drove home to throw something together for dinner and to change into a nice cocktail dress.  She was not in the mood to socialize tonight, but at least the benefit dinner at the country club gave her an excuse to dress up and take her mind off her baby. 

It was so painful to think of another woman getting Levi ready for bed, reading him a story, helping him under the covers, and tucking him in.  She wondered whether he missed her goodnight kisses.  She worried if he would come down with a fever in the night and his foster mother would not know of it.  Evelyn religiously checked on Levi during the night.  What if he had another seizure?  What if he vomited while asleep on his back and choked?  What if – Evelyn’s mind started racing through the heinous possibilities, all of which haunted her.  She wanted her baby back.  Soon.  

She feared that Judge Binnard had no intention of ever giving Levi back to her.  She wondered how much the judge knew about her past, but she was too afraid to ask her attorney.  She didn’t trust Harold – she couldn’t trust him.  He might be loose-lipped like a lot of other people in this small town.  She had no one to talk to, and she needed to talk to someone now more than ever.  She needed a friend, someone with whom she’d feel comfortable confiding.  Evelyn realized now that there was no one in her life that she could trust in that way other than her housekeeper, Ginny.  She ran through all of her friends, but realized that none of them were more than ladies to golf and play bridge with and to meet for lunch and talk about the kids.  She had ladies in her sorority group and her book club and ladies from church – but none of them were the type of friend that she could trust with her personal feelings. 

And she certainly could not trust her husband.