She had no memory of the woman who gave birth to her.
She had been loved, fed, and comforted by someone else for most of her short life.
The younger woman's expression broke my heart.
She lowered her hand.
"I don't want to frighten her."
The wealthy woman began crying too.
For several seconds, the two mothers stood facing each other.
Then the wealthy woman spoke.
"We didn't know."
The younger woman looked up.
"We didn't know she was taken."
Her voice shook.
"They told us the mother had died. They said there were no relatives willing to raise her."
The younger woman wiped her cheeks.
"I looked for her."
The wealthy woman nodded through tears.
"I believe you."
The little girl looked from one face to the other.
Then held up her wooden horse.
The younger woman gave a trembling smile.
"That's a beautiful horse."
The child stared.
Then extended the toy toward her.
The younger woman looked toward the wealthy woman for permission.
The woman nodded.
Slowly, the younger mother took the toy.
She crouched as comfortably as she could.
Then handed it back.
The little girl smiled.
It was a small smile.
An ordinary child's smile.
But I watched the younger woman's face transform.
For the first time since the tree, she looked as though something inside her had come back to life.
The marshal did not announce an immediate transfer of custody.
He explained that the child's identity, parentage, and the circumstances of the placement needed to be established through proper proceedings. The wealthy couple agreed to preserve every document relating to the child and cooperate with the investigation.
The wealthy woman asked whether the younger mother could visit again.
The younger mother stared at her.
"You would allow that?"
The woman looked toward the child.
Then toward her.
"I don't know how to make sense of this yet."
Her voice broke.
"But if somebody stole her from you, I won't help them keep doing it."
The younger woman covered her face.
The older woman stepped beside her.
I looked toward the wealthy husband.
His expression was troubled.
He seemed less willing to accept what was happening.
But when the marshal asked for the placement papers, he agreed to produce them.
Inside those documents lay the first piece of evidence that would eventually bring the entire operation down.
A payment receipt.
A transfer agreement signed by the freight agent.
And a certification stating that the child's mother had died after delivery.
The doctor's signature matched the man we had questioned in Cuervo Creek.
The amount paid was seven hundred and fifty dollars.
Exactly the number on the younger woman's copied ledger.