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"I’lance at the parking lot, seeing the Dodge and no one else co

"She’ll be here in a while," Taylor says "I left Turtle with Mama across the street at a restaurant so I could tell you some stuff first"

"That’s fine, come on in Taylor, this is Cash Stillwater"

Taylor has to look twice before she sees theunder the rubber tree His worn, pointed-toe boots are planted on the carpet and his shoulders lean so that he seeht

"Taylor Greer," she says with urgently insincere friendli-ness, extending her hand He leans forward and s back into his chair His dark face seeold-rilasses

Taylor sits in one of the chrome chairs, and Annawake clears her throat "Cash has asked us to help find his granddaughter, Lacey Stillwater I guess Alice ht have told you that"

"Mama said there waslike that"

"Well, there’s blood testing, but I don’t think we need to go into that at this point Cash would just like for randchild would be six now, seven next April She was left in the custody of Cash’s younger daughter, an alcoholic, after his older daughter died in a car accident The child was given to a stranger in a bar north of Oklahoo last Noveht have been you"

"I can’t say anything about that," Taylor says

"We have no hard feelings toward you But whether or not your adopted daughter is Cash’s grandchild, there are some problems here If the child is Cherokee, her adoption was conducted illegally You didn’t know the law, and I don’t hold you responsible in any way I’ave you poor advice, because they’ve caused a lot of heartache"

Taylor is so far past heartache she could laugh out loud

At this moo ahead and say it? Do I have to give her up, or not?"

Annawake is sitting with her back to the , and when she pushes her hair behind her ears they are pink-rimmed like a rabbit’s "It’s not a simple yes or no First, if she’s Cherokee, the fate of the child is the tribe’s jurisdiction

The tribe could decide either way, to allow you to keep her or ask you to return her to our custody The important precedent here is a case called Mississippi Band of Choctaw versus Holyfield I’ll read you what the Suprelasses and a thick stapled docu it sideways froins Suddenly she reads: "The US Supre these children from their adoptive family, hich they have lived for three years, should outweigh the interests of the tribe, and perhaps of the children the them raised as part of the tribal community; instead, the Supreme Court must defer to the experience, wisdom, and compassion of the tribal court to fashion an appropriate re not to look at the silent man under the rubber tree "What does the voice of wisdom and compassion say?"

"I don’t know I’m not that voice Child Welfare Services has the final say They can give or withhold per we’re sure of jurisdiction here Once we have all the facts, I’ll make a recommendation to Andy Rainbelt in Child Welfare, and he’ll et to talk to hi you this afternoon And I’ve agreed not to make any recommendations until I’ve heard what you have to say"

Taylor is aware of being the white person here Since her arrival in Oklaho off her skin, so in a rooht disapprove She wonders if Turtle has always felt her skin this way, in a world of lighter people

"Sir?" Taylor speaks to the man, Mr Stillwater

He leans forward a little

"What was your granddaughter like?"

He crosses an ankle on his knee, looks at his hand "I couldn’t tell you She was small Me and my wife, we looked after her a whole lot when she was a little bit of a thing I’d say she was a right good baby Sht quiet"