Monday, October 1
Constance stood outside of the conference room, holding Nick's paperwork. In the past week, she had explored his case carefully. More carefully than usual. She had spoken to investigators, district attorneys, and others, hoping to find something useful. Unfortunately, not much had come up.
Nick's life story was spelled out pretty clearly in the various documents the investigators had found. His origins were sketchy, with no birth certificate on record. The earliest document was a transfer into foster care, at age three. The transfer listed his mother's drug problems as the reason, and was further amended to state that she had died from an overdose, soon after he was taken from her. Interestingly, this document had neither a mother's nor a father's name on it. Nick had entered the world anonymously.
Other documents showed his transfer to different foster homes, never lasting more than a year or two. Then, at age seven, Nick was adopted by Konstandin and Rilinda Veseli. A birth certificate showed the Veseli's other child, Donald, three years older than Nick. More documents showed Donald's marriage, and the birth of his daughter, Erin, now nine years old.
Then came a death certificate. Konstandin and Rilinda Veseli, Nick's adoptive parents. Killed in a plane crash on their way home from the Caribbean islands. Constance swallowed hard when she read the date. Ten years ago-about a month before her first dream of Nick.
School records for Nick showed him to be a good student, although his schooling had been sporadic. But he had managed to finish high school, go to a university, and even get a master's degree while he worked as a teacher. He certainly had drive.
The last page in the folder was a familiar one. A sealed juvenile record locator, full of signatures and stamps. The document stated that Nick's entire juvenile record was no longer available or relevant to other cases. So the homeless boy had been something of a troublemaker. She'd love to know more.
I'm glad his case is sealed. It helped with his defense. Also, it comforted her to know that he'd gotten beyond a rough start. None of it could hurt him anymore. Whatever had happened to him back then was officially irrelevant.
Still, she wished she could see that record. She was hungry for anything she could learn about him. A sealed record could only be opened by a judicial order, which was not a problem for Constance. Her Uncle Earl could always be counted on to help with a judicial favor. And Earl knew how to do these things quietly. If any other judge were asked to unseal the record, word would get out, and that might impact Nick's case.