Abducted

by Janice Cantore

  The line was quiet, and Carly took the opportunity to count to ten. She felt the flush slowly recede from her face.

  “I’m sorry too—sorry I snapped. I’m not mad at you. I . . . well, I just—” his tone was calmer and a little contrite—“I just want to help; that’s all. I hate feeling useless.”

  Carly relaxed. “I don’t know if there is much we can do right now. I haven’t talked to Andi yet, but Lieutenant Jacobs is in charge on our end, and you know he’s thorough.” She twisted some hair around her finger.

  “You’ll let me know, won’t you?”

  “Of course I will.”

  There was a pause; then he thanked her before saying good-bye. Carly replaced the receiver and sat for a minute with her head in her hands. Why has Nick pulled so far out of my reach? He’s put up a wall I don’t know how to get around or through, and it scares me as much as A.J.’s being missing.

  “You with us?”

  Carly jumped at the sound of Andrea’s voice. When she faced her roommate, she saw frustration and fatigue and hoped the anger about their conversation yesterday had dissipated.

  “Yeah, I’m here. I was just thinking.” She shook away her musings and focused on Andrea. “Hey, what’s going on? I thought Memorial’s security was the best.”

  “It is. It just doesn’t do any good when it’s turned off.” Andrea sat down in a chair next to Carly, leaned back, and closed her eyes. “I swear, Carly, it was like Casper the unfriendly ghost was here this afternoon. She—at least we think it’s a she—waltzed into the nursery security office, turned off all the cameras, and left with A.J. I’ve been everywhere, talked to everyone, and this person came and went practically without being seen.”

  There was something strange in Andrea’s body language, but Carly wasn’t sure what it was. “Was anything going on here today out of the ordinary that would have distracted security from noting her coming and going?”

  “Not a thing,” she said with some heat. “We were short one security officer, but the shortage was downstairs at the information desk. That may have made it easy for someone to come in unnoticed, but not all the rest. I can’t believe it.”

  “Andrea, I think we’ve got something.”

  Both women looked up at the sound of a male voice. It was Peter Harris, homicide detective. He smiled and dipped his head to Carly but looked every bit as frustrated as Andi. Carly knew he was on a mission. As part of the same case that earned her the nickname Trouble, Pete Harris had weathered storms of internal investigations after it was discovered his partner of eight years was on the take and involved in three murders. It was his partner who had firebombed Kay Edwards’s house. Now the man would hopefully end up serving a life sentence in Folsom Prison. The investigation exonerated Pete and he stayed in homicide, working hard to remove all doubts about his loyalty.

  “What? Please tell me you’ve found a lead on the baby.” Andrea stood. Carly shifted anxiously in her seat.

  “I wish I could.” He put his hands on his hips and sighed. “But we do have something. It’s this mysterious volunteer. We finally heard something solid. One of the cafeteria workers coming in to start her shift saw someone dressed in scrubs with a volunteer badge leaving with a baby. I’ve seen this mysterious volunteer on a couple of the security discs, but she never looks up at the camera. Anyway, the time frame fits, and we have a vague description. Lieutenant Jacobs just put a call in for a sketch artist.”

  “Good! She won’t be able to hide if we get a picture of her on TV, will she?” Andrea relaxed perceptibly.

  “That’s the hope,” Pete said with a nod. “We’re still searching all the camera feeds for a clear shot of her face, but there are a lot of discs to review. Anyway, someone is bound to spot a woman who suddenly appears with a baby. A.J. is no newborn; he’s four months old.”

  Carly said nothing. Pete’s optimism was comforting, but a question nagged. Why did the woman take the baby in the first place?

  “News coverage will make it impossible for the woman to hide.” Andrea closed her eyes and rubbed her temples.

  “Hang in there; we’ll find her.” Pete patted Andi’s shoulder. “Jake is doing everything he can and making sure we get any and all resources to help the investigation. Which brings me to my next question.” He turned toward Carly. “I know you’re happy back in your patrol niche, but would you consider a brief reassignment to homicide?”

  “To work on A.J.’s case?”

  “Yep. It might only be grunt work, but we are shorthanded. I haven’t been assigned a new partner yet, and you know Sergeant Nelson is new. It would help to have a little experience poking around.”

  “Anything I can do to help, I will.”

  “Great. I’ll run it by Nelson. Give me your cell number.”

  Carly wrote the number down and handed it to Pete. “How about the lab? Any luck with prints on the doll or anywhere else?” she asked, already ticking off the steps of an investigation in her mind, energized by the opportunity to be actively involved. Joe is my partner, and I really want to do something for him.

  “Not the doll; it’s fabric. But we may get something off the digital recorder in the security office. The volunteer, or whatever she was, knew how to pick a door lock and then how to shut off the cameras. I hope she left a workable print somewhere.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’m confident we’ll get A.J. back. The media will fill the airwaves with pictures of him, and Nelson will set up tip lines.” He looked at Andrea, mouth set with grim determination. “Someone will see something and call. I’m sure of it.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Carly said. “Maybe you won’t need my services.” She still wondered at the vibe she was getting from Andrea and had the distinct impression her roommate was holding something back. But what?

  “As soon as I hear from Nelson, I’ll text you, one way or the other.”

  7

  “I’M FINISHED, PETE.” The lab tech stepped out of the security office, set her kit on a chair, and arranged everything before closing it up. “I did pull off a couple of good prints. I’m heading to the station to process what I have.” She handed a cloth doll in a plastic bag to Harris. “You recovered the doll, so I’m signing it back to you to place into evidence.”

  “Thanks. And let me know if you find anything—even if it looks insignificant.” Pete took the doll, and the technician left. He turned back to Carly and Andrea. “Things are looking up. I’m sure she’ll come up with something.”

  Andrea threw her head back and sighed. “This person was smart. She knew someone dressed as a volunteer carrying a doll or a baby wouldn’t attract anyone’s attention—it would be normal—so even if someone saw her, they might not remember.” She frowned, and her lips quivered as she leaned against a counter and watched Harris.

  “You’re right; and she took care that nothing was disturbed except A.J. She came in carrying something and left carrying something else. And all we get is this doll.” Pete held up the bag the tech had handed him, marked with a red Evidence tag. Inside was a simple cloth doll dressed in a blue sleeper.

  “Maybe this woman was a volunteer here at one time,” Carly said. “Are people fingerprinted and given background checks before they’re hired as volunteers?”

  Andrea shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “We’ll check that,” Pete said. “Either way, I’m hoping for a decent print from the security office. If so, we might get a hit from Cal-ID. Even if she’s never been arrested, she’s bound to have a driver’s license.” He fidgeted with the doll. “She was certainly not short on cheek to come up here and snatch a baby. Not even state-of-the-art security stopped her. I hope the hospital takes that into consideration if they try to place blame.”

  Carly raised her eyebrows at the mention of blame. She hadn’t really thought about that, but Pete was right. The hospital would definitely want to hold someone responsible for such a horrific mistake or lapse, whatever it was. She glanced at Andi and hoped her roommat
e wasn’t the one who was culpable.

  Pete’s BlackBerry screamed—literally; a scream was his ringtone. Homicide gallows humor. He unhooked it from his belt and read the message. “It’s Jacobs. Time for the press conference. He wants Joe to go on the air and make a plea for the baby to be returned. I’m going downstairs. Carly, you want to come?”

  “Yeah, I do. Joe will need some moral support.”

  “Meet me in the cafeteria when you’re done,” Andi said as Carly and Pete got on the elevator.

  The press conference was set up in front of the hospital. Carly counted all the local stations and several cable stations present. Jake was at the podium with a prepared statement. Joe was next to his father and Sergeant Nelson. Carly guessed that Joe’s mom had stayed with Christy. Harris split off to the other side of the podium while Carly stepped next to Joe and gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

  He looked at her and nodded thanks, his expression stern. As Jake finished his statement and motioned for Joe to come to the podium, cameras clicked.

  Holding a photo, Joe spoke into the microphone, describing his son and pleading with whoever took him to bring him back safe. Carly swallowed a lump as emotions swelled. Just hours before, Joe had called A.J. the best thing that ever happened to him and Christy. Oh, God, she prayed, please bring him back safe and sound.

  When Joe finished, Jake offered to take questions so Joe didn’t have to hang around and could get back to Christy. Carly gave her partner another hug as he headed for the elevator. She went the opposite direction to meet Andrea in the cafeteria.

  Grabbing coffee and a bagel, she searched for her roommate and saw her sitting at a table next to the window. As she reached the table, Carly noted the brooding expression that darkened her roommate’s face. “What’s going on, Andi? You look as if this whole thing was your fault.”

  Andi tipped her head to one side and ran a finger under her eye before she responded. “I feel responsible. I was senior nurse on the floor, filling in for Marsha Collins. I can’t believe someone walked in and did this on my watch.”

  “Hey, you couldn’t know this was going to happen. Whoever did this obviously planned it out carefully.” She sat down and took a sip of coffee.

  Andrea had a half-eaten turkey sandwich and a soda in front of her. She played with the straw and stared out the window at the simmering, hazy city of Las Playas. Carly savored a few more sips of the hot coffee while Andrea picked at her food halfheartedly.

  “How’d the press conference go?”

  “Good, I think. Joe made a clear and heartfelt plea.”

  “I hope it works.” Andi would not meet her gaze, and she sounded defeated.

  “Really, it’s not your fault.” Carly wondered at her roommate’s attitude. It was unlike her to drown in self-pity. But then she’d never had a kid snatched on her watch before. “I know Joe would never blame you. Besides, I can’t believe this woman thinks she can get away with A.J. After this conference airs, his picture will be plastered everywhere. She won’t be able to keep him a secret.”

  “I feel like I should have seen something.” Andrea put the remains of her sandwich down and chugged her soda. “It’s like having our house burglarized. I feel so violated.”

  “I can relate to that. I just pray the crook keeps A.J. healthy until we get to him.”

  Andrea choked on her soda and sputtered at Carly. “I swear you sound just like your mother when you throw in that prayer stuff. That kid will be found through investigation or luck, not because of some hokey prayers.” She spit the word prayers out with such venom it took Carly by surprise.

  “Sorry. I just believe prayer helps. I didn’t know it bugged you so much.”

  “I didn’t mean to snap, but it does irritate me. Before Nick came back into your life, that stuff used to bug you too, remember?”

  “I do remember, but I’ve changed.”

  “And that makes you trust that Nick has changed as well?” Andrea shook her head and leaned back in her seat. “People say they’re Christian and tell you they can be trusted, but that doesn’t always make it true.”

  “Are you talking about Nick or someone else?”

  Andi closed her eyes. “No one. Forget I said it. I’m just stressed.”

  Carly considered her roommate, trying to remember if there was someone in Andi’s past who’d burned her by saying one thing and doing the opposite.

  “You know what happened to me, why I became a Christian. And it really doesn’t have anything to do with Nick.” Carly paused and searched for the right words. She remembered all too well how much the mention of prayer and God used to bother her. But she had gone through a life-changing experience while investigating the murder of the Las Playas mayor four months previous. A fellow officer, a good friend of Nick’s, sacrificed his life for her, and she’d jumped from a speeding boat into the ocean to swim for her life after the mayor’s killers threatened to kill her, too. She encountered God on a very basic level, and having given him her life, she knew she’d never be the same again.

  Finally, looking across at her brooding roommate, she said, “I just know now that God is real, and prayer is an expression of my faith. The last thing I want to do is irritate you.”

  “How do you know God is real? You’re getting goofy. I can’t believe all that stuff.” She waved her hand as if waving away a stench. “And Nick is supposed to be this super guy all of a sudden, and he treats you like dirt after you forgave the pig.”

  “Nick is going through a tough time at the moment. He’s frustrated with his therapy.”

  “So it’s okay for him to take it out on you? Wake up! This Christian stuff is making you a doormat. That’s what it does to women.”

  Carly looked out the window and gulped her coffee, welcoming the scalding feeling because she didn’t know what to say. Lately that was exactly what Nick made her feel like—a doormat. But that’s not God, is it?

  “Look here, my two favorite ladies!”

  The roommates turned at the same time as Alex Trejo, a local newspaper reporter, strolled up.

  “How’d you find us down here?” Carly didn’t know whether to be mad or glad. She hadn’t noticed Trejo at the press conference, but then, as the police beat reporter for the Las Playas Messenger, he’d most likely been there. Maybe he could be an ally in the search for A.J.

  “I have my ways.” He grinned. “But I’m on your side; don’t kick me out. Can I join you?”

  Andrea stood. “You can sit here, Alex. I’ve got to get back to the floor. I’ll see you later, Carly. And sorry I snapped. I’m tired, okay?”

  “Don’t worry about it. And don’t work too hard. Remember, it wasn’t your fault.”

  “Thanks.”

  Both Trejo and Carly watched Andrea as she left the cafeteria. Trejo turned back and studied Carly for a minute. He sat in the chair Andrea had vacated.

  “What was up with that? She blame herself for the kidnapping?”

  “I have a mind to check you for tape recorders before I say anything.”

  “Edwards!” Trejo leaned back in mock indignation. “How could you suspect me of subterfuge? I thought we were friends!”

  “Yeah, Alex, you’re a friend like a tiger is a pet. You may look docile, but you always have to be watched.” Carly offered a wry smile.

  Trejo laughed. “Okay, okay. Today I’m really on your side. I want to help get this kid back. I like Joe; you know that. I’ll do all I can. Is there anything you can tell me that wasn’t said at the presser?”

  Carly shook her head and toyed with her coffee cup. “I know as much as you do. Someone posing as a volunteer took my partner’s baby. They broke into a secure room to turn off surveillance. We’re hoping to match prints, and that’s the extent of what I know. And I’m hoping you’ll help.”

  “Again, I’ll do anything I can. After all, you and Joe helped me out, kept me from getting my head bashed in. I owe you both. He’s got to be torn up. How’s his wife?”

&n
bsp; Carly remembered Alex getting beaten by two corrupt cops, Drake and Tucker, when he tried to conceal her presence in his house. It was Joe coming to the rescue with the FBI that saved both their lives. “He is torn up. Christy is stable but not conscious. I don’t think the doctors know what made her sick.” She drained the last of her coffee and picked at the remnants of her bagel.

  “You certainly ate a nutritious lunch,” Trejo observed.

  “If you walked through the line here, you noticed that not much is appetizing.”

  “That’s true enough. Hey, why don’t you let me buy you dinner? We’ll get out of here and head down to the Apex.”

  “No, that’s okay. I’ll hang out—”

  “And do what?” Trejo cut her off. “Look, there’s nothing for you to do, and you know it. I know Joe’s parents are here, so he’ll be taken care of, and Harris has the investigation. No need for supercop Edwards there. You look like you need to get away from this for a bit. Come on, it’s on me. I do owe you.”

  “Don’t you have a story to file about the kidnapping?”

  He held up his phone. “There’s an app for that. Already sent all the pertinent info; it’s up on the website as we speak. I will add more when I get it.” He regarded her with raised eyebrows.

  “Well . . .” Carly considered the offer and Trejo’s earnestness. Maybe it was a good idea to get away from the depressing atmosphere of the hospital. “I’m going to check with Joe first. I can’t just leave unless I’m certain there’s nothing more I can do.”

  “Fair enough. I’ll be in front where they’re tearing down the press conference stage.”

  They stood and followed the path out of the cafeteria that Andrea had taken a few minutes ago. Carly turned left at the elevators, and Trejo turned right to exit. While she rode the elevator up, she thought about Andrea and hoped they’d be able to sit down and clear the air soon.

  When Carly arrived at the critical care floor, Jacobs, Nelson, and Pete were huddled together in the waiting area—discussing the case, she figured.