Guarding the Babies

by Sandra Robbins

  She stuck her tongue out at him and reached for the door handle. “I take back all the nice things I said about you earlier.”

  “Too late,” he called after her as she climbed out of the car. “I heard them, and I’m not letting them go.”

  They were both still smiling when they walked in the door of the maternity home. Right away, Holly was struck by the thought that the building seemed just like what its name implied—a home. They walked into a cozy reception area that could have passed for a living room in someone’s house.

  Comfortable furniture filled the room, and a colorful Persian rug covered the center of the hardwood floor. A fireplace on one side of the room seemed to be the focal point of the area with chairs arranged close to it. Magazines that would appeal to women were placed on tables throughout the room, and the pictures on the wall, from a field full of daisies to an eagle in flight, all offered scenes that seemed to soothe the soul.

  A young woman sat behind a desk at the side of the room, and she smiled as they came in. “Good afternoon. May I help you?”

  Cole pulled out his badge again. “I’m Detective Cole Jackson, and I’d like to speak with Mr. Richmond if he is in.”

  The girl didn’t seem taken aback by the sight of a police officer at her desk and nodded. “Mr. Richmond was in his office a few minutes ago, but he has a meeting off-site not long from now. He may have already left. I’ll go check.”

  With that, the young woman got up and walked out of the room. Once they were alone, Cole turned to Holly. “This looks like a nice place.”

  “Yeah, it does. I imagine it gives expectant mothers who are scared about the future a warm feeling when they walk in here.”

  Before he could answer her, the young woman was back. “You had good timing. He was just about to leave, but he says he can see you.”

  They followed her out of the room and down a hallway. About halfway down, she stopped at an open door and motioned for them to go in. A tall man, perhaps in his forties, rose from behind a desk and smiled as they entered. Cole expected him to shake hands with them but instead he indicated two chairs in front of him, and they all sat down.

  Once they were settled, Greg Richmond let his gaze drift over them. “Miss Dennis said that a detective was here to see me.” His gaze moved to Holly. “And you don’t have to tell me who you are. You look so much like your sister.”

  Holly’s face flushed, and she wiped her hands on her jeans. “I didn’t think I’d be recognizable today. You must have a keen eye.”

  He laughed and shook his head. “No, just a huge fan who’s followed your career for years. I was thrilled when I met your sister. She talked about you so much that I felt I came to know you.” His eyes darkened. “I was sorry to hear about the plane crash. My thoughts have been with you and the children ever since.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Richmond.”

  Cole cleared his throat and leaned forward. “Actually, we’re here today to talk to you about the twins. We understand that they were the children of a young woman in your care.”

  Greg reached out and picked up a pen from his desk and began to roll it between his fingers. His eyebrows pulled down across his nose, and he frowned. “Yes. She was here for about three months before the babies were born. She didn’t know she was going to have twins when she first came, and she really worried about their future when she found out it was two babies. She was so happy to know that her children were placed in a good home.”

  Cole’s eyebrows arched. “She stayed here for three months? That must have been expensive. Julie Swanson told us that neither the mother nor the father had any family. How did she afford that?”

  Greg smiled. “Because we are a 501C3 nonprofit organization licensed by the state. We accept payment from our clients who can afford it, but we never turn anyone away if they can’t pay—we have funds to cover that.”

  “Oh, and how do you raise your money?”

  “Well, as I said, we have some clients who pay. Then we have a marketing and development department that works constantly to raise funds. We have a black-tie gala once a year for supporters of our facility, and we sponsor a golf tournament every summer. But on top of that, we have an extensive list of previous donors, and we are constantly sending them news about the latest developments around here.”

  “Sounds like you run a well-oiled machine,” Cole said.

  Greg nodded. “We do, but I have the feeling you didn’t come here to ask about the workings of our business. What did you really come for?”

  “We wanted to know more about the twins’ mother. There have been some problems with the twins for the last few days, and we’re checking out a few things.”

  Greg’s eyes grew round, and he sat up straight in his chair. “Are they having health problems? I can assure you our doctors pronounced them free of any disabilities when they were born.”

  “No, it’s nothing like that,” Cole hastened to inform him. “They have survived two kidnappings, and I’m trying to find out who might have a reason to do that.”

  “Kidnappings?” Greg slumped back in his chair and stared from Cole to Holly. “That’s horrible.”

  Cole nodded. “I know.”

  He was silent for a moment as his gaze raked over Holly. “Do you think it’s someone who knows you’re a wealthy woman and wants to try to extort money from you?”

  Holly shrugged. “We honestly don’t know. We’re exploring every possibility. It might be related to me, but it might not.”

  Greg looked back at Cole. “Do you have any suspects yet?”

  “We have a person of interest. His name’s Willie Trask. Do you happen to know him?”

  “Willie Trask, Willie Trask,” Greg murmured over and over before he shook his head. “I’ve never heard the name before. Who is he?”

  “We don’t know yet, but we’ll find him,” Cole answered before he looked down at his notepad. “One other thing. I understand how your facility works on payment for the care of the mothers, but do the women who give birth receive any monetary compensation for giving up their babies?”

  “You mean being paid to terminate their rights?” Greg’s face turned red. “That amounts to baby selling, and in Tennessee that is a Class C felony for all parties involved. I can assure you, Detective Jackson, that nothing like that occurred in this situation. Adoptive parents can pay any medical expenses not covered by insurance and for any counseling needed by the mother. Also, the adoptive parents can pay living expenses for ninety days before the birth of the baby and forty-five days afterward and for the counsel of an attorney if the birth mother wants one. Any money paid for these services should go through an attorney’s office and should never be made as a direct payment to the mother. Since the birth mother in this case was receiving free room and board and medical care from our facility for the months before the birth and the first few weeks afterward, there was no need for living expenses or insurance. Also, we have licensed counselors on staff who work with the mothers after the adoption is finalized. So there wouldn’t have been any reason for Michael and Ruth to pay anything.”

  “Do you ever have anyone who agrees to adoption and then changes her mind after the papers are signed?”

  “The birth mother has three days after signing the agreement to terminate the adoption, and we’ve had one or two think they wanted to. In the end, though, they proceeded with the adoption because they had no way of taking care of their child.”

  “Did Ethan and Emma’s mother consider changing her mind?”

  Greg shook his head. “No, she didn’t. She was happy that Michael and Ruth were taking the babies.”

  Cole tilted his head to one side and stared at Greg. “I understand she died.”

  “Yes, she did. Childbirth is so much safer than it was even fifty years ago, but there are still exceptions. She had a blood clot hit her heart. She died before we c
ould save her.”

  “Did the autopsy reveal that she died of a blood clot?”

  “There was no need for an autopsy,” Greg said. “One of the doctors who volunteer their services to our home signed the death certificate and listed the cause.”

  “What did you do with the body?”

  “She’s buried in the Shady Lawn Cemetery in Jackson Springs.”

  Cole started to close his notepad but paused. “One more thing, Mr. Richmond. What was the name of the mother?”

  Greg didn’t say anything for a moment, and then he shook his head. “I don’t know if I can tell you that or not. Our records are private, and even though the mother’s dead, I think you’d have to have a court order to open them.”

  Cole flipped the notepad closed. “That’s fine. I can get one if I need to.” He rose to his feet and held out his hand. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Richmond. If I need anything else, I’ll be in touch.”

  “Please do that, Detective,” he said as he came around his desk. His gaze went to Holly. “It was very nice meeting you. I bought your new album last week, and the songs on it are great.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Richmond. I’m going on tour soon. I’ll send you some free tickets to my concert in Asheville.”

  His face lit up. “That would be wonderful. I’ll look forward to it.”

  They walked back to the reception area and were almost to the door leading outside when a voice called out to them. “Wait just a minute, please.”

  Cole glanced over his shoulder at the receptionist, who had risen from behind her desk and was walking toward them. Her gaze was riveted on Holly. When she got near them she stopped and licked her lips. “Miss Lee, I recognized you the minute you walked in, and I couldn’t let this opportunity pass without telling you I’m a huge fan.”

  Holly tilted her head to one side, and the smile that had always made his pulse race lit her face. “Thank you, Miss...”

  “Dennis,” she said. “Kathy Dennis.”

  Holly stuck out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Kathy, and I appreciate your telling me you are a fan.”

  “Oh, yes,” she gushed. “All your songs are favorites on my playlist. I’m hoping I get to attend one of your concerts on your next tour.”

  “Maybe you can. I just told Mr. Richmond I would send him some tickets for the Asheville concert on my upcoming tour. I’ll be glad to include two for you and your boyfriend.”

  The girl’s cheeks grew red. “Oh, Miss Lee. I’d appreciate that, but one ticket will be fine. I don’t have a boyfriend.”

  Holly nodded. “I’ll still send two. You can bring a friend. But as pretty as you are, you’ll probably have a boyfriend before long.”

  Kathy shrugged. “I don’t know about that, but it’s nice of you to say so. And let me say also that I was sorry about what happened to you at the concert here in Jackson Springs last night. I was there, but I wasn’t outside in the mob that rushed you. I’m glad you weren’t hurt.”

  “Thank you, Kathy. I enjoyed the concert. In fact, I saw a lot of promising talent there.”

  “My local favorite group was performing. I try to catch all their appearances.”

  “And which one was that?” Holly asked.

  “The Mavericks. Do you remember them?”

  Holly’s eyebrows arched and she glanced at Cole. “Jason’s band? How well do you know him?”

  “Oh, I—I don’t know him,” she stammered, and Cole had a difficult time suppressing the laugh that rumbled in his throat. “I just think he’s a talented musician.”

  Holly’s mouth quirked as if she was also holding in a chuckle. “Well, it was nice meeting you, Kathy, and I’ll send those tickets here.”

  “Thank you, Miss Lee.”

  “You’re welcome, and you have a great day.”

  Cole opened the door, and he and Holly walked out of the maternity home without speaking and got in the car. Holly fastened her seat belt before she turned to him. “What did you think?”

  He grinned. “I think Jason has a groupie.”

  She reached over and punched his arm. “Not that. What did you think about the things Greg Richmond said?”

  He swiveled in his seat to face her and shook his head. “I don’t know. Richmond talked a good game, but something about what he said didn’t ring true.”

  “What do you mean? I thought he was very forthcoming.”

  “Yeah, he was. But there were two things that bothered me. One, I thought it was strange that we didn’t see a single pregnant woman the whole time we were there.”

  “Maybe they were resting. After all, it is afternoon.”

  “That’s a possibility, but also I didn’t understand about his refusal to tell us the mother’s name. Following her death, I’d think her privacy would be a moot point. But I could be wrong. I’ll have to ask the lawyer who handles the town’s affairs about it.”

  Holly stared through the windshield for a moment before she turned back to face him. “Maybe there’s another way to find out who she was.”

  “How?”

  “Surely Michael and Ruth had adoption papers, and they would have listed her name. I haven’t had time to go through all of Michael’s files yet, but maybe I need to do that now. Do you think it would help if we could identify her?”

  Cole raked his hand through his hair. “At this point, I’m clutching at straws, and I don’t know what’s important and what’s not. Maybe the adoption papers hold a key to something we’re overlooking.”

  “Then I’ll get started on finding those papers after dinner tonight.” She bit down on her lip before she spoke again. “Would you like to help me look? You can eat with us, and then we can start our search.”

  He knew she was giving him the opportunity to refuse her invitation, but he didn’t want to. Many times over the past years, he’d wondered where she was and what she was doing. Right now, she was back with him, and he was going to take advantage of every minute he could be with her.

  Besides, it would give him some time with the twins. He’d missed being with them since Ruth’s and Michael’s deaths. They would be gone before long, and so would Holly. He’d do well to remember she wouldn’t be here much longer.

  With a sigh, he cranked the engine and darted a glance at her. “I’d love to, as long as you’re not cooking.”

  A playful pout pulled at her mouth. “Cole Jackson, has anyone ever told you that you know how to deflate a girl’s ego?”

  He grinned. “Yeah. It’s my defense mechanism against girls who are a thorn in my flesh.”

  Her eyes softened, and she reached over and trailed her finger down his cheek. “It’s so easy to fall back into our old ways with each other, isn’t it? It’s almost like we’ve never been apart.”

  His stomach clenched at her touch. She was right. It was all too easy to pretend they were still those kids they used to be—the ones who were so in love. But he knew that was all in the past. Their lives were too different for anything to happen between them now. He cleared his throat and gently pushed her hand back into her lap.

  “Almost,” he said, “but not quite.”

  Her eyes darkened at his words, and he knew he had hurt her. But there was nothing else he could do. When they found out who was after the twins, she would leave and he’d still be here. He had to protect his heart from being ripped to shreds a second time.

  Slowly, he drove away from the maternity home.

  EIGHT

  By the time they arrived at the road that led from the highway through the back of the property, the afternoon sun was beginning its descent into the west. They hadn’t talked much on the way home, and Holly didn’t know what kind of mood Cole was in. Maybe she shouldn’t have touched his cheek, but the way he’d stared into her eyes had evoked feelings she hadn’t experienced in years.

  Since
leaving Jackson Springs, she had met many men who claimed to be interested in a relationship, but most of them only wanted to take advantage of her fame and her connections in the music industry. A few had been different, and there had been one who she really believed loved her. But she never could return his feelings for her. She’d decided at the time that her hesitance was because she was married to her career, but now, being back where her roots were, she knew it was the memory of Cole that had guarded her heart against anyone else.

  The reality of the situation, though, was that he might still have fond memories of the years together, but he didn’t want to rekindle their past. It appeared to be enough of a struggle just to accept her friendship, and his rejection of her earlier seemed to have only solidified his determination to steer clear of anything that might bring them closer.

  She glanced over at him when he pulled to a stop at the house’s back door and turned the engine off. “It’s still a little early for dinner. Mrs. Green should be cooking right now. We can get started searching for the adoption papers if you want to come in, or you can come back later for dinner.”

  He exhaled a deep breath. “I’ll check in with the station, but I don’t think there’s any need for me to go back there tonight. I might as well stay and get started on our search.”

  “Then come on in,” she said as she exited the car.

  He followed her as she climbed the steps to the back porch and gave a start of surprise when the door was pushed open from the inside. One of the newer security guards stepped aside for her to enter. “Good evening, Miss Lee. We were beginning to get worried about you.”

  “No need for that, Cal. I was with an officer of the law. How have things been around here?”

  “Even with all the media out front it’s been quiet. Todd and Ray are off tonight. So you have Brad and me.”