Always Watching

by LS Sygnet

  “In what way?”

  “Mind you,” he seethed, “this was less than what, twenty minutes after Andy told me about her scandalous pregnancy, she says that she buried her stillborn child a week after poor darling Eugene died. It wasn’t fifteen seconds before that baby in your arms started crying. Even Andy acted like he couldn’t believe his ears. So some woman comes into the room with the kid and asks if she wants to feed Macy.”

  “You knew this was the Datello girl.”

  “Of course I knew it. What’s that thing you’re always telling me? Knowing a thing and proving it are two different things. I wasn’t about to let this woman kill or sell off the evidence before I could prove what I know is true.”

  “And Orion tried to stop you.”

  “In a word? Hell yes.”

  “That’s two words.” My heart was too busy sinking to care how ridiculous I sounded.

  “So now I’m wondering if Orion simply didn’t give a damn because of who this kid belongs to, you know? Screw Datello and give his kid to someone he thinks is an upstanding citizen.”

  “And here a couple of hours ago, you were questioning whether or not Johnny was working the same case we are.”

  “Small consolation,” he grumbled. “He settled down a bit but only after Crevan vouched for our suspicion and the exigent circumstances.”

  “He’s a politician,” I said. “It’s like I surmised from that picture in the paper, Dev. He’s courting people with power and influence for Joe. They’re scrambling to justify the existence of OSI before the election this fall.”

  “Guess I shouldn’t have been so hot to quit my job at Downey, huh?”

  “I promise, it’ll work out, especially after the blood test confirms what we already know.”

  His cell phone rang.

  “Put it on speaker. I want to hear this,” I said.

  “Mackenzie,” he growled.

  “Devlin? Did you find the baby? I just got a frantic phone call from Johnny,” Chris said. “He’s insisting that you’ve made a terrible mistake.”

  “Helen’s here with me, Chris, and she’s as sure as I am that this child is really the daughter of Danny and Celeste Datello. Considering the conversation that Helen had with Florence Payette last night, I’d say that the situation became exigent the moment that Melissa Sherman realized I knew she lied to us about having a stillborn child. Her nanny called the baby Macy for God’s sake.”

  “I see,” he said. “Well, Johnny isn’t far behind you, and I’d have to say that I’ve never heard him quite this rabid before.”

  “I don’t care if he fires my ass. Did Crevan take Sherman into custody?”

  “After a small battle with Gillette, yeah. You’d better start praying that you’re right, Dev. The feds are here, chomping at the bit because they’re convinced that Datello is behind the whole thing. This guy from Montgomery, Special Agent Preston, he’s foaming at the mouth to question Datello. I’m not sure how long I can stall. If you really believe you’ve got the baby in police custody, I can refuse to let him have this conversation.”

  “Chris, I don’t want the feds talking to Danny unless we’re present,” I piped up from the back seat.

  “Now we don’t trust the FBI?”

  “It has been my distinct impression that they planned to use this kidnapping to leverage more information from Datello about Marcos. There is no evidence to indicate that Datello knows more about the operation of his uncle’s business than David Levine took back to Washington in December. This investigation is far from over. I think its best to send the bureau on their way and keep everything else we’ve learned quiet.”

  “I disagree,” Chris said. “They’ve got a hundred times the resources that we do if this is really a human trafficking ring, Helen.”

  “But we’ve got something they could never have. Nobody knows that we’ve linked the dead girl down at the bay to what happened to Celeste Datello’s baby yesterday. As far as anyone other than Melissa Sherman and we are concerned, it was a single event. If she’s been part of her husband’s slavery thing, she’s got to know that we’re onto the whole mess. We need to keep her isolated until we can press charges for kidnapping. I don’t want the rest of this addressed. These things are never one man shows.”

  “I get that. But what if we’re wrong?”

  I flipped the tiny t-shirt on the baby up. “I’m looking at a fresh umbilical cord, Chris. It’s still got a clamp on it. Tell me that a two week old baby still has this intact.”

  “Hurry back here. The sooner we get this resolved, the better it’ll be for everyone.”

  “Chris, I know you’re not going to like this, but for the time being, I don’t think we should share our suspicions of human trafficking with anyone not already directly involved in the investigation,” I said. “Anyone.”

  “I’m not gonna talk to the feds about it.”

  “I meant Orion.”

  “Helen –”

  “Hear me out. It’s come to my attention that Johnny has some sort of relationship with Melissa Sherman.”

  “What?”

  “It’s too complicated to explain over the phone. Meet us at Saint Mary’s.”

  “I’m still here.”

  “We’ll be there in less than an hour,” Devlin said. “Let the emergency department know that we’ll need that cord blood ready to test and a pediatrician on hand to evaluate the baby. When we determine if we’ve got the right kid or not, we can inform Mrs. Datello.”

  “I have serious reservations about keeping Johnny in the dark, Devlin,” Chris said.

  “We’ve been through some serious shit together, Chris. Either you trust me or you don’t. But tell me which it is right now,” Devlin said.

  “You know I trust you. Are you saying that you agree with Helen?”

  “I know what I saw between Sherman and Commander Orion this morning, Chris. You know I trust Helen. I’d never bet against her.”

  “All right. But if he calls, I won’t lie and say we haven’t spoken.”

  “Just tell him that we need to do this,” I said. “If we’re wrong about the baby’s identity, he can blame the whole thing on his bitter ex-girlfriend. That ought to calm down the new girl.”

  “Shit. Is that what’s really going on?”

  “Looks that way,” Devlin said. “Do your best to keep him behind us, Chris. We’ll be there soon.”

  Devlin disconnected the call. “I hope you realize that we’re so far past the point of no return that we can’t even see it from here.”

  “I am certain that half of these baby’s chromosomes were scooped from the Datello gene pool. I can’t worry about the rest right now. If there are consequences because we didn’t involve protective services for children, I’ll accept them. Given what we know about the Shermans from the woman they own, I’m not willing to risk letting this baby slip through our fingers.”

  A sea of commuters into Darkwater parted for Devlin’s lights and sirens. My teeth clenched so hard with the anxiety I felt that my head ached. The drive through the city to Saint Mary’s felt like eternity plus ten years.

  Finally, Dev pulled up in the ambulance bay at the emergency entrance. We hurried into the emergency department where Chris waited.

  “We’ve got maybe fifteen minutes before he gets here. I’ve got people waiting to do the blood test right away. We won’t be able to stop him from getting access here once he arrives.”

  A nurse whisked us back into a secluded exam room where the doctor drew the blood sample and put it into the hands of a waiting lab tech. “Put a rush on this,” he said. “It comes before any stat labs you’ve got pending. Got it?”

  “Yes doctor. We’ll have a preliminary result in ten.”

  I started pacing while the doctor began his exam.

  “No doubt about it. This baby is a day old, maybe less. Look at the cord, Dr. Eriksson. It’s still oozing blood when the clamp is removed. I could probably start an umbilical line.”

&n
bsp; “Has she been harmed in anyway?” Dev peered over my shoulder. He felt my trembling and slipped one arm around my waist.

  The pediatrician tested her reflexes and tone. “I need to examine for signs of extreme abuse according to Commander Darnell. Is that correct?”

  “Yes,” I whispered. “Please God…”

  Devlin hugged me tighter while the doctor removed a tiny diaper and examined for the worst assault I could imagine.

  “She’s fine,” he said. His shoulders relaxed noticeably. “We don’t often get happy endings in cases like this. Well done. Both of you.”

  Raised voices floated through the closed door. I cringed. A moment later, I recognized the sound. “It’s Celeste. She must’ve heard what was going on down here through the hospital’s infamous grapevine.”

  The doctor’s pager chimed. He grabbed the phone and dialed four digits. “Tim, have you got the prelim already?”

  He gave the thumbs up sign.

  I flung the door open and beckoned to Celeste. “In here, honey. We’ve got her. She’s safe.”

  She rushed into the room, sobbing. “My baby!” Celeste scooped the infant into her arms and cradled her against her breast. The baby cries quieted immediately. “Oh thank God! Thank you so much, detectives! I can never thank you enough!”

  “Let’s get the two of you back upstairs,” another nurse beamed at the reunited mother and child. “Maybe we can start thinking about names now, yes?”

  Celeste shook her head. “I already know what we’re calling her. Sofia for Danny’s grandmother, and Helene for the woman who saved my baby’s life – and mine.”

  Tears sprang to my eyes. “Are you sure you want to do that?”

  “Oh yes. Danny and I already discussed it, Detective Eriksson. Didn’t I tell you? This was the only way for healing to ever begin.”

  I turned in Devlin’s arms and buried my face in his chest.

  “Not used to that kind of a happy ending, are you, cupcake?”

  “What did I tell you about calling me –?”

  Devlin tilted my chin upward. “I’ll call you what I damn well please. Right now, hero comes to mind. We wouldn’t have found her without you, Helen.”

  “Sure you would’ve.”

  “You realize of course that it’ll be a few hours before we have a complete DNA match,” the doctor intruded on our private moment of relief. “However, this girl’s blood is AB negative. More than rare enough for me to have confidence that we’ve got the right child based upon the other physical evidence. Not only that, she’s a dead ringer for the picture you put out in the press.”

  Dev reached out with one hand and shook the doctor’s. “Thank you so much for your efficiency and compassion, doctor. I’m surprised that Mrs. Datello didn’t want to name her baby after you too.”

  “Dev,” I tugged the hem of his jacket. “Let’s get out of here now. Take me home.”

  He understood the confrontation I wanted to avoid. “Let’s let Chris know. I hate leaving him to face this alone.”

  “I know, but I’m so tired, I think I could die.”

  He ushered me out of the room. Chris looked as relieved as we felt. “Don’t worry about Johnny. He’ll calm down when he learns that your lead panned out. Get out of here. I’ll call if there are any problems.”

  I settled into the front seat next to Dev. He wasted no time getting away from the hospital. I suppose he sensed that only a fraction of Johnny’s rage would be quelled by the news that we were right about the identity of the baby in question.

  “Are you sure you want to go home?”

  “He’s got these vehicles lo-jacked, Dev. If we go somewhere else, he’ll still find me.”

  “Not if I leave you and go back to work.”

  I shook my head. “The confrontation is coming. I’d rather have it on my turf than someplace that might become loud and more public than I’d like.”

  “He should’ve thought about that before he publicly pawed a kidnapper for the paparazzi. Speaking of our guilty party, I suppose we should tell Crevan that he needs to bring her back here to be formally charged.”

  “I’d love to know the identity of the man that Florence gave the baby to. It’ll be a necessary link in this case, Devlin. Maybe we should –”

  “You need to rest. You’re staring to show that Hindu cow gaunt look again.”

  “Shut up,” I slugged his arm and pulled out my phone.

  “Crevan, we’ve got a preliminary match. Bring Mrs. Sherman back to Darkwater Bay.”

  “Yeah, there might be a problem with that, Helen.”

  “Don’t tell me Johnny threatened your job too.”

  “Of course he did, but this thing has turned political. Collangelo is demanding –”

  “I’ll take care of it. Get her back to Darkwater right away. And Crevan, for political reasons, let’s keep her at Central Division for the time being. Even though it’s OSI’s case, it happened in central’s jurisdiction. Since Orion is moments away from interfering, I’d rather keep her out of his clutches – at least until that DNA test confirms what we already have compelling evidence to support.”

  Chapter 11

  If I ever had doubts about the savvy of Chris Darnell, today erased every last one of them. Crevan called before he left Montgomery and told us that all of Melissa Sherman’s political support evaporated the second Chris said the baby’s identity was confirmed to his satisfaction until the unarguable DNA results were available.

  Devlin pulled into my garage and shut off the engine. “Alone time, or do you want a buffer for the inevitable cyclone of fury?”

  “Definitely a buffer. He’s not going to be happy that he was thoroughly caught in an indiscretion.”

  “Great,” Devlin grinned. “He can kill two birds with one stone. He can get his walking papers before he gives me mine.”

  “He won’t fire you. You protected that baby.”

  “Sofia Helene,” Dev grinned. “I like it.”

  He walked behind me, stepping close, in time with my weary gait. His hands rested on my hips.

  “Devlin, you know I can’t do this.”

  “Yet,” he murmured into my ear.

  “You’re an angel for being so good to me.” Inside the mudroom, I turned in his arms. “But you deserve better than someone who’s such a mess. I was a mess before I got to Darkwater Bay. I’ll be a mess for a long time after I’m gone.”

  “So that’s the plan, huh?” Johnny’s voice snarled behind me. “One fight, and you’re outta here? But not before you play doctor with my detective to drive the final nail in the coffin of us first.”

  Devlin let go of me like a hot potato. I jumped away. Johnny was already retreating. He stalked into the bedroom, his closet specifically, and started throwing his suits on the floor in the middle of the room.

  “Johnny, how dare you come in here acting like the wounded party after what you did!”

  Cobalt blue coals glittered where his eyes should’ve been. “What I did? I’m not the one who made this problem for Joe a million times worse!”

  “It’s not my fault he consorts with kidnappers. Then again, cheaters rank high on his list of confidants, so why should that surprise me?”

  Fists clenched and started to rhythmically pound his thighs. “I did not cheat on you! If you hadn’t been such a cutthroat –” Johnny clamped his mouth shut for a moment.

  “Bitch. You can say it, Johnny. Why hold back now? Or don’t you have the balls to tell me what you really think to my face? Hell of a lot easier to cut me loose over the phone, huh?”

  “I wasn’t calling to… goddammit!” he roared. “Get the fuck out of here! This is private, Mackenzie.”

  “Leave him out of this.”

  “That’s right. Kept him in the wings, just waiting in case we didn’t work out, right, Doc? Fuck this.” He turned back to the suits and started pitching them onto the growing pile.

  I spun on my heel and started tearing his personal items out of the
bathroom. Devlin followed me with wide eyes.

  “You shouldn’t be here, Dev.”

  “I’m not leaving you here alone with him.”

  “He can’t hurt me. Believe me. If you should be worried about anybody, it’s him.” I raised my voice with the intent of Johnny hearing what I had to say. “Let’s not forget that I might’ve murdered that bloated piece of shit last night when we found a dead child washed up on the beach!”

  I stomped out of the bathroom and threw the armful of stuff onto his pile. “You want to go? You want to believe the worst about me? Fine. Get out! You never believed less than the worst from the very beginning, Orion!” I thrust out one hand. “Give me your keys. And I want the remote to the gate back too.”

  His chin quivered. “Fine,” he rasped. “Is this what love looked like in your family, Helen?”

  “Don’t you go there. Don’t you dare.”

  He took a menacing step forward. “Or what? You gonna hurt me too, Doc?”

  Dev stepped between us, a bad move no matter how I looked at it. Johnny snarled, balled his fist and took a swing at Devlin’s head.

  I ducked under Devlin’s blocking arm and caught the fist in my left hand. Stepping close, I clipped the back of Johnny’s leg with my heel and knocked him off balance. He landed on the pile in the middle of the floor. His breath rushed out in a loud gush.

  “Get out, Devlin.”

  “I’m not leaving –”

  “I’m fine, go now. I’ll call you later.”

  My weight wouldn’t be an effective way to keep Johnny down after he caught his breath. It would buy seconds only. I straddled his hips and pinned his wrists to the floor beside his head.

  “Get off me,” Johnny rasped. The pain in his eyes was a murky mix of physical battling emotional.

  “Are you ready to listen?”

  “Like you wanted to listen to me? Jesus, Helen. How could you do this to me – to us? With him?”

  I wasn’t sure how many more emotional gut punches I could endure in any given day. Tears leapt to my eyes. “What I did to us?”