“I thought it was concern,” he replied angrily, “maybe it was pure and simple jealousy.”
“I don’t understand,” I replied.
“I don’t know, Tylar. Maybe I was just jealous of all of the attention you gave the baby and felt left out. Perhaps my motivation was more self-serving.”
“I don’t believe that for one minute, Trey. Even Dr. Hunter had concerns. You need to stop beating yourself up with this. We need to be a team more than ever now.”
He raked his hands through his hair, continuing to look tormented. I couldn’t bear to see him like that. I needed to do something so that we connected again. I raised myself up and crawled into his lap. I cupped my hands around his beautiful face, kissing his tears away. Our lips met and we kissed hungrily. I pulled back, my eyes searching his.
“I need you to make love to me, Trey.”
Much later, Trey and I lay entwined in each other's arms, clinging to one another in love and support, neither of us able to sleep. It dawned on me that Tristan was staying with us, but I'd not seen him earlier. I disentangled myself from Trey, sitting up quickly.
"What is it babe?" he asked, sitting up with me.
“I forgot to see if Tristan needed anything. Did he get settled in the guest room?” I refused to refer to it as the nursery until Preston was home.
“He’s fine,” Trey answered. “He was watching ESPN in the living room earlier in between ‘sext’ messages.”
“What?” A faint smile finally graced Trey's lips. “It appears that Tristan is either in love or in lust. I haven’t quite figured it out yet. Some woman named Libby," he replied.
“Does she live in California?”
“Actually, she lives here in Atlanta. He met her on the plane."
“Are you serious?”
He nodded, smiling. “I think Tristan's on the cusp of his mid-life crisis,” he added.
“Oh right, he's turning forty soon. I guess I forgot about that. Your mom said something a week or so ago about throwing him a major party for the occasion.”
“We’ve had a lot on our minds, baby. I’m sure if we fast forward to the party we'll have Preston in our arms for the occasion.”
“The sooner, the better,” I remarked, tearing up again.
“Tristan is planning on moving back to Virginia.”
“Really?” I asked. “What about his winery?”
“He's selling it to Nigel; he wants to expand the winery at the ‘Belle. He's working the details out with Dad."
“Go to sleep now, baby.”
“Goodnight, Trey. I love you.”
“Goodnight, Baby. I love you.”
Chapter 13
By ten o'clock the following morning, Trey had updated the Georgia State Police with the information relative to the VIN number, license plate numbers, year, make and model of Daniel’s SUV to update Levi’s Call. Pictures of the vehicle, along with pictures of Preston and Maggie, were run on the local network evening news all over Georgia.
The FBI had also alerted the same updated information for AMBER alerts in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Virginia, Indiana and Kentucky. A photo of Maggie and Preston had been dispatched to all of the applicable agencies with an alert that Maggie may be wearing a grey wig in order to appear older than her forty-two years of age.
Trey, along with his parents had personally put up a $200,000 reward for anyone submitting information that led to the safe return of our baby, no questions asked. The feds weren’t keen on this type of incentive. Trey and I were willing to do whatever it took to get our baby back.
Trey needed to go into the office, so Tristan was taking me down to the police station where a detective was going to be questioning Sheila Bradley from the resume that Maggie had used to get signed with the agency. What was the connection?
Tristan and I headed downtown around 10:30 a.m. to meet with the detectives. We were ushered into a room with a two-way, glass window where we could view the questioning. “How are you holding up, Tylar?” he asked gently.
“I’m fine, Tristan, as long as I keep myself busy and active in the search.”
“I thought as much,” he replied. "Don't worry; we'll get her back."
A detective came into the room with us. He introduced himself as Detective Hook. He informed us that the investigators were on their way in with Sheila Bradley.
Within moments, the door opened and Sheila Bradley was ushered in by two detectives. The female detective started the questioning; identifying each of them, explaining that the interview was being videotaped. She asked Sheila the basic questions: name, date of birth, current residence, employment, marital status and so forth. She then presented Sheila a photo of Maggie. It was the same photo being circulated by the media, so chances were Sheila knew why she was being questioned.
“Do you recognize the woman in this picture, Mrs. Bradley?”
“Yes, I believe that I do. She came to the hospital a few months back and wanted to see her newborn grandchild. It was past visiting hours. She gave me a sob story.”
“What kind of story?” the detective probed.
“She said she'd just arrived in Atlanta an hour or so before coming to the hospital. She said that her daughter had been through a very difficult labor and delivery and that she didn’t want to bother her. She just wanted a glimpse of her grandbaby. She didn’t even know if her daughter had delivered a boy or a girl. She provided me with her daughter’s name and I pulled her file.”
“What happened then, Mrs. Bradley?”
“I didn’t see any harm in letting the woman see her granddaughter, so I told her to wait outside the window in the hall. I collected the baby girl and allowed her grandma to see her behind the glass. There was absolutely no risk to the baby, I assure you.”
“Did you see this woman again?”
“Yes, as of matter of fact I did. It was that same night. I'd clocked out after my shift and got on the elevator to go down to the ground floor and she was already on the elevator, which I found strange because visiting hours were over everywhere in the hospital. She approached me when I got outside to the parking lot as I was getting into my car.”
“What did she say?”
“She thanked me for my compassion in allowing her to see her grand-daughter. She said that her daughter, unfortunately, had gotten herself into a predicament with this man, the father of her grandchild, and that he was abusive to her daughter. She said she was trying to help her daughter leave the man, and that he couldn't know she was in town. She asked me if I'd help her get access to the baby to keep her out of harm's way."
“Are you saying she wanted you to assist her in taking the baby from the hospital?” Detective Hook spoke up.
“That’s what I gathered. I told her flat out, no way. She offered me $20,000 and said that it would never come back on me. I told her no way again and told her to leave me alone.”
“Then what happened?” the investigator questioned.
“She became very angry; she became a totally different person. She scared me. A white SUV pulled up beside her. I thought she'd just get in the car and get out of my life. But the driver got out and, before I knew what was happening, I was pushed to the ground; my purse was taken. I was stunned for a few moments, sort of like being in shock. When I gathered my wits, she was gone and the SUV was gone. I wasn’t positive that they were connected. It all happened so fast. I mean, as far as I knew, it was a random theft and one thing had nothing to do with the other.”
“Did you report what happened to the authorities?”
Sheila Bradley bowed her head down in shame. She shook her head back and forth negatively. “No, I didn't. I didn’t report the purse snatching nor did I report her request of me in the parking lot that night. I had very little cash in my purse and as soon as I got home, I cancelled my credit cards. There was really no damage done.”
“Mrs. Bradley,” the detective pursued, “You didn't feel that it was necessary to report the request that was made
of you to assist in an infant’s abduction from the hospital?”
“That’s right,” she answered succinctly. “Do you know why? It’s because nobody working at that hospital would dare try such a stunt. There are cameras everywhere in that nursery. Not only that, there are cameras at all exits and entrances as well as in the elevators and stairwells. I was concerned enough over the fact that I'd allowed her to be in the hallway after visiting hours without reporting her to security. Let me tell you detective, we see all kinds of nut jobs on the maternity floor; mothers, fathers, grandparents and siblings. If I reported these as they happened I'd never get any nursing done. That’s a fact.”
“Mrs. Bradley, I'm going to show you a copy of a resume that was submitted to a local agency that places nannies, babysitters and housekeepers. Read through this and let me know if you recognize it.”
Nurse Bradley skimmed through the document then handed it back to the detective. “No, I don't recognize it, but to answer your next question, yes, it does contain all of my personal information, including my social security number.”
“How would a resume such as this be presented on your behalf?”
“Well, detective, I'd say that most everything on this resume of any importance could be found on my driver’s license. Of course, the woman you're asking me about, if she was involved with the purse snatching, would've had that information, along with knowing where I worked and my license plate numbers. That'd be my guess.”
“So, you're basically saying that you in no way participated in composing this resume for the purpose of signing with an agency that was supplying candidates for interviewing for the Sinclair family as a babysitter? That you're not involved with Maggie Preston, that’s the name of the grandmother in case you weren’t aware, so that she could gain access to the baby and abduct her?”
“Certainly not, detective, and I resent the implication. For one thing, I'm still employed as a nurse, unlike what this resume presents. I imagine this Maggie Preston would have had a background check done in order to even sign with the agency, so that's likely where she found my identity to work to her advantage.”
“But how would Maggie Preston have known the Sinclairs were looking for a babysitter?”
“I don’t know the answer to that detective, but by the same token, how would I have known that piece of information, either? I'd speculate that Maggie Preston knew someone closer to the Sinclair family than I did. I actually never even met them.”
The investigator seemed puzzled at this point. She was conferring with the other detective in the room. They decided that they had no further questions for Sheila Bradley at this point and she was free to leave.
I turned to look at Tristan, trying to gauge his reaction. I couldn’t read him as easily as I did Trey. “Well, what do you think?” I asked.
“I think that Sheila Bradley had nothing whatsoever to do with this. I'm totally sure you've been right all along that Maggie is behind this."
Trey must've shared the recent information I'd received from Daniel about Maggie with Tristan. We thanked Detective Hook and he promised to keep us updated on the progress of the investigation. Tristan and I left the building and headed towards the parking lot in silence. Once settled in the car, I finally shared my thoughts with him.
“The thing that bothers me, Tristan, is that someone close to us, either at Trey’s firm or at the apartment building has supplied information that helped my mother register at the agency, get the interview appointment, and take Preston. That scares me."
“I know,” he agreed. “I’ve been thinking about that angle as well. Trey shared with me the incident with your housekeeper getting run down. I'd have to bet it’s someone at the apartment building; someone who knows your comings and goings ---.”
“One of the doormen,” we both said in unison.
“Okay,” Tristan said, taking charge, “I'm going to get background checks done on all of the maintenance and security personnel at the building. Trey gave me the name of a local investigative agency that gets things done very quickly.”
“Sounds good,” I replied. “What should I do?”
“How about you go and visit Jean?”
“I haven’t seen her since before Preston was taken. I’m not sure what I'd say when she asks about Preston and I know she will.”
“Tylar, she may know things that she doesn’t realize are in any way connected to what happened to her, much less to Preston’s abduction. You can find a way to break it to her. It may motivate her to really think deep and hard about what she observed on the days she worked for you and Trey.”
“Okay, Tristan, take me back to get my car and I’ll go see her."
Jean had just finished with physical therapy for the day when I arrived at her room. As soon as I saw her face, I knew that she knew. “Oh Tylar,” she wailed, “Please tell me that you have good news about the baby. I’ve been watching the television and when I saw her precious little face on the screen, I couldn’t believe that someone would steal her. Is it true that your own mother is the prime suspect?”
“More or less,” I replied. I didn’t want to get into all of the sordid details surrounding my bloodline at the moment. “Jean, I need your help.”
"I'll help in any way I can, Tylar.”
“We’ve come to believe that the hit and run accident you fell victim to was done purposely and is connected with Preston’s abduction. Can you think back over the past several months, or even as far back as when I had the baby, and recall if you noticed anyone lurking around the apartment building, coming to the door while you were there, phoning and asking questions about Trey or me–anything, no matter how trivial, that involved us?”
“I don’t understand. Why would someone want to run me down in order to take Preston?”
“My suspicion is that someone hoped to gain access to our apartment by perhaps applying for the cleaning job that you currently hold. When Trey’s mother came to stay with us that thwarted any plans someone may have had in an effort to gain access to the baby through a temporary position.”
“There is something I recall! It was when you were in the hospital having the baby—I was on my way out that day and the doorman on duty started chatting with me while I waited for my bus. He was kind of nosy, come to think of it.”
“Do you recall what he said?"
“He asked me if I lived in the building or just came to visit a lot. He said he was trying to recognize the faces of the tenants and their families. I told him I came in three days a week to clean the Sinclair apartment. He was very personable and friendly, said he and his wife had just moved to Atlanta and he was glad to have found a job here."
She paused, trying to recall if there was anything else. "Oh and he mentioned that his wife might be interested in cleaning and wondered what agency had placed me. I gave him the name of the agency that Mr. Sinclair used when he found me.”
“Did he say anything further or ask any more questions?”
“He acted as if he knew you and Mr. Sinclair. When I mentioned that I cleaned for you, he said something about your new baby girl. I found that kind of odd.”
“Why?”
“Well, because I hadn’t even found out yet that you’d had a baby girl. This must've happened the day after you delivered the baby because my next day back, you were already out of the hospital and that’s the first I'd have known about you having a girl if it hadn’t been for the doorman. I figured Mr. Sinclair had told him.”
“Jean, which doorman was it that asked you these questions?”
“I don’t know. I never saw him after that. You know, there’s a fairly high turnover there, so I guess I never thought much about it.”
“Could you describe him after all of this time?”
“I’d be hard pressed to, I’m afraid. About the only thing that I recall is that he was probably late forties and had kind of brownish hair. I mean, he wasn't very tall-maybe five-seven or five-eight. He had a slender build."
; That description could fit thousands of people in this town. Tristan was getting the names of the security and maintenance personnel at the building; maybe that would help pin down the identity of the man that Jean remembered. I didn't recall anyone fitting that description during the time that I'd lived there with Trey, but then they were mostly just voices I heard over the intercom.
When I got back to the apartment, Tristan was already there; so was Trey. Trey was pacing. His face visibly relaxed as I walked through the door. Within a moment, he was pressed against me, hugging me close. I was scared. I wasn't sure if this was good news or bad. I pulled back from him immediately, searching his face for a clue.
“The Mississippi State Police just phoned, baby,” he said calmly. “They found the white SUV abandoned at a truck stop about fifty miles north of Jackson. They're fairly certain it's the vehicle that Maggie was driving and ditched, once she knew she'd been identified on the news.”
I wasn’t sure what all that meant, but Trey seemed pleased. “Where’s Preston?” I asked, hopeful that he had more to tell me.
“For right now, we don’t know, but the authorities have verified Preston was in the vehicle. The investigation has really heated up.”
“In the vehicle? What exactly does that mean, Trey?”
“Baby, it means that we're getting closer, I promise.”
I trusted my husband. I could read him well enough to know that he was encouraged by this latest chain of events. That was enough for me.
Chapter 14
I slept restlessly in my husband’s arms that night. Trey was very optimistic that she'd be back with us very soon. I felt cautious, knowing that if Maggie had ditched the vehicle, it was because she was fully aware of the magnitude of the search efforts being made. The fact that a large sum of money was being offered for someone to divulge anything they might know, with no questions asked, certainly opened the door for anyone who was in cahoots with her to nark her out and take the money.
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