Patterson chuckled. “You’re out of your league. Seven or fifty, you’ll still be chasing your tail.”
She goaded him, not caring anymore what he did. “I assumed you’d want our precinct to be the one to find those babies. Was I wrong?”
Patterson remained silent, and she wondered if he’d hung up. “Monday morning, my office.”
The line went dead, and Alex breathed a sigh of relief. Patterson’s dislike went deeper than her British accent and the fact she’d refused to screw him. When she had time, she needed to look into that. Right at the moment, though, she needed a hot shower, good breakfast, and luck that Frost and Crimshaw were somewhere on the beat and she could find them and convince them to join her.
~ ~ ~
Forty-five minutes later, Alex entered the dining room to find all four back at it. “Anything new?”
Gabriella held up a sheaf of papers. “We found the connection between Anders and Newcomb. They went to school together. We found some juvenile records on both of them, but for the moment, they’re sealed. Reefer’s digging.”
She felt Tamara’s eyes on her and turned to meet her gaze. “I’m going out for a while. Hopefully, I’ll come back with reinforcements.” She glanced around the room. “I’m pretty sure you all know what we’re doing here is illegal and the penalties for illegal wiretapping?”
Gabriella spoke for the group. “There are three babies missing, and if what we’re doing helps to find them, then we’ll take our chances.” She grinned at Alex. “I forgot to tell you that both Reefer and Tamara are undercover FBI agents.”
“I’m going to ask a couple of officers to join us.” Alex glanced at Reefer and Tamara. “Wiretapping without a court order is still illegal, even for the FBI, and they may choose to turn us all in instead of helping us. I’ll try to keep you out of it.”
Tamara smiled and gave her a thumbs-up. “We’re cool. Keep it simple.”
Gabriella’s phone rang, and she answered it, holding up her hand to quiet the group. “Alex, my father would like to speak with you.”
Alex took the phone. “Yes, sir.”
“Actually, Morgan would like to speak with you, and put it on speaker so everyone can hear.”
Alex held the phone out to Gabriella. “He wants it on speaker.”
She hit a button and passed it back.
“Alexandra?”
“I’m here. Everyone is here, except Nobby. He’s taking a nap.”
“I’ve gone over everything, and they’ve hit a snag somewhere. They’re cleaning up too fast, and they’re pushing DuPont on putting up the ransom too soon. He should have done a press conference begging for the return of his child before offering one. He didn’t. Also Anders made the statement, ‘I told him not to become a problem’. Sounds like DuPont is part of this. Either way, unless DuPont puts up that ransom, the only option they have left is disposing of the child. If he puts up the ransom, I suspect they’ll kill the wife and then dispose of the baby. As I see it, you’ve got less than twenty-four hours to find the DuPont baby.”
Alex voiced the plan she’d developed in her mind earlier. “I’m going to see DuPont and tell him we have a tip on where his baby is and we’re organizing a raid this evening. We’ll monitor all the phones and keep both Anders and Newcomb under surveillance. One of them will have to make the move to check on the babies or have them moved. I’ll advise DuPont not to put the ransom offer out until we have a chance to check it out. That will buy us a little time, but I’m not sure it will buy us twenty-four hours.”
“We need to rule out DuPont as being involved, because if he is, your plan could backfire,” Morgan said.
Alex gripped the phone tighter. “I’ll come down hard on him about cooperating. Unless you have a better idea?”
Morgan sighed. “No, damn it, I don’t.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Alex exited her car. Unless Frost and Crimshaw had changed their diet, which she seriously doubted, they would be eating at Bucky’s, a bar and grill just off Maple. Bucky’s served a mean pulled-pork sandwich that was guaranteed to result in Frost having an early heart attack.
She slowed as she approached the bar, her confidence waning. No matter what Frost had said earlier, she knew how the other officers felt about her and how they talked about her when she wasn’t around. And severed fox heads in her locker was just one of the nasty tricks they’d pulled. What if Frost was part of that? What if he took what she told him and went straight to Patterson? What if I don’t do this, and those babies die?
Straightening her back, she quickened her pace. Her ego didn’t matter, neither did some stupid job. She spotted Frost and Crimshaw just entering the front door and rushed ahead. “Hey, Frost, Crimshaw, got a minute?”
“It’s lunchtime, Fox. What are you doing here?” Frost asked.
“I need to talk to you guys. I’ll buy your lunch.”
Frost glanced at Crimshaw and grinned. “Never been one to turn down a free lunch, but I’m not going cheap.”
Alex smiled in return. “I don’t expect you to.”
“Thought you were suspended,” Crimshaw said.
“In a manner of speaking,” Alex said.
Frost grabbed a table and ordered. “You wanted to talk, go ahead.”
Alex took a deep breath. “You can take what I’m getting ready to tell you straight to Patterson and get me fired, or you can help me save at least one of those missing babies. Either way, I’m going to lay it out for you. I need backup, and although we may not see eye to eye all the time, you’re two of the best coppers I know.”
“You got a lead on one of the missing babies?” Frost asked.
“Not just a lead. I know who’s responsible for the kidnapping, but the information isn’t quite legal yet. I need help to catch them in the act then pull in what I know.”
“So what did Patterson suspend you for this time?” Crimshaw asked.
“Insubordination, as usual. Although technically, he didn’t actually suspend me—he gave me a week to find the babies. He said if I do, he’ll okay my promotion to detective. If I don’t, he’ll fire me. Of course, if I get caught messing around in this case, he’ll deny all that.”
“Bastard,” Frost muttered. “FBI’s involved in this one, too, aren’t they?”
Alex nodded. “They always come in on missing babies, and with the DuPonts’ status it was a sure thing they’d at least take over a part of the investigation. They set up there last night. The FBI stalled him on offering the ransom, but he’s sure to make that offer soon, and when he does, he’s probably signing his wife’s and his baby’s death certificates.”
“What makes you think that?” Crimshaw asked. “What have you got, and how did you get it?”
“I’ve been working with a criminal psychologist. Blake Morgan. He gave me a tip on midwives. When I started checking that angle, the DuPonts’ midwife was killed in a car crash the day after the baby was taken. The building where she worked was blown up, and two other people died there. I don’t believe in coincidence.”
“I remember Morgan,” Frost said. “Heard about the explosion, but nobody tied it to any of the missing babies.” He picked up his sandwich and took a bite. “You saying these three women abducted those kids?”
“I don’t know if all of them were involved, but I believe one of them was. The other two may just have been collateral damage. The true culprits are DuPont’s administrative assistant and sister-in-law.”
“You still ain’t told us what you got and how you got it,” Crimshaw mumbled around a bite of sandwich.
Alex chewed on her bottom lip and met Frost’s gaze across the table. “I’m working with a group of young people who set up a phone tap. We’ve got the assistant and the sister talking about their plans; we just can’t use it without all of us going to jail.”
“So what’s your plan?” Crimshaw asked.
“The FBI only stalled DuPont for one day. He’s planning on putting up a ransom tomorrow. I�
�m going to call on him and tell him we’ve got a lead and strongly advise him not to put up the ransom. He’ll, of course, share this information with his assistant and sister-in-law. We follow them; we find the baby.”
“It could work,” Crimshaw said.
“Yeah, and a thousand things could go wrong,” Frost added. “When are you meeting with DuPont?”
“Right before the office closes at six. I figure his assistant will stick around when she sees me there and then call the shots. I’ll follow her. I need someone to follow the sister.”
“There’s always text messaging and phones,” Crimshaw said. “They don’t really have to go anywhere.”
“We’ve got that covered,” Alex said.
Frost eyed her over his drink. “Not going by the book, Fox?”
She met his gaze. “I threw the book away.”
Frost turned his gaze on Crimshaw, who nodded. “Call DuPont and make an appointment. That way, they’ll be expecting something. Maybe make them a little nervous, but not nervous enough to do anything. You still staying with Sergeant Adams?”
Alex nodded.
“Our shift ends at four, and thanks to cutbacks, we’ve got three days off. We’ll meet you at your house at four thirty.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Alex made the call and set up her appointment with DuPont before heading back to the house. She wanted to give the group one more chance to leave and not be involved.
Gabriella met her at the door. “There’s a phone call you need to hear.”
Alex followed her to the dining room, where the group was strangely quiet. “Reefer, play the call for her.”
Reefer hit the play button on the recorder.
“Hello.”
“Something’s up. That stupid detective is coming by to see Nicholas this afternoon. I checked her out with a friend of mine, and she’s legit.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Just what we planned, unless I tell you otherwise. As soon as the ransom goes live, poor Emma takes a dive down the steps.”
“I’d rather do the overdose, or maybe we could just put her in a coma and Nicholas could divorce her. After all, she is my sister.”
“You came to me for help, and I offered you a way out. Do you want that money or not?”
Alex cringed as the first woman whined again.
“If I don’t pay them, they’ll kill me.”
“Then just do what you’re told. As soon as the bitch is dead, we’ll get rid of that damn kid and cover our tracks. No one will think anything of the baby being found dead.”
A cruel laugh came over the line, and Alex gasped.
“When Momma died, the kidnappers got scared. End of story, and I’ll live the rest of my life making Nicholas a very unhappy man.”
“What about the cop?”
The line was silent for only a second. “She likes tea. I’ll make sure she gets a cup that takes care of the problem.” She laughed again. “People die in car wrecks all the time.”
Alex pulled out a chair and sat down. “We know they took at least the DuPont baby, so there has to be someone else involved besides just the two of them. I thought it was the midwives, but…”
Gabriella ripped a note from her notebook and passed it to Reefer. “Anders insinuated there was someone after Newcomb that wanted money. Morgan caught it when he listened to the first call. She called them ‘goons’, and I’m going to go out on a limb and guess it’s the mob. See what you can dig up.”
“Did we ever get those juvenile files open?” Alex asked.
Reefer shook his head. “I can try again. They didn’t keep the files online back then, just the case numbers. Odds are the information has been purged from the system, and after all this time, the files were probably destroyed.”
Alex shook her head. “No, don’t bother. Find out what’s up in Newcomb’s life. It has to be pretty serious for her to agree to kill her own sister.”
Gabriella pulled out the chair next to her and sat down. “I think you’re right, Alex. Even if the files are still there, it’s almost impossible to get sealed records open here, especially if they’re juvenile records. Sometimes even a court order won’t do it. There may be another way, but it will take time, and we’re running out of time.”
“That’s what I was going to tell you. We’ll have two more officers joining us about four thirty. I have a rendezvous with DuPont at five thirty.” She glanced around the room, meeting each gaze individually. “I’ll understand if any of you want to bail.”
Gabriella spoke for the group. “We aren’t going anywhere until you find those babies.”
Alex smiled her appreciation. “Once I meet with DuPont, things should start happening rather quickly. The two officers, Frost and Crimshaw, will be shadowing Newcomb and Anders. I originally intended to follow one of them, but I’m going to have to find a way to get Emma DuPont out of that house before they kill her.”
Reefer passed her a package. “We’ll use these.”
Alex opened the box and stared at the tiny items. “What are they?”
“Earbuds. Each of us will have one. We can hear each other and stay in constant contact that way.”
“Wow,” Alex said, picking up one of the buds. “I’ve seen these on TV, but never in real life. Does the FBI use them?”
Reefer grinned. “They use something similar. I picked up a few tricks from Hardison.”
Alex raised an eyebrow. “Who?”
“The TV show Leverage. They use them all the time.” He took the bud from her and pushed a button on his control. “Put it in your ear.”
Alex fit the tiny bud inside her right ear. “What now?”
Reefer picked up another one and walked toward the back door. “Give me a minute.”
In less than a minute, Alex heard his voice inside her ear. “Bloody hell, that’s so cool.”
Reefer came back in. “That will keep us all in touch without having to worry about phones. I even hooked up Sams and Morgan through the computer.”
“What’s the range on them?” Alex asked.
“Don’t worry about that. We’ll all be in range constantly,” Gabriella said.
For the first time, Alex noticed that part of the equipment was sitting in a box on the table. “Oh, no. No way are you kids getting involved in this. I need you here to monitor the phones.”
“We’re already involved,” Reefer said. “Gavin will stay here and monitor the phones. The rest of us will be in the field so we can split up and cover all the bases. It’s the only way this is going to work.”
Alex stood. “Then we’ll have to find another way.”
Gabriella intervened, “We know how to stay out of the way. Our job will just be to monitor and report anything to you and the other officers. Trust us, Alex, you won’t even know we’re there.”
“Where’s Nobby?” Alex asked, glancing around the room. She really needed his help in nixing this. “And where’s Tamara?”
Gabriella averted her eyes. “They were here when the call came in. The old man insisted on trying to get the wife out. Tamara went with him.”
“Blimey!” Alex grabbed her phone. “Why didn’t you tell me that immediately?”
“They have the earbuds. If you put yours in, you can talk to them,” Reefer said. “They’ve pretty much heard everything we said.”
Alex heard a soft chuckle in her right ear. “Nobby, what the hell are you doing?”
“My job. And watching your back.”
“Well turn around and get back here now.”
“Coming up to the gate now. Gotta go, honey.”
Alex glanced at the group sitting around the table. “Is Tamara really an undercover FBI agent?”
Gabriella nodded. “She and Reefer had been working undercover on a case on campus. Gavin and I have been helping them as much as we could. They were there when Dad called, and got permission to help. I figured we could use them, and under the circumstances, you needed a buffer betw
een you and the FBI just in case something comes up.”
Alex lowered her head to her hands. Was Nobby trying to get himself killed? Always wanted to go out in a blaze of glory. She raised her head. “If anything happens to Nobby, I’ll never forgive myself.”
Reefer laughed. “With Tamara around, nothing is going to happen to Nobby or Mrs. DuPont.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Wanda tossed her cell phone on the bed, pushed a stray hair behind her ear, and returned to packing her bag.
“Who was that?”
“Just a little problem, sweetheart, but it’s under control.”
“The detective?”
Wanda smiled. “I told you if she became a problem, someone would take care of her.”
She heard his sigh and turned to study her husband. “Are you okay, Ted?”
“No, I’m not. No one was supposed to get hurt. There’s five bodies out there already.” His voice quivered slightly. “Including a baby girl.”
Wanda closed the suitcase. “That was an accident, Ted, and the old woman died of natural causes.”
“Maybe, but it wouldn’t have happened if they hadn’t scared the hell out of all of us with their threats. And what about Bridgett and the women at the midwives’ office? Were they an accident, too, or was that just natural causes?”
Wanda shrugged, her mind spinning quickly on how to defuse the situation. She needed Ted to reroute that transfer when the ransom was paid. “She wanted more money. They all wanted more money.” She walked toward him, her lips parted in a smile. “Our money, darling. This is our chance, sweetie. Our only chance to get Sabrina and Carissa out of our lives forever.” She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. “All we have to do is wait. You can do that, can’t you? For me?”
He pulled her arms from his neck and stepped away from her. “Call them back, Wanda. Nobody else dies, or I’m out.”
She watched him walk away, her lips pressing into a hard line. If he weren’t still necessary, she would let Carissa take care of him right away. She would do that anyway once Wanda disappeared and they found the ransom money was gone.
Tragic Deception (Deception Series Book 1) Page 8
