When Wishes Collide

by Barbara Freethy

  "Well, at least you're taking steps."

  "Exactly."

  Lindsay set down her coffee cup. "I'm going to spin class."

  "I hope you can breathe after the cigarettes you've been sneaking," she said, following her to the door.

  "It was only a few, and I'm getting a nicotine patch later today."

  "Good."

  Lindsay gave her a hug. "If the hot cop wants to kiss you again, don't say no."

  "Linds –"

  "And if you want to kiss him, don't wait to be asked. That's my advice."

  "Did I ask for it?" she grumbled.

  "No, but we're sisters, so you get unsolicited advice."

  "I think I'm going to regret calling you my sister."

  Lindsay laughed. "See you later, Adrianna."

  "Bye," she said, shutting the door.

  As she walked across the room, she realized she was still smiling. It had been a long time since she'd smiled for so long. And she knew it wasn't just because of Lindsay, it was also because of Wyatt.

  She touched her fingers to her lips. His kisses hadn't been just good; they'd been great. And she really did want to kiss him again. But she wasn't going to take Lindsay's advice – not yet anyway. First, they needed to find Wyatt's daughter.

  Chapter Eleven

  Josh was at his desk when Wyatt arrived at the station Saturday morning.

  "What are you doing here?" Wyatt asked. "Aren't you off today?"

  "We made an arrest last night for the robbery/homicide at Vincenzo's."

  He was more than a little surprised. "Really? I had no idea you were close to making an arrest. What happened?"

  "A witness came forward late yesterday afternoon. She's the ex-girlfriend of one of the two teenage males involved. She said they didn't think anyone was inside the restaurant. When they were confronted, one of them got nervous and took a shot. They had no idea they had killed someone until they heard the news."

  "Why did she wait so long to come forward?"

  "She said she was afraid of her boyfriend, but that she's moving away, and she wanted to get this off her chest before she left."

  "Is she credible? Or does she just want to bust her boyfriend?"

  "Her story checks out, and she gave me the gun. It's in Forensics now. We found her boyfriend and his buddy at the bar where they work. Boyfriend tried to run when he saw us. The other one is willing to talk about how he didn't pull the trigger, but his friend did."

  Wyatt nodded. "You've been up all night, haven't you?"

  "Yeah, tell me why nothing ever breaks in the middle of the day, preferably a work day and not on the weekend?"

  He smiled in sympathy. "At least you've solved the case."

  "I didn't solve it. The answers were given to me. I just got lucky someone was willing to come forward."

  "It doesn't matter how it happened. The victim gets justice. Two criminals are off the street. That's a good day in my book." He paused, as he remembered his conversation with Adrianna. "Was there any connection between the two men and the victim?"

  "No, why do you ask?"

  "The unlocked door."

  "Apparently, just an oversight," Josh replied. "Victim's record clean as a whistle." He tilted his head. "Unless you know something I don't know?"

  "I don't. Adrianna said her boyfriend was distracted that night. She didn't know why."

  "She asked me about his cell phone, but the only calls he made or received were to his parents, and they had no connection with the shooter."

  At least Adrianna would get some closure, he thought, but it would still be difficult for her to accept that two young men had taken the life of someone she loved with such casual disregard. "Well, I'm glad it's done."

  "Everything but the paperwork." Josh rolled his head around on his shoulders and cleared his throat. "What are you doing down here?"

  "I found one of the kids – the boy. His name is Ben. His mother's name is Rebecca Mooney. Mooney was her maiden name. Raymond is her married name. But the important thing is that she went to school with Jennifer."

  Josh's eyes widened. "No shit! So the girl we saw on the video is really Stephanie?"

  "Yes," his nerves tingling at the thought of how close he was to finding his daughter. "And Ben identified the woman who took her as Jennifer. I need to find out everything I can about Rebecca, where she's been living, who she knows, how she pays her bills, everything. She's the connection to Jen. We find Rebecca, we have a good chance of finding Jennifer."

  "The kid doesn't know where his mother is?"

  "No, apparently she disappears every couple of weeks for a few days. I'm thinking she's involved in some type of escort service. Ben said his mom usually isn't gone very long, but this time she's been missing about two weeks. Not long after his mother left, a woman showed up saying she was Emily's mother – he thinks of Stephanie as Emily."

  "Okay, go on."

  "This other woman, whose name Ben doesn't recall, said she was taking Emily back, but Emily-Stephanie threw a fit. She didn't want to leave her friends. So the woman also took Sara, Ben's sister, with her. She said she would watch them until Ben's mother got back."

  Josh held up a hand. "I'm confused. How many women are we talking about?"

  "Just two – Jen and Rebecca."

  "And three kids?"

  "Yes, and one of them is Stephanie, but she was living under the name Emily."

  "The other two are Ben and Sara."

  "Right. Stephanie was apparently staying with Ben and Sara when Jen was somewhere else – God knows where."

  Josh shook his head, his expression filled with disgust. "Jen steals your child and then just leaves her somewhere? I could kill her."

  "Get in line," he said grimly.

  "So where is Ben now?"

  "He's with Adrianna."

  "The chef from Vincenzo's?" Josh said.

  "Yes, she's been helping me," he said, trying to ignore the new curiosity in Josh's eyes. "I used her as bait. I figured the kids might come out of the shadows if they saw her again in the alley behind the restaurant. And I was right."

  "So, that's it? She's just – bait?" Josh asked.

  He let out a sigh at the pointed look in Josh's eyes. "I don't have time for this right now."

  "My questions? Or Adrianna? Because the two of you seem to be very close."

  "Adrianna is helping me."

  "Is that why you took her to the engagement party last night? I called Summer to tell her I was sorry I missed the party, and she filled me on you and some beautiful brunette that you couldn't take your eyes off of. She said you disappeared upstairs for over an hour."

  "Summer talks too much."

  "Summer also said she hadn't seen you smile that much in two years."

  "I don't remember smiling," he grumbled. "And it's really no one's business. Adrianna felt guilty about not asking for help when she first met the kids, so she wants to make things right."

  "That's very noble."

  "She's a good person, remarkably good," he said. He saw the knowing gleam in Josh's eyes. "I don't have time for this. I need to get to work."

  "All right," Josh said. "Give me about a half hour, and I'll help you."

  "You're exhausted. You should go home."

  "When you're so close to finding Stephanie – not a chance. What can I do?"

  "Rebecca worked at that nightclub that got shut down several months ago – Ricky's. She stripped under the name Delilah Raymond. Jen may have worked there as well. I need to find anyone who worked at the club before it closed."

  "I'll talk to the guys in vice. Maybe someone has a contact."

  "Great, thanks."

  "You know, Wyatt, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to have a woman in your life."

  "I'm still trying to recover from the last woman," he said, as he headed to his desk.

  * * *

  An hour later, Wyatt had learned a lot about Rebecca Mooney. She'd married Henry Raymond when she was twen
ty years old and had two children, Ben and Sara, who were now twelve and nine respectively. Henry had died in a car accident when Ben was eight and Sara was five. Rebecca had gone to work as an administrative assistant at a computer company that went out of business a year later. For two years, she had a record of temporary employment jobs, and then she'd started working at Ricky's. Since Ricky's had shut down eight months earlier, there was no record of Rebecca working anywhere in San Francisco. She was obviously being paid in cash for whatever she was doing, which was going to make the trail more difficult to follow.

  Frowning, he flipped through the computer looking for more information. Rebecca's last known address was for an apartment building in San Francisco, but Ben had told him that they'd been living at the motel for months, so that was no help.

  "I think I've got something," Josh said, joining him at his desk, with a piece of paper in his hand. "Kim Brady was a stripper at Ricky's. Now she works at a flower shop on Union Street, and she's working there today. I told her I was looking for some advice on flowers for my wedding. And I used your name. She's expecting you."

  "That's great," he said jumping to his feet. "Thanks."

  "No problem. I'll keep looking for other names just in case this doesn't pan out."

  "I'll call you when I'm done."

  On his way out of the station, Wyatt called Adrianna, relieved when she answered right away. "Is Ben still with you?" he asked.

  "Yes, he's watching TV. I'm drying his clothes now. He doesn't seem to be in a rush to leave, and he's a little more relaxed since you left. What are you doing?"

  "Looking for his mother. Josh found a woman who used to work at Ricky's. I'm on my way to talk to her now. I'll call you when I'm done."

  "All right. I hope she can tell us something."

  "So do I."

  Wyatt jumped into his car and drove across town as quickly as possible. Union Street was a popular destination in San Francisco, offering upscale boutiques, restaurants and bars. It was only a few blocks from the marina and the bay, and as he parked his car and got out, he was assailed by the aroma of seafood and sourdough bread, two smells he always associated with this part of the city.

  As he walked into the flower shop, he saw an attractive redhead arranging flowers at the front counter. "Kim Brady?" he asked.

  "Can I help you?" she asked.

  "I hope you can," he said, flashing her his badge. "Wyatt Randall."

  "You called about wedding flowers?"

  "Actually, I'm looking for information. Did you work at Ricky's?"

  She frowned. "That was a long time ago."

  "Try eight months ago."

  "I've turned my life around. I don't want to be involved with anything that went down at Ricky's."

  Ignoring her comment, he continued on. "Did you know Delilah Raymond aka Rebecca Mooney?"

  "I knew Becky," she said shortly, not offering up any more information.

  He pulled out Jen's picture and held it up. "What about this woman?"

  "That's Carly."

  He felt a rush of adrenaline pound through his veins. Finally, he had a name. "What was her last name?"

  "I don't think I ever knew."

  "When did you last see her?"

  "Probably the day Ricky's closed."

  "Do you know where Carly or Becky is now?"

  "I never had Carly's number, and Becky's phone has been out of service for a while."

  "What about an address for either one?"

  "Becky was staying at a motel in North Beach. I don't remember the name. I don't know where Carly lived. Except for Becky, Carly kept to herself." Kim paused, as if debating whether or not to tell him more. "What's this about?"

  "Carly kidnapped a child," he said. "I'm trying to find her."

  Kim looked shocked. "Are you kidding me?"

  "No, I'm not. It's very important that you cooperate."

  "That little girl called her Mommy."

  His heart jumped into his throat. "You saw the child?"

  "A few times. They would wait in the dressing room until we were done."

  He couldn't believe Jen had left Stephanie in the dressing room of a strip club.

  "The boss didn't like it when she did that, but Carly and Becky had trouble with babysitters. They tried to cover for each other, but that didn't always work out."

  "Where do you think they are now?"

  Kim hesitated. "I've changed my life around. I don't move in their circles anymore. It's been almost a year since I saw either one of them."

  "Just think. I can't emphasize enough how critical your help could be."

  She weighed his words for a long moment, then said. "One of the older strippers, Constance, started an escort service called Premiere Connections. She had met some high rollers during her days at Ricky's and other places, so she had a very exclusive clientele made up of celebrities, athletes, and wealthy businessmen who needed women to accompany them to events or on trips. Sometimes girls were needed to travel to foreign destinations. She made it sound like a dream job."

  Kim opened a drawer below the counter and took out her purse. She fiddled through her wallet and removed a business card. "This is the contact number I had. I was tempted, but I never called it. I wanted to do something that didn't require me to take my clothes off. But I think Becky made the call. She was desperate for money. She had two kids to take care of, and she didn't feel like she had any options. I'm not sure about Carly."

  "Is there anything else you can tell me? What about places you all used to hang out?"

  "I can give you a list." She pulled out a piece of paper and a pen and started writing. "Joe's Diner was a popular hangout for an early dinner before the shows."

  He started at the mention of the diner. Adrianna had suggested last night that they go down there. She certainly had good instincts.

  "Elton's Bar had a great happy hour with free food Monday through Friday," Kim continued. "We could usually get some guys to buy us drinks, and then we'd eat for free."

  As Kim rattled off locations in San Francisco, Wyatt felt a wave of sadness that Jen's life had sunk to such a low level and that she'd taken his daughter with her.

  "The Graceland Apartments were a block away from the club," Kim said. "A lot of the girls lived there. I think Carly might have been there for a while." She jotted down the name. "The only other thing I remember about Carly is that she used to spend a lot of time with one of the customers. His name was Brad. He was a music promoter or something like that. Carly told me she wanted to be a singer."

  He couldn't believe Jen was still chasing that dream. She had a nice voice, but nothing that special. "I really appreciate this."

  "Just don't tell anyone where you got the information. I don't need any trouble. I worked really hard to get this job, to get out of that life. I don’t want to go back."

  He nodded. "I won't mention your name."

  He walked out of the florist shop, pausing on the sidewalk to pull out his phone. His first call was to Josh. "Ever heard of Premiere Connections? Apparently, it's an escort service one of the strippers at Ricky's started. Kim Brady thinks that Rebecca Mooney otherwise known as Delilah Raymond went to work there."

  "I can look into it," Josh said, "Anything else?"

  "Quite a bit actually. Kim gave me a list of places to check. She identified Jen from her picture as someone named Carly. Carly spent time with a music promoter named Brad. Apparently, she still thought she could be a singer."

  "Well, at least she was sober enough to have some goal," Josh replied.

  "Kim said that Carly and Rebecca were friends, that Rebecca watched Carly's daughter. She also said that Carly had told everyone she was running away from an abusive husband." It still burned that Jen could lie about him so easily. He had never once laid a finger on her. She was the one who'd thrown a vase at his head and almost knocked him out.

  "We're finally getting somewhere."

  He sighed. "I should be happy, but I'm tired of chasing
clues. I want to find my daughter already. It's been so damn long."

  "You will, Wyatt. You're getting close. I can feel it."

  "I hope so. I'll check back in later."

  * * *

  "Hey, Ben, what do you think about getting some lunch?" Adrianna stopped in the doorway of her bedroom, staring at the empty bed. The TV was still on, but there was no Ben. Shaking her head, she moved down the hall. She'd just come from the bathroom, and the door was still open, the room empty. The living room and kitchen were equally silent.

  Ben was gone.

  She opened the door to her apartment and stepped into the hall. Jogging down the stairs, she went all the way outside, looking both ways down the block. There was no sign of Ben.

  Damn!

  She'd only been in the bathroom a few minutes, but he'd obviously grabbed that opportunity to leave. She'd thought he was beginning to trust her, but he'd played her. He could be anywhere by now. She'd been in the bathroom at least twenty minutes.

  Walking back into her building, she slowly climbed the stairs to her apartment. Wyatt was not going to be happy. All he'd asked her to do was watch Ben, and she'd screwed it up.

  As if on cue, her phone rang, and Wyatt's number came up on the screen.

  "Hello," she said.

  "I got some new information," he said, his voice laced with excitement. "I'm on my way over to your place."

  "Great," she said, wondering if she should tell him now or later that Ben had taken off.

  "I'll see you in a few minutes," he said.

  So, she'd tell him later, hoping that by some miracle Ben would reappear in the next several minutes. At least he hadn't left hungry, she thought, as she cleared the empty popcorn bowl from the coffee table.

  She probably shouldn't have been surprised that he'd left. She might have done the same thing when she was his age. He'd had a meal. His clothes were clean, and there were two adults that could take away his freedom at any moment by calling in a social worker. That was the last thing Ben wanted. She just hoped he would be all right. She liked him, and she felt a kinship to his circumstances. His father had died. His mother had struggled. It wasn't his fault he'd been born into a life of need and loneliness. He deserved more than that.