“Along with the police, the Child Protective Services worker, and the ambulance driver...oh, oh.” Janie rose and began to pace, hand to mouth.
Ethel eyed her. “Are you thinking...?”
She sat back down. “Uh, huh.”
Betsy Ann’s eyes darted between them. “What?”
“The switch happened on the way to the hospital.” Janie scribbled down the info as she spoke. “According to Blake, there were no stolen vans reported. The investigators surmise the ambulance that the smugglers absconded the night before to kill the girl and steal her kidneys also arrived when the call came in here at Sunset Acres to pick up the newborn. In the commotion, does anyone ever get a good look at the emergency techs?”
The other two answered in union. “No.”
Ethel cleared her throat. “But why make the switch? Why did they care about the baby in the first place?”
“I don’t know. Unless she wasn’t conceived in a prostitution act. Maybe Nanu fell in love with one of the harvesters, and it’s his child.”
Ethel rocked back, hands folded over her waist. “I don’t buy it. He wouldn’t kill her then.”
Betsy Ann shook her head. “Oh, this is getting complicated. Like a soap opera.”
Janie tapped the clicker end of her pen on the tabletop. “Ethel, call Mildred. See if she can join us.”
“You want me to come, too?”
“Absolutely. The more the merrier.”
She pouted. “I’m not a baby person, you know.”
Janie gave her a sympathetic smile. “I know, but Mildred is more likely to tag along if you’re with us. Besides, we can grab food at the diner on the way.”
Ethel’s countenance brightened. “Good idea. I’m in the mood for pot roast.”
Janie laughed. “When are you not?”
~*~
The foursome chatted over lunch about summer plans and their pets. Mildred’s demeanor had greatly improved now that she’d settled in her new condo. “It is so light and airy compared to the garden home. I think I actually like the floor plan better and I don’t miss the back patio all that much.”
Betsy Ann chimed in. “Too much maintenance potting plants and sweeping.”
“It will relieve my mind to see that sweet baby in a good home and cared for. Broke my heart the way someone abandoned her. Swaddled in a plastic bag in that cold bathtub, all alone in the world.” Her eyes became damp and she fanned the emotion away.
“Do you think you will recognize her?” Janie dashed a glance in Ethel’s direction and then returned her attention to Mildred.
“Oh, absolutely. I held the wee tot while it cried before the ambulance came. I think we bonded.”
Ethel dabbed her mouth with her napkin. “Well, then. We’d better get going. Don’t want to be late, now.”
The four left tips, paid at the register, and marched out of the restaurant on their mission of goodwill...and well, sleuthing from the perspective of three of them.
When they reached the stoop, Amber opened the screen door and ushered the women in with a hushing sound. “Aisha is still napping. May I get you something to eat or drink?”
Janie placed her hand to her stomach. “Not for me. We just finished a late lunch at the diner.”
Amber’s eyes moved from face to face. The other three declined. Betsy Ann stepped forward. “This is Ethel and Mildred, our friends who also live at Sunset Acres. In fact, Mildred found the baby.”
Mildred extended her hand. “Well, not exactly. But I lived next door and when the leasing agent discovered her in the bathtub, she came and got me.”
Amber clutched her hand with both of hers. “Then I’m so grateful. Newborns cannot thrive very long on their own. If you hadn’t been close by to help, well, I...” she gulped, “I just don’t know.”
Janie interrupted the scene before they all were reduced to tears. “Let’s sit, shall we?”
“Of course. This way. Make yourselves comfortable.”
Mildred whispered loud enough for Janie and Ethel to hear. “I like her.”
Ethel gave her a nod then turned to wink at Janie.
Once seated, Janie broached the topic. “So, remind me. How did you and your husband come to be foster parents of newborns?”
Amber’s face took on a tender smile. “We are both the eldest in large family so we’re used to caring for our younger siblings. Three years ago, the doctors told us we couldn’t have children of our own.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. My niece is in the same boat.” Betsy Ann pouted. “But why not adopt?”
“We talked about it, and maybe one day we will. It’s so horribly expensive. We’re placing money in savings, but that may take a good long while. So, in the meantime, this is a way to fill our home with joy and offer love to someone who started out in life at a disadvantage.”
“How many have you fostered?”
“Aisha is number six. We usually keep them about eight or nine weeks. The last one however, had special needs, and he stayed seven months. We named him Joseph. It hurt to see him go, but the family who adopted him especially wanted a child with disabilities. God has a way of matching each one to the right parent, you know?”
All four ladies responded with an “hmm” sound.
A small coo came through the baby monitor. Amber leapt to her feet. “Well, looks like someone is up and wants to join the party. I’ll be right back.”
She left the room. The biddies all smiled at each other. Mildred clucked. “What a wonderful young woman. She oozes with caring and love, doesn’t she?”
“That she does.” Ethel grinned. “Thank you for letting us tag along this time, Janie.”
“Yes, Janie. Thanks. My mind is relieved now.” Mildred sniffled and grabbed a hankie from her purse.
Amber returned with a wiggly bundle in her arms. The room took on the smell of talcum powder. “Here she is. Aisha, say hi to the ladies.”
The small thing cooed as if on cue.
Mildred held out her hands. “May I?”
“Why of course.” Amber carried the baby to her as Janie, Ethel, and Betsy Ann held their breaths in anticipation.
Their friend took the child and pulled back the blanket to peer into her face. Her eyes widened into her eyebrows as her cheeks lost all color. “Oh my. No.”
“What’s wrong, Mildred.”
She raised her gaze to Janie, then Ethel, and to Amber. “This is not the same baby.” Her voice quivered. “Not at all.”
Aisha let out a frightened cry in reaction to Mildred’s shrill revelation.
Amber’s mouth dropped open. She snatched Aisha and raised her to her shoulder, patting her bottom.
Mildred plopped back into couch cushions, her fist shoved to her lips as tears streamed down her face.
Betsy Ann wrapped an arm around her and drew her close.
Janie and Ethel stared into each other’s eyes. Janie swallowed. “Time to notify Blake, I think.”
“Who is Blake?” Amber sat on the edge of the side chair, rocking the baby.
Ethel answered first. “Her son-in-law, the chief detective for the Alamoville Police Department.”
Janie let out a long sigh. “I’m afraid this may be part of a crime he’s been investigating.”
Amber rose on shaky legs. “I need to call my husband.”
“Yes, that would be a good idea.” Janie gave her a dash of a smile.
Amber tapped her finger over her phone’s keypad and raised it to her ear, holding Aisha with the other hand. She exited the room, so only the anxious tone of her voice could be detected. A moment later she returned. “Joe’s on his way. He’s also calling our attorney.” She sunk to the chair and cuddled the child. “Oh dear what’s going to happen?”
“We don’t know.”
Amber wept quietly. Janie shouldered her and told her all would be all right. “Just because this baby isn’t the one found in our community doesn’t mean it isn’t one you should take care of until her parents step f
orward or someone adopts her.”
Through red-rimmed blinks, her eyes fixed on Janie’s face. “The hospital couldn’t have made such a horrendous mistake. Could they? What if Aisha belongs to someone else?”
“I doubt it. I’m sorry I reacted so strongly. Just a shock, that’s all.” Mildred patted her forehead with a folded hankie to absorb the droplets of nervous perspiration.
Ethel swiveled toward her. “How can you be so sure?”
“I told you, I bonded with the wee thing. I studied her face as I calmed her and gave her my knuckle to suck. It’s been a few weeks, grant you, but this one doesn’t look at all the same.”
Janie released the worried foster mother from her hug. “So that’s why the DNA showed...”
Amber shot to her feet. “DNA? What on earth are you people playing with here? Is this why you wanted to visit the first time?”
“Amber, relax. Please sit back down.”
“What did you do to her? That’s why she cried. Isn’t it?”
Janie’s voice took on a calming, grandmotherly tone. “We only swabbed the inside of her cheek.”
“Without my permission?” She hugged the baby tighter to her chest. “Oh, just wait until the police arrive. I plan to file a complaint.”
Ethel gazed out the window. “They’re here.”
A squad car pulled up and two doors closed. Janie eyed her friends as footsteps drew closer and someone tapped on the front door.
Amber shot the women an angry glare and went to let the officers inside.
Betsy Ann mouthed, “Are we in trouble?”
Janie answered with a small shake of her head.
Two uniformed policemen entered the room, their forms towering and formidable. “Hello, ma’am. I’m Sergeant Phil Edwards and this is Officer Mike Martin.” He scanned the room, and when his gaze fell on Janie, he tipped his hat. “Mrs. Manson.”
Amber raised her voice. “You know her?”
“Yes’m. Her son is my boss. Now, what is this all about?”
The young foster mother opened her mouth, but no words spilled out of it. Aisha whimpered in her arms and she re-positioned her to a cradling hold.
Janie rose and stood as tall as possible to eye the policeman straight on. “A simple misunderstanding. It seems Mildred, my friend,” she waved her hand in that direction, “had a bit of a shock. We thought we were visiting the baby abandoned in a vacant garden home in our retirement village...”
“Yes, we know about that. It is still under investigation.” He cocked a bushy eyebrow. “The Raymonds are court-appointed to care for the child until the parents can be located or she is deemed by the court to be a ward of the state.”
“Well, sir, you see therein lies the problem.”
Mildred stomped over to join the conversation. Her finger shook as she raised it toward Amber and Aisha. “That is not the same baby I helped find. I swear it.”
A wham of the door hitting the wall sounded and Joe Raymond rushed into the room. He slipped a protective arm around his wife and the infant as he drew them to him. His glare aimed at the policemen. “What’s going on?”
Amber sniffled.
“Honey? What are these women and the police doing here?”
Janie rolled her eyes and sat back down. She suspected it would be a long afternoon.
~*~
An hour later the Raymonds had calmed down enough not to file a formal complaint. The same Child Protective Services agent who had been at the hospital arbitrated the discussion and assured the foster parents they had a legal right to care for Aisha. “Of course we will go over the records, but I assure you there is no cause for alarm. No parents claimed they left with the wrong baby as far as we know.”
“How many were in the NICU that day? I seem to recall six.”
“You possess an excellent memory, Mrs. Manson. That sounds about right. And little Aisha here and one other blond-headed, blue eyed infant were the only girls. The others were boys.”
Amber’s tense jaw lessened. “So there could be no mistake.”
The Child Protective Service lady’s mouth formed the word “no.”
“But I know in my heart this is not the one I held the morning the leasing agent discovered her in the bathtub.” Mildred placed her hand on the left side of her chest.
“I have no explanation to give you. The hospital called me when she arrived, and I’m confident this is the child the ambulance personnel brought in. The mole on her lip confirms it.”
“Exactly,” Mildred whispered. “And the one I had in my arms didn’t have one. That I know for a fact.”
Everyone stared at each other. The only sound in the room became Aisha’s soft baby grunts.
Janie wrung her hands. “It’s as I thought. The babies were switched en route. That’s the only logical explanation.”
“But how?” Mildred and Amber responded in unison.
“Yes. That’s the question, isn’t it. But more importantly, why?”
THIRTY-THREE
Blake yelled into the receiver. “Say what?”
Each of his underling detectives stopped in the middle of their work and gazed into his office. He ran his hand through his hair as the caller on the other end explained.
“Fine. I’ll be over there in a few minutes. Tell everyone to stay put, especially my mother-in-law.”
He stomped into the common area. “Hemphill, grab your jacket.”
“Yes, sir.” The detective snatched his from his chair.
Blake shoved his arms through his and stormed out of the room, muttering under his breath.
Hemphill shuffled to match his boss’s long strides. “What’s up?”
“Janie has gotten her neck in a noose again. This time, she’s at the home of the foster parents along with several of her Bunco buddies. So are Child Protective Services as well as Edwards and Martin.”
His partner whistled. “I gather it’s not a party.”
Blake scoffed. “According to Mildred Fletcher, the baby is not the same one she and the leasing agent reported as abandoned.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes, Connor. Seriously. Something about a missing mole on the side of her mouth? Janie claims the babies were switched on the ride to the hospital. It fits her idea that the perps removed the mother’s organs en route from the YWCA and then dumped her at the convenience store.”
Hemphill opened the passenger side of the door. “Then used the same stolen vehicle to pick up the newborn found the next morning?”
Blake slid into the driver’s side and clicked his safety belt. “That’s her theory.”
“But why?”
Blake glanced at Hemphill and then turned the ignition. “That’s what we must find out, isn’t it?”
“We verified no ambulances were reported missing.”
“Right. Which means the emergency technicians are real. They must be part of this harvesting ring and making money on the side. Call Jenkins. Tell him to get a warrant to search the personnel records of the two companies who operate in this area. I also want the mileage logs cross-referenced with service calls. Tell him to get Wilson to help him.”
“Got it.” Hemphill pulled out his cell.
“Oh, tell Wilson to first visit Centex Rural Realty and get a description of the vehicle and the attendants from Louise Oliver, the rental agent. As soon as we get statements from everyone at the Raymonds, we’ll do the same with the hospital staff on duty when it rolled up with the baby.”
“Roger that. This may turn out to be huge, right?”
Blake slid his hat back on his head then gripped the steering wheel. “Looks like it.” He reached in his jacket and handed Hemphill his cell phone. “Here. Better contact Mike Robbins, too. Number’s in my contacts. Tell him to meet me at the office first thing in the morning. We should have something for him by then.”
~*~
Blake let Janie’s friends go, but he retained her. “Tell them to drive your car home. I’ll drop you off late
r. There are some things we should hash out.”
Mildred bit her lip. “I’m sorry I raised such a ruckus.”
He smiled. “Nonsense, Mrs. Fletcher. You just opened a can of worms, but it could be the bait we need to catch some international criminals.”
Janie’s eye twinkled. “Then you suspect as I do?”
“Yes. Let’s go over all the details, and I might let you do some grunt work at the station.”
“OK.” She wiggled her fingers at her friends and raised her shoulders to her ears.
She reminded Blake of an anticipatory child on Christmas morning. He shot a wink to Hemphill who stifled a grin as he pocketed his trusty notepad. “I’ll take the backseat, Mrs. Manson. You sit up front with your son-in-law. That way the neighbors won’t think we’re arresting you.”
Blake opened the car door for her and then slid in the other side. “You can start by doing me a favor.”
“And that is?” She swiveled to face him.
“Call my wife and explain to her why I won’t be home for dinner. You’re her mom, so she won’t yell at you.”
Janie laughed. “Drive through Bucket of Burgers, then?”
“Right. We’ll get enough for the whole department. It’s gonna be a long night. You sure you’re up to it?”
She set her chin. “Absolutely.”
“That’s my gal.” He started the engine.
~*~
Janie worked with Wilson on the ambulance logs while Blake and Hemphill went to interview the hospital staff on duty. Luckily, since that night was the same day of the week as when the newborn arrived, most of them were on shift. Two were not, so Blake called and got their statements over the phone. Comparing notes, the graphic artist’s program generated depictions of two men both in their early twenties with straight, black hair and dark brown eyes. One had a slightly lighter complexion and spoke with a near east accent. Six people guessed them to be from India, but one licensed vocational nurse named Travis knew one of them to be from Nepal.
“His name is Rajarshi, but he goes by Raj. He’s studying at the university to become a forensic doctor but doing emergency technician work on the side.”
Baby Bunco Page 17
