The Baby Scheme

by Jacqueline Diamond

“Who exactly are you working for?”

  “Kevin’s representing a client. I’m freelancing,” Alli answered.

  After a moment of internal debate, the woman allowed them inside. “I’m going to take a chance on you two because I don’t know where else to turn.”

  “Thank you,” she said.

  They entered a large entryway with a sunken living room to their left and a dining room to the right. Straight ahead, beneath a skylight, plants ringed an atrium.

  The decor suited its owner: flowing pastel colors and sleek furnishings, original paintings and sculptures, a few books arranged tastefully on a glass shelf. Alli hoped her shoes hadn’t picked up any dirt, because the carpet was off-white.

  “Anybody want coffee? I have a feeling we’re going to need some.” Cathy led them through the sunlit court into a large kitchen done in shades of amber glass, industrial steel and oak. On a peninsula counter, fragrant coffee dripped into a pot. “It’s an imported blend. Would you like my specialty? It’s a—never mind. You didn’t come here for a mocha-frappa whatsis. Tell me what you’re doing.”

  With his dark jacket and broad shoulders, Kevin dominated the kitchen despite—or perhaps because of—his stillness, Alli noted. She let him speak first. He outlined their investigation so far, including their meetings with Abernathy and the reverend, and the discovery that Dr. Graybar had recently repaid massive debts.

  As he talked, the vice-mayor moved around the kitchen, pouring coffee and setting out sweetener, cream, napkins, mugs and spoons. Her attentive air yielded to a flare of anger when they mentioned the possibility of a connection between the doctor and the mayor.

  “You think LeMott’s got something to do with this blackmail business?” she demanded. “That Graybar might have sold him confidential patient information?”

  “It’s speculative at this point,” Kevin said. “That’s where we’re hoping you can help put us on the right track.”

  “If that weasel of a man had anything to do with this, I’ll make sure he’ll never get elected to anything again in this town.” After handing them drinks with a slightly shaky hand, Cathy perched on a stool opposite them.

  “You’ve heard about the threats,” Alli guessed. “Your daughter must have received one.”

  “You don’t miss much, do you?” She picked up her mug, then put it down again. “Frankly, I’m so desperate I didn’t know what to do. I’ve been at my wit’s end since Friday.”

  “What happened?” Kevin asked. Alli took a small tape machine from her purse.

  “This is off the record,” the vice-mayor said.

  She put the machine away. “Mind if I take some notes for background?” she asked. “I’ll respect your confidence but I don’t have a photographic memory.”

  Their hostess nodded. Glad that she’d established a reputation for respecting confidences, Alli produced a small pad and pen, while Kevin did the same.

  “Annette and Hobie—that’s my son-in-law—adopted twin boys through Dr. Graybar a year ago,” Cathy explained. “They were trying to start a family, when Annette had to have a hysterectomy. I’ll spare you the medical details, but believe me, the operation was essential. After the trauma of discovering her sterility, she couldn’t bear to wait years and go through all that rigmarole for a regular adoption, assuming they could find a healthy baby in this country. I’d heard about Dr. Graybar and I recommended she try him.”

  “They were able to adopt quickly?” Alli inquired.

  Cathy swallowed a long draft of coffee. “A few months, that’s all. And they were lucky enough to find twin boys, which was fabulous. I adore my grandsons. Everything seemed to be going so well. And now…this.”

  “What exactly is ‘this’?” Kevin probed.

  “On Friday, I had dinner at their house. Apparently, Hobie didn’t want Annette to say anything, but I could tell she’d been crying. She broke down and explained that the adoption might be illegal, that they’ve been threatened with exposure and they had to come up with twenty thousand dollars to keep someone quiet. She asked me to loan the money to them.”

  “Did you?” he queried.

  Cathy scowled. “No. I told them they can’t go this route. The blackmailer will just come back and hit them again.”

  “How did they react?” Alli said.

  Tears glittered in her eyes. “My daughter and I have always been close. But she couldn’t accept what I told her. She acted so angry and hurt, as if the whole thing were my fault. I did promise not to go to the police, but I’m beginning to regret that. I don’t know what to do. I couldn’t sleep all weekend.”

  Cathy’s high-power personality and no-nonsense approach to handling city business had earned her the nickname the “Iron Maiden” among some of the press. However, the woman sitting across the counter was no tough-as-nails lady. She was a mother suffering for her daughter.

  “LeMott used to be involved in loan-sharking, so we figure he might be the one who loaned Dr. Graybar the money,” Alli said. “We saw a photo of them at a city council meeting, so obviously they’re acquainted, but do you know if they’re closer than that?”

  “It was me who recommended that the council honor Dr. Graybar’s work,” Cathy replied bitterly. “I’m pretty sure Le-Mott and Graybar hadn’t met before that, but they seemed to hit it off. I saw them playing golf a few days later.”

  Kevin jotted a memo. “Did you see them together on any other occasions?”

  “Not exactly. Didn’t you used to work in the police department?” the vice-mayor asked abruptly.

  “I was in the detective bureau until a few years ago,” he said.

  “I thought so! Lieutenant Vickers. The secretaries used to make bets on who could snag a date with you first,” she said. “No one ever collected as far as I know.”

  Kevin gave an embarrassed cough. “I try not to date people too close to my workplace.” City hall lay adjacent to the police station.

  “In that case, Alli must be missing a bet.” Cathy’s mouth quirked.

  “You said you didn’t exactly see LeMott and Graybar together,” Alli reminded her. “What did you mean by that?”

  “I’ll show you. Hold on a minute.” Scooting back from the counter, she vanished into another room.

  Kevin flipped through his notebook, rereading what he’d written. He didn’t need to do that, which meant he was trying to avoid a conversation. Alli could guess why.

  “You sure were cruel to those secretaries,” she teased. “They didn’t work in the police department, so what would have been the harm?”

  “I didn’t want to risk having an affair go sour and bumping into the woman every time I turned around,” he said. “I’ve seen it happen to other guys and it isn’t pretty. Don’t tell me you date guys where you work.”

  “A few times.” She hadn’t done so since joining the Outlook, mainly because she hadn’t met any likely prospects. “But I never got involved enough for it to create a problem when we parted company.”

  “Are you sure the guys felt the same way?”

  “If they did, they were gentlemen enough not to throw it in my face.” From within the house, Alli heard a copy machine humming. “Sounds like she found something.”

  “I’m glad she’s decided to trust us,” Kevin said.

  Alli doubted that either their personalities or their reputations deserved the credit for beguiling the vice-mayor. “I suspect she’d do almost anything to help her daughter.”

  “What parent wouldn’t?”

  Alli didn’t answer. When she thought about a mother, she pictured her own mom, not herself. How would she react if she had a daughter? Say, a little cutie like Kevin’s niece Fleur?

  An unfamiliar twinge in the area of her heart warned that the topic had a power of its own. So maybe she was slightly susceptible to children, Alli conceded. That didn’t mean she planned to rush to have one.

  Cathy returned with a folder. “This is strictly confidential. If anyone asks, you don’t know whe
re this came from.”

  “Someone left it on my doorstep.” Kevin accepted the folder. “Thank you.”

  Alli peered over his shoulder. Inside, she saw a hand-written list itemizing debts and creditors, with a total sum of nine hundred and fifty-five thousand dollars.

  Below the list, a different, bold hand slashed an even larger number, with the annotation “In case you overlooked anything.”

  “I don’t know what Randy Graybar’s handwriting looks like, but Klaus wrote that note at the bottom,” Cathy said. “I’ve got plenty of samples to compare it to, believe me.”

  “Where’d you find this?” Alli couldn’t believe either man would have been careless with such an incriminating document.

  The other woman gave an apologetic shrug. “I’ve never stooped to this kind of thing before, but I figured the day might come when I’d need something to hold over Klaus’s head. A while back, I was in his outer office and I noticed his secretary had stepped out and left a pile of papers to shred. I stuffed a few in my briefcase. That was the only one that looked interesting.”

  “It doesn’t prove he made a loan,” Kevin conceded. “And it certainly doesn’t prove blackmail. But it’s a start.”

  Alli hadn’t missed Cathy’s remark about wanting something to hold over the mayor’s head. “How did LeMott force you to step aside for the mayor’s position?”

  “Who says he forced me?” Her instinctive response hung in the air, unanswered. After a beat, she added, “Okay, I guess it’s obvious I didn’t step aside willingly.”

  “Did he threaten you?” Alli asked.

  “Not directly.”

  “Care to elaborate?” Kevin said.

  “He mentioned that he’d make it worth my while if I’d step aside. I told him to blow it out his ear,” the vice-mayor said. “That night, I started receiving hang-up calls at home on my unlisted number. The next night, someone rattled a window and set off my burglar alarm.”

  Alli wrote that down. “Did you call the police?”

  “I filed a report of an attempted break-in, but I didn’t mention Klaus because he hadn’t threatened me,” Cathy explained. “I can’t go making unsubstantiated accusations without hurting my credibility.”

  “Did the harassment continue?” Kevin inquired.

  “There were little things—well, not all that little. A broken window in my car. A dead mouse on the front porch. Nothing that pointed the finger at him, but I knew who was behind it. As soon as I announced I was withdrawing from consideration, the incidents stopped.”

  The sneaky way Klaus’s men had invaded Cathy’s property and shaken her peace of mind disturbed Alli at least as much as an outright threat. It indicated that he could be devious as well as brutal—a dangerous combination.

  “One more thing,” Kevin said. “Why would LeMott make Graybar such a large loan? This extortionist might not even earn that much, and he’s taking a big risk of being caught.”

  “That puzzles me, too, if we’re assuming Klaus is the blackmailer.” Cathy refilled their mugs and offered more cream and sweetener. “It doesn’t pan out financially. Besides, he had another, much more likely motive for making the loan.”

  Alli regarded her expectantly. “Which is…?”

  She toyed with her cup. “I’m sure you know that the doctor’s the son of a former lieutenant governor. Aldis Graybar is still a big player behind the scenes in statewide politics, so his son must have political contacts out the wazoo. He could introduce Klaus to the right people to win party support.”

  “Would that kind of contact be worth this much money?” Kevin asked.

  “Sure, especially since Randy Graybar has enough income to pay it off eventually,” Cathy responded. “Besides, Klaus surely realizes that a politician can only muscle his way ahead to a certain point. He can’t win a party’s nomination with hang-up phone calls and dead mice.”

  “Any hint that he’s involved in extortion could blow his chances completely.” Much as Alli wanted to believe they’d found their blackmailer, Klaus would have to be crazy to pull something like that.

  “Perhaps he took the information as security and somebody else got hold of it,” Cathy said. “Maybe those goons he calls guards. But if I know Klaus, and I’m afraid I do, he’d skewer the two of them if they went behind his back.”

  “Do you have any reason to believe Dr. Graybar would do something as unethical as turn over patient information, even to secure a loan?” Kevin asked.

  “Personally? I have no idea,” the vice-mayor responded. “He’d have to violate every type of medical ethics imaginable if he did.”

  The interview appeared to be at an end. Despite the paper she’d given them, Alli thought ruefully, they hadn’t made much progress. In fact, they might have ruled out their prime candidate. “The blackmailer’s moved up the deadline to tomorrow. We’ve got to move fast. Any ideas?”

  “Tomorrow?” Cathy shook her head. “That jerk.”

  “We may have to take the risk of confronting LeMott directly,” Kevin said. “Even if he’s only an unwitting player, or if he resold the information, I have a suspicion he knows something.”

  “I doubt his guards will let you near him,” their hostess said. “Wait! I’ve got an idea.” She opened a drawer and extracted two tickets.

  “Those would be for a baseball game, would they?” Kevin said hopefully.

  Cathy managed a weak chuckle. “Sorry. They’re for a political cocktail party tonight, strictly inner circle, meet and greet. I sent in my donation but I wasn’t looking forward to showing up, not in my current mood. Why don’t you two go. Just don’t mention who gave you these.”

  “Thanks,” Kevin responded.

  “This is invaluable. We’re in your debt.” Alli indicated the folder. “Would it be all right if we flashed that note in the mayor’s face to see how he reacts?”

  “Sure. Maybe he’ll have a heart attack,” Cathy said. “I didn’t mean that. I’d rather see him in jail than in the hospital.”

  Kevin studied the tickets. “The Paris Hotel. I’d better shine my shoes.”

  “Be careful,” their hostess warned. “Even if LeMott isn’t behind the extortion, he’ll squash anyone who gets in his way. You might end up with a vicious enemy and no criminal charges to stick him in prison.”

  Her words chilled Alli. In some respects, the challenge of sniffing out clues had begun to take on the aura of a game, with themselves as hunters and LeMott as quarry. Now she recalled the sensation of a bullet whizzing by her at Dr. Abernathy’s.

  “If I don’t get my job back, I’ll have to leave town anyway,” she said, as much to reassure herself as them. “Kevin’s the one who’s going out on a limb.”

  “Let’s hope Hizzoner bears in mind that cops hate seeing one of their own harmed, even one who’s no longer on the force,” he responded. “But all the same, I may go back to wearing my Kevlar vest for a while.”

  “You own one?” Alli asked.

  “Call it insurance. But I won’t use it unless I have to. Too hot under the collar.” He tucked the tickets in his pocket. “We’ll put these to good use.”

  The vice-mayor walked them to the door. “We’ll let you know how things go,” Alli told her.

  “It’s better if you don’t contact me again,” Cathy said. “It won’t take much to wise up Klaus.”

  Alli wished she could say something reassuring about Annette and her babies, but the truth was, she still didn’t know if they were going to be able to head off trouble. “We appreciate everything you’ve told us.”

  She and Kevin didn’t discuss the interview until they were in the car pulling away from the curb. Then she said, “I’ve never seen her so friendly before.”

  “Neither have I. I didn’t realize she knew who I was.”

  “She seemed to like us,” Alli said. “I think she was genuinely worried for our safety.” Her estimation of the vice-mayor had gone up several notches.

  “She’s right about LeMot
t. I should go to the cocktail party alone tonight in case things get ugly.”

  She couldn’t accept the offer. This was her story and she intended to be in the thick of it.

  “I’m coming, too,” she said. “Don’t even argue.”

  “You sure?”

  “I can be as stubborn as you can.”

  “I never doubted it,” he replied, and dropped the subject.

  ALTHOUGH KEVIN SPENT most of Tuesday working for other clients, his thoughts kept returning to the blackmailer and the cocktail party scheduled that night. He didn’t like using confrontational tactics and doubted that LeMott could be startled into making any incriminating admissions, but everything else they’d tried had drawn a blank.

  What if LeMott wasn’t the blackmailer? Who else could it be?

  The only possibilities that came to mind were Binnie Reed and Dr. Graybar, or perhaps another employee at Graybar’s office, since they might be able to tap into the data. Since Kevin lacked the authority conveyed by a badge, however, the doctor’s refusal to cooperate made further inquiries along those lines almost impossible.

  When he’d dropped Alli off at home after leaving Vice-Mayor Rodale’s house, she’d promised to do further research into the situation at the orphanage. In addition to checking on the Internet, she’d planned to drop in to see the Reverend Weatherby. If she leveled with him, she’d said, maybe he’d come up with an idea.

  Kevin was glad now that he’d agreed to work with Alli. Neither of them could have gotten this far alone.

  Even so, it might not be enough. The clock was ticking very close to midnight, metaphorically speaking, for Mary Conners and the other parents.

  That evening, he arrived home to find Alli standing in the living room, staring at the display of clothing on the entertainment shelves. “Just leave it,” he said as he entered. “You can stay here until we wrap up the case.”

  “Thanks,” Alli said, “but I’m going back to my place tomorrow. I’d pack tonight except it might be late when we come home from the meet and greet.”

  “What’s your hurry?” Although Kevin looked forward to regaining peace and order, a little variety never hurt anyone. Besides, he’d gotten used to seeing lingerie emboldening his living room.