by Terri Reed
“We can talk to her at the police station,” he said. His tortured expression mirrored what she felt inside.
Reluctantly she stepped aside. A leaden weight bowed her shoulders as Christina was escorted out of the building.
“What happened to the men?” she asked.
Ryan ran a hand through his hair, his fingers leaving grooves in the thick, dark strands. “They escaped. An NYPD officer gave chase, but…”
“Do you know who they were? What were they doing here? Did they say anything to help us find Georgina?” Hysteria simmered blow the surface, making her voice shake. She wanted to find Georgina so badly she felt physically ill.
“No,” he replied and walked toward Officer Cribs’s cruiser.
She raised her stinging gaze to the sky. The situation kept getting worse. How much more could little Georgina take? How much more could she take?
Four days ago it had all seemed so simple. Find Georgina, get her to safety and sue for custody. Simple. Only, life was never simple. Nor easy.
She’d learned that lesson long ago. But God never promised it would be easy or simple, only that He would be there for her to cling to.
And cling she would because that was all she had to see her through this nightmare.
* * *
There were times when Ryan completely understood the vigilante mind-set. This was one of those times. He’d never entertained thoughts of harming a suspect in custody before, and he hated feeling the burning need to shake Christina Hennessy’s tongue loose now.
The woman refused to talk after her outburst when she’d seen Meghan. A smart move on her part. Aggravating for Ryan.
Standing against the back wall of the NYPD interrogation room, he pinned Christina Hennessy with his most intimidating glare. Gone was any semblance of the icy social-climbing wife of a prominent lawyer. Christina’s blond hair was matted with sweat and dirt, her clothes filthy from running through the back alley. Her right shoe missing, lost somewhere during the chase.
Captain Gregson, a behemoth of a man with thinning hair and a steely gaze, sat across from Christina at the metal table in the interrogation room of the 13th Precinct.
The bad lighting made the woman’s complexion pasty with a yellow tint.
Ryan glanced at the two-way-mirror wall to his right. Meghan sat behind it watching, hoping Christina would confess to murder and reveal Georgina’s location. It gave Ryan a measure of comfort knowing that Meghan would be praying as she surely was. Her faith was strong. Hopefully, strong enough for them all.
Because the rage burning inside Ryan wasn’t very Christian-like.
Ryan had cornered Christina against a chain-link fence while her partner in crime had scaled the barrier. Ryan had been tempted to rough her up a little. Anything to find out the location of the missing child.
And the fact that she was at a known forger’s hidey-hole only added strength to his suspicions that Christina was guilty. Of exactly which crimes, he had yet to determine.
The dead man in the apartment was a notorious forger. Christina wouldn’t say who killed the man. The other two unidentified suspects were in the wind.
Ryan eyed the cup of water Christina primly drank from, unwittingly leaving behind her DNA. At least by the end of the day they’d have the evidence needed to run against the unidentified DNA found on the rock that had killed Olivia. Ryan had little doubt the two DNA samples would match, confirming Christina’s involvement.
But that wasn’t what had his gut twisted in knots.
Georgina was still missing. He prayed the child was alive.
Ryan couldn’t take Gregson’s tactic of waiting Christina out any longer. He removed the photo of Georgina he’d been carrying in his shirt pocket and laid it on the table in front of Christina.
“Do you love her?” he asked quietly.
Christina’s gaze dropped to the picture. Georgina’s face beamed at the camera. Her bright blue eyes danced with merriment. Her chubby little cheeks puffed up in a wide grin. The child looked happy, healthy. Well cared for. Loved.
The stony expression Christina had maintained since the moment he’d apprehended her shifted, softened. But she remained stubbornly mute.
“Do you love her?” Ryan pressed, hoping to reach the woman’s maternal side, the side that had wanted a child desperately enough that she’d adopted one. Or bought one. No matter what it took, Ryan would dig into the adoption and uncover the truth after he rescued Georgina. “She loves you.”
Christina winced, giving Ryan hope that he was getting through.
A sharp rap on the interrogation room door made Ryan’s stomach clench with frustration at the interruption. He was so close to getting what he and Meghan needed.
Gregson slid from the chair and opened the door. He stepped out into the hall.
Ryan took the vacated seat and pushed the image of Georgina closer to Christina. “You went to a lot of trouble to bring this little girl into your home, into your life,” he said quietly. “You’re her mommy. You’ve taken very good care of your daughter. She needs you now more than ever. She’s scared and alone, needing her mommy.”
Her eyes welled and a single tear fell and landed on the table with a splat.
Glad to see some emotion in the woman besides anger, he pressed, “Tell me where she is so we can help her.”
NINE
The door to the interrogation room burst open and a man in a tailored suit marched in with Gregson following close behind.
“I’m Mrs. Hennessy’s attorney, William Sharp. You have no right to question my client without my presence,” Sharp said as he came around the table to stand beside Christina.
Ryan whipped his gaze to Gregson.
Gregson shrugged. “He’s her lawyer.”
Ryan’s fingers curled into fists. Just how had the lawyer known to show up? Christina hadn’t asked for him. He turned back to Christina. The tears had dried.
“I’ll tell you what you want to know if you let me go,” she said, her voice hollow.
“Christina, don’t say a word,” Sharp commanded. “I’d like a moment alone with my client.”
Anger made the nerve in Ryan’s jaw tick. The rules said he had to acquiesce. He glared at Sharp a moment before meeting Christina’s gaze. He had to give it one more shot. “She needs her mommy. Wherever she is right now, she’s scared and doesn’t understand why her mommy has abandoned her.”
“Really, Captain,” Sharp said to Gregson. “Control your lackey.”
Ryan’s nostrils flared at the insult but he kept himself still.
Gregson’s hand fell onto Ryan’s shoulder. “Come on, Fitzgerald, we have to give them their moment.”
Despairing that what little ground he’d managed to gain with Christina would be lost forever if he left the room, Ryan made one last desperate play. He made a show of rising to his feet. “If you cooperate, I’ll talk to the D.A. I’ll see what kind of deal we can make.”
“Enough,” Sharp barked. “She has rights and you’re violating them.”
Ryan held up his hands in a show of surrender, but his gaze never left Christina. “She’s been read her rights. She doesn’t have to talk to me if she doesn’t want to.”
She picked up the photograph and stared at the image. “You talk to the D.A., come back with a deal and then I’ll tell you where to find her.”
“It doesn’t work that way.” Glad she was continuing to dialogue with him, he said, “You’ve got to give me something to take to him.”
Sharp leaned down until he was even with Christina. “I can get us out of this,” Sharp insisted. “Just stop talking. You know what will happen to us if you don’t.”
Finally they were getting somewhere. Ryan fought not to react with obvio
usly excitement. They have a boss.
“Who are you afraid of?” he asked.
Neither said a word.
“We can protect you,” Ryan offered, needing them to spill.
Again, silence.
Hoping that changing the focus would eventually lead them back to Georgina and to their mysterious boss, Ryan said, “Tell me, Christina, why did you kill Burke? He loved you.”
Sadness darkened her expression. “Poor Burke. He blamed himself because we couldn’t have children.”
“You wanted Georgina,” Ryan pressed. “You wanted a child.”
She nodded. “We had tried for so long to have one of our own. But it didn’t happen. So Burke contacted William. They had worked together years before. William said he could get us a child.”
“Christina, you’re killing me here,” Sharp snapped. “Be quiet!”
She ignored his outburst. “All we had to do was fly to Ireland and pick her up. We didn’t ask questions. At least not then. We thought it was legal.” She frowned. “I thought it was legal. Apparently, Burke knew it wasn’t.”
“My client is under a great deal of stress and doesn’t know what she’s saying. I demand a moment alone with her,” Sharp said, his voice betraying his panic. “Now.”
“If she wants it,” Ryan said, keeping his gaze locked on Christina.
She seemed to have reverted inward, her gaze unfocused on the photo in her hand.
“When that woman showed up, claiming to be my baby’s mother, I couldn’t believe it,” she continued as if Sharp hadn’t interrupted her. “How had she found us? Why did she want my child? She’d given her up. Thrown her away.”
She turned accusing eyes on Sharp. “That’s what you told me. You said she was a drug addict. That she’d sold you her baby so she could do more drugs.” She shook her head. “That wasn’t true. She wasn’t an addict. She was just a scared young woman who’d thought she hadn’t any other choice. Because you and Roman convinced her of that.”
Roman, Ryan registered. Another name to add to the list of players
Fear contorted Sharp’s features. “I only told you what you needed to hear. She agreed to give up her baby. No one coerced her. And she was paid handsomely for the child.”
Ryan briefly wondered if the lawyer realized he’d just confessed to the illegal practice of baby selling. Human trafficking.
“Who’s Roman?” Ryan asked, sensing a piece to this puzzle was about to snap into place. “Is he one of the men who ran away? Your boss?”
“No. He’s no one,” Sharp said, cutting the air with his hand. “A figment of a demented mind. Mrs. Hennessy suffers from a mental illness. We have documented proof.”
Not surprised by that play, Ryan returned his attention to Christina. He’d come back to this mysterious Roman later. “Olivia came to you, wanting to regain custody of her baby.”
“Don’t answer that,” Sharp warned, a note of desperation lacing his words.
“Yes. But I wouldn’t give Georgina up. And Burke was afraid Olivia would go to the police,” she said. “He couldn’t allow that.”
She had. She’d come to Aiden Fitzgerald, her father, for help. And he’d refused to believe her. Anger churned in Ryan’s soul. He pushed it into a deep, dark compartment to be dealt with later. “So Burke killed her?”
Her gaze snapped to his. “Yes. Yes, he killed her. He didn’t want his chances of being elected mayor to be ruined.”
Surprised, Ryan made a mental note to check Burke’s DNA along with Christina’s against the evidence. “But Burke didn’t declare his intent to run until after she’d been killed.”
Christina blinked, her gaze shifting slightly. “He’d been planning to run for a long time.”
Since Burke wasn’t here to defend himself, Ryan could only rely on the evidence to tell them the truth on Olivia’s murder. For now he’d go with this scenario. “Okay. So Burke killed Olivia to keep her quiet. Then why did you kill Burke?” he asked again.
She drew back. “I didn’t,” she said, maintaining the stance she’d taken from day one. “I found him. Dead.” Her voice rose in near hysteria. “My Burke. I found him.”
“I demand you stop interrogating my client,” Sharp said. “You’re upsetting her.”
Ryan softened his tone. “Christina, let’s stay focused on Georgina. Where did you take her? She needs you now.”
“My baby.” Christina appeared on the verge of unhinging. Her eyes grew wide as horror spread over her face. “He took her. He’s going to sell her again. You have to stop him. You have to stop them.”
“Who, Christina?” Ryan pressed. “Who is Roman and what does he have to do with Georgina?”
Sharp stepped closer in an attempt to block Ryan. He glared at Christina. “You say any more and we’re both dead.”
* * *
Meghan strained forward, nearly pressing her nose against the glass of the two-way mirror. Her heart pounded in her throat as anticipation wound her nerves into knots. So close. They were so close to finding out where Georgina was. She willed Christina not to listen to Mr. Sharp. Willed her to sacrifice her own well-being for the child she’d brought into her life.
Meghan had every confidence Ryan would be successful. He had to be.
Christina clutched Ryan’s hand. Meghan held her breath. She wished she could be holding his hand, sharing his strength. She’d come to rely on him. To care about him. He was a good man. Fair, honest. He hadn’t disappointed her. She hoped, prayed, she wasn’t making a mistake in trusting him.
“You have to find Georgina before it’s too late,” Christina pleaded. “I should have never given her back. They’ll sell her to someone else. Someone who won’t love her, who won’t care for her the way I did. What have I done?”
A muscle jumped in Ryan’s jaw. Meghan knew he was trying to rein in his impatience and frustration. His self-control was something she appreciated and respected about him. A trait she wished to emulate because she was having trouble keeping her own anxiety from causing her to break through the glass and put her hands around Christina’s throat.
Someone had Georgina and they intended to sell her. Georgina could be lost forever.
Oh, Ryan, please, get the info we need.
As if sensing her plea, he glanced toward her. Though she knew he couldn’t see her through the mirrored glass, she felt his touch all the way to her toes. Her heart squeezed tight.
Come on, come on, Meghan silently urged as each tick of the clock drew Georgina farther away. Where was Georgina?
Ryan swung his attention back to Christina. “Give me a location.”
Christina frowned. “I don’t know. They took her away.” She swung her gaze to Sharp. “But you know where she is.”
“She’s irrational. Don’t listen to her,” Sharp said, desperation reeked with every word.
“Tell them where they took her,” Christina screamed.
He shook his head. “You may have a death wish, but I don’t.”
“What makes you think they don’t already presume you’ve talked?” Ryan asked, his voice hard and uncompromising.
If anyone could get the information, it was him. Her respect and admiration for him tripled. He was a special man. A man worth allowing into her heart.
Sharp clamped his mouth tightly shut. Christina jumped up from her chair and flew at Sharp with her fingernails out like claws. Sharp yelped and tried to defend himself against the attack by covering his head with his hands and cowering. Ryan and Captain Gregson pulled Christina off the lawyer.
“Tell them!” Christina screamed as she continued to lash out at the air. “Tell them about how you broker sales. Tell them about the babies!”
Meghan’s reporter’s antennae rose high. Baby smuggl
ers? Human trafficking. She’d been right. Christina had been into something a lot bigger than they’d imagined. Just how involved was she? She acted as if she were an innocent victim in all this but, if that were the case, then why run away with Georgina in the first place?
Sharp ran a hand over his jaw. “You’ve done it now.”
Ryan planted his feet wide and faced Sharp. He looked like a warrior ready to do battle.
“You’re both in way too deep,” Ryan said. “The only life preserver you’re going to get is if you cooperate and tell me who and what.”
“You’ll provide me protective custody?” Sharp asked, his face taking on a haggard appearance.
Funny how he didn’t include Christina in the bargain.
Ryan exchanged a glance with Gregson who gave a single nod. “Yes. Now tell me where the child has been taken.”
Sharp’s shoulders sagged beneath his designer suit. “All I have is an address in Queens.”
“It’s a start,” Ryan said.
Meghan ran for the door, praying with everything in her that this time they would be successful in their search for Georgina.
A little girl’s life depended on it.
* * *
The address in Queens the lawyer Sharp had given to Ryan turned out to be a rickety two-story house built in the ’20s. Dormer-style windows jutted out of the second floor roof like warts on a hag’s nose. Shutters hung off rusted hinges.
The place appeared deserted. The overgrown lawn needed a good mowing and the flower beds housed an abundance of weeds. No parked car to indicate a resident. All the window coverings were drawn closed and the high chain-link fence encircling the yard was meant to keep out unwanted intruders, not to keep a cute puppy dog or child contained.
But looks could be deceiving. Who knew what they would find inside? Hopefully, Georgina.
Antsy anticipation infused Ryan as he prepared himself to join the tactical team stationed at the end of the block. A white van sat parked at the curb, its back door open. Men donning flak vests hovered nearby, ready to invade the structure that supposedly housed a baby-smuggling ring.
