Bad Penny (20 page)

There was none.

He started to back out and leave the crime scene to the local authorities when he heard something that stopped his heart.

A small voice cried out. “Mama? Mama?”

“Madre de Dios,” he muttered, and pushed his way into the room just as a tiny girl crawled off the bed and started toward him.

She had a small stuffed toy in one hand and her blanket in the other, and as she walked, Luis caught glimpses of tiny toes peeking out from the hem of her nightgown.

“Mama,” the little girl said, and pointed to the woman on the floor.

“Poor little niña,” Luis muttered, as he picked her up and carried her out into the hall.

She handed him the stuffed toy. It was a much chewed on doll that appeared to have been handmade. He wondered if the dead woman had made it.

In the distance, he could hear the sound of sirens approaching. “Help is on the way,” he said softly.

To his surprise, the little girl laid her head down on his shoulder, pulled her blanket up beneath her chin and closed her eyes.

He was still holding her when the police stepped off the elevator and rushed down the hall toward him.

He was holding up his badge as he walked to meet them.

“My name is Detective Luis Montoya, from Chihuahua. There is a dead woman in room 418. She’s been shot twice in the chest, although I heard three shots.”

The door across the hall opened, then another and another, until, one by one, the people emerged, confirming his story.

One of the officers pointed to the child. “Is she yours?”

Luis looked down at the sleeping baby and then regretfully shook his head.

“No. She was in the bed when I went in. She called the woman Mama.” The officer nodded. “I’ll call the authorities. Someone will come get her.”

“I’ll take care of her until they get here,” Luis said. “I’m in room 410. I’ll leave my door ajar.”

The officer watched as Luis carried the toddler into his room, then hurried away. Luis had no desire to get mixed up in another murder investigation when he was already up to his eyeballs in one of his own. But he might not have a choice. Like the other people on the floor, he was as close as the cops had to a witness.

He started to lay the little girl down, but as he did, she stirred. Not wanting her to wake up and cry, he sat down on the side of the bed and just held her.

An hour and fifteen minutes later, she was still asleep in his arms when someone knocked on his door. He opened it to find a woman in uniform. She flashed a badge. She was carrying a blanket and a bottle of milk.

She looked at the child, then held out her arms.

“Here, give her to me,” she said briskly. “What’s going to happen to her?” Luis asked.

The woman shrugged. “Her mother will be identified, then we’ll search for relatives.”

“What if she has none?” Luis asked.

“She will be cared for,” the woman said, and deftly wrapped the baby in the blanket she’d brought. When the little girl stirred, the woman poked the bottle in her mouth and started out the door.

“Wait!” Luis said, and handed her the toy. “She was carrying this. It might help…later…when she wakes up.”

The woman took the doll and stuffed it into her tote bag, then left as abruptly as she’d come in.

Luis was sick to his stomach, but sleep was impossible. He decided to go talk to the detectives in charge and see what, if anything, they’d discovered.

Cat was sitting in the outer office of the ob-gyn her doctor had recommended. Other than the occasional bout of nausea, which seemed prompted by certain scents, rather than foods, she was feeling pretty good. Still, she knew this was proper procedure, and she intended to do everything the right way. No more winging it. This baby was unplanned, but not unwelcome.

“Mrs. McKay, the doctor will see you now.”

It took a few seconds for the name to register, and when it did, Cat caught herself smiling.

“Right this way, please,” the nurse said, and led her down the hall to a cluster of exam rooms. “My name is Allison. I’ll need you to take off all your clothes, put on this gown and have a seat up on the table. The doctor will be with you shortly.”

“All my clothes?” Cat asked.

Allison nodded. “Yes. Sorry.”

Cat shrugged. “No big deal. Naked is not the worst thing that’s happened to me in the past few months.”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh nothing,” Cat said. “I was just being a smart-ass.” Allison laughed. “My kind of woman.”

As soon as the door closed, Cat stripped down, put on the gown and climbed up on the table. As she waited for the doctor to come in, she began thinking of her friend Marsha. Not too many months ago, Marsha had been in a similar situation, and her refusal to end her pregnancy had gotten her killed.

She couldn’t help but wonder how scared Marsha must have been, sitting in a room like this by herself, waiting to find out if her world was about to crumble beneath her feet. Then she shook off the thought and leaned back. This was not a time for sorrow.

As she was waiting, her cell phone began to ring. She reached for her jacket pocket.

“Hello.”

“Hey, baby, it’s me. I parked the car. If you need me, I’m here now.”

“Okay, but I’m good, I think. Just waiting for the doctor to come in. If there’s any kind of consultation, I’ll have them come get you, but I think it’s just an exam and making an appointment for the next visit.”

“Whatever…just know if you need me, I’m here for you.”

I’ll always need you. But before she could say what she was thinking, the door opened, so she said goodbye and dropped the phone back in her jacket pocket.

Luis couldn’t get that little girl out of his head. Even though he’d planned to cross the border into Texas today, he knew he wouldn’t be any good to himself or to the case until he found out how the child was faring.

He had a call in to the local authorities and was waiting for a call back as he finished his breakfast. He added another spoonful of spicy salsa to his scrambled eggs and then ate them with gusto. When the waitress came by, she topped off his coffee as she took away his dirty plates.

He was waiting for the coffee to cool when his cell phone rang. A quick glance at caller ID told him it was the captain he’d dealt with earlier.

“Hello.”

“Detective Montoya, I have the information you requested.” “Captain Garcia, thank you for calling,” Luis said. “What can you tell me

about the little girl?”

“The mother was a prostitute. Why she had her child with her is a mystery, but the girl was hers. We found the doctor who delivered her eighteen months ago. According to a man who claimed to be her pimp, she didn’t know who the father was.”

“What’s going to happen to the child?” Luis asked. “It is sad, but she is legally an orphan.”

“What would someone have to do to begin the adoption process?” “Are you serious?” Garcia asked.

“Yes.”

“There are procedures that must be followed.” “Of course, of course,” Luis said.

“What if she isn’t well? She could have been born addicted—or worse. She could have HIV. You should have a doctor check her out before you consider such a thing.”

“You don’t understand,” Luis said softly. “My wife cannot have children, which makes her very sad. Only yesterday, I prayed for a baby. It seems to me that God heard and answered my prayer. I cannot turn my back on this child…not when she needs us as much as we need her.”

“Your wife might not share your desires, especially if she learns the child’s mother made her living on her back.”

“No child should suffer for the sins of its parents.” “Yes, yes, that is so,” Garcia said.

“So who do I call?” Luis asked.

Garcia gave him the name and wished him well before hanging up.

Even though this was a drastic step that would change their lives, Luis didn’t hesitate. He’d promised to bring Conchita a surprise, and this definitely constituted a big one.

He made the second call, and by the time he was through, he knew that his trip into the United States was going to be delayed. He didn’t intend to leave and lose the child—his child.

Twelve

Luis Montoya had been working with the welfare system for the better part of two days, meeting with the director, interviewing with whomever they sent him to, and then finally talking to a judge, who’d granted him and his wife temporary custody of the baby, but only in the capacity of foster parents.

He knew his position as a law officer had made it easier for him to pull strings. His lieutenant had vouched for him, as had his priest. After all was said and done, it had been enough. Actual adoption procedures would

take months and a lot more investigating, making sure there were no relatives to stake a claim, but this was the first step in the right direction.

Luis wasn’t concerned. He knew the little girl was meant to be theirs, because he’d prayed to God, and God had answered.

He glanced at his watch. It was time to get to the airport to pick up his wife. She was due at any time, and he didn’t intend to leave her waiting. As soon as they picked up the baby, they were flying home. He would fly back within a day or so, pick up his car and resume the investigation. But for now, his job was going to have to take a backseat to his life. Solomon Tutuola wouldn’t be any deader a few days from now than he was today, and whoever had killed him already believed they’d gotten away with it, so they weren’t running any farther than they’d already gone. He wasn’t quitting the investigation. He was just taking a detour.

He hurried outside, remembering the joy in his wife’s voice when he’d told her what had happened. He’d reminded her to say prayers for the mother who’d died, because were it not for her death, Conchita would still be childless, but nothing could truly dilute her joy—or his.

In a way, it didn’t seem right that they should be so happy when a little girl’s mother was dead. But at least they could give thanks that they were able to care for the child instead of leaving her to the courts. Still it was, for them, a most fortunate turn of events. It remained to be seen how everything would play out, but it was making Conchita happy and, for now, that was enough.

Cat and Dorothy had driven into Austin right after breakfast, heading to

Hardware Heaven with a long list of supplies to pick up for the contractor, who planned to start work on the house within days.

Cat had to choose colors for the walls, as well as order flooring and appliances. She started out excited, wound up overwhelmed, and was thankful Dorothy was along.

“Thank you so much for helping,” Cat said, as they sorted through tile samples for the kitchen backsplash and the shower walls.

Dorothy grinned. “No, thank you for letting me. I love stuff like this. Oh, look! This would be perfect in the master bath you’re going to add. The walls are going to be that really pale turquoise, remember? So think how pretty this tile would be on the inside of the shower.”

Cat picked up a tile, running her fingers over the pearled surface of the squares and admired the swirl of turquoise and gold threads.

“You’re right. They’d be great.”

Dorothy beamed. “I’ll make a note,” she said, then wrote down the pattern number in the little notebook she was carrying.

“What’s left to choose today?” Cat asked.

“Nothing. That’s it,” Dorothy said, then gave Cat a closer look. “Why? Aren’t you feeling well?”

“I’m fine. Just a little tired, which is weird. I never used to be tired.”

“Honey, this is just the beginning. All I’m saying is, sleep every chance you get now, because once you become a parent, rest will become a precious commodity.”

“Oh, great. Thanks for the warning,” Cat said.

Dorothy patted her on the shoulder. “You’ll adjust—basically because you have no other choice.”

Cat grinned. “You’re just full of good news today, aren’t you?”

Dorothy giggled as they neared the checkout. “Well, someone had to tell you.”

Cat was still smiling when she heard a commotion at one of the registers and turned around.

“What on earth?” Dorothy said.

A heavyset man in a red plaid shirt and blue jeans was running toward the register where they were waiting. When he started to shout, Cat saw the gun in his hand and knew there was going to be trouble.

“Damn you, Mandi…I told you what I’d do if you left me. If I don’t get you, no one does.”

“No, Clyde! Don’t!” the woman begged.

Without thinking, Cat took a step forward, putting herself between

Dorothy and the ensuing drama as the woman called Mandi started screaming.

“Call 911. Call 911. That’s my ex. He’s going to kill me.” Cat spun and grabbed Dorothy’s arm. “Get down! Get down now!” Dorothy stared. “What on—”

“Just do it!” Cat snapped.

They were less than six feet from the woman, and Cat could tell by the look on the man’s face that he was seconds from shooting. No matter what else happened, they were going to wind up in the line of fire. It was gut instinct that made her react.