Find My Baby (16 page)

Jackie stood, stacked the plates and carried them to the kitchen. “After we clean up, we’ll talk.”

“You’ll do no such thing,” Nester said. “Rosie and I have nothing better to do. We’ll take care of this. You have important things to discuss.”

“We’ll wait for you,” Kayla said, giving her aunt a kiss on the cheek.

Luke watched as Kayla and Jackie lost the battle of wills with the older women. When Kayla sat back down and looked at him, the loss and pain in her eyes made his heart ache. The urge to wipe it away shook him so deeply he had to take a deep breath.

Against all odds, the hope was still there.

Reaching over, he touched her. Startled, she pulled back. Gently, he ran his hand down her arm. She let out a soft sigh when he squeezed her hand and smiled to himself when she held on tight.

For a few minutes, they made small talk. Waited.

When Nester and Rosie came out of the kitchen, Luke motioned for them to take a seat. He looked at all of them with a trace of misgivings.; two cops, a distraught mother and her friend, plus two old, but strong-minded women. Not an experienced group of detectives, but he saw the determination in each and every pair of eyes as they stared back at him.

If resolve would get them anywhere, they’d find a way. Reluctantly, he released Kayla’s hand, put a folder in front of him and opened it. “There’s nothing in the files we don’t already know.” He looked at Terry. “Did you get in touch with your friend at the phone company?”

Terry pulled out his notepad. “There were several outgoing calls from Graham’s private line. More incoming. One of which is familiar. Most of the others came from the same number.”

“We’ll be able to trace the numbers and find who’s behind this, won’t we?” Kayla asked.

“It’s not going to be that easy. The number is from a 214 exchange,” Terry said still checking his notes.

“That’s Dallas,” Jackie interrupted.

“That’s not the hard part,” Terry continued. “The calls came from a cell phone paid for with cash. The caller used a prepaid phone card. Calls go to a pager with a computer-generated response. No way to trace. The phone and its owner could be anywhere.”

“There has to be a way.” Kayla’s voice faltered.

Terry shook his head. “Not really. The FBI may come up with something. But they won’t share their findings with us. Remember? We’re out of it.”

“So we don’t have a lead?” Kayla asked, her voice rising. “Nothing?”

Her face was void of color, her eyes bruised. When was the last time she’d slept? Luke took her hand again. His senses filled with her. The smell of her—the combination of mother and sensuous woman made him soft and warm inside. He forced himself to focus on the meeting.

“Tell me about the familiar number,” Luke insisted.

“I haven’t had time to check all of them out, but the Tanners’ number was on there. Don’t know about the rest of them.”

“Tanners?” Luke asked.

The two detectives exchanged a guarded look.

“I have a friend who can check the numbers for us in no time,” Jackie offered.

“Who’s the friend?” Terry asked.

“A guy in one of my computer classes, Kane Odell. Believe me, he’s good.”

Terry frowned.

Luke smiled to himself. His partner was jealous. It stood out all over him. His freckles turned darker, his eyes narrowed. He had a thing for Jackie. The thought amused Luke.

“Why don’t you give him a call? See if he can join us?” Luke asked.

“Now?”

Luke shrugged. “Why not? It’s not that late.”

Reluctantly, she pulled out her cell. Leaving the table, she went to the living room where she talked softly, then laughed. Luke watched Terry closely. His hands were tight around a cup of coffee. Luke hoped it didn’t break.

“He’ll be here in thirty minutes,” Jackie said when she walked back into the room. “He’s kinda excited about helping a couple of cops with a case.”

“While we wait, is there anything else?”

“These.” Jackie handed him the papers she’d pulled from her purse.

“What’s this?”

Jackie bit her lower lip. Her eyes went to Terry then to Luke. “Remember the address book CSI took from the apartment where the kidnappers were killed?”

“Yes,” Luke said slowly. “What do you know about it?”

“I took a picture of each page with my cell phone while I waited for you guys to show up.”

“You what?” Terry asked.

“Copied the numbers. What’s wrong with that?”

“You shouldn’t have been in the apartment to begin with,” Terry argued. “There are rules you know.”

“I won’t apologize. I’m sure the FBI has the book now, so how did you plan to get this information?”

Terry glared, but didn’t answer.

Luke looked down at computer printed names, addresses and phone numbers. “What did you find?”

“It’s what Kane found. There were no names in the address book. You can see for yourself, just numbers with initials. Kane took the numbers, looked them up and made a list. Very thorough and very professional.”

“Too bad you’re not the same,” Terry grumbled under his breath.

“I heard that. I’m as professional as they come,” Jackie took up for herself. “I want Kayla to find her baby. That’s it. Period. I won’t apologize for my actions. I did what I thought was best. I thought there might be something in there to lead us to Sam.” She stared at them for a full minute. “I just wanted to help,” she said, her voice soft.

Terry leaned over the table and patted her hand.

Luke grinned.

“So what does this tell us?” Terry asked.

“Check it out. You’ll be able to make more sense of it than I can.”

“Looks as if Frances Bowen called the same 214 number as Graham. That suggests the owner of that phone is connected to Kayla’s kidnapping,” Luke said as he scanned the papers. “Give me your list, Ter.” He checked the list of numbers taken from the attorney’s phone. Frances Bowen’s number was there a couple of times. “This is more than I hoped. It verifies Graham’s definite involvement in the kidnapping.”

Luke sat back. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”

“What does this mean, Luke?” Kayla asked.

“We’re connecting dots,” he explained. “Sometimes an investigation is like a jig-saw puzzle. One piece leads to seeing where another piece fits. Eventually, the whole picture shows through.”

“Did anyone find out about the matchbooks found in the apartment where my kidnappers died?” Kayla asked. “Do we know who the frequent customer was that no one at the bar could identify?”

“There were matchbooks from several restaurants in that bowl,” Terry explained. “Maybe the woman simply collected them and friends helped her. We’ll probably never know.”

“Did she smoke?” Luke looked at Kayla for an answer.

“I think she did. I smelled smoke on her clothes.”

“Then that explains why you found them.”

“What about the jewelers?” Luke changed the subject and turned to Terry. “Did you find out anything from the Feds?”

“I’m pretty sure the warrant was a success. I was outside the door when the FBI went in. They had a package with them and looked pleased with themselves when they came out. I couldn’t get any info though. The jewelers locked their doors after the FBI left. And though I followed the suits downstairs, they were close-mouthed.”

“Did you check with your captain?” Kayla asked.

“He doesn’t know a thing,” Luke answered. “The FBI has taken us out of the loop altogether. But I think we can assume that the jewelry storeowners are fencing stolen jewels.”

“Even knowing all this, we still don’t know what the authorities are doing to find Sam or the murderer?” Kayla asked quietly.

“No, we don’t.” When Luke saw the look in her eyes, he added, “But that doesn’t mean they’re not working on it. They are, or they wouldn’t have executed the warrant on the jewelry store.”

“But what could that possibly have to do with Sam?”

Damned if he knew. But somehow it did. And somehow he had to find what it was.

When no one answered Kayla, she asked, “The kidnappers are dead. George Graham is dead. What’s left?”

The room turned silent.

Seeing Kayla suffer was killing Luke. He wanted to tear into somebody or something.

Who the hell was behind this? Three separate crimes were linked. Even the FBI was stymied. His head throbbed with the implications.

Where did he start? As difficult as it was, he had to start with the truth. “Kayla,” his voice sounded scratchy. Damned emotions.

“Yes.” She turned to him. The look on her face would have brought him to his knees if he’d been standing. It was all he could do not to take her in his arms, to offer her what comfort he could. Instead, he was about to make it worse, but she had to face reality.

“There’s a chance we won’t find Sam,” he said gently.

She wrapped her arms around herself, as if trying to hold herself together. “No. I refuse to believe that.”

He unwrapped her arms, took both of her hands into his. “As much as it pains me to say this, we don’t have a single lead. All of this,” he nodded at the papers on the table. “They connect dots. They show us who was involved. But it seems the more we uncover, the less we know. Nothing we have here shows us where to look for your baby”

Kayla looked from Luke to Terry, then to Jackie. “Are you giving up?” Her voice cracked. “Is that what you’re telling me?”

Jackie shook her head. Terry grunted, “No.”

Nester and Rosie looked stunned.

“We’re not giving up, Kayla. But you need to hear the truth. We don’t have a single thing to point us to Sam. Not one.”

Moving her hands from his, she exclaimed, “You will have. Soon. Between HPD, the FBI, and you two,” she let her gaze sweep from Luke to Terry. “How could we not find him?”

No one answered. Nor did they dare suggest that statistically there was a very real possibility that even if they did find Sam, he might not be alive.

The knock at the door stopped further questions.

When Kane Odell walked in, Jackie introduced him, told him what they were doing. He bobbed his head often. Yes, he would help. She handed him the list of phone numbers.

“This won’t take long,” he said.

They sat him at the end of the table where he opened his laptop. After a long, wistful look in Jackie’s direction, he began to work the keyboard.

Luke smiled to himself at Terry’s response to the young man. He was younger than Terry. Intelligent. Take away his straggly hair and wrinkled shirt and he’d be quite nice looking. And he was infatuated with Jackie.

Terry, however, looked as if he wanted to grind the poor guy into pieces. Damned if Luke didn’t understand. Jackie’s friend had a crush you could spot a mile away. It didn’t look as if she was doing a thing to encourage it, but it was clear Terry didn’t see that.

In less than thirty minutes, Kane printed out a sheet of paper using the small portable printer he’d brought along and handed it to Luke. Names were listed next to some of the numbers from the phone in Graham’s office. Graham had called the Internet number numerous times. No name there. He’d also called Frances Bowen, the jewelers, and a name that Luke and Terry were already aware of—Marcie Tanner’s.

Terry, looking over Luke’s shoulder, punched the air. “George was a busy boy.”

Luke leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms and grinned. “This connects him to everything, including the Tanner murder and the kidnapping.”

Terry snorted. “What good does that do us? He’s dead.”

“We find the person who killed him,” Kayla said. “He may know everything. Once we find him, we find Sam.”

At the end of the table, Kane Odell swallowed hard. “I didn’t realize this was a murder investigation.”

“It is,” Luke said. “And we appreciate your help.”

“Is there anything else I can do?” He stuffed his laptop and small printer in a bag, stuck it under his arm.

“Not tonight. Can we call on you later if we need you?”

Kane bobbed his head. Luke took his phone number and put it in his cell phone.

Jackie walked him to the door. When she chuckled at something he said, Terry grimaced.

“You’ve got it bad,” Luke whispered.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Terry said, his face closed.

Luke turned his attention back to Kayla. He didn’t like the look in her eyes. She’d do anything to get her child back. Luke didn’t like that at all. She needed to be careful. “What are you thinking?” he asked, not really wanting to know.

“If the man who took pot-shots at me in the woods wants me dead, why not let him find me?”

The room erupted in sounds of disapproval. Nester paled. Rosie wrung their hands; Luke and Terry glared at Kayla as if she had truly lost it.

Jackie walked back into the room just as Kayla made her suggestion and nodded in agreement. “Makes sense.”

“Are you out of your mind, too?” Luke turned on her. “What if we do let him find her and we can’t protect her? What happens to Sam then? Have you thought of that?” he asked Kayla.

“I have thought of it. I don’t intend to be foolish. You’ll be there. I trust you, Luke.”

Luke dropped his head in his hands.

“Tell me another way to get the guy,” Jackie added. “Hell, you’re cops. Cops use stings all the time to trap a suspect.”

“She’s right, Luke,” Kayla said. “How else are we going to get close to him? The FBI has the case now. We don’t know what they’re doing or going to do. The only thing we know for sure is the killer wants me dead. If we make it easy for him to find me, you’ll be able to catch him. Then we’ll get the information we need.”

“You’re mad. You could be signing your own death warrant,” Luke argued.

She ran a hand through her short blonde spikes. “Without Sam, what is there?”

Her quiet sincerity punched him where it hurt the most. He rubbed his chest as if to take the pain away. He couldn’t lose Kayla. He’d just found her.

She looked at him with a confidence he didn’t feel. “Tell me, Luke. What other choice do we have?”

Luke battled the urge to pound the table. Instead he flexed his fists and did his best to collect his thoughts. When the room erupted vocally into each person’s thoughts on the subject, he got up and stepped outside. Taking a deep breath of cold, damp air, he tried to clear his head and think. A slow rain had started to fall, making the air even chillier. Luke didn’t feel a thing.