Find My Baby (21 page)

“I think we can leave now,” Nester said. “Joe is going to be fine.”

“Irma’s the one I’m worried about. She almost had a heart attack when she saw Joe laying on the sidewalk bleeding,” Rosie said.

“You’d do the same if Luke was injured,” Nester reminded her.

“You’re right. I’ll go to the room and tell her to call us if she needs anything.”

“Do that, Mom,” Luke said. “And take your time. I want to talk to Nester.”

When she left the lounge, Nester turned to Luke. “What’s going on, Luke? Why did that man try to kill Kayla? Is she safe now?”

Luke spread his hands in an I-don’t-know gesture. “All I can tell you is the FBI is working on it. I promise you, I’m not going to stop until we find the answers we’re looking for.”

Nester put her hands to her face. “Kayla doesn’t deserve this.”

“Of course she doesn’t.” He took her hands away from her face. It wasn’t a pretty face, but it was strong. Luke could see Kayla’s determined jaw in her aunt’s. “We’re doing all we can. Jackie is with her now. Until this is over, someone will be by her side every minute; day and night.”

Nester nodded. “Good.”

“What do you know about Kayla’s husband?”

Startled, Nester gazed at him. “Nothing more that what Kayla told me. Why?”

“You don’t know where he was born? Where he grew up? Who his parents were? Anything?”

“Nothing.”

Just as he thought. No one knew much about the guy. “I’ll see you back at the house,” he said, turning to leave.

When he stepped outside, he took out his cell and dialed the number for Kane Odell. They needed information. This time, getting that information might involve a little hacking.

When Odell answered, Luke told him what he wanted. “Find out all you can about the guy and his family.”

“How far back?”

“Birth, if possible.”

“I’ll give it a shot.”

“ASAP, Odell. We’re looking for a kidnapped baby.”

It was a long shot to be sure. Still, it was worth a try.

Kayla had come close to dying on his watch. Anything was worth trying at this point.

A cold, sharp wind cut through him as he walked toward his car. Unlocking the door, he shivered, turned the heat on full blast. Even then, he couldn’t shake the chill.

Was it because he’d killed a man? Though he’d been trained to do exactly what he did, it was an act he never wanted to repeat.

Something told him Kayla wasn’t free yet. And the thought of taking out another assassin sent another round of shivers through him. Shivers that had nothing to do with the temperature.

Chapter Eighteen

“I should check in at Howard’s,” Kayla said. “Your uncle probably thinks we fell off the face of the earth. You know he’s short-handed. And I want to go to the hospital and see Joe. He could have been killed because of me.”

“The doctors are taking care of Joe and my uncle knows what’s going on,” Jackie assured her as she took a bottle of milk out of the fridge. “If I don’t call him with an update every few hours, he calls me. After what you’ve been through you need to forget everything and rest.”

“Rest! You’re kidding.”

“It’s what you should do.”

“What I should do is go to work. Both of us should.”

“If anyone goes it’ll be me. But forget it. Uncle John would send you home if you did come in. Someone tried to kill you just a few hours ago. You’re probably in shock and don’t know it.”

Kayla went to the phone, dialed information and got the number of the hospital. “I’m going to at least check on Joe.” When she reached his room, a woman answered. It was Joe’s mother. She gave the phone to Joe. “This is Kayla Hunter,” she began. How did you thank someone for saving your life? “I wanted to see how you were. Will you be all right? Will there be any lasting effects from the bullet wound?”

Joe gave a weak chuckle. “Doc says I’ll be fine. I’m going home tomorrow.”

“Then I just want to say thank you. It isn’t enough for putting your life in danger, but right now it’s all I can think to say. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”

When she hung up she went to the table, took a sip of milk Jackie had set out for her. “Where do we go from here? Who hired the killer? And why? I’m going crazy trying to think of a reason.”

“Let the authorities do their job.”

Jackie’s cell rang to the tune of Elvis’s “Jailhouse Rock,” making Kayla smile in spite of herself.

“Hey! What’s up?” Jackie listened for a while, grinned. “Ten minutes, huh? Sounds good.” Flipping the phone shut, she turned to Kayla. “Terry and Luke will be here shortly. The FBI is on their way, too.”

“Do you think they found out anything? Maybe they know something besides the name of the man who tried to kill me. If so, they may know where Sam is.” She rose from the table and went to the counter, excitement zinging through her. “I’ll start a pot of coffee.”

“I’ll do it,” Jackie said.

“I’ll be in the bathroom. It’s time to pump my breasts.”

“Change clothes, Kayla. I’m tired of looking at those sweats.”

Kayla looked down at herself. She’d been all over town with Luke in these rags and he didn’t say a word. She felt her face flush. No telling what the guys at the FBI office thought.

“That’s better,” Jackie said as Kayla came back into the kitchen a few minutes later.

“Feel better, too.” She looked at her friend. “Why the smile?”

“Am I smiling?” Jackie responded.

“Like a loon. Is it because Terry called and he’ll be here soon? Is that it?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“You do make an attractive couple.”

Jackie shook her head in exasperation. “That’s absurd. I haven’t seen or heard from him....”

“I know—since yesterday. That’s why you’re so happy.”

When the doorbell rang, she let Jackie answer, letting her hand drift to the pocket of her jeans where she’d transferred the knife. “Just in case,” she whispered.

They arrived within minutes of each other.

Since the FBI had questioned Kayla, she was familiar with the agents, but they hadn’t met Jackie, so Luke introduced them. “What’s up?” he asked the agents as Richard’s partner looked around the room, taking in everything with sharp, knowing eyes.

“We need to understand why Ms. Hunter was singled out for kidnapping. Perhaps she knows something she hasn’t thought of just yet. Or is keeping it from us.”

“Why didn’t you ask when we were there earlier?”

Richards gave a half-grin. “We were busy gathering evidence because a man was killed. Now we’re willing to hear anything, even speculation, so we can expand the search for the baby.”

Kayla waved them to sit at the table.

Why did Richards irritate Luke so? He tried to hide it, but it was obvious the man annoyed him. And though Luke tried to keep his temper under wraps, she saw it brimming just beneath the surface. She’d learned many things about him in the last few days. Seeing his temper on edge was one of them. “I’ll get the coffee,” she volunteered.

While putting cups, milk and sugar on a tray with the coffee, then pouring a cup of tea for herself, Kayla listened to the conversation from the other room. Or rather the lack of it. Jackie and Terry were silent. Luke and the two FBI agents were engaging in a half-hearted conversation that amounted to nothing much beyond the weather.

After everyone had their drinks and were settled, Luke asked, “Do we know who the guy is? Do we know where he came from?”

“Sebastian Anatoli is his real name. He’s a Russian immigrant working out of New York. He’s probably got more kills under his belt than we’ll ever uncover.”

“He’s dead now,” Kayla said. “Do you know who hired him? Have you any idea where to look for Sam?”

“Of course he doesn’t. That’s why he’s here. To see what we know,” Luke said.

Kayla slumped in her chair at Luke’s evaluation. She should have known. No one knew where to look for Sam. They didn’t have a clue. “So where do you go from here?”

“Good question, Richards,” Luke said. “What’s the answer?”

“We’re running the standard approach. Our FBI office in New York is sifting through Anatoli’s apartment as we speak. If they find anything, they’ll let us know. In the meanwhile, we found the slugs missing from your double murder. They match those in the Tanner killing. And they match the ones HPD found in a tree in back of the cabin where Ms. Hunter was held prisoner. The evidence is coming together. Our job now is to locate the baby.”

“Good luck,” Terry spoke up.

“Speaking of evidence, what did you find at the jewelry store?” Luke asked. “And how was Graham involved?”

Richards nodded. “Found a few pieces of jewelry that match those from the list of stolen items Mrs. Tanner gave the cops and the insurance people. We’ve suspected Graham for a long time now in other incidents. We think he was the go-between guy. We’ll find out more. By the way, the snapshots you took were helpful. We checked the mystery guy out. It seems he and Mrs. Tanner were playing hot and heavy for a while, then cooled it. My guess is they came up with a plan to eliminate the husband and called off the romance to let things settle down. The guy is definitely her boyfriend. Part of our job is to find out if she found the hit man through Graham. That should tell us something.”

“So? Have you arrested her?” Terry asked.

With a quick look at his watch, Richards grimaced. “Our next stop. I think after a few questions, we’ll get our answers.”

Luke and Terry exchanged looks. “Knew it all along. I’d like to see her face when you bring her in.”

“Sorry. No can do. You know the procedure. Intensive interrogation plus a few tried and true scare tactics. We’ll get what we need.” He paused, looked at Kayla. “So, what can you tell us about yourself that would cause all this?”

“Nothing.” But she told them the story of her life up until she was kidnapped. “We have no money. I have no family except my aunt.”

“Your husband’s family?” Richards asked.

“Dead.”

The agents rose to leave. “Then that’s it.”

“Will you keep us updated?” Luke asked.

“You’ve earned that much. As soon as we learn something, you’ll know it.”

“I wish I could give you something that would help,” Kayla said.

Luke cleared his throat. “George Graham’s phone records should prove Graham’s involvement with the kidnappers as well as Tanner’s widow. Maybe he’s the key. If he is the go-between as you suspect, if you search deep enough maybe you’ll find his boss. Then you’d have the guy behind everything.”

“We’re pursuing that angle,” Richards said, shrugging into his jacket.

“Money?” Terry suggested.

“The only money involved is the life insurance policy on Tanner and the jewelry. That takes care of the Tanner murder. We found money in Anatoli’s hotel room. Fingerprints on it match Graham’s and Anatoli’s, placing him at Graham’s murder. That’s all the money trail we have.”

They looked at one another as if to find answers. But there were none.

With another quick look at his watch, Richards said, “We’re running late. If you think of anything, call me.” He passed cards around the table.

“What about Sam?” Kayla asked.

“Like I told you, we’re searching Anatoli’s apartment in New York for clues. If we find anything, we’ll let you know.”

Clint Richards’ firm answer didn’t give Kayla much confidence. Even an outsider like herself knew the authorities had nowhere to look.

“Sam’s out there somewhere,” she said to no one in particular. “We have to find him.”

“For the record, we’re doing our best to keep this quiet. If the person who hired Anatoli doesn’t know he’s dead, it’s not likely he’ll get someone else to finish the job.”

“That makes sense,” Kayla said as she walked them to the door. But she couldn’t stop the chill that settled deep inside.

After the FBI agents left, Kayla went to the kitchen where Luke joined her. “Are you all right?” He put an arm around her rigid shoulders. She didn’t lean into him, like she wanted, but stood straighter. She had to stay strong so she could fight.

“No, Luke. I’m not all right,” she answered, shrugging away from him as she continued to rinse cups. “I’m involved in something that doesn’t make sense. I want it to end. I want my son back. I want my life back.”

He leaned close, pulled her to him.

For a moment, she didn’t respond. But it felt good in his arms. Safe.

She looked up at him; saw the hunger in his eyes. She began to tremble.

His lips touched hers and once more she was lost in a swirling heat of desire.

She’d never felt this way. She wanted to melt into him and never leave. For a moment she reveled in the feel of his body, the warmth and support.

Sam!

She stepped out of his embrace, wiped her eyes at the sudden tears.

“Kayla?” he said. “I’m so sorry.”

She opened her eyes and saw Luke’s frustrated struggle with desire.

“I should have waited,” he said gruffly.

She shook her head. “No, Luke. You shouldn’t. You’re exactly what I need.”

He took a paper towel and dabbed at the tears until her face was dry. Then pulled her close again, kissed the top of her head. “One day this will be over.”

Nester, followed by Rosie, came in the back door.

He stepped back.

“Are you all right?”

Kayla gave a scornful laugh. “I’ve been asked that question all day. No, I’m not all right, but I’ll make it.” She stared deep into her aunt’s concerned eyes. “I have to.”

Nester put her coat away, put a kettle on for tea. “Have you eaten?”

The last thing on Kayla’s mind was food, yet someone was always putting something to eat in front of her. She should be grateful so many people were concerned about her and her well being. And she was. Only she couldn’t concentrate on anything except the search for Sam. The constant pressure to take time to eat grated on nerves already wound too tight.

Once she convinced her aunt she’d eaten, Nester fixed herself and Rosie a cup of tea. Together they headed toward the back room.

Rosie stopped by Luke’s side first and took his arm. “You did a fine thing this morning. I’m proud of you.”

“I’m not sure Kayla agrees with you.”