The Baby Snatchers (10 page)

“Good morning, the Sydney Harbour Hospital.
Can I help you?”

“I’d like to speak with the general manager,
please.”

“I’ll put you through to Deborah Healy’s
assistant.”

A moment later, the call was picked up
again. “Deborah Healy’s office.”

Cameron gave his name to the receptionist
and was put on hold once again. He waited on the other end of the
phone for so long, he was almost convinced the woman had hung up on
him. He was just about to disconnect and redial when the call was
answered.

“Deborah Healy.”

“Ms Healy, it’s Detective Sergeant Cameron
Dawson. I’m making enquires about the recent death of the infant
son of Danielle Jamison.”

The woman’s tone sharpened. “The premier’s
daughter?”

“Yes. I met with the premier a short time
ago. He expressed a number of…concerns.”

“My staff informed me about the death of his
grandson. I expressed my deepest sympathies to his family.
Incredibly sad. It’s hard for any of us to accept that unexpected
and unexplained deaths sometimes happen, particularly when the
victim is a baby.”

“You think that’s all this is? A reaction to
profound grief?”

“We all deal with grief in our own way,
Detective. Lashing out and blaming those around us, particularly
those who had the child in their care, is a natural response. It
doesn’t mean there’s anything of substance to his claims.”

“Did the baby undergo an autopsy?”

“No. I understand one was offered, but Ms
Jamison declined, as is her right in these circumstances.”

“When did the premier speak with you?”

“He demanded to see me immediately after
he’d been informed of the baby’s death. I, of course, made time for
him. I hadn’t had the chance to be fully briefed by my staff at
that point, but I knew the basic facts and I wanted to reassure him
the hospital was there for him and his daughter.

“Naturally, he was upset. I let him have his
say. I offered my condolences. He… He didn’t appear interested in
accepting them. He left my office in a great deal of distress. I
let him go. There was nothing I could do to bring the child back.
Though we don’t like when it happens, babies still sometimes die
for sudden and unexplained reasons. Only time can heal the
pain.”

“It’s very sad for everyone involved, but if
you don’t mind, I’d like to obtain a copy of Danielle Jamison’s
hospital records.”

Her tone grew a whole lot more frosty.
“Whatever for?”

“I’m curious.”

“About what?”

Cameron thought for a moment. He had no idea
what he was looking for and certainly wasn’t ready to disclose
anything yet. For all he knew, there was nothing to investigate.
Best to make sure before he made anything public or put the general
manager offside unnecessarily. He kept his answer purposefully
vague.

“I promised the premier.”

From her disgruntled response, it was
obvious she wasn’t pleased with his reply, but for now, it was all
he was prepared to give.

Georgie swung her little Mazda into the
driveway of the garage beneath her apartment block and parked in
her designated spot. After another long day at work, she couldn’t
wait to slip off her shoes and kick back on the couch with a drink
in one hand and the TV remote in the other.

She lived on the third floor of an older
style block of units surrounded by ancient fig trees and many
smaller varieties of shrubs and bushes. The greenery shaded most of
the building, reminding her of her childhood home up in the Blue
Mountains. Though her parents had been prepared to advance her
additional funds from her trust account in order to upgrade to more
modern lodgings, she’d turned them down in favor of the unit on
Bellevue Road.

Now, climbing the stairs with her arms laden
with groceries, she thought wistfully of a newer standard apartment
that came with elevators, but as soon as she turned her key in the
lock and stepped over the threshold, any thoughts of leaving her
spacious unit evaporated.

With her modest nursing wage only stretching
so far, she’d used a small amount of money from her trust fund to
purchase tasteful, but expensive furniture. She’d spent more money
than she probably should have, but she was well pleased with the
result.

Custom made, dark leather couches with a
matching coffee table and corner stands filled a good portion of
the living room. The hand knotted, charcoal, cream and red
contemporary rug provided a splash of bright color and added to the
luxury of the room. Her large, flat screen TV was centered on the
brick wall above the fireplace and was perfectly positioned for her
to indulge her passion of watching reruns of her favorite comedy
shows, even from the kitchen. She was currently satisfying a
Seinfeld
fix.

Dumping the grocery bags onto the
countertop, she quickly unpacked them and then headed straight for
the small bar that stood perched in the far corner of the room.
Scooping up ice from the inbuilt ice machine, she filled a glass
and then added a healthy dash of vodka. A slice of lime kept fresh
in the bar fridge was added to the drink. With a sigh of
contentment, she headed to the couch.

Sinking into its smooth leather comfort, she
sighed softly again and took a sip from her drink. The day had been
long and trying, with a difficult lineup of patients. The only
bright moment in her day was when Cameron Dawson had called. She
smiled at the memory.

She still hadn’t heard from him about her
proposal to spend some time with his sister, but he’d told her he
was at work and would get back to her. Police officers usually did
twelve-hour shifts. Depending on where he lived, he probably
wouldn’t be home before seven and then he had to speak with Cynthia
before he’d try to reach her.

Georgie thought of the sexy,
broad-shouldered policeman and couldn’t help the skip in her pulse.
Not only was he good-looking, but it was also apparent he had a
soft heart. He hadn’t seen his sister since she was a young child
and yet he’d taken her in without question and was doing the best
he could to see to her needs. It made Georgie feel all warm and
gooey inside to know how generous and loving he was. She could
think of a number of men who would have done things
differently.

All of a sudden, she imagined having someone
like Cameron as her boyfriend; a man who wasn’t afraid of tender
emotion or of exposing his heart. Okay, the girl in question was
his sister and she’d been having a tough time of it, but no one had
forced him to claim her and take her under his protection with a
promise to do all he could to help.

Georgie knew only too well a man like
Cameron Dawson didn’t come along very often. Her disastrous,
short-lived affair with Jason had ended in an unplanned teenage
pregnancy. Though she didn’t doubt for a second he’d loved her, the
pressure of impending fatherhood coupled with the mountain of
disapproval from her parents, had sent him running. She didn’t
blame him. She’d wanted to run, too.

In the years since, she’d dated casually on
and off. Her mother disapproved of the fact men came and went, in
and out of her life with monotonous regularity, but for Georgie,
anything more serious required a commitment and an honesty she
wasn’t ready to give.

It was only recently that she’d begun to
feel the need to seek out a partner she could connect with on more
than a superficial level. In the dark of night, when she’d lie
awake tortured with thoughts of her son, she yearned to have
someone special to share her heartache and to understand; to hold
her close, to reassure her; to love her.

It was the reason why Cameron kept returning
to her thoughts, time and time again. Men with his endearing mix of
honesty, caring and compassion were rare. To add to his appeal, he
was one of the sexiest men she’d ever met.

Her parents would frown on the fact he was a
police officer. With her father a respected obstetrician and her
mother a Nursing Unit Manager (or NUM as they were known to the
hospital staff), they had high hopes for their daughters and the
men they would eventually marry. Lawyers, doctors and company CEOs
were the kinds of men they preferred for their daughters, but the
attitude of her parents was the last thing Georgie cared about. It
wasn’t like they’d cut off her trust fund.

One thing her mother had promised her when
she was doing her best to convince Georgie to sign the adoption
papers was that they’d ensure she was always provided for and their
high expectations for their offspring were because they loved their
girls more than anything else. Georgie was confident if a police
officer made her happy, they’d eventually accept and embrace him
into their fold.

She shook her head ruefully at the thought
and took another sip of her drink. Here she was, daydreaming about
calling Cameron Dawson her own, and apart from his appreciative
glance at their first meeting, he hadn’t given her the slightest
hint he was interested.

Okay, so he’d called her for advice about
his sister, but Georgie was familiar with the whole sad situation
and had connected with the girl. It wasn’t surprising that he’d
reached out to her for help, on a professional level. The key to
moving things forward, if they were to move forward at all, would
be to make him see her in a different light. Not as the midwife
who’d cared for Cynthia, but as an interesting, intelligent and
desirable woman…and maybe even a potential girlfriend.

Her mind raced through various scenarios
where she could draw his attention to her assets and she couldn’t
help but smile. The first thing to do was to buy the right dress.
After that, she’d look for some killer heels. Her smile widened in
anticipation. She’d hit the shops tomorrow, right after she
finished work. If there was one thing in the world she did enjoy,
it was shopping.

* * *

Cam shook some oyster sauce into the
stir-fry that was cooking on the stove and glanced across at his
sister. They’d been talking quietly for the past hour and had now
lapsed into a companionable silence. It was the most conversation
they’d shared since she’d arrived and it gave him hope that she
might finally be getting on top of her debilitating grief.

Earlier, he’d arrived home to find her in
her usual state of solitude. The blinds and curtains in her bedroom
were drawn against what had been another beautiful late fall day.
He’d hesitated about intruding upon her voluntary isolation, but
then thought of Georgie’s offer and knocked firmly on the half open
door.

Cynthia didn’t respond to his knock or his
quiet greeting and a moment later, he ventured inside the room. It
was dank and musty and the air was stale. The smell of body odor
reached him. He realized he couldn’t remember the last time he’d
heard her in the shower and he had yet to see her in any of the new
clothes he’d purchased for her the day after she’d moved in.

A flash of irritation coursed through him.
She was living with him, in a very nice apartment, not out on the
street. It was time they got a few things straight. At the very
least, she was going to abide by some rules relating to basic
personal hygiene.

There had been a few tears and a bit of
shouting, but she finally conceded he was right. She’d been living
like her life was over and it was time to remember she was still
alive. Not only alive, but young and healthy, with her whole future
in front of her. Cam was willing to help in any way he could,
starting with re-enrolling her in school.

She’d looked horrified at the thought until
he assured her he’d enrol her in a TAFE college. Among other
things, these colleges catered to a number of students who, for one
reason or another, had been unable to complete their schooling on
the traditional timeline. He promised they’d talk about it further,
after he’d made some enquires and then he mentioned Georgie’s
offer.

It was then his sister gave him her first
real smile and he’d sent up silent thanks. He wanted to call
Georgie right away, but decided to wait until he could speak to her
in private. He’d told her he’d call her that night and he
would—after Cynthia had gone to sleep.

Now, he reached for two plates and loaded
them with food, enjoying the spicy aroma that wafted toward him.
Setting one plate in front of Cynthia, he took a seat opposite.
She’d recently showered and he couldn’t help but notice how pretty
she looked with her clean blond hair shining softly under the
overhead light. The fact that she looked even younger than her
sixteen years pulled at his heartstrings.

She’d been through so much in her short
life. More than she ever should have had to face. But it was over
now and he hoped she could put it behind her and get on with living
her life. He thought of Danielle Jamison and was once again
grateful that his little sister hadn’t gone down that path. Drugs
were an altogether different beast and one he was glad they didn’t
have to fight.

“I was wondering if I could talk to you
about what happened at the hospital?” he asked quietly, his
thoughts still on the premier’s daughter.

Her gaze flew to his and her fork paused on
its way to her mouth. Alarm flashed in her eyes. A moment later,
she shrugged and put the fork to her mouth, but lowered her gaze to
her plate.

He kept his tone gentle. “This is probably
the last thing you want to talk about, honey, but I’d like to know
what happened. I came in right at the very end and I feel like most
of the story’s missing. If you don’t mind, I’d like to hear what
happened the night you gave birth to your baby and
then…afterwards.”

Cynthia was silent for so long, he was sure
she wasn’t going to answer. He forked more stir-fry into his mouth
and almost missed her whispered reply.