Текст книги "Detective Jason Strong: The Early Cases"
Автор книги: John C. Dalglish
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Текущая страница: 2 (всего у книги 21 страниц)
Chapter 2
The small white box lay on top of a green rug, suspended over an equally small hole in the ground. Next to the tiny coffin was a shade canopy covering several rows of chairs. The sun was out and conflicted with the sense of sadness that hung over the proceedings.
Wade and Katie were in the front row, both in black, her in a dress and Wade in a suit. Shirley sat next to them, also in black, holding a Kleenex box that she and Katie plucked from occasionally. Behind them were several rows of family and friends.
Standing opposite them was the pastor who was just finishing the service with a prayer.
“....and in Jesus’s name we pray, amen”
There was a low chorus of amens from the onlookers. People slowly began to make their way to where Wade and Katie sat. Each person said how sorry they were, and to call if they needed anything. Wade nodded and thanked them as Katie sat quietly, seemingly unaware of what was going on around her.
Wade took his wife's hand.
“You all right, Kate?”
After a moment, Katie looked up and nodded. The last of the people had said goodbye and headed to the long line of cars parked along the road.
Wade turned to his mother-in-law.
“Can you take Katie to the car? I want to speak to the pastor.”
“Sure. Come on, dear, let’s go.”
Wade watched as Katie stood at her mother’s urging. She stepped towards the tiny white casket and laid her hand on it ever so softly before walking away. It broke Wade's heart to see her in such pain. He could deal with his own suffering, but watching his wife's anguish was torture.
He turned towards the pastor and, after a brief conversation, walked towards the road. There were only two cars left: his and a long, black Continental. He assumed it was the pastor's until he saw a very large redheaded man get out. He walked directly for Wade.
Wade couldn’t remember ever meeting the man. He thought for a minute that he might have been mistaken, that the man was going to speak to the pastor, but when Wade got close, the man stopped and extended his hand.
“Mr. Duncan, my name is Zebulin Johnson. I wanted to tell you how very sorry I am for your loss.”
“Thank you, Mr. Johnson.”
Wade shook his hand and went to walk by the stranger, but Mr. Johnson slipped sideways into his path. Wade was instantly annoyed.
“Do I know you?”
“No, sir, we have not met before.”
“Well, Mr...Johnson, is it? This is not a good time.”
“I know, and I apologize, but I was given your name by St. Luke's Hospital. They felt that I might be able to help you and your wife.”
“How so?”
Zeb took out a card and handed it to Wade. It said that he was a lawyer.
“We don't need any legal representation, Mr. Johnson.”
“Mr. Duncan, I assure you that I am not here in an effort to gain you as a client. In fact, I am here on behalf of a current client. They wish to make an offer to you and your wife.”
“What kind of offer?”
Wade was now both annoyed and impatient. He didn't try to hide it.
“I fear that this is neither the time nor the place to go into the details.”
Wade certainly agreed with that.
“However, when you and your wife have the time, I would very much like to come by and discuss the offer with both of you.”
Wade stared at the card for a long moment.
Johnson & Carr, Attorneys At Law.
“I'll talk with my wife and we'll let you know if we're interested.”
“That's fine. Just call my office and let me know if we can meet.”
Zeb stretched out his hand once again. Wade shook it, mumbled a goodbye, and headed for the car. When he got in, Shirley was waiting with questions.
“Who was that man?”
Wade looked back at the spot where they had met, but the lawyer was already gone.
“He's some lawyer. Said the hospital referred him to us.”
Wade could see that Shirley shared his annoyance.
“Kind of bad timing, isn't it?”
Wade nodded. Katie still seemed to be in her own world.
“Did you tell him you don't want to sue anybody?”
“I told him that, but he said that's not what he was here for. Apparently he has an offer for us from one of his clients.”
Wade looked back again, trying to remember the details of the odd meeting.
Shirley was suspicious and not done asking questions.
“What kind of offer?”
“That's what I wanted to know, but he said that it would have to wait until he could meet with both Katie and I, at a suitable time.”
“Well, this surely isn't a suitable time.”
Wade started the car.
“Indeed.”
****
Stan Turnbull called his sister as he headed out of the cemetery.
“Hi, it's me. I made contact with the couple you suggested. They have the card, so watch for their number on your caller ID.”
“Did they seem interested?”
“Hard to say, but I'm going to call my Texas contact anyway.”
“Okay, I will let you know as soon as I hear.” She hung up.
Stan wheeled his car into traffic and punched Benny's number in. It rang several times before he finally picked up.
“Hello?”
“Benny, this is Zeb.”
“Hey, I got the package you sent last month.”
Stan narrowly missed a moped on the side of the road and swore into the phone.
“Zeb, you there?”
“Yeah...Yeah, I'm here. It's time to start the scouting. You understand the drill?”
“Yeah, got it.”
“Good. It’ll probably be month’s rather than weeks but I'll be in touch.”
Stan hung up without waiting for Benny to respond. If his instincts were right, this couple will eventually call.
****
It was three months later when Susan finally saw the number she'd been waiting for pop up on her caller ID. She quickly stepped into one of the empty hospital rooms and closed the door.
“Johnson and Carr, may I help you?” she drawled in her best southern voice. She didn't want to risk Wade Duncan recognizing her voice.
“Yes, is Zebulin Johnson in?”
“May I ask who is calling?”
“Wade Duncan.”
“Very well, Mr. Duncan,” she drawled. “Let me see if he's free. Please hold.”
Susan covered the phone and waited an appropriate amount of time before coming back on the line.
“Mr. Duncan?”
“Yes.”
“Mr. Johnson is in a meeting, but said he should be done shortly. Do you have a number where you can be reached in the next half hour?”
Wade said the lawyer could call his cell phone and gave her the number. As soon as she hung up, Susan called her brother.
“Stan?”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“Duncan just called. I told him you were in a meeting and got his cell phone number.”
She gave him the number and hung up.
****
Wade picked up on the second ring.
“Hello?”
“Mr. Duncan, this is Zebulin Johnson, returning your call.”
“Yes, Mr. Johnson. Do you remember giving me your card at the cemetery in March?”
“Of course.”
“Well, you mentioned you had an offer for my wife and I. Can you elaborate further on it?”
“I'd really rather not over the phone. Is there a time I could come by and meet with the two of you?”
Wade cupped his hand over the phone and looked at Katie.
“He wants to come over.”
Katie just shrugged and said tonight or tomorrow night would be okay.
“Tonight or tomorrow night would be fine,” he repeated back into the phone.
“Okay, say… seven tonight?”
“Sure, see you then.”
Wade hung up and looked at his wife. Curiosity had gotten the best of them, and they needed a distraction anyway.
“Mom will be here, so she can listen in, too.”
“Yeah, I don't imagine that it will matter if she's here.”
****
At seven o’clock sharp, there was a knock at the door. Wade opened it to find the same large man from the cemetery, only this time he was carrying a brief case. Wade invited him in and they went into the living room, where Katie and Shirley were waiting. After making introductions and getting a cup of coffee for Zeb, there was a pause. Wade brought the conversation around to the purpose of the meeting.
“Mr. Johnson, you said you had an offer for us. What sort of offer are we talking about?
“Actually, I'll get to the offer in a minute, but first, let me say again how terribly sorry I am for your loss.”
Katie looked uncomfortable, but managed not to break into tears.
“Thank you.”
“Also, what I am about to tell you is highly confidential and, regardless of the outcome, must not be shared with anyone outside of this room.”
He looked at each of them as they nodded their heads.
“I have a couple—my clients—who have suffered a loss similar to yours.”
“Oh, I'm sorry,” Katie and her mom said at the same time.
Zeb nodded. “I'm sure they would appreciate that. And, like you, their loss took place in childbirth.”
Katie looked stricken. Wade was immediately worried for his wife.
“Please get to the point, Mr. Johnson.”
“Of course. They lost their daughter during the birth of a grandchild; however, the child survived. A little boy.”
For a moment there was silence in the room. Katie appeared to be holding her breath. Was this man about to say what she was thinking? The tension in the room bore down on Katie as she stared at the lawyer. She felt it would crush her.
The lawyer finally continued.
“My clients are looking for a home for the child.”
Suddenly, everyone was talking at once, Wade to Katie, Shirley to Katie, Katie to Wade and Wade to Shirley. Only the lawyer was silent.
Finally, just as quickly as they had started, they stopped. Everyone was now looking at the lawyer. He waited a moment and then continued like the outburst had never happened.
“My clients are older, their daughter was 29 when she died, and they feel unable to take care of the child. They have tasked me with finding a suitable home.”
There were several minutes of silence. Each appeared lost in their own thoughts.
Wade spoke first.
“What about the father?”
“Their daughter never revealed the father’s name to them and all efforts to identify him have failed.”
Several more minutes passed before anyone spoke. Again, it was Wade.
“I assume, since you are here, that you are considering us for the new home.”
The lawyer nodded.
Wade looked at Katie for affirmation and could see it in her eyes.
“Obviously we would be interested. What is involved?”
“Well, there are a series of forms that must be filled out and submitted, both to my clients and to the state. They will examine the documents and then inform me of their decision.” He hesitated. “There is one issue that will need to be resolved, however.”
“What's that?” Shirley and Katie said, in perfect unison.
Zeb smiled and Wade just shrugged his shoulders.
“They do it all the time.”
“The death of their daughter and the medical care for the child has left them nearly fifty thousand dollars in debt. Their finances have been devastated. They are asking that the adoptive parents accept responsibility for those debts and pay them off at the time of the adoption.”
The lawyer allowed the stipulation to sink in.
Katie's face immediately reflected the lump forming in her stomach. She knew they didn't have that much. She looked at Wade, who appeared to be calculating in his head.
“That's a lot of money, Mr. Johnson. Even if we could come up with it, what assurances do we have?”
“Mr. Duncan, I would not be here—especially with the turmoil that you have had in the last few month’s—unless this was a legitimate offer. All paperwork would be in order and you would not be asked to relinquish any funds until the child was legally adoptable to you.”
“Well, I am afraid that all we have is our savings for a home, which is about half of what you say they need.”
Wade was looking at Katie's pleading face and not the lawyer while he was speaking.
“This home is rented, so we have no equity to call upon.”
“I'll pay the other half!”
Both Katie and Wade spun around to look at Shirley. She had stood up and was by the kitchen door. Katie started to object but she knew the look on her mother’s face. She had made up her mind and wasn't going to change it.
“After all, he would be my grandson!”
****
Sensing the critical moment, Zeb broke into a wide smile and produced a large sheath of documents that he had printed off the internet. It was surprising how much you could find on government web pages, and this was the fourth time had had used the same forms.
“I will need you both to go over these documents and fill them out completely. In addition, there is the petition to adopt and a request for the birth certificate that need to be filled out. I will leave these with you and you can call me when you are done.”
Wade took the documents.
“What happens then?”
“Well, I'll go over them with my clients, who will make the final decision. If they agree, I'll call you and, with your consent, file the papers with the state.”
“How long will it all take?”
“Week, maybe ten days. That would be my best guess.”
Zeb rose to leave. Practice had made the timing of his moves perfect and this was clearly the time to make his exit. When Wade got up to shake the lawyer’s hand and see him to the door, Katie hurried over to hug her mother.
****
When Stan had driven away from the apartment complex, he placed a call to Benny.
“Hello?”
“Zeb here, Benny. Do you have any targets chosen?”
“Hello to you, too,” Benny chuckled. “Yeah, I've got two possibilities, a boy and a girl.”
“It has to be the boy. Do your recon and prepare to move. We should be ready to go in a week or less.”
“Fine, I'll be ready, you just have my money.”
“You'll get it on delivery, just like we agreed. I'll call you when I have a definite go.”
He hung up. Benny was starting to get on his nerves.
****
The phone came to life. Every time it rang, Katie's heart beat faster. They had turned the papers in to the lawyer almost a week ago and she was waiting for the call that would let them know if they were going to get the baby. She took a deep breath and answered it.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Mrs. Duncan?”
“Yes.”
“This is Zebulin Johnson. Is your husband with you?”
“No, but my mother is here.”
“Well, be sure and call your husband to tell him that you are going to be parents!”
For a long moment, Katie didn't say anything. She just stood there with tears running down her face. She nodded at her mother, and she, too, started crying.
“Thank you,” Katie managed into the phone, barely audible to the fake lawyer on the other end.
“You’re welcome. I will let you know when the child will arrive, and then you'll need to have a cashier’s check ready, made out in my name. ”
“In your name?” Katie was puzzled.
“Yes, my clients don't want to reveal their name.”
“Oh, yes, of course. I'll tell Wade. Thank you again. I need to go and call him.”
“Of course. Goodbye and I will be in touch soon.”
When Katie got hold of Wade and delivered the news, it started a fresh round of tears for all of them. They couldn't believe that, after the tragedy of their third child dying, they would be happy again so soon. They still mourned the loss of their own child, but the arrival of the new baby was the best medicine they could ever have hoped for.
Chapter 3
Tammy Barton sat in the shade with their baby. Her husband, Michael, stood in the hot afternoon sun with the camera. He was trying to get the perfect picture and, after several attempts, he announced that he was satisfied.
“Got it!”
“Finally!” Tammy groaned. “I'm going back into the house.”
She kissed him and he kissed his son before heading off to work. She retreated into the cool house for her afternoon nap, which she tried to get every day while the baby slept. Their son, Kristian, was hungry, and it only took a few minutes before he was full and nodding off.
The first room down the hall had become the nursery. She gently carried him to the nursery. All blue and yellow, the nursery was decorated with clowns, a circus throw rug, and a balloon mobile hanging over the crib. She changed her son and laid him down. Leaving the door cracked open, she stretched out on the couch for her nap.
****
Watching the whole scene from just down the road was Benny. He knew the mother’s routine, as well. He was counting on her taking her regular nap. He had been watching for several days, and so far, she had not missed. He hoped that today was no different.
Benny was sitting in his mother’s 1968 Pontiac Bonneville. She had left it to him when she died, and he hated it. One of the first things he planned to do with the money was get a new car. In the backseat were a baby carrier and a blanket.
It was hot, and even though he'd parked in the shade, the sweat was pouring off of him. He didn't know how much perspiration could be attributed to nerves and how much was due to the heat, but he was miserable.
It was forty-five minutes before Benny got out of the car and casually walked up the street, around the corner, and down the alley that led behind the Barton home. He had dressed in beige clothes, a tan hat, and brown shoes. He wanted to blend in with the dry West Texas summer.
When he reached the back gate, he flipped the latch and walked up to the sliding glass door. Laying on the couch with her back to him was the mother. He tested the door. It slid open easily. He was constantly amazed at how careless people were.
Walking carefully past the living room into the hall, he stopped at the first door. It was cracked slightly, and when he gently pushed it open, he found the crib. Benny had brought the blanket with him and he wrapped the sleeping baby in it. Retracing his steps back to the sliding glass door, he was in and out in less than three minutes.
He tucked the baby against his chest and tried to keep an easy pace, but his heart was pounding, urging him to run. He knew if he were confronted now, he would be put away for a very long time. Keeping his focus and a steady pace, he reached his car and laid the sleeping baby into the carrier. He jumped in the front, started the car and was gone. He hadn't seen anyone and he hadn’t heard anything unusual. As far as he could tell, he had completed his task undetected.
“You just be nice and quiet,” he whispered, more to himself than to the baby. “We will have you in a new home soon.”
Benny turned the car onto Highway 1601 East and then caught 281 North. The route had been chosen by Zeb and would take him to Oklahoma. That's where he would meet his connection. A small town off of the interstate called Paul’s Valley. A payday was waiting for him there. He focused on his driving; now was not a good time to do something stupid.
****
Michael Barton got home three hours later. Coming through the door, he was surprised to find his wife still asleep on the couch.
“Honey?” He touched her shoulder and she sat up with a start.
“Oh, it's you.” She rubbed her eyes. “You get off early?”
“No, it's five-fifteen. Is the baby still asleep?”
“I guess so; he must have needed the nap as much as I did.”
Michael went over to the open door and peeked in. He couldn't see his son, so he stepped over by the crib.
“Tammy!”
She rushed to the room.
“What?”
“Where's Kristian?!”
“He was nap—” She didn't finish the sentence, as the empty crib came into view.
“My baby! Where's my baby?!” She was running from room to room. Michael was already dialing the police.
“911, what is your emergency?”
“My son, he's missing! Please send help.”
“Okay, sir. Stay calm. How old is your son?”
“Three months, he's just a newborn.”
“Is your wife there?”
“Yes, she's looking everywhere. He was taking a nap and now he's gone.”
“All right, sir. The police are on their way.”
She confirmed the address in west San Antonio and let him off the line to go to his wife.
Tammy was standing in the front yard, looking down the road as if someone might show up with her baby at any moment. Tears were running down her cheeks and her body was shaking. Michael put his arm around her and watched with her as the first police car arrived. It was a uniformed officer, closely followed by an unmarked car.
****
Detective Jason Strong stepped into the sunlight, tall and thin with dark sunglasses. The uniformed officer immediately went to him. After a brief discussion, the uniform seemed to have his orders and the detective headed towards the Barton’s.
“Mr. and Mrs. Barton?”
“Yes, I'm Michael and this is my wife, Tammy.”
“Okay, will you take me inside and tell me what happened?”
“Sure, follow me.”
Michael led the detective through the entryway and into the living room. He and Tammy sat on the couch while Detective Strong walked to the back door and tried it.
“Was this unlocked?”
“Yes. I never lock it during the day unless we leave.” Tammy didn't look up when she answered. She was staring at a pacifier in her hands, turning it over and over.
“And what is on the other side of the fence?”
“Just an alley.”
“Where was the child when you last saw him?”
“I laid him down in his room for a nap and closed the door. That was at about two. I fell asleep on the couch and didn't hear anything until Michael came home.”
Her eyes were red and she still hadn't stopped shaking.
Michael watched the detective walk to the nursery. He heard him try the window. It was locked but Michael already knew that. He had checked it when Tammy was running around the house. The detective left the nursery and came over to take a seat opposite Tammy and Michael. He took out his notepad and stared at them intently.
“Okay, I want you to tell me everything that you can think of from the moment you woke up this morning. Everything, no matter how small you think it is.”
For nearly an hour, they recalled every detail they could for the detective. While they did that, their house was invaded by crime scene techs and police photographers. Yellow crime scene tape around the front yard, manned by officers in uniform, kept the neighbors at bay.
****
Detective Jason Strong obtained a picture of the baby from Tammy Barton and issued an Amber Alert. He knew that the kidnapper had at least a three-hour head start. He was leaning towards kidnapping because his gut told him that the parents were not involved. He hadn't ruled them out, but he was going with his first instinct.
The Amber Alert would have every law officer in the state and surrounding states looking for a newborn child. The problem was they didn't know whether the child was taken on foot or by vehicle, or if he was being kept locally or moved out of state. They needed luck, or for the kidnapper to make a mistake, if they were going to be able to narrow the search.
A stranger abduction was rare, and the parents were not wealthy enough to warrant a ransom. He ordered a trace put on the phone anyway.
Nothing he had learned from the Barton’s had given him a lead and their story had not varied despite him making them repeat it numerous times, both together and separately. Officers were canvassing the neighborhood but had not come up with any leads. It seemed that most people were at work.
He didn't like his chances of finding the child, but nothing would stop him from trying everything he could think of.
****
It had taken nearly six hours instead of the four that Zeb had promised, but Benny was finally crossing into Oklahoma. He hadn't run into any trouble so far, but he needed gas and stopping made him nervous. Someone might hear the kid and, with Texas plates, he would stand out even more in Oklahoma.
He tried to concentrate on driving, which was hard since the baby would cry every half hour or so until it fell back asleep, only to reawaken and start bawling again. He couldn't wait to get this over with.
He saw a truck stop ahead and decided it was time to use a bathroom and fill up the tank. He didn't see the Oklahoma State Trooper car parked on the far side of the diner.
Pulling in next to the pumps, he filled up and went in. He grabbed a couple of snacks and settled up with the clerk.
“Where's the bathroom?”
“Just around to the left.”
“Thanks.”
As he rounded the corner, two state troopers were sitting in a booth finishing their coffee. Benny nearly pissed his pants. He nodded at them and continued towards the bathroom. If the kid cried and they noticed, he was done.
When he came out of the bathroom, the troopers were gone. They weren't over checking out his car, but they hadn't left, either. The two stood chatting by their car. Benny wasn't sure what to do.
“Stay and take a chance that the kid cries, or go and possibly have them notice your plate,” he said to himself, under his breath.
“Pardon?”
Benny realized that the clerk was looking at him.
“Oh, nothing, just thinking out loud.”
He decided he had better chance it and leave.
He pretended to be on his phone and kept his head down as he walked to his car. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the troopers getting into their car. When he reached the old Bonneville, the baby was still asleep. He got in, fired it up, and drove off. The troopers pulled out behind him, flipping on their flashing lights. Benny's heart skipped a beat. He was about to flee, when the troopers raced past him into the night.
He didn't know whether to laugh out loud or faint. He mopped at his forehead as the baby started crying again.
“Shut up, kid. Just shut up!”
****
Benny had gone east and caught I-35 north to Paul’s Valley. He was to meet his contact, Zeb's sister, in the parking lot of the Days Inn, and she would approach him. He just needed to park in back and wait. He found it easily enough, and slowly cruised through the lot, parking in one of the last spots. No one appeared to be watching him, so he was startled by a knock on his back window immediately after he parked.
He got out to find a middle-aged lady with red hair standing there. The hair must run in the family, he thought. The startling thing was her height. Benny guessed that she was no more than 4’8”, maybe 4’10”, but certainly not five feet. She had a tattoo of a tiger on her left breast, and Benny had no option but to look down at it. She was almost 2 feet shorter than him.
“Where's the baby?”
He refocused.
“Backseat. Where's the money?”
She slid open the side door of van and motioned at two large duffle bags. He unzipped one, finding bundles of neatly wrapped hundred-dollar bills. The second contained similar piles of bills. He picked up one and ruffled it.
“Will you quit waving it around?! It's all there!”
Benny watched as Susan went to his car and removed the baby, taking both the carrier and the blanket. She went to her van and opened a diaper bag. It had formula, diapers, and clothes. Benny noticed that the van had Missouri plates and a St. Luke's Hospital parking sticker.
So that's where you’re from. Might be useful information sometime.
She changed the baby and heated some formula with a portable bottle warmer she had plugged into the van's lighter. When it was ready, she wrapped the baby in a dry blanket and sat to feed him. It was then that she noticed Benny watching her.
“You want something?!”
“No, guess not.”
He wasn't sure what to do.
“Then beat it, and try not to do anything stupid!”
Benny swore at her and got back in his car. He had places to go and money to burn. He drove off without looking back.
****
Stan was waiting for his sister’s call.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Stan. On my way north, everything went smoothly.”
“Good, let me know when you hit town. I'll set up the delivery.”
They hung up and Stan called the Duncan’s.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Katie?”
“Yes?”
“This is Zeb Johnson. I am calling to arrange the appointment to drop off your new baby.”
“Really? Great, when?”
“Tomorrow afternoon okay?”
“Sure, what time?”
“Say four?”
“Great, see you then.” She hung up and called Wade, then her mom.
When she hung up with her mom, she looked at the living room. Their baby was coming home and that called for a celebration. A party was in order.
****
Blue balloons were hung from every light fixture, railing, and picture frame available. There were white streamers running back and forth across the ceiling in the living room. A table was set up in the room's center with plates, forks, and a large blue and white cake. On the cake were three words.
“Welcome home, Jack”, Katie read aloud to herself.
Shirley smiled.
“It was very sweet of you to name him after his grandfather; I am sure he's smiling down proudly from above.”
“It just felt right.”
Katie reached over to hug her mother. Wade was on the other side of the table and watched as the two shared somewhere between thetenth andtwentieth hug today. Not that he minded; he had gotten his share, as well.
There was a knock and they all stopped. Staring at the door, nobody moved. Wade wasn't sure anyone was breathing. They stood frozen until Shirley finally broke the silence.
“Are you going to get it, Wade?”
He snapped out of it and rushed to the door. When he opened it, there stood the lawyer with the baby—their baby—wrapped in a blanket. Wade was sure he stopped breathing this time. My son.
“Come in, come in.”
Zeb came through the door and walked towards Katie. Katie was frozen in place, her eyes glued to the little bundle in the lawyer's arms. When he got to her, he reached out and gently laid the baby in her arms. Katie just stood staring down at the tiny bundle. When she looked up, Wade was watching her, tears running down his face.
Shirley stood looking over Katie's shoulder.
“Welcome, Jack. Aren't you a doll?”
Zeb pulled out a folder of papers and gave them to Wade.
“Do you have my clients’ check?”
Wade reached over to the desk and retrieved the check.
“Please tell your clients, again, how much we appreciate their sacrifice.”
“I will. I assure you that they did what they felt was best for the child.”
He turned and walked back to the door.
“I must go. They're waiting for me to notify them that the baby is safe. I wish you all the best.”
The door shut and then it was just them. A family. Not Wade and Katie and Shirley, but Dad and Mom and Grandma. Baby Jack had just changed the way they saw themselves forever.
