“Have you seen this girl in the ER?”
The woman’s face wrinkled in concern. A police badge had a tendency to do that to people.
“I—yes. But I can’t disclose any information because of HIPPA ru—”
“That’s fine. All I need to know is that you’ve treated her. She’s the victim of a child abduction and I’ve been sent to retrieve her.”
“The police officer already spoke to us.”
“Where is he?”
“He went up to X-ray to talk with the mother.”
“Great. I’ll coordinate with him there. Thanks.” Keller turned on his heel and walked straight out, not wanting to engage her in further conversation. He had all the information he needed.
Keller made his way around to the main hospital entrance and obtained a visitor’s badge from the front desk. He followed the signs to radiology and took the elevator up two floors.
A moment later, he exited and made a single pass of the corridor when he encountered the SLOPD officer. Keller stopped and turned right, into the small waiting room.
The cop was fifteen feet away, standing with his back to him. He figured the guy was doing his duty—looking after the girl following an attempted kidnapping. But was this was a long-term assignment that continued after she was discharged, or just a temporary security posting while she was in the hospital?
He doubted law enforcement had an accurate description of him, so while there was risk in hanging out there, he figured it was worth the gamble. If she was being admitted, he would wait until the middle of the night when staffing was thin and others were asleep—and take her then.
He grabbed an issue of Popular Science off the table and turned to an article on the recently launched Chinese unmanned mission to the moon.
At the moment, time was on his side.
53
Loren was in the kitchen fixing dinner with Zach when her burner rang. She pulled it from her back pocket—drew a perplexed look from Zach—and answered it.
“I found a pay phone.”
Loren glanced over at her husband, then walked into the garage. “So talk to me. Where are you and what’s going on?”
“Right now, I’m in a hospital.”
“Hosp—”
“I’m fine. It’s—I need help. I’ve done a terrible thing.”
“The girl?”
Amy was silent for a moment. “You know?”
“It’s now a federal case. That’s why I insisted on the pay phone.”
“I hadn’t heard anything on the news, so I figured they never called the police.”
“They didn’t,” Loren said, coming up along the passenger side of her Infiniti. “The girl’s au pair and Ellen, your boss, reported it to the FBI.”
“Giselle.” Amy sighed audibly. “I’m so sorry for what I’ve put her through. I’m sure she feels responsible. Wait, if they went to the FBI—”
“Yes.” Loren leaned back against the car. “The Bureau knows who you are.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah, shit is right. What the hell were you thinking?”
“What do I do, sis? I—I didn’t—oh my god.”
“I could make a pitch to the Alameda DA’s office for a deal. If you turn yourself in and Melissa testifies that she never felt in danger and that you took good care of her…I don’t know, no guarantees. But it’s the best—the only—option.”
“No,” Amy said, her voice uneven. “I want to keep you out of it. I’ve done a terrific job of screwing up my life. I won’t do the same to yours.”
“Soon as they realize I’m your sister-in-law, which is not too far off, they’re gonna want to know why I didn’t come clean right away. And then they’ll investigate to see if I was complicit in the kidnapping and aiding and abetting a fugitive.”
“But you weren’t.”
“I know that, and you know that, but sometimes perception is all that matters.”
“So I can’t turn myself in,” Amy said. “There’s gotta be another way.”
“There’s not. I mean, you can bring Melissa to the local police department and disappear. Really disappear. You’d have to leave the country.”
“How would I even do that?”
“It’s dangerous. And you’d be all alone. No contact with family or they’ll find you. You’re better off turning yourself in.”
“What about Melissa? She can’t go back to her mother. She’s been abusing her.”
“You know this?”
“Giselle told me. Sending her back home is…I don’t see that as an option either. As for me, I should go to prison. What I did was wrong. I know that now.”
“A good attorney can claim temporary insanity. With your history—”
“You’re telling me about the law?”
“I’m not convinced you’re thinking clearly.”
“With my history a jury might just buy it. Either way, even if I get off, or get a light prison sentence—which I highly doubt—it’ll be a huge story. I’ll never climb out from under this. I’d have to change my name, move to another place where no one would recognize me. And I’d never see Melissa.” She sighed again. “But I’ve made my bed.”
“Want to tell me why you’re in a hospital?”
Amy recounted the night’s events.
Loren listened as she continued to circle her car. “I may know this guy, the one who’s after Melissa.”
“Know who he is, or actually know him?”
“Know him. Used to work with him.”
There was a long silence, then: “That explains it. When he broke into my apartment and tried to take Melissa from me—” She cleared her throat. “He asked me about the family photo hanging in the dining area.”
“He saw me. And you. He put it together. What’d he say? What’d he do?”
“He just left. I looked up and he was gone.”
Interesting. “But if he’s still after Melissa, he’s probably working for the parents and wants to get paid.”
“He’s not wrong here. I did kidnap the girl.”
“Hey. Don’t say that in public.”
“Shit. Sorry. I’m—I’m not used to doing this type of thing.”
“I want you to buy a burner—a pay-as-you-go phone. Pay for it in cash. Don’t sign up for service with your real name or use any identifying information that could be linked back to you. Follow me?”
“Yes, but that’s expensive and—”
“You may be able to just buy a SIM card and put that in your iPhone. That’ll be a lot cheaper. A little more complicated because you have to deal with compatibility between your phone and the network the SIMs use. The retailer may be able to help walk you through it, but the less contact you have with people the better.”
“I’ll see if I can figure it out.”
The Amy of old could.
“But I’ve got no money left.”
“You have any jewelry on you?”
“Just my wedding ring.”
Amy had stopped wearing it years ago, so she brought it with her when she left her apartment—meaning the abduction might have been premeditated. Jesus, Amy.
“Okay, listen to me carefully. Find a pawnshop that’s open late. Do not speed. Do not break any laws. Hock your ring and you’ll have a decent amount of cash. Buy the burner with that.”
Amy hesitated but then agreed.
“I know that’s a big ask. But get a receipt. We’ll pay the loan back when this is over.”
Amy sniffled. “Thanks, sis.”
“Do this ASAP, before the stores close.”
“I can’t leave until Melissa’s discharged. Hopefully tomorrow.”
Loren sighed. “Where are you staying?”
“Sands Motel. Under the name Ada Robinson.”
�
�Okay, good. Be aware of your surroundings…people who may be following you, places where the police may be. Avoid them if possible. At some point soon they’re going to get an alert. The locals may spot you.”
“I’ll be careful.”
“Use the pay phone until you can get that burner. Call me on this number tomorrow morning to check in. I’ve got no way of contacting you, so if there’s something urgent you need to know about, until you get a new phone, let’s do regular check-ins. But no matter what, do not call me on my cell or Bureau phone. Just a pay phone or the burner.”
“What about Zach? Can I call him?”
“No. No text or email either. All that can be tracked. Meantime, let me think about this, about what we can do. Call me back if you need something. I’ll keep the burner charged and on me at all times. If I’m not alone and can’t speak, I’ll call you Charlie.”
“Charlie. Got it.” She managed a forced chuckle. “I feel like some kind of spy.”
“Let’s hope you’re one of those spies who never get caught.”
54
“I only heard one side of the conversation, but—my god—that was enough.”
Loren pushed off the car and turned around. “Zach. What the hell? I came out here so you wouldn’t hear me.”
“I know. But I couldn’t stay in the kitchen knowing you were talking to Amy. I had to know what’s going on.”
“You can’t get dragged into this, too. One of us is enough.”
“Who’s Melissa?”
“Zach, please listen—”
“’No. This is my sister we’re talking about. And she’s obviously in trouble—lots of trouble. Now who’s Melissa?”
“If I tell you—”
“I’ll deny I ever knew. There’s nothing connecting me to anything Amy’s done.”
Loren sighed. She led them back into the house. Telling him was a bad idea…but if she refused and Amy came out of this on the short end—which was highly likely—it would forever be a splinter in their marriage.
“Amy kidnapped a little girl. A five-year-old named Melissa.”
Zach looked at her, mouth agape. “No. Doesn’t sound like her. She’d never do that.”
“I don’t have time to debate this. She did it. That’s not in question. She admitted it.”
He started pacing. “I need to talk with her. This doesn’t make any sense.”
“Amy thinks Melissa is her daughter.”
“What? She said that?”
Loren gave Zach a quick rundown of what she knew regarding the embryos.
He sat down at the kitchen table and stared at the empty plate. “Amy should turn herself in…with her history, she could get off lightly.”
Loren took a seat across from him. “You’re looking at this too clinically. This is your sister. She’s been through way too much in her life. Too much tragedy.”
“And you’re projecting, looking at this emotionally.”
“Damn right.” Loren slapped the table. “This might be her child. Your niece.”
“I get that.”
“Losing Lindy destroyed her. If there’s something—anything—that can save her, resuscitate her life, it’s Melissa.”
“But Lor…” Zach spread his hands apart, palm up. “Do I need to state the obvious? This is wrong.”
“Is it?”
Zach laughed sardonically. “Yes—on so many levels. Jesus, Lor, what am I missing here? You’re an FBI agent and I used to work on Wall Street. Which of us should have a better sense of right and wrong?”
Loren closed her eyes. “I know it’s wrong. But it’s also not.” She stood up and started pacing. “It’s…not black and white. Honestly, it’s hard to figure out what’s right and what’s wrong here. And yeah, I’m not exactly unbiased. But I’m not a judge. All I know is what’s in my heart.”
“And in that woman’s heart—what’s her name? Christine Ellis? What’s she going through, with her daughter missing—kidnapped? Wondering if her little girl is still alive?”
“I know, dammit. I know. I don’t have a good answer.”
“Yes you do. As an FBI agent, you know what’s right here. And it’s not helping my sister get in deeper, with a child that’s not hers.”
“But it is hers. Hers and Dan’s. That’s the whole point.”
“Do you know that? Do you really know that? Or is my sister delusional? You know her history of mental illness.”
“Know it? I’ve lived through it.” Loren put a hand to her forehead. “This is all fucked up.”
“You have an obligation to arrest her. If you do it, it’ll be easier on her.”
Loren snorted. “Let me get this straight. You want me to arrest your sister?”
“Of course not. But you’ll get in a world of trouble if you don’t. And she’s in trouble already, whether or not you sacrifice your life and career—and leave your children without their mother.”
Loren sat down heavily on the couch. Coco came bounding over and leaped onto her lap. She rested her right hand on the dog’s chest.
“You’ll be throwing your career out the window. You wanted to be an FBI agent since you were fifteen. And we need to bring that girl home safely. Not to mention—”
“I can’t do this, Zach. I just can’t. Amy would spend years in prison—and if the jury doesn’t buy the insanity defense, maybe the rest of her life. It’d be doing to your sister what tragedy failed to do. It’d kill her. Not physically, but emotionally. Permanently. She’ll never recover.”
“But what about this girl—Melissa? I mean, if she’s not Amy’s child, she’s been kidnapped, taken from her family. If she really is Amy’s, wouldn’t Amy want what’s best for the child?”
Loren sighed. “There’s more to this story. The mother is abusing her. Not sexually but physically. Emotionally. I don’t know all the details. And the father, because of his involvement in the clinic fire, will likely be convicted of conspiracy to commit arson, insurance fraud, and a list of other things prosecutors will pile on. Melissa will be without her parents no matter what happens with Amy.”
Zach shook his head. “The situation sucks. There’s no good solution. But we’ve got to think of what’s best for our family. Amy…I love my sister, but her tragedy has become ours. It’s taken a toll on all of us. And now, to sacrifice your career, and potentially deprive your boys of their mother, not to mention being ostracized…that can’t be the best option here.”
Loren did not reply.
“Arrest her and we’ll hire the best attorney in the Bay Area. That much we can do for her. Stand beside her, support her, try our best to lessen the blow, get her in a minimum-security facility. Hell, maybe it’ll help her in some strange way.”
Loren tapped Coco’s rear and the dog sat up. Loren rose from the couch. “She actually wanted to turn herself in.”
“Now that sounds like my sister.”
“Yeah, whatever.” She pivoted right and pulled open the garage door.
“Where you going?”
“For a drive.”
“Now? It’s late.”
“I’ve gotta clear my mind.”
“But what about dinner?”
“Smells good. Enjoy it. When the boys get home from youth group, tell them I’ll see them later.”
55
The nurse checked Melissa’s heart monitor, then turned to Amy. “Not a lot of room in here. Is that cot going to work for you?”
“It’s fine,” Amy said. “Not sure how much sleep I’m going to get anyway. I’ll probably lay awake the whole night watching her breathe.”
The nurse chuckled. “I’ve got two kids. Completely understand.”
When the door closed, Melissa turned to Amy. “What happened? Why am I here?”
“You don’t remember?”
Melis
sa shook her head. “They said I had a bad fall.”
“Remember the man who came to my apartment? He must’ve been following us. We were in the farmers market. Do you remember that?”
“The big bear.” She laughed. “And the yummy ice cream.”
“Right. After the ice cream we saw a booth with the school band. They were showing people how to play all their instruments. I sat down to play one, and that’s when the man grabbed you. I ran after him and started screaming and some people saw what was happening and tried to catch him. They ran into him and you fell, hit your head.”
She stared straight ahead, as if trying to recall those events. “Why does that man want to take me away?”
Amy sighed. She sat up in bed and crossed her legs. “I think he’s working for your parents.”
“Why?”
“They probably paid him to find you and bring you home.”
Melissa thought about that. Then she looked at the ceiling. “I don’t want to go home. I want to see ’Selle, but…”
“Why don’t you want to go home?” Amy waited a moment but Melissa did not answer. “Is it because of your mom?”
Melissa glanced at the door.
“You’re safe here. No one’s gonna come in. It’s just you and me.”
The girl’s gaze settled in her lap. “She’s not nice. She…she gets angry, grabs my arm and it hurts.”
“Do you tell her it hurts?”
“Yes.”
“And she stops?”
“She squeezes harder. I cry and she squeezes more. I try to pull away and she hits me.” Melissa’s eyes teared over. Amy stroked her arm, swallowed deeply.
“When I want to watch TV after dinner she pulls me by my hair into my room. Tells me to go to bed.”
“Does she ever read you bedtime stories?” Amy had to think there were some redeeming qualities to Christine Ellis.
Melissa shook her head.
Amy gently touched the side of her face. “I’ll do what I can to protect you from that, okay? I don’t know how, yet, but I’ll figure something out.”
The nurse entered and asked if Amy had finished the paperwork yet.
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