Glue, Baby, Gone

by Joanna Campbell Slan

  I agreed. “So you aren’t due until May?”

  “That’s right. I’ll take maternity leave then. You’re still planning to do another ‘A Star Is Born’ album class, aren’t you? I thought about attending the one you’re having on Friday, but I figured if you were repeating it, I’d come after my baby’s born so I can use the photos.”

  She talked so fast I could barely keep up, especially since an emotional fog had descended on me after saying goodbye to Cara.

  “Dan, my husband, works for the airlines. He’ll stay home, too. I’m so glad I didn’t marry a pilot. I almost did. They would have to try and change their flight schedules if they wanted to stay home for a while. That would be so hard, right? Sure, it would mean more money, but I’m glad that when Dan came home he decided to work as an air traffic controller and stay in the same town.”

  We agreed to stay in touch, and she walked me part-way to the parking garage. Once outside, I noticed the signs for long-term parking. The directions to get there seemed convoluted. Not surprising. After they lay out an airport, they ought to force all the head honchos to drive around. They’d quickly see that their signage stinks. For example, the terminal signs to Lambert are mainly hidden by metal crossbeams. You can’t figure out what it’s telling you until the very last minute. And the route to the long-term area? Totally counter-intuitive.

  Just following it in my head sent a shiver up my spine, as I thought about Bernice and the fate that had awaited her. Whatever possessed that silly woman to agree to meet someone—anyone!—in such a remote and secluded place.

  To keep my mind busy, I decided to play her “What if?” as I tooled along I-270.

  A few miles later, my car came to a standstill. The scent of exhaust wafted through my air vents as I joined a long line of cars. An accident must have blocked the south-bound lanes. Unfortunately, the nearest exit was behind me. I had no choice but to poke along at the pace of a limping snail, leaving more space between me and the next car so I didn’t have to inhale the fumes. I found myself thinking about Thelma. She had underestimated her son’s loyalty to me. She’d also underestimated me. Sure, I was having a tough time, but I’d still been a good mother.

  Then it hit me. “She’d underestimated me.” I repeated it, feeling the words in my mouth. Letting the meaning soak in.

  What if…we’d underestimated Jana and overestimated Bernice?

  What if…Jana was smarter than we thought? Maybe Jana had set Bernice up, instead of the other way around? What if Jana knew the long-term parking area like the back of her hand? And Bernice didn’t? Wouldn’t it make sense for the killer to choose somewhere familiar? That was exactly how organized killers worked. They planned, they plotted, and they came prepared.

  What if …Jana had taken maternity leave? That day when she came to the store, when Lee was there, Jana had said she needed to get back to work. Maybe no one reported the baby because Jana had been appropriately cautious about exposing the child to bad weather?

  The temperature on the day of the abduction had been sub-zero with wind chill warnings. What did we know about women who abducted infants? They considered themselves to be good mothers.

  What would a good mother of a newborn do when faced with such inclement weather?

  A good mother would make sure the baby wasn’t out in the cold for longer than absolutely necessary.

  I called Detweiler. He listened carefully to what I had to say. “You make a lot of good points. If you’re right, it’s possible that Jana is home on maternity leave. That’s why no one has reported a suspicious birth. It’s also possible that she works for an airline or a business connected to the airport. Either way, there’s a lot to follow up on.”

  CHAPTER 10

  After running home and nursing Ty, I left him in Brawny’s capable care. But not before thanking her for taking my side when Thelma Detweiler had come to call.

  “Aye, she was in a right bad state. Worked herself up something fierce. But she behaved herself at the christening. Leads me to wonder what’s twirling around in her head,” Brawny said. “Detweiler told me about your visit to the doctor. I am kicking myself all the way down the football field and back for not noticing how ye were struggling. But dinna fash yourself, lassie. I’m here for ye.” Her strong hand on my shoulder provided comfort.

  “I know that, and I appreciate you, Brawny. I kept telling myself that I shouldn’t feel overwhelmed. After all, I have you!”

  “’Tis not a matter of logic. ‘Tis a physical adjustment and more. Ye’ll be fine. But ye need to tell me if I can do more for you.”

  Bolstered by her kindness and a hearty lunch of stew that she’d tucked into a Thermos for me, I drove to the store. Cara’s suggestion about the quiet got me thinking. Instead of listening to the radio, I drove in the silence. She’d been right. The ambient noises of life had blocked the powerful voice of creativity in my head. I came up with all sorts of nifty ideas for new crops.

  But it wasn’t until I ran into Kaldi’s and treated myself to tall cup of decaf that the real brainstorm hit me hard. Sure I’d been asking myself a lot of questions about Jana. But I hadn’t asked myself the right question, the one that would open Door #1. In fact, I wouldn’t have come up with it except that the adorable barista who handed me my hot drink also pointed to a sign-up sheet. “If you’ll share your email address with us, we’ll send you coupons and tell you about our specials.”

  “Oh, my word!” I stood there with my mouth open. “That’s it!”

  CHAPTER 11

  Once inside my car, I called Lee Alderton to ask a question. She answered on the first ring. “Lee, do you remember that young woman in the baby album class? You took her over to the sign-up sheets at my request. She did sign up for the ‘A Star Is Born’ class didn’t she? I think she did, but I can’t remember.”

  “She did. I told her she wouldn’t want to miss any of your classes, especially one that was new. I saw her grab the pen and write down her email address. Then we took it to Margit so the girl could get her twenty-five percent discount. Why?”

  “I’ll tell you later, if I can. For now, thanks a million.”

  “Toodles!” and Lee disconnected the call.

  Back at the store, I hurried to find Margit, who was teaching a class on how to knit socks using double needles. “Sorry, folks,” I said, but I have to borrow Margit for a bit. I’ll bring her back.”

  Seeing the dark look from a woman who was pulling out wrong stitches, I added, “This is an emergency. Honest.”

  Rather than talk in front of our guests, I hustled Margit to the back room. “Remember how we had that sign-up sheet for people who wanted the twenty-five percent discount? If they signed up in advance for my new class ‘A Star is Born,’ they got the discount right then?”

  “Ja.” Margit frowned at me. “What is the point of this? I have students waiting.”

  “The woman who stole Bonnie’s baby signed up. Remember? Jana Higgins was the name she used. Lee Alderton took her over to the sign-up sheet. Lee saw her put down an email address and take the sheet to you so she’d get her discount.”

  “Ja, this is correct.”

  “Where is that email address?”

  “In the computer. In the Constant Contact list. I do my job, Kiki.” She drew herself up in a huffy stance.

  “I know you do, dear heart. I’m simply trying to figure out a way we can get back in touch with her. Did you save the sign-up sheet?”

  “Ach, nein.” She shook her head sadly. “I am sorry.”

  “Is there any way we can find that address in the list? Does it put a date next to the addresses as you add them?”

  “I do not know. But even so, that would be difficult. I add many, many addresses at once. I do this every month, two times.”

  “Rats. Okay, thanks. Go on back to your class.”

  CHAPTER 12

  I didn’t want to call Detweiler again. I don’t want to be one of those wives who phones her husband ten times a
day, interrupting his work and making a general nuisance out of herself. Instead, I studied our upcoming class calendar. “A Star Is Born” was scheduled for this coming Friday. One reminder had already gone out, thanks to the ever-so conscientious Clancy.

  She’d noted we had fifteen people signed up and paid in advance. That did me little good, because Jana Higgins had used cash again.

  “Clancy?” I called her at home. “Do you have the email addresses for the people signed up to take the ‘A Star Is Born’ class?”

  “Sure I do. Why?”

  I explained what I wanted and she promised to send over a file.

  I spent the next two hours trying and failing to concentrate on upcoming class projects. Although I checked my email repeatedly, the file did not come. I text-message Clancy again, she sent it again, but for whatever reason, it didn’t load.

  That shouldn’t have surprised me. Because she was in Illinois and I was in Missouri, we had two different digital access carriers. Often they didn’t play nicely with each other. This was one of those days.

  I reminded myself that Jana had plans for coming back. At the very least, Detweiler and Hadcho could nab her when she did. But would she bring the baby? That was more of a question in my mind.

  Monday dragged on and on, but still no email from Clancy. Finally, I suggested that she simply forward her file to Detweiler. I gave up on being “coy” and called him, explaining that Jana’s address had to be one of the fifteen listed.

  “Unless she lied,” he said.

  I sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. Unless she lied. She might have signed up and given us a bogus email address so we can’t track her.”

  “She still might show up for your class on Friday. Don’t give up hope. We’re following up on all the business connected to the airport. There’s more of them than you would think. We’re asking if they have women employees who are taking maternity leave.”

  “Sounds redundant to me. Who else takes maternity leave except for women?”

  Detweiler’s laugh warmed me through and through. “Babe, get with the program. Fathers take parental leave. I sure wish I could!”

  “I do, too.”

  CHAPTER 13

  Tuesday morning dawned with the promise of temperatures soaring to the 40s. They didn’t make it. Wednesday was a little better, and we nearly got up to freezing. First thing Thursday I had my first visit to the acupuncturist.

  After we had left Dr. Gretski’s office, Detweiler had remembered Leighton saying that Lorraine was seeing a Chinese medicine specialist. “There’s also an acupuncturist and an herbalist who share the office with the specialist. I guess Western medicine has its limitations when it comes to treating MS. this Oriental wisdom seems to be helping Lorraine.”

  Cara immediately volunteered to phone the doctor’s office and make an appointment for me. After the situation was explained to her, the acupuncturist was able to get me in quickly.

  “What did she sound like? Asian?” Cara asked when I called her on the way back from my treatment.

  “Actually, she’s from Oklahoma.”

  “Come again?”

  “Her married name is Rhonda Lee. Her husband is ABC, American Born Chinese, but she hails from a town on the border of Texas and Oklahoma. Wait until you hear her thick southern drawl. Nice as could be. Called me ‘sugar.’”

  “Did it hurt?”

  “Like a mosquito sting.”

  “That’s manageable.”

  “I agree,” I said, as I pulled into a parking space at the side of my store.

  “There has to be a story behind this,” Cara said. “Tell me everything.”

  “Rhonda’s grandmother was a Native American Indian. A healer. As soon as Brenda could walk, her grandmother was teaching her how to gather herbs and use them. High school and Brenda did not mix together well. After fighting with all the teachers and her mother, she took off hitchhiking until she landed in San Francisco. There she worked in a tiny herbalist shop, saving her money and getting her GED. After that, she applied to a college in California and got in. In addition to biology, she took Chinese and when the chance came up to study abroad, she went to Guangzhou. Took a semester off to study Chinese medicine. It was a good fit. She took a second and third semester off. Four years later, she met her husband. Her mother was dying of cancer, so she came back to the US, and there you go.”

  “Did it help?”

  I laughed. “She warned me the results wouldn’t be immediate.”

  “Have you heard anything from Bonnie? Jeremy? How’re they doing?”

  Through the phone came the soft roar of the ocean. I closed my eyes and tried to picture Cara standing there, her feet in the water.

  “Oh, Cara. I called but Jeremy didn’t want to talk. As for the baby, well, nothing has happened. Not yet. That woman who calls herself Jana Higgins gave me a fake email address. They’ve got cops checking out women on maternity leave. It just seems hopeless, but I’ve got my fingers crossed. If this warm weather continues, maybe she’ll come to the crop on Friday night. It’s not much, but…”

  “I’ll light a candle,” she said.

  CHAPTER 14

  Being “puncted” left me a little tired, so I went directly home and took what I planned as a short nap. Instead, I slept until dinner. Over spaghetti and meatballs, Detweiler asked me if it would be convenient for his sister Ginny to swing by the house right after lunch.

  “Emily has been having growing pains. The pediatrician in Illinois says it’s normal, but Ginny wants a second opinion, so she’s bringing her here. To get her in to see someone, she’s taking Emily out of school at noon.” He paused and chuckled. “I guess Emily has been begging and begging Ginny to see her new cousin. I hope that’s okay with you. I know you have that crop, and we’re hoping that woman will show up, but my sister and Emily should be on their way home by then.”

  “No problem,” I said as I helped myself to Brawny’s fabulous roasted garlic paste. A dollop of that on toasted sourdough bread and my taste buds went to heaven. “It’s great that Emily is so excited about Ty.”

  I didn’t want Detweiler’s family to feel awkward around me because I wasn’t getting along with Thelma. The fact that Ginny had called in advance rather than simply calling on her way here signaled an attempt to be extra-considerate.

  “I get out at one fifteen,” Anya said. “But all I’ve got before that is lunch and study hall. Mom, could I leave school early? I won’t miss anything. Could Brawny give me a ride home so I can see Emily when she’s here?”

  “Of course.”

  Friday morning set butterflies fluttering in my chest. After the kids had gone to sleep, Detweiler told me that Bonnie Gossage was not doing well. “She blames herself. I updated Jeremy on our progress, or lack thereof, and he was grateful. Your ideas were good ones, but as you know, this is the plodding type of work the public never realizes is happening. Banging on the doors of companies, explaining to their HR people that we don’t need to invade anyone’s privacy. We’ve got that Indenti-Kit image of the woman who calls herself Jana Higgins. We’re simply trying to match up a person on maternity leave with our abductor.”

  “When you say Bonnie Gossage is not doing well, what exactly do you mean?”

  He spoke to the light fixture overhead. I watched the sharply cut silhouette of his mouth and chin as he found the right words. “She’s deeply, deeply depressed. They might need to move her into a hospital and get her psychiatric care. This has really hit her hard. Jeremy explained that Bonnie has always seen herself as an extremely capable woman, which she is, and this has rocked her foundation.”

  Even after his breathing became deep and regular, I couldn’t get to sleep. Tiptoeing out of bed, I crept into the nursery. Ty’s lips puckered and trembled in his sleep as he dreamed of nursing at my breast. A warm tingling told me my milk had let down. Pulling over the padded rocking chair, I sat in the narrow band of moonlight streaming through the space between the blinds and the sill. The
re was only enough dim light for me to see my son’s fuzzy hair. I thought about touching him, but it’s best to let sleeping babies lie. Especially when they’ve got a good routine going, like Ty has. So instead, I watched him and counted my blessings. I rocked my way around the world and back, saying prayers for Bonnie and her baby.

  CHAPTER 15

  Rather than go into work only to turn around and come back home, I sent Brawny to take my place at the store. Before she dropped off Erik and Anya at school, I made an executive decision that Erik might as well come home early, too. Seeing his cousin Emily would be good for him. It wasn’t like I would ruin his chances of going to college by letting him skip out a half-day of kindergarten. He and I could cuddle up on the sofa and watch movies until I went in to teach my crop.

  With Brawny gone, I had the chance to spend a bit of Mommy and me time with Ty. I marveled over his perfect fingers and adorable toes. Gracie wandered over and sniffed his head while I fed him. When she licked his crown with that huge, wet tongue of hers, his eyes grew wide and I could have sworn he smiled.

  At noon, the doorbell rang and I opened it to Ginny and Emily, both carrying brown paper bags with food from Panera. “I figured it was easier than having you make something,” she said after giving me a hug.

  Each time I saw Ginny, she looked more and more like her brother. At first, I couldn’t see the resemblance, but her mannerisms and the cadence of her speech patterns matched his. Emily has Ginny’s eyes and her father Jeff’s round face, but she loves animals and moves with a speed and strength that’s surprising for a thirteen-year-old. “Can I see the baby, huh?”

  “Manners, young lady,” her mother admonished her.

  “Of course you can,” I said. “He’s sleeping in his play pen on the floor in the family room.”