by Elise Noble
“Is it old enough to eat food?” And I couldn’t keep calling the baby “it.” “Is it a boy or a girl?”
“Neither of us has looked yet, but Judd found a growth chart on the internet, and we measured it with a ruler. We reckon it’s about six months old.”
Bloody hell. “He’ll need to get formula as well.”
“Uh, I’ll tell him. He’s going back to the hospital after to sit with the girl. Can you find Alaric?”
I spoke through gritted teeth. “I’ll do my very best.”
Emmy was right. Judd was an absolute lunatic.
CHAPTER 17 - ALARIC
BETH WAVED GOODBYE to Harriet, but as soon as she climbed into the passenger seat, her smile faded.
“Everything okay?” Alaric asked.
“We have a small problem.”
“How small?”
“About two feet, I’d say.” She closed her eyes and sighed as she leaned her head back. “Judd and Gemma…they’ve…well, they’ve kidnapped a baby.”
No, he must have misheard.
“For a moment there, I thought you said Judd and Gemma kidnapped a baby.”
“Yes, because they did.”
“You’ll have to start at the beginning.”
“Gemma called me half an hour ago. A girl came to the gallery today, asking her about ‘the American man who’d been asking questions on the Bellsfield Estate.’ That’s got to be you, hasn’t it? Or Ravi?”
Yes, they’d been asking questions, but they’d been careful not to leave any evidence that the “suicide” of one of the residents had actually been a little less than voluntary. Could a reporter have gotten wind of Gemma’s involvement? Unlikely—the death of a nobody on a run-down housing estate was hardly front-page news. But Gemma had dated the guy for months—had she made any friends there? Met any acquaintances who might know where she worked?
“Gemma didn’t recognise her?”
“She says not.”
“How did we get from a visitor at the gallery to kidnap?”
“The girl had a baby with her. And while she was talking to Gemma, some toff took offence to her being on the pavement, and she ended up getting hit by a car.”
Getting closer… Alaric had a bad feeling about this.
“That still doesn’t explain the baby.”
“Well, I guess Judd was worried about the girl knowing too much, because he told the staff at the hospital that he was the father of her baby, and now he’s at her bedside playing the concerned husband until she wakes up.”
“Fuck.”
“Funny, that’s the exact word I used.”
Judd’s loyalty was unquestionable, and for that Alaric was grateful, but hot damn, couldn’t he think things through for once? Alaric’s stomach twisted into a knot because although he’d spoken to a dozen women with babies during their search for Gemma, only one had made a long-lasting impression. Say it wasn’t Hevrin…
“Give me your phone.” Alaric took a deep breath. “Please.”
“What happened to yours?”
“Emmy dropped hers, so I lent her mine, and she left it on top of the car and drove off.”
He should have known better. Emmy went through so many phones she got a bulk discount. Beth fished hers out of her purse, but when he moved to take it, she held on.
“Uh, could you not tell him I told you? Gemma said she wasn’t meant to mention it.”
Good thing Judd was in London. Alaric couldn’t inflict grievous bodily harm if he was four thousand miles away, could he now? He punched in Judd’s number, put the phone on speaker, and waited. One ring, two, three…
“What’s up, babe?”
“Her name’s Beth, not ‘babe.’ What have I told you about harassing the female staff?”
“I’m on my best behaviour. Scout’s honour.”
Right.
“So, how are things in London? Busy day? Have you been working with your usual clinical efficiency?”
Emphasis on the clinical. Judd’s pause said he knew what Alaric knew.
“I tried to call you.” He lowered his voice and echoed Beth. “There’s a small problem.”
“How small?”
“Five feet six and 35-25-35 at a guess.”
For fuck’s sake.
“Elaborate. And stop referring to women like they’re objects.”
“A girl stopped Gemma outside the Pemberton gallery today. Started asking questions about the Bellsfield Estate. About an American. Then some bitch in a designer suit barged her out of the way, and she landed in traffic.”
“So you called an ambulance, right?”
Alaric already knew the answer, but he also didn’t want to drop Gemma in it. Trust was important in this game.
“Yes, but what if she knows something about what went on last week? Gem’s been through enough already, and you and Ravi don’t want your names coming out. The cops are gonna question her when she wakes up.”
“About the accident, presumably, not about the Bellsfield Estate.”
“What happens if she lets something slip? Do you want to take that chance?”
Quite honestly? No. But when there was a child involved, that had to take priority, a fact Judd should have been well aware of after everything they’d been through with Rune. This was why Alaric’s name was on her fake birth certificate rather than his.
“It’s not just about us. Who’s the girl? Does she have a name? Any ID?”
“I lifted her wallet, but all that’s in it is ten quid and a bus ticket. Her phone got smashed in the accident. So for now, her name’s Nada Millais-Scott, and her address is Curzon Place.” Curzon Place was Judd’s townhouse in Kensington. “The bloody receptionist wouldn’t let me past unless I was next of kin.”
“Nada?”
“The first name I thought of. She looks Middle Eastern, and I used to work with a woman from Iraq called Nada. I panicked, okay? There was a baby.”
Middle Eastern. Alaric’s worst fears were ninety percent confirmed.
“I’ll need a photo to be sure, but she’s likely to be Hevrin Moradi. She’s a Kurdish refugee, and she was instrumental in leading us to Gemma. Where’s the baby?”
“With Gemma.”
“You can’t just keep a baby, Judd. Social Services should be…” Alaric trailed off. Emmy had been in the foster system, and so had Sky. It hadn’t been kind to either of them. Yes, Judd was an impulsive asshole, but he wouldn’t abuse a kid, and between Blackwood and Sirius, they’d move heaven and earth to look after it. “Never mind. The baby’s at your place?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you know how to take care of it?”
“No fucking clue, mate.”
“Are you at the hospital?”
“Next to her bed. I got her a private room.”
“How is she?”
“She wasn’t knocked out for long, but she was confused and crying when she came round, so they took her for an MRI and a CT scan to be on the safe side. Her arm’s broken, but they reckon her head’s okay. Now she’s sleeping. I don’t know what she’s told them, but nobody’s arrested me yet.”
Good. Alaric had to take that as a positive, apart from the broken bone, obviously.
“But…” Judd continued.
“But?”
“I saw the X-rays. That girl’s broken half the bones in her body at some point or another.”
“Fuck.”
“I told the doctors she used to race motocross bikes.”
“Motocross? We’re gonna need to work on your bullshit, buddy.”
“Normally I’m good at it—you know that. This just threw me off balance. The baby and everything. Shit, it was a close call.”
“What happened to the woman who pushed her?”
“She tried to walk off, but I grabbed her handbag and hung onto it until the police picked her up for questioning. No way was she leaving it behind, even if the self-centred cow did try to snatch it back while I was putting Nada into the recovery p
osition.”
“Hevrin.”
“Right, Hevrin. About this baby…”
“I’ll find someone who can help. Leave it with me.”
Alaric hung up and leaned his head against the steering wheel. Why him? He could’ve gotten a nice, easy job pushing paper around a desk, but instead, he was left to wrangle former spies and bail women out of tricky situations.
“Why didn’t you tell him to go to Social Services?” Beth asked.
“Because I don’t want this kid turning into Sky. Foster parents are a mixed bag. Do you know anybody who might have a clue how to look after a baby?”
Beth thought for a moment. “I guess I can see your point about Sky. What about you? Didn’t you help with Rune when she was little?”
“I wasn’t involved with Rune in her younger years.”
Cue the disapproving glare. Alaric had to take it. No way was he having a discussion about Rune’s origins at that particular point in time.
“What about Dan? Doesn’t she have a son?”
“Dan adopted Caleb when he was ten. And don’t even consider suggesting Emmy—kids scare her more than small-arms fire.”
“I guess I know the basics. My sister’s eight years younger than me, and I used to help the nanny with feeding her and things.”
“Call Gemma. Do what you can to assist while I drive us back.”
Judd might have been sought after as a spy and an assassin, but as a nanny? No.
Back at the house, Alaric had hoped to see Emmy or even Dan, but the only person home was Black, sitting behind his laptop at the kitchen table.
“Anything new?” he asked.
“You could say that. This case is going from bad to worse. I should’ve stayed in Thailand.”
Now Black looked up. “I’ll gladly pay for the ticket if you want to go back there.” One-way, of course. Asshole. “What happened?”
Alaric gave him a brief précis, and predictably, Black laughed.
“There’s a woman in the hospital,” Alaric snapped. “This isn’t fucking funny.”
“Yes. More absurd, I’d say. So, what do you need?”
“Do you know anyone with a baby? Gemma needs advice.”
“I thought you were the man who knew everything?” Black’s tone was mocking.
“I’ve never had to change a diaper before. Do you know anyone, or don’t you?”
Finally, Black picked up the phone. “Georgia’s got an eighteen-month-old daughter. I’ll get her to call.”
CHAPTER 18 - BETH
AFTER GEMMA’S REVELATION about Alaric, I’d been shocked, but by morning, I’d had time to think things through. Beyond the drunken fumble at my father’s birthday party, it wasn’t as though he’d shown any extracurricular interest in me apart from going out of his way to help turn my life around and being extraordinarily nice. Gemma was right. He was the good friend every girl wanted. Plus without the sexual tension constantly running through me, I’d be able to relax more. Stop worrying about what I looked like and what every little touch meant.
And another huge positive—he wasn’t Judd.
“Any update on Hevrin?” I asked Alaric as we climbed into the car. We’d both decided to skip breakfast at the house since Stéphane had promised to make pancakes today. Alaric planned to work from the ranch. He said he could do with a change of scene, but secretly, I suspected the fact that Black had taken over the kitchen table had influenced his decision. According to Dan, Black was focusing on Ridley and his buried dirt.
The hospitalised girl had a name now, at least. Judd had sent a picture, and Alaric recognised her. With some help from a friend of Black’s, Gemma had managed to change the baby and feed her, although she got slightly squicked out when the baby vomited. Totally normal, Georgia assured her. Gemma seemed pleased that she’d taken a vow of chastity.
“Hevrin’s still sleeping, but the doctors don’t seem to think there’s a cause for concern.”
On the medical front, at least.
“How do you think she found Gemma?”
“I don’t know. Judd and I both spoke to Gemma last night, and she’s adamant she never told anyone on the Bellsfield Estate apart from the dead guy where she worked.”
“What if he told Hevrin? What if they were friends? What if…?”
“When I spoke to her, she said she didn’t know him. And don’t forget, she was the one who helped give him up. Plus I never even mentioned Gemma to her—I told her I was from the council, acting on a complaint about a cat.”
“You only met her once?”
“Twice.” Alaric blew out a long breath. “But I might have sent her a care package afterwards.”
“A care package?”
“Food and some cash. She couldn’t even afford groceries.”
Why did that not surprise me? Alaric had a big heart.
“Could she have tracked us down from that?”
“Not without the investigative skills of Blackwood. I sent everything anonymously. And even if she traced the stuff to me, that still doesn’t get her to Gemma.”
It was a mystery, one we wouldn’t solve until Hevrin decided to tell us. If she decided to tell us. And nobody was going to go against the doctor’s advice and wake her prematurely.
All we could do was wait.
Stéphane and Harriet both greeted me with hugs when we arrived at Lone Oak Farm. The ranch was fast becoming my happy place, a home away from home in Chaucer’s absence. The rolling pastures were balm to my soul. And yes, there were pancakes, a great big stack of them with crispy bacon and maple syrup. Beside the platter sat a jug of fresh coffee, and next to that lay two paper files, each an inch or so thick.
“What are those?” I asked Harriet. I’d definitely become nosier since I began working for Sirius.
“Remember those cases we discussed yesterday? Kyla’s teenage horror story? Rusty’s brother’s a deputy, and I asked him to…” She put her hand over her mouth and coughed. “Borrow them. I got curious.”
“We both did,” Stéphane said. “Talk about liar, liar, pants on fire.”
“Kyla’s lyin’ ass could send a rocket ship to the moon.”
“What cases?” Alaric asked.
Oops. “I completely forgot to tell you last night what with…everything. I’m so sorry.”
“How about you tell me now?”
Stéphane did the honours. “When Kyla was a teenager, she sent her boyfriend to jail and disappeared her best friend.”
“We don’t know that for sure,” Harriet said. “The second part at least. The first part’s a given.”
“Mind if I take a look?” Alaric asked.
“Knock yourself out. Stéphane’s also compiled a list of all the videographers around here, so we can start calling once we’ve mucked out the horses. He already sent the names to Dan, and she said she’d take A through G.”
Alaric poured himself a large coffee and set his laptop on the table. “Looks as if we’ve got a busy day ahead, doesn’t it?”
By lunchtime, we’d spoken to half the people on Stéphane’s list, but all of them denied coming to Lone Oak Farm. Some hadn’t even heard of the senator. Harriet had gone back out to the horses, and Stéphane was seeing to Irvine, who seemed happy to eat his lunch today. My voice was hoarse from talking, but Alaric still sounded smooth in every way.
“Is this what you do every day?” I asked him.
“Fortunately, no. I usually deal with intelligence gathering at a higher level. Take a break, sweetheart. Drink something.”
“But there are still so many names left.”
“A lot of these people seem to be busy filming in the afternoons. I think we’ll have better luck trying again tomorrow morning, and I need to call Judd in any case.”
Gemma had phoned in sick, and apparently Hugo wasn’t happy since she’d also taken the whole of last week off. But when she pointed out that she’d most likely got her imaginary cold from his coughing and spluttering, he soon piped down. The baby w
as eating and pooping, she said. Mostly pooping.
Alaric propped his tablet up on the table, and I squashed onto the bench next to him. Urgh, Judd looked terrible. Had he slept at all since the accident?
“How’s it going?” Alaric asked.
“I’d forgotten how bad hospital food tastes.”
“Why are you eating hospital food?”
“I’ve been here the whole night.”
“What about visiting hours?”
“What can I say? The nurses like me.”
“How’s Hevrin? Any change?”
Then we heard a weak whisper coming from the speakers. “Why does everyone keep calling me Nada?”
Judd’s head whipped around, and in the background, I saw Hevrin for the first time. Slender with dark hair, fine features, and wires sprouting from both arms.
“Hey, you’re awake,” Judd said.
“Where am I?” She tried to sit up. “Where’s Indy?”
“Indy’s your daughter? She’s fine. We’re taking care of her.”
Hevrin’s voice rose in panic. “Who are you? Where am I?”
“You’re in the hospital. A car hit you. And I’m… Well, it’s a tad complicated. You were looking for an American man, and…”
Hevrin leaned forward, piercing eyes fixed on the screen, and then she seemed to relax infinitesimally.
“It’s you?” she asked, and I realised she was talking to Alaric.
“Yes. I’m sorry I can’t be there in person.”
“I still don’t understand what happened.”
“You were talking to Gemma outside the Pemberton gallery when a woman got impatient and shoved you under a car.”
Hevrin closed her eyes again. “I don’t remember. I was going to go to the gallery, but I don’t remember.”
“My friend here came with you to the hospital, and he called you Nada because he didn’t know your name at the time. None of us wanted to see your little girl taken in by the authorities.”
“Did she get hurt too?”
Alaric smiled. “Not even a scratch. Gemma caught her.”
“Alhamdulillah,” she breathed, her voice barely audible.
“Are you up to speaking? Or would you like to see the doctors? Get them to check you over?”