by Mimi Barbour
“You finished?” Hampton gazed at her in wonder. “As much as it hurts me to say this, cause things just haven’t been the same for the last few months without you on the job, but I’ll take it from here.”
She knew her eyes had narrowed and the fierce look that she used to intimidate had taken over her features. Knew it from the way he stepped back a pace. Not being a total coward, he still stated the obvious using a very gentle voice.
“If you could drop by the station later, Miss, we’ll take your statement.”
Her pointing finger dug into his chest. “This is my case, Ham…” His half-grin, wry and questioning had her stopping the remark before she ended up making an even bigger ass of herself. She corrected herself. “It’s not my case.”
He shook his head along with her and added. “You don’t know how much I wished it was, Rory. Seriously, I’ve missed you like hell. And so have Lisa and the Captain. He’s been like an old bear these last few months. We all want you back at the place.”
Automatically, she scolded him. “He’s always an old bear, and don’t call me Rory!” Before she could elaborate, thoughts crowded in as Aurora realized just how much she’d missed the guys, and the precinct, and most of all, the job she was born to do. To her being a cop wasn’t just a paycheck.
Because her training meant she believed in the rules, she backed down. “I’ll be in to see you later.” Collecting Lily from the woman who walked the floor to shush the hungry screamer, Aurora thanked her and left.
She took a few minutes after returning to the car in the parking lot to feed the sobbing infant who normally never needed to cry so hard for her food. Aurora’s swollen breasts always announced feeding time, and being a very conscientious mom, she never let her precious daughter wait and suffer.
“I’m sorry, baby-girl. Mommy got caught up in things and left you too long. It won’t happen again, Lily.”
The two-month-old stared at her with her father’s gorgeous eyes and her lush dark lashes saturated with tears. The kisses and her mother’s voice settled her quickly. Being fed also helped calm her and soon she squeezed her mother’s finger, sighed with happiness and drifted off.
Aurora watched the tiny pursed mouth as it sporadically sucked at her breast. Basking in the overwhelming love she felt for the child in her arms, she couldn’t begin to image how Mary Fulton felt at this moment.
A horrible rush of guilt spread into her mind and grabbed hold. Not being a person to toot her own horn, Aurora’s motto had been to keep her head down and her job first and foremost.
Therefore she knew she was a good cop. Maybe even as others had told her, a great cop. This case needed her talent, her dedication to solving every case. As the universe tended to do to keep everything even, for all the strengths she possessed meant there had to be one negative. That was her penchant to, well… pass out when she saw blood of her own or from someone she loved.
Other than that, she had sharpened instincts, more nerve than most and a woman’s intuition mixed with a strange sixth sense that rang inside her ears as a warning. The abnormal condition had saved her ass more times than she cared to recall.
Right now her head was making a hell of a noise and no way could she stop the racket. Not without doing something about it.
Chapter Three
“Sorry to just drop in on you Deb, but I need your help.” Aurora smiled and waited for her surprised ex-partner to back off and let her step into the apartment. She carried all of Lily’s paraphernalia in a baby pack over her shoulder and hoped to coax Debbie to babysit while she kept her date with Hampton at the precinct.
As Debbie waved Aurora into the hallway and swept the baby out of her arms, a glad cry escaped from the delighted blonde. “Here’s my gorgeous whittle doll!” Debbie acted ridiculous over the tiny baby who waved her arms and cooed delightedly.
Aurora hid her prideful smirk and swung away to lower the baby’s things onto the nearby armchair. When Debbie lifted Lily into the air and held her at face level, her babbling worsened. “You-wa da pwettiest whittel baby ev-er, you know dat, dontcha sweetkins?”
“Hey, cut that out? How come I never hear you talk idiotic-talk to your son, Alec? Funny thing, you get near my child and you act like a First grade drop-out? You’re going to corrupt her with all that silliness.”
Aurora had a hard time believing that this was the same woman who’d been her partner before Lisa. Hardened criminals had feared Debbie in those days and paid close attention when she spoke.
“She likes it. Look at her.” Debbie turned the baby towards her mother who couldn’t help but smile at the toothless drooling grin plastered over her child’s happy face.
“She likes her Auntie Debbie, is all. So cut out the dumb shit.”
“Hey grumpy, who pooped in your cornflakes this morning?” Without waiting for an answer, Debbie snuggled Lily onto her hip with the ease of practice and started towards the kitchen where she lowered her into baby Alec’s bouncer. The tiny angel settled down happily as soon as Debbie handed her a soft rubber toy she could chew on. With a twist on the handle the chair oscillated gently back and forth—almost as good as being rocked in mama’s arms.
“Is Alec down for his nap?” Aurora looked toward the playpen where she knew Debbie put her son to keep him safe anytime she left the room. Since the little beggar was almost a year old, a big fellow like his dad, he’d made up his mind that crawling was for sissies and he needed to walk everywhere. Bruises didn’t stop him and neither did the bumps he’d collected. Stubborn was part of his DNA and Aurora had no doubt the handsome miniature Cory would be running everywhere soon.
“He went down but not without a fight. My goodness he’s a handful. Into everything and demands our attention every minute. It’s impossible to get anything done while he’s awake.”
Aurora knew Debbie used this excuse for the bit of messiness around them, but she also knew Deb loved to be with the baby and considered housework way down on the importance list while she could spend her time with her son.
“Since you’re the only person I trust to babysit, can I leave Lily with you for a short time?”
“Sure. You know you can leave her anytime. I love having her around; she’s no problem at all. I never knew such a happy, contented child. Goes to sleep when you lay her down, hardly ever cries and she’s always smiling, even with a tooth starting. You certainly lucked out.” Teasingly, she added, “She must have inherited her daddy’s personality.”
The coldness that permeated the room halted Debbie’s rambling. Guilt filled her face. Her hands reached towards Aurora beseechingly. “I’m such a blabbermouth, Rory. I’m sorry. I know you don’t like us talking about him.”
“I don’t want to hear about the bastard.” Her voice lowered on the profanity so Lily wouldn’t hear her mother swearing. “And stop calling me Rory. What is it with you guys today?”
Breathing a sigh of relief for the subject change, Debbie quickly grabbed the reprieve and asked. “You guys? Were you with someone from work?”
“That’s why I want your help. I need to go and make a statement with Hampton this afternoon. The weirdest thing happened this morning while I was at the pediatrician’s for Lily’s two month checkup. A woman fell out of the elevator screaming that her baby’d been abducted right out of her arms.”
“Oh no, not another one?!” Instantly, Debbie’s hand jerked to cover her mouth and she turned away.
Aurora narrowed her eyes and drilled a look toward Deb. “What do you mean, another one? This has happened before? When?”
“Forget I said anything, Aurora. Cory will kill me if he knows I blabbed. They’re trying to keep a lid on things so parents won’t panic.”
“This is me you’re talking to, Deb. Not some jumpy idiot from the suburbs. What’s going on?”
Debbie wrung her hands and stuck her lip out. “Can’t. If I do, you won’t be able to sleep at night. You know how you get, especially when it’s anything to do with kids. Since yo
u can’t help, the less you know the better.”
After working with the goofy blonde for five years, Aurora knew when Debbie’s stubbornness kicked in there was no talking her out of it. Particularly if she thought she was protecting someone she cared about.
“Fine, I’ll go and talk to Cory at the station. Since I’m only on maternity leave, he’ll fill me in.”
Debbie smirked and answered, “You do that.”
Aurora caught on immediately. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Expression straightening from smirk to grimace, her ex-partner groaned and admitted. “Cory’s at a circle jerk for the Division Heads in L.A.”
“He is? What’s the topic?”
A huge sigh escaped before Debbie answered. “Human trafficking. There’s a sophisticated Chinese ring working in the Southwest, a syndicate of big shots. No one can touch them and Cory believes they could be tied to what’s happening here in Vegas.”
“Shit! That’s bad news. If the Chinese have anything to do with this, it’s well-run and you’ve gotta know there’s a lot of money involved. But why babies? Why not older kids?”
“Don’t ask me. I’ve said more than I should have. Cory is gonna kill me.” Debbie glanced over to the now sleeping baby nestled in the comfy seat and motioned for Aurora to look also.
Lily lay contentedly sucking her thumb, her face resting on her collarbone like a pink-cheeked old man with jowls.
Aurora tiptoed to the hallway and pointed at the pack she’d left on the chair. “I pumped milk for her and there’s a change of clothes and extra diapers. I should be back soon.”
“Take all the time you need. Alec will be thrilled to see her when he wakes up. And I’ll get in some huggy-time since the monster will hardly let me hold him anymore. He’s in too big of a hurry to explore and get into mischief just like his dad.”
Chapter Four
John Hampton looked ridiculous with a childish pout clinging to his features. “You didn’t bring Lily?”
Aurora remembered the one and only time the little beauty had held center stage in the office, goo-ing and dimpling, acting just like her asshole of a father who loved attention. Unlike Aurora who felt uncomfortable with most people and tended to stay low-key.
“No! Last time I brought her with me, she disrupted the place so much, I felt guilty. You guys drooled all over her. It was sickening.”
“Yeah and she loved it. I was looking forward to spending some time with her while you were here.”
“Oh, suck it up. You can come over to the apartment anytime to see her.”
He brightened visibly and nodded. “Okay, how about me and the missus dropping by on my next day off? Hold it now, with this muck going on in the city, crazies stealing babies for Lord’s sake, that could take ages.” Gloomy now, his lips tightened and he rubbed the back of his neck.
Aurora had noticed that his normally stacked desk looked more loaded than usual. “Where is everyone? I tried calling Lisa and she didn’t pick up. Figured I’d catch up with her here and she’s nowhere to be seen. In fact, the whole place looks weirdly empty.”
Ham scanned the vacant chairs pushed in to laden desks. The few officers who were in evidence walked around sluggishly, no oomph at all. He brought his hands up behind his head and leaned back in the office chair. “Half the office is sick with the flu and the other half are worn out from covering all the shifts.”
“Lisa too?”
“She worked up till yesterday and then had to give in. Feels like shit about leaving us in a mess, but nothing she can do. I found her asleep on her desk and called her a taxi.”
Guilty for not being here rode Aurora and made her shy away from pursuing that subject. Instead, she returned to the scene from that morning at the doctor’s offices and asked after Mary Fulton.
“It’s a real shit-show, Aurora. These parents are dealing with the worst tragedy that can happen to anyone.”
Playing along as if she knew all about the crimes, she asked. “Is there some kind of pattern? Could anyone identify a suspect from this morning? What did the video tapes show? How about forensics?”
“The video showed a shrewd person with a mask who covered the lens of the camera so we got nothing there. He also wore gloves, not surprising. And the women who were attacked all say the same thing. They all identified the person as male. He never shows his face. None of them can give us a description. In all the cases, the woman had no time to even think before they were put out of commission. Two with chloroform like Mrs. Fulton. One mom with a Taser, shot from behind as she walked the baby in the park. The perp left her propped up on a bench and walked away with the baby, not a care in the world. We found the child’s carriage left by the road, no prints, nothing. Slick and clean!”
Aurora thought over what she heard and then asked, “So Cory’s gone to a symposium in L.A. about Human Trafficking crimes? Any connection?”
“Yeah! Seems like they’ve had similar kidnappings in their city.”
Aurora added what she already knew to be true. “Feds working the cases also? Kidnapping is in their jurisdiction.”
“Oh yeah, they’ve set up downstairs. But you know Cory. He likes to stay on top of what happens in his city. He’ll work with them, sure, but he’s pushing his own buttons.”
Glumly, she nodded; her keen brain hummed, trying to figure out all the angles. There was a definite din attacking her ears and she knew something still unclear was just out of reach.
“Have you any idea if these babies are being processed through an agency? I’ve no doubt they’ll have to be put into the system to make them legal for adoption. There’s people out there who will pay big money nowadays to have a family handed to them, to bypass the waiting—no questions asked.”
“Sure, but there’s records tied to those adoptions, easy-to-follow records.”
“Okay, in the government offices. What about the private agencies? Maybe some from out of the country?” She gnawed on her bottom lip and tilted her head to stop the vicious twanging.
She noticed when Hampton realized how much he’d disclosed to a fellow cop on sabbatical. “Leave it lassie. You don’t need to worry your pretty little head…”
In a flash, she had her finger in front of his face and she hissed a warning. “You’re beginning to piss me off, Ham.”
He gently pushed her away, held his own hands out front and backed his chair up. “You taking your postpartum vitamins? A might cranky, even for you.”
His teasing grin did her in every time and today was no different. She calmed and grimaced. “Just don’t push me. I miss the job so badly; I could chew on the envy I feel coming in here, seeing you and knowing I can’t stay.”
“It’s just for a few more weeks, Aurora. We’ll hold the fort and you’ll be back before you know it.”
Her head dropped to her chin and she slumped back into her chair. “I know. I love being home with Lily, really I do. But some days I can’t breathe for wanting to have a problem to wrap my brain around that doesn’t include the words goo or poo.”
The ringing phone stopped their conversation. Ham picked it up on the second ring. His expression had the adrenalin pumping instantly for Aurora.
“Ya don’t say? At the truck scales? Right. I’ll be at there in a jiffy. Tie it down and don’t let anyone mess up the crime scene.”
Red-cheeked and eyes glittering, Ham unwound his huge size. His drooping shoulders gave Aurora a hint about the news he’d received. Only a few things she knew affected his overly big Irish heart in this way. Either a woman or kids were involved or a cop.
She watched Ham look around to spot someone to partner him. She saw him settle on a Jason, a veteran who looked like hell as he sat holding his head up with one hand while listlessly plucking at the buttons on his computer. He sneezed then groaned and pulled another tissue from the box on his desk.
“Let me work backup for you today. I can fill in for Lisa.”
Ham rubbed at his mustache and turne
d to look at her.
She stood waiting for his nod, and when he hesitated, she added, “I’m begging you here, Ham. It’ll be like you called me out for auxiliary duty… except I’ll forget to put in the paperwork.”
“You have no gun or badge. Means you stay in the background. I mean it, Rory.”
“Hell, I can do that!”
Ham snorted as he gathered his own piece, pushed his chair in, and waited for her to precede him.
She moved in front and snidely grinned over her shoulder. “Just this once you can call me Rory!”
“Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Colleen. It’s good to have you back.”
Chapter Five
Cory knocked on the door of an old colleague and waited for permission to enter, which came soon enough.
“Cory Ashton, you old dog, how long has it been? Last time you contacted me, you screwed me out of one of my best men without even a thank you kiss or an after-the-fun cigarette.” Bob Powers, Police Captain for the Los Angeles division stood with his hand outstretched.
Cory moved in smiling and they shook, both delighted to be together once again. “Bob! You’re looking good for an old man who sits around all day with nothing to do.”
“Right. My job runs itself. I just sit on my ass and play solitaire on my computer like you.” He smirked and pointed to the comfortable chair next to a matching sofa across the room from his office area. “Can I get you a coffee or a cold drink?”
“A coffee if it’s no trouble.” Cory made his way over to sit in the plush chair and took the time to glance around the space of a very busy man.
“As much as I’d like to believe that you’ve come to see me personally, I know better. What’s on your mind?”
“You do know me too well, Bob. I’ve come to enquire about Kai Lawson. He left my precinct in Vegas after the Rhondo shooting over eleven months ago saying he needed time and that he’d check back. I’ve called, sent e-mails and since I was in town, I went to his address and he’s not there anymore.”