by Alexa Grace
"Sure, I know Carole. The last time I saw her, she was in the C-wing. I’ll page her to meet you here.”
Moments later, Carole arrived at the nurses' station.
"Hi, Carole. Do you remember me? I talked to you the other day when I was looking for Ally Black."
"Sure, honey, I remember you."
Jennifer pulled the sketch she’d done of David Chambers out of her purse, unfolded the picture and showed it to Carole. "Does this look like the man with Ally the day she left the hospital?"
"Aren't you the talented one? Yes, that's Ally's father."
Lane looked around him to make sure no one was watching, and then pulled a credit card from his wallet. He slid the card in the vertical crack between the door and the frame near the lock. Within a second, he was in Ally Black's apartment. He looked around the living room and found it tidy with no mail or personal papers lying about. He walked into the kitchen and found it just as clean. Apparently, her roommate was a clean freak.
He entered a hallway that led to the bedrooms. He peeked in the first one. There was a pink paisley comforter on the twin bed along with at least a dozen frilly pillows. He noticed a journalism college textbook lying on a desk. This couldn't be Ally's room. She hadn't finished high school.
Lane left the room and entered the second bedroom. There was a matching comforter in blue on the bed but no pillows. There were no personal objects on the white dresser or the desk. Really odd. In the other crimes involving young women he'd investigated before, there were always an abundance of personal items on furniture like photos, framed or not, jewelry boxes, and journals. The fact there was nothing personal in this room piqued his curiosity.
He slid back the closet doors. There were a couple of women's tops hanging on hangers. He noticed a box on the floor and pulled it open. With the exception of a photograph of Ally with some friends, there was nothing in the box that would help him. He heard voices and looked out Ally's window to see a couple of women carrying bags past the apartment. Then he heard a door open then slam shut in the distance. It was time for him to leave before the roommate returned.
Jennifer sat in her stifling hot car outside the Forever Home Adoption Agency building. It was David Chambers who took Ally Black from the hospital, not her father. So what did that mean? Did he do something to her? Could this be something as innocent as David giving Ally a ride to the airport? Were her imagination and suspicions in overdrive? What in the hell was wrong with her? Why couldn't she let this go?
She thought of Dr. Caine. He was such a nice man. The day she met him, he seemed to know how hard it was for her to sign the papers to give up her baby. She remembered how he came around his desk and consoled her as she cried.
Besides owning the adoption agency and clinic, he was a respected physician. The nurses in the clinic adored and respected him. He had a right to know if a member of his staff behaved in a way that was questionable. She had to tell him.
Dr. Caine's secretary ushered Jennifer into his reception area after reporting the doctor was on a conference call that would end soon. She tried to look at a magazine but couldn't concentrate so she set it down. She wondered how Dr. Caine would react when he heard her story about his employee. She heard his footsteps then the door of his office opened.
"Hello, Jennifer. It's good to see you again. Why don't you come in and tell me why you needed to see me today." He stood back as she walked past him then pulled out one of the guest chairs in front of his desk for her. He slid around his desk and sat down.
"I've come across some information about one of your employees," she began. Anxiety made a giant knot in her stomach. She bit her lower lip and willed herself to continue talking.
"Is that right? What is it you think I should know?"
"Ally Black, one of your patients, disappeared recently after giving birth."
"Go on," he urged
"I visited with her the night she gave birth. She'd changed her mind, Dr. Caine. She'd held her baby and decided she couldn't give her up. She was going to tell you the next day. But the next day she was gone." Jennifer took a deep breath and tried to relax.
"What do you mean, she was gone?" A flicker of apprehension coursed through him.
"I went to the hospital to visit her and the staff told me her father had taken her home."
"That seems reasonable."
"The thing is, even Ally's mother didn't know who Ally's father was. The man was an enigma. David Chambers took Ally from the hospital was not her father."
"How do you know David took Ally from the hospital?"
Jennifer pulled the folded sketch from her purse and handed it to him. He visibly paled as he looked down at the sketch on his desk. "One of Ally's nurses identified him today as the man who took her from the hospital. He told the nurse he was Ally's father."
"David may have simply been giving the girl a ride and the nurse misunderstood his role."
"No, she and the other nurses told me that David presented himself as Ally's father. And now she's disappeared. She hasn't come back to the apartment for her things. That's not logical. If she were going someplace, she'd want to take her things with her. I think David had something to do with her disappearance."
"Why are you telling me this? Why haven't you gone to the police with your story?"
Jennifer looked down at her hands. "I'm not sure the police would take me seriously. But you are David's employer. Besides that, you're a respected physician in the community." Despite her best efforts, tears streamed down her face. "They'd listen to you. Please help me find out what happened to her. I just want to know if she is okay."
"Jennifer, I don't want you to worry another second. I'll find out what happened to Ally if it's the last thing I do. Can you give me a couple of days? I want to talk to David to make sure this is not a misunderstanding before I go to the police. Can you do that for me?"
"Of course. I'm sorry to unload this on you. Would you call me to let me know what you've found out?"
"Yes. I will. I promise you." He stood, prompting Jennifer to stand too. He walked around his desk and led her to the door. "Please don't worry, Jennifer. I'll find out what's going on."
Panic was rioting inside Dr. Caine, but he willed himself to appear calm. Christ, this was the last thing he needed. This girl could ruin everything he'd worked for. The quick and disturbing thought raced through his mind and try as he might he couldn't erase it.
Damn him. That freaking idiot, David. Ally Black was the problem David Chambers had assured him had been taken care of. The liar told him he took care of everything and that he needn't worry. What the hell was he going to do? David was God-knows-where. Coming up with the solution to this problem was now up to him. It was painfully obvious Jennifer Brennan wasn't going to let this go. It was sheer luck she hadn't already alerted the police. It was clear he had to handle this on his own.
Lane held up his wrist to check his watch again. Damn. If Frankie didn't hurry up, they were going to be a hell of a lot more than fashionably late to Dr. Caine's dinner party.
"Frankie!" he called up the stairs. "Are you almost ready?"
He heard her as she closed her bedroom door upstairs. Frankie stood at the top of the stairs and he lost his breath. He merely stared, tongue-tied. On an average day, Frankie was beautiful. Tonight she was stunning, wearing an apple-red sheath dress that hugged her curves and exposed her long, long legs. On her feet were her favorite leopard pumps with three inch heels. The dress's square neckline accentuated the rise of her firm breasts and Lane felt his arousal instantly stand at attention. This woman was drop-dead gorgeous and he wanted her flat on her back beneath him in his bed just as soon as he could arrange it. But for now, and throughout the evening, he needed to exhibit some control and keep his hands to himself.
"You're looking very hot, Mrs. Henderson."
"Not so bad yourself, Mr. Henderson." She neared him to adjust his silk tie. Her closeness sent tiny sparks of fire to his sexual center. She finished
with the tie and said, "We need to talk about something before we go."
"Like what? It better be fast. In case you haven't noticed, we're running late, sweetheart."
"I intend to flirt with the evil doctor tonight to get some information. Just want to remind you to watch your temper."
His jaw clenched, his eyes slightly narrowed as he imagined a couple of scenarios. None of which he liked. "What kind of flirting are we talking about?"
"My goal is to keep it verbal, a little eyelash fluttering, and maybe some innocent touching of his arm. That kind of thing."
"Exactly how far are you willing to go to get information from him?"
"If the situation was reversed and the doctor was female, how far would you go?"
"I asked you first."
"I'll go as far as I need to prevent another woman from being murdered or another baby being sold to the highest bidder."
There it was — yet another glaring reason not to let things get personal with your partner. Lane knew himself well enough to know that if Eric Caine tried to get busy with Frankie he'd kick Dr. Caine’s ass. And if she was asking him to stand by and passively watch, that was a personal hell he'd rather not experience.
He yanked her to him, encircled her waist with his arms, and crushed her against him. He possessively took her lips and delivered a mind-blowing kiss. He eased back. Her eyes still held surprise from the kiss.
"That's to remind you who you're coming home with tonight."
They pulled up to Dr. Caine's home in the Mazda Miata that the sheriff loaned Frankie for the operation. Thanks to the tornado, the Escalade was still in the repair shop. A wide-eyed teenaged valet took the car keys from Lane and acted like he was at a dealership taking a test drive. Lane groaned as the kid squealed the wheels as he turned the car into a makeshift parking lot across the road.
Lane tried to put himself in a better mood, but it was difficult to do because he couldn't stop thinking of a certain sociopathic, slime-ball doctor putting his filthy hands on the woman he was crazy about. In the car, Frankie kept trying to tell him she wouldn't let it come to that, but he wasn't convinced.
As they walked through the double doors of his mini-mansion, Dr. Caine took the opportunity to ignore Lane's presence while he blatantly undressed Frankie with his eyes. He embraced her like they were old friends. A muscle flicked angrily at Lane's jaw as he watched the scene.
Finally, the doctor noticed Lane's outstretched hand and gave him a decidedly unenthusiastic handshake.
Speaking directly to Frankie, Dr. Caine said, "I'm so glad you were able to be here tonight. I'm looking forward to getting to know you better." He pressed a kiss to the top of her hand before she could withdraw it. He made her skin crawl but she attempted a smile. She leaned against Lane, placing her hand in his. She squeezed and made a silent prayer that he rein in his temper.
"Please mingle with the other guests in the living room. Dinner will be served in about thirty minutes," Caine said.
The living room was massive with a white brick fireplace, with built-in bookshelves lining one wall. The other was lined with glass panels that opened to a terrace that ran the length of the house. A wrought iron fence laced with tiny white lights graced the red brick terrace. There were at least thirty people in the living room and even more out on the terrace.
"I'll get us something to drink," suggested Lane. But before he could go to the bar, Frankie grabbed his arm.
"Aren't you going to ask what I want?"
"Nope. You're having ice water or soda. I'm well aware of your drinking capabilities." The beginning of a smile tipped the corners of his mouth.
"Very funny. Ice water is fine."
He returned some time later with her ice water in a wine glass. He held a bottle of dark German beer for himself. They watched the crowd together for a moment.
"It looks like the guests are a mixture of volunteers and possibly some adoptive parents," she whispered.
"I don't see David Chambers. Do you?"
"Oh, he won't be here tonight." The second the words slipped out of her mouth, she realized her mistake.
"How do you know he won't be here?"
A long, uncomfortable moment passed. She didn't want to lie to Lane, but confessing that her knowledge came from the computer surveillance she'd installed on Dr. Caine's computer would earn her Lane's wrath as well as a swift boot off the case. "I overheard one of the volunteers talking the other day."
His gaze lingered on her eyes, and she knew he realized she either lied or had a case of jittery nerves.
"Time to mingle," she called over her shoulder as she pressed through a group of guests near them and settled by a couple close to the fireplace. She needed to get away from Lane before he asked more questions.
From across the room, Dr. Eric Caine stared longingly at Frankie. She was the sexiest woman he'd seen in a long, long time. Heaven knew he liked his blondes. If he had his way, and of course he would, he'd be spending some up close and personal time with her very soon. He got what he wanted and had since childhood. No exception. He'd have Frankie Henderson and once he worked his considerable charm, there'd be nothing her husband could do about it.
He watched her as she talked with Harry and Tara French, a couple he considered quite lucrative. They were adopting their third baby from him. He glanced at his date, Candace, and thought of how tiring she'd become. He'd plucked her off a runway in New York and they'd been together for a month. She was model beautiful but needy and spent money a little too freely for his taste. "Candace, would you please get me a glass of chardonnay?"
He nodded toward the bar, and then watched as she moved away. He made a beeline for Frankie and tore her away from her conversation with Harry and Tara French with the pretense of showing her the house. He placed his hand at the small of her back as he led her out onto the terrace.
Frankie had been watching Eric Caine eying her from across the room and was not surprised to see him heading toward her.
“This is one of my favorite places, Frankie," he said as he ran his index finger along her arm. "I like to be outside when the weather permits. I like to have breakfast out here when possible or lounging over there to read."
"I like your terrace very much. It looks like you put a lot of thought into the landscaping." He was standing so close she could feel the warmth of his breath. Her instincts told her to run while the investigator part of her told her to stay put and keep him talking. "So, where do you like to vacation? Do you have a favorite place?"
"Actually, I do. I love the Cayman Islands. Have you ever been there?"
"No. What is it like?"
"With a clear blue ocean and miles of white sandy beaches, it is truly a paradise."
"Really? Do you go there often?"
"As a matter of fact, I am purchasing a vacation home there. I'd love to have you as a guest, Frankie."
"How nice of you to offer," Frankie said as she shot him a sexy smile. He'd just confirmed the information she received via computer surveillance. It was information she’d share with Lane who would undoubtedly discover the Cayman bank accounts online.
"Your baby is on its way."
"What did you say?" Now he had her attention.
"I met with a young woman the other day that has a striking resemblance to you — natural blonde hair and eyes the color of whiskey. Her baby is due in a few months. She's an I.U. student, intelligent and beautiful. It's uncanny how much she looks like you."
"They say we all have a twin somewhere." Frankie said with deceptive calm.
"The baby has a good chance of resembling you. I'll contact you as soon as it is born."
"May I meet the mother?"
"No, I'm sorry. We discourage meetings between the mother and the adoptive parents. Any meetings like this we've tried in the past have not worked out."
"I'm disappointed."
He slipped an arm around her and leaned in to whisper. "Maybe we can work something out, Frankie." His tone left her
no doubt how he'd like to work out this little favor of a meeting and her stomach turned. The thought of him laying his hands on her was disgusting.
"Frankie, I thought you'd like a refill on your drink."
It was Lane's voice she heard and she spun around so fast she almost lost her balance. He was holding out a glass of ice water for her. She noticed a muscle flicked angrily at his jaw as he glared at Dr. Caine, who hastily removed his arm from her shoulders.
"Lane, I wondered where you were. We were just talking about your baby," said Dr. Caine.
"Is that so?"
"Yes, but I'll let your wife fill you in. I see some guests who look hungry. I better check on dinner."