Operation Baby Rescue

by Beth Cornelison

  “That might have been a tough sell since Kelly wasn’t pregnant.”

  “On the way home, though, I drove like a grandpa on a Sunday drive. I had precious cargo on board, and I wasn’t about to run a yellow light or test the speed limits.”

  “I found myself driving slower and taking fewer chances in simple things when I was pregnant. I held the railing going down stairs, waited for longer breaks in traffic before crossing streets, and didn’t develop any of my own film for fear the chemical fumes would hurt Grace.” She tugged her mouth in a lopsided grin and shook her head. “Silly, I know.”

  Jared combed his fingers through Elise’s hair, gratified that she could smile when she shared memories of her pregnancy. “Not silly. It shows you care, and you were protecting your child.”

  Her eyebrows drew together in a scowl, and he knew immediately she was agonizing over her inability to protect Grace after her birth.

  “You still use film in this digital age?” he asked to distract her.

  “Sometimes. When I’m feeling artsy about my photography, I use film. I’ll never give up my 35 mm if for no other reason than it was my first good camera as a kid. A gift from my mother. Sentimentality, you know.”

  “Absolutely. I still have my grandfather’s slide rule he used for his engineering courses in college.” He ruffled her hair a bit. “Don’t know how to use it, but…”

  She propped up on an elbow to gaze down at him with a speculative expression. “Why couldn’t Kelly have children?”

  “She had to have a hysterectomy when she was a kid. Her family was in a car accident, and her pelvis was crushed. She lost a kidney, too.”

  “Jeez. So she was in two major car accidents?”

  “Mmm-hmm. One took her ability to have kids. One took her life.” He twisted his mouth in thought. “I never heard her complain about her circumstances, though. She considered herself lucky to have survived that first accident, lucky her family survived. She focused on the positive. Always.”

  “She sounds like a remarkable woman.”

  “She was.” His gaze dropped, and he added quietly, “She was a good mother, too. She couldn’t have loved Isabel more if she were her own flesh and blood.”

  Elise drew a hand along Jared’s cheek, pulling his attention back to her. “So do you. I see it whenever you’re with her.”

  He nodded, and a proud smile curved his lips. “She’s my whole world. I don’t know how I’d survive if anything happened to her.” A second after he’d said it, he tensed, realizing how the comment sounded. “Jeez Louise, Elise,” he said with a groan. “I did it again. I’m sorry. I can’t seem to stop putting my foot in my mouth around you.”

  “And I thought I asked you to stop tiptoeing around me. I’m okay.” She thought about MysteryMom’s assurance that they were close to finding out what happened to Grace, and a smile ghosted across her lips. “Besides, I’m holding out hope that MysteryMom will help me get Grace back. Focus on the positive, right?”

  He hugged her closer and kissed the crown of her head. “Right.” Jared fell into a pensive silence then, staring up at the ceiling. When a frown puckered his brow, Elise propped herself on an elbow again.

  “What? You look so serious.”

  He sighed. “I was just wondering…”

  “Yeah?”

  “About the people that might have Grace. If they bought a baby on the black market, they must have wanted a child pretty desperately. And…I’m guessing they’ve fallen in love with Grace as much as I have Isabel.”

  A chill slithered through Elise. She had purposely avoided thinking about the bond her baby might have made with some other woman and vice versa. Not that she didn’t hope Grace had been well-loved and cared for, but because it created an ethical dilemma she hated to consider.

  “How can I take Grace away from them if they’re the only family she’s ever known?”

  “Exactly. I mean, I know she’s your daughter, your flesh and blood, but…they’ve built their lives around her, formed bonds and—”

  “We don’t know that. I mean, I hope they have, but then I hope…Oh, God, Jared. What am I supposed to do? She’s my daughter. I want her back.”

  “I know. I just…”

  Elise shoved down the guilt that crept over her. “If they bought her on the black market, they have no legal right to her. I have every right to stake my claim to her and take her back.” She clung to that precept, ruthlessly convincing herself she had nothing to feel guilty about. “I definitely want her back, and I’ll hire a lawyer to do it if I have to.”

  Jared said nothing for a long time, and she could feel the tension and distance between them growing by the second because of her decision.

  “That’s what I thought you’d say.” Regret hung heavy in his tone and, tossing aside the covers, he slid out of bed.

  Elise sat up, holding the covers against her bare breasts. “Where are you going?”

  He paused at the doorway, swiping a hand over his mouth as he sighed. “I, um…thought I’d check on Isabel.”

  But she saw his departure for what it was. An excuse. A need for distance. The first fissure in what could become a gulf that divided them. Would he really oppose her if she fought Grace’s adoptive parents for custody? She’d believed she had his unflagging support and friendship. Which was stupid really. After all, hadn’t her own father found it easy to cast her aside when she became an inconvenience? No relationship was unconditional.

  And she’d be wise to remember that. Better that she reel in the tender emotions toward him she toyed with tonight than in a few months find herself with another broken heart.

  On Monday morning, Elise stared at the blinking cursor on her computer screen and replayed MysteryMom’s warning not to do anything that could jeopardize the investigation her team had in progress. Surely that didn’t include her photo essay and article on the circle of life at the small-town hospital. Her editor was waiting for her piece. This was her chance to prove herself valuable to the newspaper at a time when newspapers across the country were shrinking staffs.

  “It doesn’t work by telepathy.”

  Roused from her musing by the male voice, she turned and found Jack Calhoun, one of the newspaper’s star reporters, sipping a mug of coffee behind her and grinning.

  He aimed a finger at her keyboard. “See those buttons with letters on them? You have to push those to make the words appear.”

  She flashed him a lopsided grin. “Oh, is that how it works?”

  He wiggled his eyebrows. “Amazing, huh?”

  She rubbed the back of her neck. “Any tips on what order to push the keys? What words I should make appear?”

  He snorted. “That’s for you to figure out, greenhorn.”

  “You’re so helpful,” she called to him as he strolled away, then swiveled her chair toward her monitor. Flexing her fingers, she started pounding the keys, letting her creative juices flow. She wrote the article she’d envisioned, an eloquent depiction of a slice of life as witnessed by the small-town hospital. She kept her references to the labor-and-delivery and maternity wards as general as possible, focusing primarily on Dillon Thompson’s birth and his parents’ joy.

  She was detailing the story of the boy with the broken arm in the emergency room when her cell phone chimed, alerting her that she had an email.

  She fished the phone out of her purse and checked the screen.

  I have new info. We need 2 talk. Can u log on msg board so we can IM?—MysteryMom

  Elise’s breath hung in her throat. Could MysteryMom have found Grace already? She replied, Logging on now, then quickly signed on to the newspaper internet connection.

  MysteryMom was waiting for her at the Parents Without Children message board and sent an IM immediately. Elise leaned close to her monitor, her mouth dry with anticipation, and read.

  My people have traced a few of the missing babies, including Grace, to an adoption agency called Second Chance. Not all of their adoptions are
black market, which allows them to serve as a front for the illegal adoptions.

  Tears stung her eyes. She was one monumental step closer to knowing what happened to her baby. With trembling hands she typed, Have you found Grace? Was she still at Second Chance?

  No to both. We are trying to narrow down which family adopted her, but we aren’t there yet. I’ll keep you posted.

  I don’t know how to thank you. This means so much to me!

  It’s my pleasure. Remember, keep this close to the vest until the whole operation is complete and we bring these guys to justice.

  I will.

  Stay safe.

  MysteryMom logged off, and Elise rocked back in her chair. A smile crept to her lips, and the warmth of hope spread through her.

  Jared. She had to tell Jared the wonderful news. Snatching up her cell phone, she tapped the screen and called his number. She didn’t stop to question why her natural impulse was to share her joy with him. He’d stood by her throughout the twists and turns of the past few weeks, and she wanted him beside her when she finally got Grace back. He’d believed in her and comforted her when she needed a friend, and that support meant the world to her.

  Friend. The word stuck out as she listened to his phone ring. They’d been so much more than friends the last couple of nights. She’d slept in his arms, made love with him, whispered intimacies in the dark of night. Would she even want to go back to her own house when MysteryMom told her she was safe to return home? Had she already gotten in too deep with Jared? She prayed she hadn’t set herself up for more heartache.

  Jared hovered over a set of blueprints at a new construction site, consulting with one of his carpenters, when his cell phone buzzed.

  He pulled it from the clip at his belt and thumbed the answer key without taking his eyes off the blueprint. “Jared Coleman.”

  “Hi, it’s Elise. Sorry to bother you at work, but I have news.”

  He raised a finger to ask the carpenter to wait for a minute, then stepped away to talk in private. “Not a problem. In fact, I was going to call you later. Michelle wants us to eat dinner with them tonight. Are you game?”

  “Tonight? I—”

  “I know I told you it would be later in the week, but she’s eager to get to know you. She figured out you stayed with me over the weekend, and she gave me the third degree.”

  “Really? What did you tell her?”

  “Mostly to mind her own business. But I think my sappy grin gave me away.” He smiled the way he had around his sister-in-law that morning. Smiling was easy when he recalled the incredible nights he’d spent with Elise and the lazy days they’d enjoyed, playing with Isabel and watching rented movies from his couch.

  “I had a good time this weekend, too.” He could hear the smile in her voice, and his chest filled with warmth.

  “So I can tell her yes?”

  “Sure. Sounds great.”

  He switched the phone to his other ear and leaned against a sawhorse. “You said you have news?”

  “I do. I heard from MysteryMom this morning. She’s tracked down the adoption agency that was selling the missing babies on the black market.” Excitement filled her tone, and his own pulse picked up, catching her enthusiasm. “She said Grace is one of the babies that went to this agency.”

  Jared perked up, his grin widening. “That’s great! Does that mean they know where Grace is now?”

  “Not yet. Apparently the agency also handles legitimate adoptions as a cover so they can work the black-market ring on the side,” she said. “The place is called Second Chance.”

  Jared jolted, nearly dropping the phone. Blood rushed past his ears in a deafening whoosh, and ice settled in his veins. Second Chance had sold black-market babies?

  Acid pooled in his gut.

  Isabel! Could Izzy be one of the stolen babies? Even the possibility left him cold and shaking to his core.

  “I don’t suppose you heard anything about Second Chance when you were looking into adopting Isabel, did you?”

  “I—” Jared swallowed hard, panic swamping him. “No. I’ve…never heard of it.” He winced as the lie tumbled off his tongue. Instantly he regretted the fib, but a gut-level protective instinct shouted down his conscience. Until he saw where this new information led, until he could reassure himself that Isabel’s placement with him was safe, he had to proceed with caution.

  “Oh, well. I just thought…whatever. Anyway, Mystery-Mom promised to let me know when she learned more, but…isn’t it exciting? I’m so close to getting Grace back, Jared. I can feel it!”

  He dragged in a rough breath and clenched his back teeth. Cool it, Coleman. Don’t overreact. “Um, yeah. That’s great. Listen, I have to go…”

  “Of course. So I’ll see you tonight? Dinner with Michelle and Peter?”

  He wished he could get out of his promise to eat with his brother’s family. He needed time to do his own investigating concerning Second Chance. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he said, “Yeah. See you tonight.”

  After disconnecting with Elise, Jared stared silently at the dirt at his feet, stewing. He and Kelly had made inquiries about Second Chance before they adopted. They’d seen the agency’s state license, had the recommendation from a friend who’d used them.

  Apparently the agency also handles legitimate adoptions as a cover…

  Nausea swamped him. Dear God, let Isabel’s adoption be one of the legal ones! If MysteryMom’s people exposed Second Chance in their operation to stop the black market baby-selling ring, Isabel’s adoption could prove to have been illegal. Could charges be filed against him for his part in an illegal adoption? He’d operated in good faith, even if Second Chance might not have.

  Or worst of all, a judge could demand he return Isabel. The courts could take his daughter away.

  The sick swirl of acid in his gut surged up his throat, and he forced the bile back down by sheer force of will.

  Don’t get ahead of yourself. He had no evidence that Isabel’s adoption wouldn’t stand, and he’d not give his daughter up without a fight.

  But he had no time to lose. MysteryMom’s people were digging into the files at Second Chance at that moment. He had to gather his own facts and be ready to protect Isabel from whatever storm might be coming.

  “This chicken is delicious, Michelle. I really appreciate your including me tonight,” Elise said as she passed the basket of rolls to Peter.

  “Well, we’re happy to have the chance to get to know you better.” Michelle smiled at her guest. “And it’s a super easy recipe. I can print out a copy for you if you want.”

  “I’d love that,” Elise returned.

  Jared scooted his food around his plate, only half listening to the niceties being bantered about the dinner table. His appetite had been squelched by the alarming information Elise had given him earlier about Second Chance.

  In her high chair, Isabel squeezed a handful of peas and giggled as they oozed through her fingers.

  “I know we kinda bumped this dinner up in the week,” Michelle said, “but we have some good news to share, and I couldn’t sit on it any longer!”

  Curious, Jared raised his head, turning his attention to Michelle. His sister-in-law’s happy tone reminded him of the excitement he’d heard in Elise’s voice that morning. He prayed Michelle’s news didn’t have the dark side for him that Elise’s had.

  “Turns out I didn’t have a stomach virus last week. It was morning sickness.” She paused, sending Peter a wide smile when he wrapped his hand around hers. “We’re having a baby. I’m due in June.”

  From the corner of his eye, he saw Elise cast him a side glance. His brother and sister-in-law watched him, as well, waiting for his reaction. A dozen thoughts filtered through his brain in rapid succession. Joy for his brother. Concern for how Elise would feel about the talk of babies. Bittersweet reminders of receiving the news that Isabel was waiting for him and Kelly.

  He glanced quickly to Isabel’s messy face, and his heart t
wisted. Knowing an appropriate reply to Michelle’s announcement was needed, he shook off the momentary shock, pasted on a smile and quipped, “Well, it’s good to know you were listening when we had our talk about the birds and the bees in seventh grade, Peter.”

  His brother laughed and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, never could have done it without you, bro.”

  “So Isabel will have a cousin to play with,” Elise said. “How many months apart in age will they be?”

  “Well, Isabel was one year old in early August so…” Michelle paused to count off fingers.

  Elise blinked and flashed an intrigued smile at Jared. “Really? What day? Grace was born on August tenth.”

  August tenth? That was Isabel’s…

  Jared’s chest seized. The apprehension that had haunted him since Elise’s phone call that morning reared its head, nipping the nape of Jared’s neck with a tingle of alarm.

  “That’s—” Michelle started.

  “The sixth,” Jared said, cutting her off, his tone firm and unyielding.

  “What?” Peter wrinkled his nose. “Jeez, man. Can’t you even remember your daughter’s birthday? It’s the tenth, too.”

  Restless anxiety stirred in his gut. “No. That’s…that’s just when we had her party this year. Her, uh…birthday is the sixth, and we picked her up on the eighth. I’m sure of it.”

  Michelle and Peter exchanged glances.

  “That’s not how I remember—”

  Jared forced a laugh, interrupting Michelle again. “Do you want me to get out her birth certificate to prove it?”

  Peter scowled at him. “What’s your problem?”