“I was so worried because Chris was born early. I wish that I could’ve been here.” He cradled Chris, cooed, and kissed her on the forehead. “She seems to be doing great though. Don’t you think?”
“Yes, it seems so.” I sat in a chair and smiled as Chris stared at me, wide-eyed and drooling.
“Excuse me. I’m going to take her to her room and put her down for a nap.” He stood and padded up the stairs, singing softly, as he rocked Chris in his arms.
While he and Ida were gone, I called dispatch for backup. When I finished the call, I turned. Ida stood a few feet away, glaring at me. I hadn’t heard her approach.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she whispered. She crept toward me like a panther. I took a step to my left. She moved to her right. Stalking.
“Chris isn’t your child.” I prepared to defend myself.
“You bitch!” She lunged and grabbed me by the shoulders. Her manicured claws inched up my neck. I brought my hands up and outwards, breaking the hold. I danced away from her. She dove at me. I stepped aside and hit her square on the side of her face as she whizzed past me. I shook my hand out. She lay on the floor and touched her face. “You…hit me. Chris is my baby.” She sat up, pulled her legs to her chest, and rocked. “Please…don’t take my baby,” she whispered.
“Her name is Lucy and she’s not your baby.” I backed against a wall and rubbed my hand.
“What did you say?” Jack came down the stairs and hurried toward us.
“Chris is Lucy, the Harris’ baby,” I said, keeping an eye on Ida.
“Can’t be. She’s our baby.” He looked at Ida. “Right, Ida?” Ida continued to rock on the floor. “You sent me a picture of the baby bump.”
“Veronica can’t take care of Chris the way I can.” She looked in my direction, but appeared to look past me, not really seeing.
“Ida? You sent me pictures of when you brought her home from the hospital.” Jack scrambled over there and grabbed her by the shoulders. He shook her as if she were a ragdoll. “Tell her Chris is our baby! Tell her!”
Ida stared at her husband and shook her head. “I’m…I’m sorry.”
He released his grip. She went limp and slid to the floor in a fetal position. Jack stood and turned in my direction, his face a pale mask. “How did you know?”
“Her eyes are brown.”
“So?” He shrugged and swiped the tears streaming down his face with the back of his hand. “Lots of babies have brown eyes.”
“You and Ida have blue eyes. It’s not genetically possible for you and Ida to have had a brown-eyed child.” Someone knocked on the door. I was closest so I opened it. My backup had arrived. I had discovered later that Ida had suffered from a hysterical pregnancy. Rusty saw her take Lucy out of the house while Veronica slept.
The End
Danielle Lenee Davis
http://DanielleLeneeDavis.com
#
To receive occasional news about free giveaways, advance copies of new release chapters, and more, please sign up for my mailing list. I promise not to be a pest! You can also click the starburst on the right side bar of my website. http://danielleleneedavis.com/
Please check out The Protector: A Sydney Valentine Mystery on Amazon.com.
When the body of a social worker is found on the stairway inside the building where she works, a mouthful of Scrabble letters tells Detective Valentine that this is not a random killing.
And it’s not.
A brutal killer with a sinister connection to Child Protective Services is prowling the streets in Detective Sydney Valentine’s jurisdiction. More letters are needed to piece together the puzzle, but that means more people will die.
A dead juvenile court judge, a single mother – the body count climbs.
Detective Valentine becomes a target and the stakes rise. Her sister is attacked and Valentine realizes she needs to step it up before it’s too late. Her courage and investigative skills are put to the test. She must protect her family and take down the killer before any more people die.
A fast-paced novel of mystery and suspense, The Protector will grip you from the very beginning, so hold on tight and leap into the dangerous world of Detective Sydney Valentine. She's a sassy, contemporary cop with an edge and an attitude. Tough and potty-mouthed, she's going to see justice served—no matter what.
Sydney Valentine is the friend you wish you had. She’s the cop you’d be wise to fear if you’re walking on the wrong side of the law.
See No Evil (A Sydney Valentine Short Story): A Sydney Valentine Mystery Page 2