Cries in the Night

by Debra Webb

  Ryan looked ready to explode with frustration. “Get to the point.”

  “Let’s take it inside,” Bill suggested, since M.P.D.’s finest moved about the long corridor that extended a good twenty yards in either direction in front of their borrowed office.

  When Bill had closed the door behind them, he indicated the table and chairs. “Sit.” This he directed at Mel.

  Dread pooled in her stomach, dragging her down into the closest chair. “Tell me straight-out, Bill. I don’t need protecting.” She hadn’t forgotten how they’d hidden that picture they’d found on Hanes from her.

  Ryan sat down as if, he too, could bear the weight of holding himself up no longer.

  Bill took a seat at the head of the rectangular table and braced his arms in front of him. “First, the M.E. has estimated Wilcox’s time of death well before Mason’s. He couldn’t have killed Mason. So we can safely assume that the rest of the bullshit in the so-called confession letter is just that.”

  She released a grateful sigh. Thank God.

  But Bill had more. He turned fiercely solemn. “Mel, I don’t want you to get your hopes up just yet.”

  She held her breath. Please, God, let this be good.

  “I’m waiting for a fax or an e-mail attachment from the Dallas office. They contacted the couple we found in Mason’s secret files. An adoption had been arranged. The payoff is first thing in the morning and then they’re supposed to pick up the child at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport immediately afterward.”

  Melany’s heart rate climbed to the point of causing her head to spin just a little. “Is it Katlin?” The voice sounded alien to her ears. Flat…vulnerable. She was so damned afraid to believe…to hope.

  “We don’t know yet, but the couple did receive a photo of the child. The Bureau is getting a copy to send to us as we speak. We should know soon.”

  Her pulse thumping in her brain, Mel fought back the tears burning behind her eyes. “If…it’s not her, what then?”

  “We keep looking.” Ryan answered the question. “Mason had a lot of files. All recent. There will be others somewhere. We’ll find them.”

  Mel nodded stiffly. She braced herself for disappointment and at the same time she clung to the glimmer of hope that still survived despite every reason to shrivel and die.

  The door opened and Carter spilled into the office with his usual abruptness. “Got it, Agent Collins.” He thrust a single page at Bill.

  He reached for it, then hesitated. “Give it to Ms. Jackson.”

  Carter nodded uncertainly. He turned to Melany, his smile a little strained. “Here you go, ma’am.”

  The whole world seemed to slow to a stop as Mel reached out to take the sheet of paper from the eager young officer. Snippets of memories flashed one after the other through her mind. Seeing her baby for the first time…holding that precious bundle and wishing that Ryan were there to share the blessed event with her…kissing her sweet blond head that last night before…before evil invaded their lives.

  Her fingers closed around the document and Mel drew it toward her knowing that whatever she found her life would never be the same again. If, by the grace of God, she got her baby back she would make up for the mistakes she’d made. She would never take another second for granted and she would make sure her daughter knew her father. And, if this was not her child, she would make it her life’s work to find her…one way or another.

  Mel trained her tear-blurred gaze on the photo and it took about three seconds for her brain to assimilate what her eyes saw. Every ounce of emotion she possessed drained out of her in one ragged breath.

  “It’s her.”

  She looked up at Ryan and then Bill, tears tumbling down her cheeks. “It’s my baby.”

  For one beat the two men she cared most about in this world stared at her, too relieved or too shocked to speak or act. Or maybe the world was still at a standstill. She couldn’t say for sure which.

  Suddenly the entire room burst into motion.

  “Get me a duplicate of that photo,” Bill ordered Carter. “I’m heading to the hospital to put the push on Upton. I’ve been pondering the idea all afternoon that his chiefs of E.R. and pediatrics couldn’t possibly have pulled this off without his help. You go after Desmond. He has to know more than he’s telling.”

  Mel looked to Ryan who hadn’t spoken yet. Lost in his own thoughts, it was as if he hadn’t heard Bill at all.

  “No,” he said then. “Not Desmond. He’s just a pawn. They used him to get rid of evidence or to cover for them. He’s not a major player. It started somewhere else.”

  The answer hit Mel with all the force of a rocket blast. Dr. Wilcox knows people who want them really bad. “The clinic.”

  * * *

  CAROL ANN HENLEY was just preparing to close up the clinic when Ryan and Mel barged in. She’d already put on her coat and gotten her purse from beneath her desk.

  “Is there a doctor in today?” Ryan asked when she looked up with something less than enthusiasm.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Braxton,” she said with a lackluster smile. “Everyone’s gone for the day except me.” She sighed and pushed her chair in. “Is there something I can help you with?” she asked grudgingly.

  Ryan walked up to the desk, his steps purposeful, his expression fierce. He was going to approach her a different way this time.

  “Ms. Henley, do you know the penalty for being an accessory to a federal crime such as kidnapping?”

  She made a sound of disbelief. “Are you accusing me of something, sir?” Her uncertain gaze flitted to Melany.

  “Are you aware, Ms. Henley,” Ryan pressed as he leaned forward and flattened his palms on her desk, putting himself eye to eye with her, “that Dr. Wilcox and Dr. Letson are dead. So is one of the nurses they worked with as well as an attorney named Rodney Mason?” Her eyes grew wider with each word. “You may be next.”

  She wagged her head vigorously from side to side. “I don’t know anything about their dealings with that lawyer. I didn’t want to know! I just wanted to help these girls.” She looked out over the lobby as if it were filled to capacity as it had been two days ago.

  “Illegal adoptions are just as much a crime as kidnapping,” he went on. “They’ve already killed one scapegoat, Garland Hanes. If you cooperate with us, we can protect you.”

  Her mouth worked frantically before any words came out. Her face had paled several shades and she looked on the verge of getting to know the floor better.

  “I…I don’t know anything. You can look in the files but I don’t think they keep anything here.”

  Ryan leaned nearer to her. “With the others dead, who would take care of business? Tie up the final loose ends?” He looked straight into those frightened eyes. “Like killing you?”

  She blinked once, twice. “That only leaves one person.”

  Ryan could feel Melany literally vibrating with anticipation behind him. Before she climbed over the desk and shook the answer out of the woman, he demanded, “Who?”

  She jumped. “Dr. Rodale. She knew everything. I think she came up with the idea to sell the babies these girls didn’t need.”

  “Where is Rodale?” Ryan kept his roar to a minimum but the woman jumped again all the same.

  She eased back a step. “She’s…she’s gone for a long weekend at the cabin. She won’t be back until Monday.”

  “Where is this cabin?” Ryan straightened, but kept his savage glare focused on the woman.

  “I don’t know. I—”

  “Then who does?”

  She shrugged awkwardly. “Maybe her boyfriend, Dr. Upton. He’s the administrator at Memphis General. It’s his cabin.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Henley.”

  A new kind of anticipation buzzing to life, Ryan did an about-face and headed for the door with Mel right beside him.

  “Wait!” the receptionist cried. “What about my protection?”

  Ryan paused at the exit and shot her a look of feigned conc
ern. “Call 911, tell them Special Agent Bill Collins needs a unit to see you home.”

  She grabbed for the phone.

  Ryan wasn’t worried about her. She wasn’t a player. Besides, Upton and Rodale didn’t have time for clean-up detail at the moment. He had a feeling they had a delivery and a getaway to make.

  Ryan opened the car door for Melany. “What now?” she asked before getting in.

  “We’re going to catch up with Bill at the hospital and beat some information out of Upton.”

  His cell phone rang and he answered it as he skirted the hood. It was Bill.

  “Upton’s made a run for it.”

  “Let me guess,” Ryan cut in, “he’s gone to spend the weekend at his cabin.”

  “No, I mean he’s gone. Hasn’t been here all afternoon. According to his secretary he had out-of-town business.”

  “Find out where his cabin retreat is. That’s where Dr. Rodale, the clinic’s counselor, supposedly went for the weekend. She and Upton are a couple.”

  Bill swore. “I’ll call you right back.”

  Ryan pulled out onto the street and took a few minutes to steel himself for the fight he was going to get. “Mel, I’m taking you to the precinct and I want you to stay there until we…get this done.”

  “Don’t kid yourself, Braxton,” she retorted. “No way in hell are you going after my daughter without me.”

  “You know how it gets during hostage negotiations. You’ll be nothing but a distraction.”

  Her next response was not only anatomically impossible, but less than flattering.

  Before he could toss out another perfectly good reason she shouldn’t be involved his cell phone rang again.

  “Braxton,” he snapped. This was going to get sticky and the last thing he needed was his mind on taking care of the kid and her mother.

  “Mr. Braxton, this is Greg Carter.”

  “You have that address for me?” He sure as hell didn’t have time for anything else.

  “We’re working on that, sir. Agent Collins called me from the hospital. Apparently no one on Dr. Upton’s staff knows anything about his cabin.”

  Big surprise. “Tell me what you do have, Carter,” he asked pointedly.

  “Well, sir, I’ve got the county clerk on another line and she’s found two records of property owned by Dr. Upton. One is his residence here in Memphis. Hold on, sir.”

  Ryan could hear the rookie speaking to someone on another line. He took a long deep breath to counter the frustration mounting in his chest.

  “Mr. Braxton, the second property is located a ways out of town. About seventy miles. She has to cross-reference with another county but the clerk’s gonna give me driving directions and I’ll pass ’em on to you. She can’t guarantee this is the place you’re looking for. It could be nothing but a plot of land.”

  “I understand. Carter, after you’ve given me the directions, call Agent Collins and give him the same. Then send some backup either from your department or the one closest to the location.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Ryan handed the phone to Mel. “You give me the directions as he gives them to you so I can focus on driving.”

  She nodded and identified herself to Carter.

  Ryan flexed his fingers, then tightened them on the steering wheel. If they didn’t find Katlin tonight, they’d just have to set up a trap with the Dallas couple tomorrow.

  If he had to drive all night long he wouldn’t stop—wouldn’t quit—until he personally placed that child back in Mel’s arms.

  * * *

  IT WAS DARK by the time they reached the turnoff to Upton’s cabin. They’d left the delta of Memphis behind and had reached the gently rolling hills of middle Tennessee. They’d followed an unpaved road for the past five miles and now they sat at the bottom of the drive that would take them to their final destination—Upton’s property.

  Mel waited as patiently as she could for Ryan to park the car on the side of the road about twenty yards from the turnoff. When they’d last had cellular service, he’d told Carter that he would leave the car where backup could locate it before going in.

  He reached in back and took a gun from his briefcase. Mel hadn’t realized he still carried a weapon. She was suddenly very grateful that he did. There was no way to know what they would run into up there.

  Her eyes had adjusted to the dark by the time he’d readied for the next step. “Mel.” He looked at her. Though she couldn’t read his eyes in the sparse moonlight, she could see the determined set of his jaw. “Stay here until backup arrives. They’ll need someone to fill them in on the route I’ve taken.”

  She shook her head resolutely. “No, Ryan. I’m coming with you. If my daughter is up there, I need to be there, too.”

  He sighed. “If you’re determined to take the risk, then so be it.”

  She grabbed his arm before he could open his door. “Don’t preach to me about risks, Ryan. I’ve never been afraid of a risk. Can you say the same?”

  Mel immediately regretted the words. She’d taken the biggest risk of all, but she hadn’t given him the chance to take it. She’d kept her secret…kept it still while he operated in the dark.

  “Never mind,” she muttered and climbed out of the car.

  Careful of every step they took and staying in the edge of the trees that ran alongside the dirt road, they made their way toward what they hoped would be a cabin. She prayed that they hadn’t come all this way for nothing.

  When they’d cleared yet another bend in the narrow drive, Mel caught sight of lights in the distance. She yanked on Ryan’s sleeve.

  “I see it,” he whispered.

  There was something here. A house or cabin. Something.

  Still remaining cautious but moving a bit faster now, they reached the small clearing where the cabin stood in no time flat.

  She and Ryan both had already turned off their cell phones since there was no service. They had no way of knowing how close behind backup might be.

  “I’m going to try and get a closer look to determine if both Upton and Rodale are in there. You stay put and I’ll be back as soon as I’ve had a look.”

  Mel nodded. His clothing was dark and he had the gun. His suggested move was the only reasonable option.

  She watched his shadowy form disappear into the landscape, staying close to the trees and larger bushes.

  Sitting back on her heels, she closed her eyes in an attempt to slow the thoughts whirling inside her head. Katlin could be in that cabin. She could be this close.

  The people holding her child would have guns. She didn’t doubt it considering the body count thus far. She chewed her lower lip and fought the trembling that was wreaking havoc with her ability to remain still. She didn’t want to get this close only to have her baby hurt in the final showdown.

  She didn’t want Ryan hurt, either.

  And, God, she still hadn’t told him the truth.

  She cradled her face in her hands and tried to think what to do. How could she keep this from him now…when they were so close…when he could be killed?

  Leaves rustled a few feet away and she stilled. Listened intently. Something moved. Her heart stuttered to a stop in the three seconds it took her to identify Ryan.

  He moved in close to her and took one hand in his for a moment before he spoke. “She’s in there.”

  Those three little words tightened Mel’s throat until speech was impossible. She held back the sob that threatened to burst through the clench of emotions.

  “She looks fine. She’s sleeping.”

  Mel nodded so he’d know she understood. If she opened her mouth now, the sobs would unleash.

  “I didn’t see any sign of Upton, but Rodale is there. She’s armed.”

  She had to take a breath. “Okay,” she managed to say. “What do we do now?”

  “You stay here and wait for our backup to arrive. I’m going in to try and reason with her.”

  That could be a mistake! “Wait!�
�� She snagged him by the arm. “What if she hurts Katlin? What if she—”

  “Mel.” He placed his hand over hers where it gripped his arm. “I know what I’m doing. Rodale and I have talked before. I’ve got a pretty good handle on her personality type. If I go to the door alone, she won’t feel as threatened. I’m going to offer her a deal. She’s no fool. She might just take it. Now, you wait for Bill and the others.”

  “Wait,” she said again. She rocked forward onto her knees and held on to his arm with a death grip. “There’s something you have to know before you go in there.”

  This wasn’t the time! a part of her ranted. It was the only time, another internal voice shouted. If she didn’t tell him and something happened in there to him or to Katlin she’d never be able to live with herself. She’d let it happen once, she wasn’t going to risk it again. She’d almost lost Katlin and Ryan would never have known her.

  If only for a few seconds, she wanted him to know that that little girl was his.

  “Ryan, I didn’t run to another man when I left you.”

  “You don’t have to do this,” he cut in quickly. “You don’t owe me any explanations. What happened was—”

  “But I do owe you an explanation,” she countered. “I haven’t been with anyone else since I left you.”

  Even in the murky moonlight she could see him frowning.

  “That little girl in there is your daughter. I didn’t tell you because I knew you didn’t want children. I just left.”

  She knew that if she could see his face more clearly, it would reflect the shock he must feel. Those deep blue eyes would look at her with disbelief and accusation.

  “I know I should have told you when you showed up here to help, but I couldn’t. I probably shouldn’t now. But it’s the truth and I can’t hold it in any longer.

  “Katlin is your daughter.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Katlin is your daughter.

  Ryan didn’t move for a second that turned into ten. He stared through the darkness knowing he wouldn’t be able to see Mel’s eyes but needing to try all the same. One emotion after the other raged through him. Confusion, frustration, anger, resentment…how could she not tell him something like this?