“And you know him how?”
Travis eyed Blake for a moment. “Is he in trouble?”
“Not at the moment. We just need to verify them as the ones who delivered the baby to the hospital that night. Seems there’s some concern about the wrong child being given to the foster parents. Just routine.”
“Right. Like we’re going to screw that up?” He snickered out of the corner of his mouth. “We get drinks after shift now and then. Nice guy.”
Blake dug out photos from his pocket. “Ever seen either of these women?”
The tech studied the drawings of Olga, Ra’naa, and Nanu. “These two, no. But that one,”—he tapped the picture of the Russian girl—“Yeah, she left one night hanging onto Raj’s arm. He had a goofy grin on his face. I recall thinking what an odd couple they made.”
“Why? Because of their ethnic differences?”
“Well, yes. And the fact she’s a good head taller than him.”
Blake flapped the photograph against his hand. “Thanks.”
~*~
“So Olga is involved?” Robbins eased back in the wooden-armed chair opposite Blake’s desk.
“We won’t know until you let me talk with her. Could be Raj sucked her in, knowing she had become friends with his kinswomen.”
“No can do, Johnson. We put them in protection, you know that.”
Blake stretched his form over his desk. “Don’t tie my hands, here.”
“Look, we’ll interrogate her as well as Mita. You follow up on the ambulance personnel and the Arnold woman. Someone, somehow will crack under pressure. If you want my clout, holler. I’ll make sure you get all the info you need.” He rose and extended his hand.
Blake took it in a firm shake. “Think we’ve got what we need at the moment. But sit back down and let me go over what that entails.”
He did, crossing one foot over his knee. “Shoot.”
“We know Raj worked for Rockside Emergency Services, who contracts with three of the rural municipalities. The vehicle he drove fits the description. The vans are white with red and blue lettering and a logo which reads R.E.S. printed over the caduceus, or intertwined snakes on the staff. It’s a symbol often used by medical companies.”
The federal agent smirked. “Which by the way is erroneous. Outside the United States, it’s the Rod of Asclepius, one snake on a staff, which symbolizes healing. Mess up occurred in the Army back in the early 1900s.”
“Really, Robbins? I had no idea.”
“A trivia answer I learned. Follow a group of players online. Passes the time.”
Blake cocked an eyebrow. “I see.” Wish I had time like that. He flipped through the pages of the files on his desk. “Ah, it seems on the night in question, the techs, Raj included, clocked out for a late dinner about nine fifteen. They were unaccounted for a total of twelve minutes, which is not unusual when they’re on break. Call came in that Nanu went into labor at nine twenty-seven per dispatch. The team stated they’d take it since they were close by and then finish their break afterwards.”
“Go on.”
Blake licked his finger and flipped the page. “Seems they called in at nine forty-four to say it had been a false alarm. They continued with their dinner and reported back at ten forty-two.”
“Plenty of time for a chop job. But they had to dispose of the bloody rags. No trace of those?”
Blake coughed into his fist. “Dumpsters emptied by 7:30 AM the next day, before we could catch them, sir. You sure you want to call out the manpower to search the county dump for two-week old trash?”
Robbins tented his fingers under his chin. “They probably wore surgical gloves. Chances of lifting fingerprints from the insides are slim.”
“They could have disposed of it per protocol and it be hauled off with the medical waste.”
A sigh blasted through the federal agent’s nose. “True. What about their mileage?”
Blake wiggled his eyebrows. “Off by twenty-eight miles.”
“Ha. Let me guess. Approximate distance from the Y to the Get ’em and Go and back to headquarters.”
“Close enough.” Blake grabbed a slip of paper and handed it to Robbins. “Here’s a photocopy of his employee badge. Matches his student one. Both the leasing agent and Mrs. Fletcher identified him as one of the ambulance techs who picked up the baby from the retirement community.”
Robbins stood. “Then why haven’t you hauled him in?”
“He hasn’t reported to work. Been absent from his classes at the university, and when the manager let us into his apartment late last night after we got a warrant, it had been cleaned out.”
“So he’s in the wind.”
Blake rocked back. His chair creaked in response. “Yep. We put out an APB and a BOLO on him, but...” He shrugged. “...ball’s in your court, my friend.”
THIRTY-FOUR
Janie hadn’t slept a wink. She’d tossed and turned, and even got up at two thirty-eight to fix herself some warm milk. Blake hadn’t dropped her off at her condo until well after midnight. Her body screamed exhaustion, but her mind remained alert. Partly because the facts of the case tumbled in her head like sneakers in the dryer.
But mostly the invigoration of being part of the team stuck with her. The thrill of watching the evidence slowly fit, then another member locating another one that slipped into place. What she and the other detectives uncovered in one night of work had been significant, like finding all the puzzle edge pieces. Now, Blake and the feds had to put together the middle part to get the full picture.
She met Ethel and Betsy Ann for their morning trek.
Ethel bounced on the balls of her feet. “Well, don’t keep us in suspense. How’d it go?”
“I noticed Blake didn’t drop you off until after the witching hour.”
“Betsy Ann. Were you spying on me?”
She looked to the ground and scuffed the toe of her tennis shoes in the asphalt. “Just concerned. You’re not in deep trouble, are you?”
Janie puffed out her chest. “On the contrary. I joined the investigative team researching for clues.”
Both of her friends’ jaws dropped open.
“I know. So much fun.” She snickered, hand flat against her heart. “Wait until I tell you what we discovered.”
Janie relayed all the information she knew as they walked slower than normal up the hill. With each nugget of fact, Ethel’s eyes increased in diameter and Janie swore a tinge of envious green edged her cheeks.
“So, this Raj character is who they’re looking for?”
“Yes,” Janie told them. “Along with the other two attendants named Harish and Barry.”
“Barry?” Betsy Ann scrunched her nose in that cute way that meant her brain had just engaged. “A white guy, then?”
“Yeah, divorced with two kids. Six months behind on child support payments.”
Ethel jumped in. “So he obviously wanted to make some fast cash.”
Betsy Ann stopped. The other two did as well. “So is that the identical ambulance that picked up the baby the next morning?”
“From Louise Oliver’s original statement, yes, or at least from the same company. Blake’s men are taking his picture from his personnel records over to her today to identify. They plan to show it to Mildred as well.”
“Well, let’s finish jogging then. Mildred gets up at eight, and I want to be there when Blake’s troops arrive.” Ethel grinned. “After all, you know how freaked out she got at the Raymond’s. She needs us.”
“We could stop off and get bear claws from the dining hall to take to her.”
“Marvelous idea, Betsy Ann.” Janie squeezed her shoulder. “Let’s go.”
~*~
Mildred answered the door with worry lines creased across her forehead. “The police want to come by.”
“We know, which is why we’re here.” Ethel gave her a sympathetic face.
“We brought pastries.” Betsy Ann sang as she shook the baker’s box.
<
br /> “Oh, how dear of you. But my stomach’s in knots. Couldn’t swallow a morsel.”
“Maybe later, then.” Janie patted Mildred’s hand and led her into her own living room. “It’ll be fine, dear. You’re not in any trouble. They think they’ve discovered who the ambulance drivers were and they only want your confirmation.”
“Oh, are you sure?”
“Absolutely. My, you did a masterful job arranging everything. I must say your furniture all fits as if the place was designed for it.”
Mildred’s eyes brightened. “Doesn’t it, now? A silver lining for sure. And I’m am closer to you three.”
The doorbell rang. Mildred raised both eyebrows. “Glad you’re all here. I swear after the events of the past two months every time I see a police car my heartbeat rate rises.”
Detective Connor Hemphill stood on the stoop in plain clothing. He pressed his thumb and two fingers to his brow in greeting and wiped his feet before entering.
Janie smiled. His mama definitely taught him well.
Upon noticing the other three women sitting in her living room, he stopped. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt you if you have company. This will only take a minute.”
Janie gave him the stern, motherly look. “Now Detective Hemphill, you know we’re here for moral support and out of morbid curiosity.”
When he caught her wink, he chuckled. He retrieved the folder from his armpit. “Ma’am, all I need is for you to look at these renditions and tell me if any of them resemble, to the best of your recollection, the ambulance technicians who arrived on the eleventh of this month to retrieve the baby from the garden home next to yours, which you owned at the time.”
Mildred grinned. “My, such a formal speech and a mouthful of words. In that case, let me get my readers.”
Ethel waved a pair of black-framed spectacles. “Here they are. Next to your magazine.”
Mildred thanked her and slipped them onto her nose. She studied the three drawings. “I can’t honestly say. I didn’t get a good look at any of them. My concern, of course, was for the infant. However, this is the one I’m the most certain about.” She pointed to the photo of Raj.
“Very good. What about the other two?”
“Yes,” she took the one of the white man. “He stood out in my mind because he’s Anglo, you see?”
She held up the picture for all of the other women. “The third one? I’m not sure. He did seem Indian. Not American, you understand, as in Cherokee, but as in Calcutta. He spoke with an accent. They have a pleasant and distinctive way of speaking, do they not? Almost British but a touch more lyrical.”
Hemphill reached for the report. But instead of handing it back to him, Mildred showed it to each lady seated. Janie signaled to one. “This is Raj, then? It matches his picture I saw last night in his personnel file.”
Ethel swung her torso toward her. “You did? They let you look at that?”
Hemphill took three quick steps and snatched the papers from her hand. “Now, Mrs. Manson. Blake allowed you to view them under strict confidentiality.”
“Of course. And I greatly appreciated it. In this light, and with fresh eyes, I see the graphic artist’s rendition left off his scar, though.”
“Excuse me?”
“His photo showed a small scar on his forehead. A pox mark to be more exact, but a touch larger than most.” She pressed her finger on her own brow. “Here, I believe.”
Mildred clapped her hands together once. “I do recall that now that you mention it.”
He closed the portfolio and smiled. “Thank you, ladies. I bid you good morning.”
“Good day.” The ladies recited back in unison.
Hemphill did the slight bow thing and back stepped to leave.
Mildred closed the door. “What a pleasant young man. So rare these days.” She smiled. “Now, who wants a bear claw?”
~*~
Hemphill radioed in the detail of the scar to Blake, who in turn called Robbins. “Thought you’d better know right away, Robbins. Hard to cover up something like that. It may be the one thing someone will notice.”
“Agreed.” Robbins’ voice blasted across the phone. “Distribute the sketches to the convenience store personnel, especially that Tony fellow. See if he recalls him coming in at any time. There had to be a reason they dumped the girl there.”
“Opportunity?”
“Could be. My gut tells me he knew the place. That rural market road isn’t exactly a main drag, is it?”
“No, sir. Mostly residential.” An idea hit Blake like a splash of ice water. “Perhaps because he had made a call to the nursing facility. I’ll pass around a blow-up of his employee photo there as well. We may get a positive I.D.”
“Good thinking, Detective. I’ll let you know if anything surfaces with our two gals.”
Blake knew he wouldn’t say their names over the airwaves, just in case. Witness protection protocol. “Roger that. Hope your double date goes well.”
“I’m pulling in there now. Later.”
~*~
Robbins parked at a suite motel in Lampasas, a growing town about an hour away from Sunset Acres. He walked up to room 238 and knocked on the door. A plainclothes police woman answered. “I’m here to interview them again. Some new evidence surfaced.”
She nodded and let him in. The room seemed dark compared to the bright Texas summer sun-drenched parking lot. Walls paneled in fake oak, a tan carpet with several cigarette burns, and a plaid couch in greens, tans, and browns made up the decor. To the right, lay a small galley kitchen with a breakfast bar and a table with four wooden chairs. Olga and Mita sat there playing a game of cards. Both twisted to acknowledge their visitor then turned to each other with widening eyes.
“Ladies. We need to talk. Tell me about Raj.”
Olga dashed for the bedroom, but her female guard headed her off. “Agent Robbins asked you a question. I suggest you answer him.”
“Why don’t you tell me the truth this time? Otherwise, I’ll drop you two off in downtown Austin to fend for yourselves. Understand?”
The girl melted into sobs. She slid down the door with her hands holding her head. Mita stood and stared, one leg quivering like a child needing to use the facilities. “It not her fault. He tricked her. He trick all of us.”
“Who?”
The girls both tightened their lips.
“Let’s go then. Cuff them.”
“No! We talk. Please.” Mita peered at Olga. “Right?”
Olga wiped her eyes with the butt of her hand. “OK.”
Robbins got out his phone and punched the tape recorder app. “Let’s all sit down over here. I’ll record this with your permission.” He pulled out a chair for each of them and then one for himself at the table.
Sniffling, Olga shuffled toward him and took her seat, one foot tucked under her rear end. Mita and the female guard followed suit with the same posture.
Why do women sit that way? Robbins shook the question from his brain and hit the record button. He announced the date, time, and location, then the names of all present. “Let’s begin. Olga, talk about Raj, his appearance, how you two met and what you know about him.”
Mita placed her hand on Olga’s. “I introduce them. He’s my cousin. He brought me, Ra’naa, and Nanu to the United States so we can sell kidneys and make money. That’s when we meet Chameli who come, too. Raj tells us he didn’t know they’d leave us on streets. It takes him weeks to locate us, then he takes us to Y.”
“And is that where you met him, Olga?”
She sniffled and bobbed her head.
“You need to speak your answer.”
“Yes. He take me out. A lot. He says he is medical and can help Nanu when her time comes. Quiet with no disgrace. He even knows family who will pay for baby. Later I find out they are in love. He love her since children. He date me to keep—how do you say?—tabs on her.”
“But Nanu is your sister, Mita. And Raj is a cousin?”
“Yes. Marriage not allowed by families in Nepal. Here, yes. He is youngest brother to our uncle’s wife.”
“Ah, cousins by marriage not blood. So they came here to be wed under the guise of her giving a kidney, but in the meantime, you’re all conned into prostitution. She becomes pregnant, and Raj doesn’t want the baby but still wants her.”
Both women gave him an affirmative answer.
Robbins held up the picture again. “I’m showing a blow-up of the identification photo from the emergency technician badge. And is this him, the one you know as Raj?”
Mita swallowed. “It is.”
“Did Raj have a scar on his face?”
“He get the pox as child. Have marks on his arms and one on head, here.” Mita pressed the center of her brow.
Robbins relayed the gesture to the recording.
Olga agreed. “He wear bang over it to the side, but it still show.”
“You didn’t tell the graphic artist this. Did you?”
They both shook their heads.
Blake sighed. “Note that both women have gestured in the negative.”
Robbins placed the picture face up on the table. “Go on. What happened when Nanu went into labor?”
“I phone him on disposable phone he buy at store when I hear director call 9-1-1. He and his ambulance arrive first. He take Nanu, and she glad because she recognizes him.”
“Were these two men with him?” He handed her the renditions.
She nodded and then answered when he pointed to the cell phone. “I believe so. Yes.”
“So Ra’naa goes with them?”
“That is right. And I follow in director’s car.”
Robbins scooted his chair closer. “Are you telling us the absolute truth?”
Olga brought her fist to her mouth. Tears began to flow down her cheeks again.
“She speaks truth.” Mita coupled her arms around her friend.
The guard caught Robbin’s glance. She rose, filled some glasses with water and returned to the table. Robbins paused as the two girls calmed themselves and drank some water.
“Let’s go over this again, Olga. Who did they dump? The body at the convenience store?”
“Nanu. She dead.”
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