by Tracy Sharp
I shook my head. “They are desperate, and their desire to have a baby overrides their sense of judgment. I think some of these adoptive parents who buy babies do it out of selfishness, yes. But they rationalize their actions by saying they can provide a better life than the birth parents can, or they will love the child more than the birth parents can.” I let out a breath. “And that may all be true. In fact, in some cases, it is very true. And that is how they live with what they’ve done. They don’t think about the consequences, and they figure they’ll cross that bridge when and if they ever come to it. It’s a short-sightedness born of complete desperation.”
“Whatever. It’s not right. It’s a horrible thing to do to a child. Not to mention, it’s friggin’ illegal.” Jack was pissed. He was getting all kinds of whipped up.
“I agree with you, Jack. I’m just saying, sometimes people want something so badly they figure the ends justifies the means. They whitewash their actions. We see it all the time in this business.” My stomach growled. “Can we get some food? I’m about ready to chew my arm off here.”
Jack grinned. “We’re in Philly. How about a Philly Cheese Steak?”
“Oh yeah.” My mouth watered. “That will do nicely.”
We found a corner pub and were led to a booth at the back of the place. It was fine with me. I felt like keeping a low profile. “So what’s Adrian’s story, anyway?
“She’s a social worker. She worked with unwed pregnant mothers.” Jack slowly turned his beer glass on the table.
“What a sweetheart. Let me guess, she works in the group homes for unwed mothers as well, to help them make an informed decision about whether or not they should keep their babies or adopt them out.”
“You got it. Of course, you know what she tells them. They and their babies would have a better chance at life if they gave their babies up, which may or may not be true, depending on the situation. Obviously these young girls don’t realize that her intentions are not altruistic in the least. She doesn’t give a damn about the life of the girl or of the baby.”
“Right. She’s the worst kind of con, you know that? She preys on the hopes, fears and vulnerability of these girls. I bet she guilts them into giving the babies up, too.”
“Whatever works. And that’s not all. She has ads in all the local papers. ‘Are you pregnant, scared and alone? Call this number. We can help. All calls completely confidential.”
“Of course they are. Just the way she wants them.”
“With the number of unplanned pregnancies skyrocketing in this country, you can just imagine how much money this woman makes. When we’re done here we’ll take a drive by her house. You’ll be amazed what a lucrative business baby brokering is.”
“You know, I really don’t feel like waiting however long it takes for Adrian Mandell to get back to us. This is a giant sized pain in the ass.” I sat back on the bench seat, slid down and looked out the window at the snow falling. It seemed that it had been snowing forever. “Is this stuff ever going to stop?”
“What do you suggest we do? Storm the agency? Dig up addresses and phone numbers of all the people who have adopted babies through the agency in the last ten years while holding all of the employees hostage at gunpoint?”
“It’s not a bad idea. You know me, Jack. I’m not a sit around and wait kind of girl.”
He leaned forward, looking at my face. “Sometimes you need to wait. It’s the name of the game.”
“Not the name of my game. Look, I want to know where all those babies have gone.” I looked him hard in the eyes. “I want to know now.”
“So do I. But if we jump the gun, she’s going to take off. You know it as well as I do.”
I pushed out a long breath. I was getting jittery. My nerves jangled under my skin. Maybe I was afraid that if I didn’t keep going that I’d run out of steam. I’d lose momentum. “So what? We stay in Philly until she calls us?”
“I really don’t think it’ll be very long. We’re talking about money here. She’s going to jump on this. We do this right, we find out where the newest batch of babies are. Babies we have no idea about yet. This is big, Leah, bigger than we know. I can feel it in my bones.”
I looked back out the window. “There must be a very special kind of hell for people like Adrian.”
“Oh, there is,” Jack said, his smile wide. “Us.”
***
By the time we left the pub, the snow was coming down hard and fast. I still wore my leather riding boots, and I was having a hard time not slipping and falling on my butt. Jack slipped his hand under my arm to steady me. That’s who he is. My rock and my anchor. I couldn’t imagine my life without Jack in it.
He drove slowly. The windshield wipers worked double time trying to keep up with the snow. I was shivering in my short, zip up leather jacket, but trying not to show it. Jack glanced at me sideways, and then blasted the heat. He’s rarely cold, so it was strictly for me.
Christmas lights were out in the city. We drove up the main strip, which was decorated with lighted candy canes, wreaths, Santas and snowmen. Brilliant Christmas trees lined both sides of the streets, each one placed several feet from the next. It was beautiful.
I felt the empty hole in me widen for a moment, thinking about my parents who both became non-existent after Susie’s disappearance. How I lost everyone but Jesse when I lost her. I wondered if I’d ever feel whole. If the seemingly, yawning gap inside me would ever mend itself. What I needed to do so that I didn’t feel so empty over the holidays anymore.
A Christmas song came on the radio and Jack punched radio buttons until he found a station that wasn’t playing holiday tunes.
“Thanks,” I said to him.
“You’re welcome,” he said simply.
“What a life, huh Jack?”
“Yeah.”
We drove in silence until we reached Adrian’s street. The homes became larger and more regal looking the further into the area we got.
“Wow,” I said.
“No shit.”
I marveled at the homes, at the winking Christmas lights and decorations. Some of the homes were decorated to the nines. All sparkling and gorgeous. We stopped in front of an enormous brick house that was built to look like a castle, turrets and all.
“Good Christ,” I murmured. “You’re kidding me. She lives here?”
“She does,” Jack said. “Nice, cozy pad, huh?”
“Is she married? Or does she at least have a partner who helps her pay for this place?”
“She has an ex-husband. Divorced five years. He’s an attorney, and still helps her with her business. Most of the adoption paperwork, legal and less than legal, is done through him. So he’s getting a sweet cut too.”
I shook my head, unbelieving. “This is the definition of parasitism, Jack.”
“Yes. It is. Fucking despicable, isn’t it?”
“At least,” I said. “Well, we’re going to put a screeching halt to her nice, thieving little life. I can’t wait to see her face when her world comes crashing down around her.”
“Me neither, Kicks. Me neither.”
We both watched the house, disgusted and pissed off. We were all for people being able to afford houses like that, if they earned or inherited or otherwise came by the cash by legitimate means. But when somebody profited from the suffering of others, it became completely not cool with us.
“So are you going to call him?” Jack asked me.
“Who?” I hoped he wasn’t talking about Callahan. I really couldn’t handle a Callahan talk right now. It would just remind me of what a workaholic fuck-up I really was.
“Lucas.” He gave me a side long look.
I sighed. “Eventually. I’m sure I’ll want to pick his brain. You will too.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know.”
“You don’t want to talk about your thing with Lucas?”
I prickled. I really wasn't in the mood. “Why do you want to know so
badly?”
“I’m bored, Kicks. I have no love life. Or lust life. Come on, humor me. Are you going to continue with this thing between you two, or was it just a one-time deal?”
“Honestly? I don’t know. We’ll see what happens. I’m just a tad bit emotionally screwed up right now, Jack. You know?”
“I know. I was just asking. I’m not judging you.”
“Didn’t sound that way the other day.”
He gave a little shrug. “Worried about the work, that’s all. I don’t mean to keep you from your happiness. Kill your bliss. Harsh your gig. Or otherwise cramp your style. You understand.”
“You’re just talking to hear yourself right now, aren’t you?”
“Yeah,” He grinned.
“So who else is involved in this baby brokering scheme? How big is it?” I asked him, changing the subject.
He let out a deep breath. “It’s big. Anyone she could pay off to help her means. At least one priest that I know of, a few doctors, her ex-husband the attorney and at least one judge that I know of, but probably more.”
“Holy hell.”
He nodded, looking at the house. “Hard to know who to trust anymore, huh?”
I snorted. “Anymore? It always was.”
As we pulled away from the house, I watched as a car came from the opposite direction, pulling into Adrian’s drive way. “Find a spot further down the road and hold up, Jack.”
He saw me looking in the side mirror and glanced in the rear view. “I wonder who that is.”
He drove down the road until we reached a house that had several huge pine trees in their front yard, all decked out with lights. We pulled out in front of the house, hidden by the trees.
We watched as a plump woman climbed out of the car. It was difficult to tell from this far away, but she looked to be in her fifties. She made her way to the back of the S.U.V, opened the door, smiling. She was talking as she fiddled with something in the back seat. Within moments she was pulling an infant seat from the back of the car. Carefully, she made her way to the front door in the snow.
“Well, what do we have here?” Jack asked.
“Looks like a nanny with an infant. Adrian’s infant.”
“Without a man, she doesn’t have all the ingredients to have a baby on her own,” Jack said. “Maybe she doesn’t want to have a baby herself.”
“Why do that and get fat? Ruin that sleek figure of hers. Go through all that pain. Why not just rip a baby off from some poor chump who’s already done that for you.”
“She has the connections,” Jack said. “What do you wanna bet?”
“What do you want to bet that this infant is one of the missing ones from the cult?” I said. “But then, she’s got a pretty big network. Could be anyone’s baby.”
“Let’s go ask some questions,” Jack said, pulling away from the tree lit yard and heading back to Adrian’s house.
“Yes, let’s just,” I said.
We caught the woman as she was putting her key in the door lock. The infant was at her feet, little mitted hands moving and waving in the air. I got out of the truck, smiling.
She turned, looking alarmed, glanced down at the baby, the back at me, then at the truck.
“Excuse me,” I said. “Is this the Whittaker home?”
“No,” she said, cautious. “I sorry. You have the wrong house.” He accent was thick and Hispanic.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” I laughed a little. “We have no sense of direction at all.”
She gave a wary little smile, nodding.
I looked down at the baby, tilting my head. “Oh, how sweet. Darling little thing. Girl or boy?”
“Girl.”
“What is her name?”
She paused, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation. “Nina.”
“I have a daughter a little older than Nina. She’s with her grandma right now. I hate being away from her. Are you the proud grandma?”
“No.” She smiled. “I nanny.”
“Ah. Well, you’d better get Nina inside and out of the weather. Sorry to have bothered you.”
“S’okay.” She bent to pick up the car seat.
“Can I help you with that?” I asked her. She seemed to be struggling.
“No, s’okay. Thank you.” There was no way she was letting anyone else handle the baby. Probably a good policy.
“Okay, good night, then.” I said.
“Good night. Merry Christmas.”
“To you, too.” I felt a little badly for her. She’d have to find another home. Another baby to care for, and it was clear that she loved Nina.
I turned and went back to the truck.
“That baby girl was almost definitely stolen from somebody. That’s Adrian’s nanny.”
“Wonderful,” he said, his jaw set.
“Jack. I really don’t want to wait for Adrian’s call. I’ve got a really bad feeling. I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s an urgent vibe. We can’t wait any longer. We have to shut her the fuck down now.”
His brows furrowed as he backed out of Adrian’s drive way.
For a moment I had the feeling that we’d been watched. Found out. I’d been found out so many times in the last couple of years that it was almost an expectation now. I carried my .45 in holster strapped to my leg. Nicely hidden by my boots. I wasn’t removing it unless I was going to shoot someone or take a shower. It was amazing what you can do with a gun strapped to your leg. But it wasn’t going far from me. I was keeping it close.
Jack’s cell rang as we pulled away from the house. He flipped if open. “We may not have to wait. It’s Adrian.”
“Good,” I said. I looked back and Adrian’s house, at the windows. I didn’t see anyone looking out. The white curtains weren’t slightly open, dropping suddenly. There was no reason to feel that Adrian knew something. Yet I still felt that we’d be busted. I couldn’t shake it.
“This is Jack,” he said. Listening.
I watched his face. His eyes narrowed. “I’m sorry to hear that. So there’s no way?”
I dropped my head back on the head rest. She had found out about us. She was ditching us.
“Okay, then. Guess we’re back at square one,” he said, sounding disappointed. “I’m sorry too.”
When he flipped closed, he swore.
“She’s found us out,” I said.
“Either that or she just as a hinky feeling about us. She’s running scared. She’s terribly sorry, but after looking into all of her resources she’s hit a brick wall. She hopes that we will find a baby soon and apologizes for not being able to help us.”
“She didn’t even offer to put us on a waiting list?”
“Nope. She wants us gone.”
“Well, now.” I grinned. “Lots of people feel that way about us, don’t they?”
“They sure do. But do we listen?”
“Hell, no.”
He gave me that wide, mischievous Jackson smile. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Eleven
The Friends of the Family Adoption Agency was closed for business for the day. It was seven-thirty in the evening, and they closed at five pm. We drove around to the back of the house, parking in a laneway a little ways from it. There had to be a window we could get into. Or we’d pick a lock. Either way, we’d just have to hope for the best that there wasn’t an alarm system in the place.
“I’m surprised she doesn’t have bars on the windows,” Jack said.
“And ruin the look of the house? Pish, Posh.” We stood in the back yard, looking out at the monstrosity. “I wonder if the same cleaning staff that cleans her house cleans this place too.”
“Probably. I’m sure it’s more Hispanic women who are being paid peanuts. And I’m certain she doesn’t provide a health care plan for them.”
I pointed to an upper window that didn’t have a storm window on it. “She missed that one.”
“Well, somebody missed it. I’m sure it’ll be fixed when she notices. Climb on up.”<
br />
I stepped on his hand and he pushed me up onto the first level roof. I scurried up the snowy shingles. “Yup. Love this job. Love, love, love it.”
“Stop whining. You’ll slip and fall,” Jack said.
“Shut up.” I made my way to the window and began trying to shove it upwards. It took a while, but it gave a few inches. I took a deep breath and shoved for all I was worth. The curtains billowed out at me. They were a lovely shade of peach, and I wanted to strangle Adrian with them for making me climb through a window on a frigid, snowy night.
I peered into the room. There was a desk in front of the window. The room was dark, but it looked to be an office. I climbed onto the desk, which was level with the window, then turned and staged whispered down to Jack. “I’m in.”
He stood down below the roof I’d just been on; strands of his red hair had been pulled from his ponytail by the wind. “Cool. Hurry up.” He looked around him.
I slid off the desk, cringing at a pile of paper that fell from it, scattering around the room. I dug into my pocket for the mini flashlight I carried around with me on my key chain. I flicked it on and moved the beam of light around the room. There were filing cabinets along one side of the wall. When I tried the top drawer, it was locked. It was the same with the other drawers.
I looked at the desk and tried the drawers. Locked. Of course.
I didn’t have my lock picking tools with me, and I didn’t feel like wasting time looking for a key. So I took my gun out and aimed at the lock of one of the desk drawers, and pulled the trigger. The gun going off sounded like a bomb in the silence. But I wasn’t screwing around. I wanted information now, because I knew that I’d probably never get anywhere near this agency again.
“Jesus Christ, Kicks. Why don’t you just call the cops and give them our location while you’re at it?”
“Shut up,” I said. “I’m getting results.”
“Yeah. You’re getting results all right. They’re probably on their way.”