Another Deception

by Pamela Carron

  “You gave him his grandfather’s name. How nice of you to do that….Jessie, did you hear? Honey and Jacks are calling the baby, Alton!”

  “I hear, and I think that is a wonderful thing to do, Jacks. He is a doll baby and Abby is going to be so thrilled to have a little cousin.”

  “We had to name him something. Because we opted not to know the sex beforehand, we never did decide on a name for boy or girl. We really wanted to wait and see what fit. Sorry, but I have to see those nurses back there. Honey cannot bear to be apart from him. See you at dinner Mother, Jessie.”

  He took off back around the corner to knock on the door to the nursery. It took two tries before someone answered.

  “Hi, I just wanted to tell you that my wife is waiting for the baby to come back. The Jackson baby…boy baby. You should be done with him here and we did request that he stay in the room with her.”

  “Oh, yes sir, Mr. Jackson. Someone has already gone with him. He should be back with Mrs. Jackson by now.”

  “Okay, thanks!”

  Jacks found that he was beyond excited to get back and hold the little guy, himself. He went down to first floor the hospital’s gift shop first. He bought a bunch of balloons geared toward boy babies and a bouquet of flowers for the new mommy. Feeling like he was the happiest man alive, he headed back to the room where Honey was propped up watching the TV. She opted not to have anything for the birthing so she was wide-awake from excitement. She laughed when Jacks came through the door with his hands full. Seeing the little rolling bed still empty he said,

  “Where is our son? The nurse said they were bringing him back before I went down to the gift shop. He should be here by now.”

  Honey turned off the television, while he placed the flowers on the table and the balloons out of the way. He sat down on the foot of her bed.

  “No one has been here since you left.”

  “I asked and the woman said another nurse had already left to bring him back. I guess she got me mixed up with someone else after all. I will just call down there.”

  Saying this, he reached for the room phone and dialed the hospital operator.

  “Hello, would you ring the nursery for me. Thank you.”

  He leaned over and kissed Honey while he waited and mouthed the words, ‘I love you.’

  “Yes, this is the Jackson baby’s father. Someone told me that he left the nursery already and that was a while ago. She must have confused me with another father… Sure, I can wait.”

  Turning to Honey, he laughed,

  “They are checking…like there were dozens of babies in there and I only counted eight…yes, I am still here. Of course, I am in the room with his mother, where did you think I was? No, the mother

  has not seen him since the nurse took him away. Fine, but if my baby is not in that nursery then somebody best be finding him and bringing him to us!”

  Slamming down the phone, he looked at Honey’s panicked face and tried to assure her the baby would be there any moment.

  “Look, these things happen all the time. Babies get mixed up and nurses get confused. I am going to walk that way. Will you be okay?”

  Honey could only shake her head and tried to not be alarmed, but there was something inside her screaming that nothing about this was okay.

  Jacks almost ran the length of the hall where around the corner was the nursery. Outside the door were four people in deep conversation. When they saw him, they stopped talking and one of the men who looked like a security person, greeted him.

  “Mr. Jackson?”

  “Yes. Where is my baby? I will take him myself to the room. Bring him to me.”

  “Mr. Jackson, would you come to my office please?”

  Jacks gave a funny sound meant to be a laugh but fell short.

  “No, I want to take the baby to his mother, she is waiting for him. He should have already been there….what has happened? Where is he? Where is my baby!?”

  His voice got louder and louder and he fought the need to grab the man and shake him, hard.

  “We are looking for him Mr. Jackson. We will find him. There has just been a mix up, we will find him.”

  “That means you have no idea where he is. How can you lose a baby? Move, I want to see for myself he is not in that room.”

  The man nodded and the other people moved aside to let him go in. When he came back out, he was pale and felt sick. How was he going to tell Honey that the baby she delivered just a couple of hours ago was nowhere to be found?

  “The sheriff is on his way and the city police have all entrances to the hospital blocked. No one in and no one out. I promise you, we are doing everything we can.”

  Two of the people had left and the other was the administrator, if Jacks remembered correctly. This man pulled a chair from somewhere and tried to get him to sit, but he refused.

  “Dear God, that means you think he has been stolen…kidnapped? I have to go back to my wife without my son. I said I do not want to sit. I want to find my son. You are idiots, you are all idiots! How can something like this happen? Find him! I don’t care what it takes, find him!”

  Turning away from them, he started walking back to the room wondering how he was going to tell Honey that their baby had mysteriously disappeared.

  When he walked through the door, Honey knew something was wrong and the first thing she thought was the baby was dead. She had heard of that happening to people before. Having a perfectly normal baby and next thing they knew, it died of some malady or other. She did not wait for Jacks to say anything but started crying hysterically.

  “He was perfect! How could this happen? How could he just die? I cannot bear it, Jacks! Help me, for I cannot bear it!”

  Jacks rushed to her, holding her as tight as he could and tried to comfort her, though he needed consoling himself,

  “Listen to me Honey, he is not dead! Honey! Look at me! He is not dead!”

  She raised her tear streaked face to look at him, not believing what he was saying.

  “Where is he then and why do you look so frightened?”

  “He is not dead, they just cannot find him.”

  His voice cracked and he thought he was going to lose his mind but he had to stay sane for Honey. If they did not find their newborn son, he was not sure if either of them could handle it. How could a baby just disappear like that? It was not a large hospital, how hard could it be to find him. Who would do such a thing, anyway?

  Honey looked confounded as she asked,

  “They lost our baby? How ridiculous! You do not lose babies, Jacks. People steal babies they do not lose them! Dear God, someone has taken our baby! That is what you mean, isn’t it? Isn’t it!”

  Jacks head was hanging down and he could not look at her. She started screaming and he tried to hold her, but she clawed at him.

  “Give me my baby! Go get him. You let them take my baby…”

  Jacks let go of her and got up. She was right. It was his job to protect his family and he had failed.

  He looked at her, raging and screaming so loud that the nurses came running. Word had spread about the missing baby and the whole hospital was turned upside down with searching every inch of the building. One of the nurses ran back to the station for a sedative, as the other tried to calm Honey down. When the first one came back with the injection, she fought them wildly so that one held hr down while the other gave it. Almost immediately her body relaxed and her head started swimming with the medication and her screaming turned to whimpering as she pitifully cried,

  “I want my baby. Jacks, make them give me my baby….”

  Jacks had stood to the side watching helplessly. When she succumbed to the sedative, he walked out of the room. He had no idea what to do now. God, what to do, what to do!

  Sliding down the corridor wall he sat outside Honey’s door until someone asked if he would come talk with the Sherriff. Getting up he followed the male nurse to an office on the first floor. He was feeling weirdly calm now, as one can
when in a state of shock. He entered the room, shook hands with the burly man, he was familiar with from court, and even managed to answer the questions he was asked, but none of it felt real. He kept thinking about the tiny little baby who came out screaming but when placed in his mother’s arms was quiet and peacefully knowing on his fingers looking for suckle. Had that only been no more than two hours ago?

  “Jacks!”

  Jacks jerked,

  “I am sorry, what was it you were saying?”

  “I asked if you have any enemies. In your line of work it would stand to reason that an angry parent might look for a way to retaliate if they thought you cost them a child or children.”

  “Yes, I understand what you are saying but no, there have been no cases which would stand out in my mind.”

  Then he thought about Asa.

  “Could we do this later? I really need to make some phone calls.”

  “I have enough for now. Go ahead. Jacks, I am sorry about this and I want you to know we are going to do everything we can to find him. You have my word.”

  “Thank you, I know you will.”

  He stopped at the room to look at Honey and she looked so peaceful laying there. He hoped she would sleep for a long while and when she woke back up, the baby would be there safe and unharmed. He eased the door to and hurried down the hall. He passed by the nurses’ station and he could feel the pity. The front entrance still had uniformed cops watching, but now was opened back up for people to come and go. That meant the baby was nowhere in the hospital building.

  When he reached his pickup, he got in and called Dwight. He desperately needed to talk to someone and when Dwight answered the phone, he managed to tell him what had happened without breaking down. Then he asked,

  “Do you think it could be Asa…Garrett?”

  Dwight was shocked to hear that someone had walked into the hospital and taken the baby without being seen. How do you smuggle a baby out like that, was what he was thinking when Jacks mentioned Asa.

  “It could be, but we haven’t heard anything of him since you have been back from New York. You think it is revenge? Surely he would not hurt an infant!”

  “Would you and Sheila watch over Honey for me?”

  “We will do anything to help. What are you planning?”

  “I am not sure yet but I will keep you posted. I cannot just sit and do nothing while my son is in the hands of some crazy person or if he is with Garrett.”

  “Okay buddy, we got you covered in prayer, God go with you!”

  Jacks got off with Dwight and immediately called Detective Cranford. Unfortunately, he had retired and Jacks could not think of the other guy’s name. He pulled his wallet out and searched for a card he remembered being given at the hospital in New York. He found it…the name was Frank Dear.

  He called the number and waited for it to ring…once…twice…three times, and then it went to voice mail. Not what he wanted, but Jacks message implored Frank to return the call immediately. “Please, my baby is missing and I believe Garrett may be responsible.”

  He started the pickup and headed to see Jessie and Millie. He did not want to tell them over the phone. Millie was doing so much better but years of being drugged had taken a toll on her health and she was somewhat of a recluse. Jessie was just beginning to find herself and was working at the clinic where Honey worked as a receptionist. Abby was blossoming in the school and making friends, something she never indulged in before as she was home schooled by Jessie. A few months after they got home, a house down the street from theirs became vacant and they snatched it up before it could even be put on the market. Things were good and getting better for them all, and now…

  The phone rang and Jacks pulled off the road to answer it. Thank God, it was Frank.

  “Thanks for calling back. I tried to contact Cranford but forgot he was planning his retirement. Man, I need help!”

  Frank was on another call when Jacks rang him and after he finished, he saw he had voice mail. Surprised it was Jacks and more surprised to hear he and Honey had a baby. What did not surprise him was that it was taken. Damn, if one of the sect he was after, got hold of this ‘blue moon’ baby! No doubt, it was the Garrett fellow. Now he regretted not educating Jacks on what was an enemy to the both of them. He should have warned him about his firstborn. It looked as if he would have to bump the devil up on his list.

  “Looks like you do. Bad news. Any leads?”

  “Just that it looked like one of the nurses who worked in the nursery took him. I am sure she was a plant.”

  Frank made a quick decision.

  “Will you promise not to come to New York if I promise you that I will find this creep and return your baby back to you?”

  “Man, you know I cannot do that! If he has my baby, and I am sure whoever took him is headed that way. This man has ways of making a trip real short.”

  “Look, I know more about these people than you and we cannot risk you bungling this. You are too involved. Listen to me. If we do not find that child in the next few hours…”

  Jacks interrupted him.

  “Okay, okay! I will give you twenty-four hours, but if you have not found him by then, I will be looking for Garrett myself. If he has my baby…”

  Frank relaxed, sure now that Jacks would keep his word.

  “Now, I want you to tell me everything about this guy and I mean everything!”

  Jacks went back to the day Garrett came to his office, a mouthpiece for Abe Cannon and Morgan Belk. He left nothing out. When he finished, Frank was certain he knew nothing about the morbid details of child sacrifices and cannibalism these creatures practiced. It was best he did not know for if he did, there would be no holding him back and he could cost his newborn son his life if he interfered.

  Immediately after getting off the phone with Jacks, Frank called Cranford. They had kept in touch after he retired the first of the year as he planned, and he knew he was still tying up loose ends before leaving the city. He conveyed everything Jacks told him and asked for his help. After Cranford assured Frank that he could count on him, Frank then made several more calls. Then he started preparing for what would be the most crucial act of his life and waited for the information he would need to carry out his plans.

  The first call he got was not much help to him but the second one confirmed his suspicions that there were plans for a major meeting of the sect being planned for that very night. Frank only had to find out where and when it would take place and time was wasting. He would have to go underground to get the information. If this worked, he would accomplish in one night more than he could ever hope to accomplish in years.

  Three hours later, he contacted Cranford with instructions and prepared himself to attend one of the sects gathering which only happened once every hundred years. A gathering, that would give the highest power to one of them, making him ruler of all demonic entities existing on the earth. If his plan worked, it would be the last one many of them would ever attend.

  Darkness crept upon the city, causing lights to light up the skyline and cast shadows amongst the darkest alleys where Frank waited impatiently for the time to come. He was ready. Having secured a robe from a known member who would not be needing it any longer, he was dressed as the majority would be dressed. Underneath, was the weapon of mass destruction he planned to use when the time was right. He sure hoped Cranford would not let him down and be exactly where he told him to be. It had to be perfect if they were to save that baby.

  Looking at his watch, he knew it could not be much longer before someone appeared. Scouts always came first to assure the place was secure. Finally, he saw two men moving toward the door, which was a side entrance into the building. Not long now. He was counting under his breath. In a few minutes, several more came. That will be the candle lighters. He counted six. More time lapsed, and they started coming from everywhere and Frank came out from his hiding place and walked toward the door, placing himself in the middle of others. Hoods were on an
d he could not recognize anyone, so was confident no one would recognize him either.

  When he reached the door, he held his hand out so that the inside of his wrist was up. For an instant, he thought he was steered wrong about the pass code but to great relief, he was waved on through. Getting in was the easy part and he knew that now every second counted. He placed himself as close to a slab, similar to the one used the night he and Cranford witnessed. Keeping his head down, he made mental notes of the layout of the room. Having researched the building’s history beforehand, he knew where all the exits were located. The one he told Cranford to use would be locked and Cranford would have to use force to open it. He hoped he was quite about it too. Okay, Frank, it is show time! He said to himself as he watched as a parade of red robed people enter. He counted six again. What if I am wrong and the baby is not here? His nerves on edge, he questioned himself. Stop it! You are not wrong about this!

  Interrupting his thoughts, the sight of two more men entered and a path was made all the way up to the slab and behind those two came one who dressed in a flamboyant robe, looked to be made of spun gold, and dripping with flashing diamonds and in his arms was an infant child. When he walked through the parted way, the others bowed deeply and Frank followed suit. The man holding

  the baby raised it up over his head and spoke in a language Frank did not recognize. The rest of the crowd repeated after him. Frank mumbled something incoherent and kept his eyes on the baby.

  What happened next, happened so fast that Cranford was almost afraid he would do something wrong. Having got in through the door Frank told him to use, he saw one minute the gaudy looking robed man holding the baby up, then place him on the slab. The instant that happened, Frank dropped the robe, snatched the baby and no one was moving. Not even taking the time to process what was keeping them still, Cranford was in his position to catch the baby as Frank literally threw him over the heads of the crowd into Cranford’s hands and yelled,

  “Now get out of here!”

  Cranford looked at him in disbelief, turned and ran with Jack and Honey’s baby. He never even whimpered throughout it all and Cranford knew he was probably sedated. A good thing, for they were not out of the building but a few seconds when the explosion came. It was loud, but Cranford kept running as per his instructions until he came to a main street with cabs coming and going. He slid into one with the little bundle and gave Anna’s address. Sirens were screaming from all directions and the cab driver had to pull over several times but they finally made it there. Climbing out of the cab, he handed him a bill, told him to keep the change, and made his way up the stairs to Anna’s apartment. She was waiting for him. He called and asked for her help as Frank suggested. She would have everything arranged. She held the door open and shut it as soon as he came in.