Читать книгу: «The Baby Protectors», страница 3
THREE
“Where’s Mia?” Whit asked the nurse.
“First floor, Pediatrics.”
He rushed out of the room to the stairs and headed down two flights to the main floor. There was no one named Judy in his entire extended family. Then again, maybe he was overreacting and Judy was from his sister-in-law’s side. How could anyone know about today’s break-in at the house and the disappearance of his half brother and his wife? Whit hadn’t had a chance to contact family.
The stitches burned as he descended the stairs a little too aggressively, his thoughts consumed by needing to get to his niece before she disappeared. Okay, so maybe a small part of him believed what the detective was selling, that Carly was a part of this, that she’d gotten herself involved in a kidnapping-for-ransom scheme. Nursing school had to be expensive, right?
If Harry had offered a generous nanny salary, why would she risk being caught in a criminal act, especially with her background? Once a criminal always a criminal.
Deep in his gut that conclusion felt wrong, inconsistent with the protective and nurturing young woman he’d met today.
He followed signs to Pediatrics, shoved open the door and spotted a nurse. “Mia Bremerton?” he demanded.
The nurse caught sight of the bloodstain on his jacket and hesitated.
“She’s about this big.” He motioned with his hands, because he wasn’t sure of her age. “Blond hair? Her aunt supposedly came for her.”
“Oh, they just left.”
“Just, as in seconds, minutes, what?”
“Maybe a minute ago?”
He spun around and headed toward the main entrance. Would a kidnapper use that entrance to flee? Sure, if she was pretending to be a member of the family she could casually stroll out the front door.
“Sir, is there a problem?” a security officer questioned.
“Someone kidnapped my niece.”
The officer jogged up beside him and they went outside. Whit scanned the parking lot across the street.
The sound of a baby crying raised the hair on the back of his neck. He spotted a woman in a long tan jacket juggling a fussy Mia while opening the car door.
Without thinking, Whit started to take off.
A car horn blared.
The guard gripped Whit’s jacket and yanked him back, just as a service truck whizzed by. The driver made a face at Whit like he was an idiot.
He’d be a lot worse than an idiot if his niece got taken on his watch.
“Stop!” the guard shouted as they crossed the street.
Whit wished the guard hadn’t alerted the kidnapper to their presence. She slammed the back door and got behind the wheel. Did she even strap his niece into a car seat?
They were about a hundred feet away when she shoved it into gear and took off, peeling across the parking lot, nearly hitting a car as she made a sharp turn.
“You get the plates?” the guard said.
“Yep.”
She sped up to the exit.
They chased after her.
Whit automatically reached for his gun and remembered the hospital still had it.
“My truck’s over here,” the security guard said. Whit kept his eyes on the white minivan that was nearing the exit gate.
Whit and the guard climbed into his truck. The guard pulled out and Whit called Emergency.
“A child’s been abducted from Saint Mary’s Hospital. Tell Detective Harper it’s Mia Bremerton. The suspect is female, Caucasian, dark hair, about five foot eight. She drove off in a white minivan.”
He gave them the plate number and watched the van turn onto the main road. Whit didn’t want this to become a high-speed chase, putting Mia at even more risk.
He had to get her back.
The little girl was family and he was responsible for her.
“Give her space,” Whit said to the security guard.
“I don’t want to lose them,” he said.
“I know, but we don’t want to force her into making a bad driving decision either.”
The guard nodded in agreement.
“I’m Brody Whittaker, by the way.”
“Steve Meyers. Didn’t expect to be chasing a kidnapper when I came into work today. Why did she take your niece?”
“Don’t know.” This entire day had been filled with questions and no answers, Whit thought.
One answer was obviously clear: Mia needed her uncle to protect her from whatever his brother may have gotten himself into. Whit shouldn’t assume this was about Harry, yet it wouldn’t surprise him. Harry tended to take risks, risks that could have led to putting his baby girl in danger. Maybe if Whit had stayed around longer, been a good role model for his brother growing up, Harry would have turned out more grounded. It was obvious that Whit’s stepdad didn’t have much time for his son.
Instead Whit took off after high school, joined the army and kept his distance from his mom, half brother and half sister, Beth. He thought he’d made that decision out of respect for the family. Recently he began to wonder if shame had driven him away.
Shame that he’d been so utterly selfish as a teenager. He hadn’t prevented Harry from getting hurt.
Ever since Whit’s brush with death on the job, he’d been determined to heal his relationship with Harry. Whit wanted to be a good brother, and a loving uncle to Mia.
“She’s turning onto Mountain Pass drive,” Steve said.
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Narrow road. Sharp turns.”
Whit relayed the information to the 9-1-1 operator.
“I’m sending deputies to intercept her,” the operator said.
“Thanks.” Whit turned to Steve. “Let’s not crowd her.” He certainly didn’t want her rolling the van with his niece in the back seat.
Whit’s eyes burned as he stared ahead at the kidnapper’s vehicle. They would lose the white minivan to a sharp turn, and then catch sight of it again. It was awfully bold of the kidnapper to walk into a hospital, pretend to be a family member and leave with the child.
Bold and criminal.
“She won’t get far,” Steve said, trying to make Whit feel better.
Steve approached a sharp turn a little too fast and they came dangerously close to skidding off into a ravine.
“Sorry, I’ll slow it down,” he said.
Whit nodded, his vocal cords tied into knots. He used to love the adrenaline rush, the buzz of a chase, although not when it involved one of his own, and there were very few of those left in his life. His serious romantic relationships couldn’t withstand his commitment to the job, and he’d grown distant from his work family because of his medical leave.
He found himself at an impasse, possibly forced to sit behind a desk for the rest of his career. It wasn’t the same as being out in the field, of leading an investigation. He wasn’t sure what the future held professionally, what he’d end up doing.
That untethered feeling made him realize how important it was to have a support system, a real family. He and his half sister, Beth, had reconnected, and he thought he was on the right track with Harry, until he’d stopped returning Whit’s calls.
“Where’d she go?” Steve peered out the window.
“Down on the right?” Whit craned his neck, hoping to see the minivan.
They reached a four-way stop and looked both directions.
The minivan, with his niece in the back seat, was gone.
* * *
Never talk to police, her mother’s voice whispered in the recesses of her mind. The family code.
By now Carly should want nothing to do with her family, their advice, their lies. Yet childhood trauma was imprinted on her heart.
If you talk to police, they will take Greta away.
Carly readjusted her position in the interrogation room chair and crossed her arms over her chest. She was proud of herself for remaining calm and not allowing her past to cause her to have a total meltdown. After all, the last time she’d been questioned by police she was a naive thirteen-year-old who’d been played by her mother and cajoled by authorities.
No one had cared about Carly’s well-being. They all had their own agendas: her parents wanted her gone and the cops wanted to finish their paperwork.
Still, when Carly stepped into this room with the one table and chairs on either side, the past flashed through her mind.
The fight with her mother.
Hiding Greta in her room to protect her.
Police breaking down the door. Put down the knife.
“So, you’ve been employed by the Bremertons for six months?” Detective Harper asked.
“Yes, since the baby was a month old.”
Harper had asked that twice already.
“And the vehicle you saw blocking your car was a dark SUV?”
That was the third time he’d asked that one.
“Yes.”
“You couldn’t see the plate numbers?”
She was done with this irritating line of questioning. She assumed he was stalling until he could somehow get more information about her juvenile crime.
“Shouldn’t you be looking for Mr. and Mrs. B.?”
“Maybe if you gave me more information it would help me find them.”
Right, keep her talking until she said something he could use against her. She knew how it worked.
“Detective, I have been chased, shot at and assaulted,” Carly said. “I’m tired and would like to leave now.”
Harper shot her a displeased look, but she wouldn’t be intimidated. She wasn’t that thirteen-year-old girl, scared, alone and charged with felony menacing because she’d been trying to protect her little sister.
“I’ve answered your questions. Am I free to go?” she pushed.
“You haven’t answered the most critical one—what were you charged with when you were thirteen?”
She clenched her jaw and stared at the door behind him. Giving Harper that piece of her history would convince him she was guilty of something, anything. Today she was guilty only of loving and wanting to protect baby Mia.
“Lawyer, please,” she said.
Harper’s eye twitched.
A young deputy in his twenties popped his head into the room. “Detective, an emergency call just came in. A child’s been abducted from Saint Mary’s Hospital.”
Carly stood. “Mia?”
Detective Harper turned to her. “What do you know about this?”
“What could I possibly know? I’ve been in here with you.”
He narrowed his eyes as if assessing her honesty. Finally, he said, “You’re free to go. Not back to the Bremerton estate. It’s a crime scene.”
“My car’s there, and my clothes.”
He nodded at the young deputy. “Schneider, give Miss Winslow a ride to her car and make sure she vacates the premises without taking anything from the house.” Harper turned back to Carly. “I’d prefer you not leave Summit County.”
Oh, she had no plans to leave the county or even the small town of Miner, Colorado. Carly wasn’t going anywhere until she knew Mia was safe.
“Ma’am.” The young deputy motioned.
She accompanied the deputy and left the police station, hopefully never to return.
* * *
Twenty minutes later Deputy Schneider pulled up the long driveway of the Bremerton estate. The gates, which were usually closed, were wide open to allow access to law enforcement officials. Carly felt uneasy, knowing how much the Bremertons valued their privacy.
Deputy Schneider parked beside her car.
“Thanks,” she said. She got out of the patrol car and glanced at the house. It was hard to believe everything that had happened. She said a silent prayer for Mr. and Mrs. B.’s safety.
“Ma’am?”
She turned to the deputy.
“I need to escort you out,” he said.
“Sure, of course.” As she approached her blue compact car, the echo of men’s voices drifted to her from the deputy’s shoulder radio. She caught part of the conversation. Someone said, “Mountain Pass Drive” and “white minivan.” She guessed they were in pursuit of the vehicle Mia’s kidnapper was driving.
Hope sparked in her chest. She calmly slid behind the wheel of her car. It was foolish to think she could help. However, her love for Mia drove her to want to do something.
A familiar feeling of helplessness chilled her heart. She would not accept it. Even though she’d been unable to save Greta from their horrible parents, that didn’t mean she’d give up on baby Mia.
Carly pulled out of the driveway and the deputy followed her onto the main road. She should find temporary lodging somewhere, perhaps at the Juniper Inn. They knew her there since Renee, the owner, was in Carly’s Bible study group.
She’d get a room later. Right now even the most comfortable room would offer little solace since Mia was out there, frightened, being held captive by a stranger. The image of Mia’s red, crying face inspired Carly to follow her heart, even if it landed her in trouble.
She drove a bit, a plan forming in her head. She pulled into the Juniper Inn parking lot and Deputy Schneider drove past, lights flashing.
Waiting until he was out of sight, she left the parking lot and headed for Mountain Pass Drive. It was a long shot, but she didn’t know what else to do.
Carly was desperate to save Mia.
If she happened to find the minivan, or even show up at the scene when police found it, would they assume Carly was involved? Officially arrest her this time?
Keep your distance, reason dictated.
Help the child at any cost, her heart countered.
With firm hands gripping the steering wheel, she stayed calm and pushed aside the fear that the kidnapper might hurt little Mia. Who could possibly look at her sweet face and want to do her harm?
A few minutes later, as she approached Mountain Pass Drive, she hesitated at a four-way stop. She was about to press the accelerator when a car sailed through the intersection.
“Yikes!” Carly cried out. Through her rearview, she spotted the vehicle that sped off.
A minivan.
White.
“Unlikely.” Possible.
Carly made a U-turn and followed the car on the off chance it was the kidnapper. Stranger things had happened. Where were the police? Maybe she was being silly, but it was worth a try.
She wasn’t sure what she’d do once she caught up to the minivan. In the meantime, she decided to call the police and report its location. If the van happened to be the kidnapper’s vehicle, Carly would make sure it didn’t disappear, along with Mia.
She pulled out her phone to call 9-1-1.
In the distance, two police cars were blocking the road.
The minivan took a sharp right turn and went off-road, heading directly into the forest.
What was the driver thinking? There was no way out, nowhere to escape.
It had to be the kidnapper.
The minivan didn’t slow down.
Neither did Carly.
She made a sharp right turn and clung to the steering wheel, her little compact bobbing up and down on the uneven terrain. This would destroy her car for sure.
She didn’t care.
The minivan swerved left...
And went nose first into a ravine.
“Mia!” Carly cried.
FOUR
Carly slammed her brakes so she wouldn’t go careening over the edge. She flung open the door and dashed toward the ravine. She heard men shouting behind her and didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was getting to Mia, making sure she was okay.
She realized the ravine wasn’t terribly steep, and the back end of the car was only about five feet down. Just then the driver’s door opened. A woman with brown hair, wearing a tan raincoat and sunglasses, fought her way past the airbag and got out of the car.
“What’s the matter with you?” Carly said.
The sound of Mia’s cries echoed from the van, spiking adrenaline through Carly’s body. The kidnapper started for the back seat.
“Don’t you dare touch that little girl!” Carly dropped down to the trunk of the car with a thump.
The woman, who wore large-framed sunglasses, glanced at Carly.
Carly suddenly realized the danger of the situation. What if the kidnapper had a weapon?
Instead of reaching for a gun, the woman took off.
“Stop right there!” Carly shouted, wanting the police to arrest her and make the kidnapper answer for absconding with the little girl. But the woman had already disappeared into the woods.
Carly opened the minivan’s door and smiled at Mia, who was securely strapped into a car seat.
“Shh, it’s okay, baby girl.”
Mia continued to wail. Was she hurt? Suffering from whiplash?
Carly sang softly to calm her down, making up her own lyrics. “Precious little baby, darling baby girl, such a sweet baby, such a sweet girl.”
Awkwardly leaning against the front seat, she unbuckled Mia and pulled her into her arms. “Dear little baby, precious little girl.”
Carly held Mia against her shoulder and managed to slide out of the car onto stable ground. Leaning against a nearby rock, she sang softly until the little girl stopped crying. Mia sniffled and coughed a few times, then laid her head against Carly’s shoulder and stuck her thumb in her mouth.
“That’s my girl. Such a brave girl.” Carly cast a quick glance into the woods where the kidnapper had disappeared.
“Freeze!” a man ordered from above.
Carly couldn’t catch a break today. They probably thought she was the kidnapper.
“Lemme see your hands!”
“I’m holding a baby,” she called back.
“Your hands!”
Carly was not putting this child down.
* * *
Whit couldn’t believe what he just saw: Carly, in her little compact car, pursuing the kidnapper across rugged terrain. He then watched the petite blonde jump out of her car and practically dive into a ravine after the van.
That had probably crashed. With his niece inside.
Whit got out of the guard’s truck and jogged toward the edge of the cliff.
A sheriff’s deputy put out his hand, halting Whit and Steve. “Stay back.”
“I’m the child’s uncle.”
Whit stopped, waited impatiently for permission to approach. Just then Detective Harper raced up to them. “Where is she?”
“I’m sending up the perp,” a male voice called from below. “I’ve got the baby.”
Harper and the deputy pulled a woman up. Carly.
“Carly, Mia?” Whit said.
“She’s okay.” Carly smiled.
Warmth spread through Whit’s chest.
The deputy grabbed Carly’s wrist and started to cuff her.
“Harper,” Whit said. “She put her own life at risk and went after the kidnapper.”
“Not much of a risk if the kidnapper is your associate.”
Carly eyed the ravine. The deputy put handcuffs on Carly, but she didn’t seem to notice. She was more interested in what was happening below.
“Careful, don’t hold her like that,” Carly directed.
Mia’s cries shot a bolt of frustration through Whit’s chest.
“It’s okay, baby girl,” Carly said softly.
Harper crouched and grabbed a kicking, screaming Mia out of the other deputy’s hands. He held her against his shoulder. Mia was having none of it. She flailed her arms, smacking Harper in the face, as she continued to sob.
Whit approached and tried soothing her with sweet words. “It’s okay, Mia. You’re okay now.”
The baby cried louder.
“Sing to her,” Carly said.
“I can’t sing,” Whit protested.
“Oh, come on,” she said in an exasperated tone, and started singing.
Not only did the baby stop crying, but also the world seemed to tip sideways. Or maybe that was his concussion acting up.
No, it was the sound of Carly’s soothing voice that made everything shift just a little, in a good way. Even though Mia was comforted by Carly’s voice, it wasn’t enough. The baby wanted to be in Carly’s arms, not some stranger’s. Mia kicked and reached for Carly.
“Let’s go,” the deputy said to Carly.
“Harper, come on,” Whit said.
Detective Harper handed the baby to Whit, who nodded to his slinged arm. “I need two functioning arms to hold her. Better yet, I need a nanny.”
On cue, Mia screamed loud enough to shatter Harper’s eardrums. He tried to mollify her, but Mia had a strong will, a lot like her father, Whit thought.
“Alright, alright. Deputy Green, uncuff her.” Harper motioned to Carly. The cuffs came off and Carly reached for the child. Harper hesitated before releasing her, as if letting her know he wasn’t convinced this was a good idea.
The moment Mia went into Carly’s arms, the baby quieted. Carly shared a grateful expression with Whit and mouthed, “Thank you.”
Whit should be thanking her.
Harper started barking orders. “We’re running the plates. We need a description of the kidnapper.”
“Female, medium height, brown hair, tan raincoat,” Whit said. “The pediatric nurse could give a better description.”
“She wore glam sunglasses,” Carly added. “You know, the big movie-star kind.”
“Find out where they are with the plate number,” Harper ordered his deputy, essentially ignoring Carly. “And then go through the minivan.”
“Yes, sir.” Deputy Green went to his cruiser.
A second deputy climbed up top.
“What happened to the driver?” Harper asked.
“Didn’t see her.”
“She took off into the woods,” Carly offered.
“Without the baby,” Harper said, his tone flat. “Huh.”
“I’ve gotta head back to the hospital,” Steve, the security guard, said.
Whit extended his hand. “Thanks, man, I appreciate your help.”
“My pleasure.”
“I need your statement.” Harper motioned for Steve to join him.
Carly paced a few feet away, rocking Mia, and Whit followed.
“How is she?” he asked.
“Pretty good, considering. Such a brave girl.” Carly eyed Whit.
“Shouldn’t you be in the hospital?”
“It wasn’t serious.”
“You passed out.”
“I’m fine. My niece needs me.”
“Your niece is really something.” Carly brushed her lips against the top of Mia’s head.
Whit still couldn’t believe what he’d witnessed: Carly putting her own life in danger to save Mia. The nanny had no way of knowing what kind of person kidnapped the baby. The perp could have been violent or been armed. The thought sparked anger in his chest.
“What were you thinking?” Whit said.
“I’m sorry?”
“Going after the kidnapper like that.”
“I guess I wasn’t thinking. I was driven by my love for this little girl.”
He must have looked puzzled by her comment because she said, “Hasn’t that ever happened to you?”
“The driver could have had a gun,” he continued, not wanting to think about his inability to answer her question. “She could have killed you.”
She shrugged. “If it meant saving Mia’s life, then it would have been worth it.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Well, I hope someday you will.” She sighed, stroking the baby’s back in a smooth, rhythmic gesture.
The adrenaline rush of the last twenty minutes was taking its toll. Exhaustion whipped through him like wind on barren desert and Whit wasn’t sure how much longer he could remain standing. He needed to sit down, take a breath.
He needed to feel confident that his niece was safe.
Just then Mia made a soft squeaking sound and released a sigh too profound for such a little girl. It was obvious she felt she was in the safest place possible—in Carly’s arms.
In that moment Whit realized how much he needed Carly, not for himself, of course, but for the continued care of his niece. Especially since Whit was in no condition to care for a baby by himself.
* * *
An hour later, after statements were given to police, Carly, Mia and Whit were dropped off at the Casper Lodge, where Whit had rented a suite.
She thought for sure they’d give Mia to Whit and lock Carly up.
Whit opened the door and let Carly and Mia inside the suite, while he stepped outside to finish speaking to Detective Harper. She was grateful to him for keeping her out of jail—Harper had threatened to charge her with interfering with an investigation because she’d gone after the kidnapper’s minivan—and grateful that she was still able to care for Mia.
“We should make out a list of what you need, little one,” Carly said.
She pulled out a pen and notepad from the wooden desk and sat down, bouncing Mia on her lap. She jotted the essentials: diapers, wipes, formula, soft foods, even toys. Carly wished they could swing by the house and pick up some of Mia’s favorites, but she knew that was out of the question since it was a crime scene.
Mia squirmed to get out of her lap, so Carly set her on the wood floor, which was shiny clean, and placed pillows around her in case of accidental “plop downs.” The little girl waved her arms in frustration. She wanted to play with something.
“We seriously need some toys, don’t we, baby girl?” Carly scooped Mia up and went to her purse, which she’d left on the chair by the window. She usually kept an emergency teething ring in her purse for convenience’s sake. As she reached for the multicolored plastic ring, she overheard male voices through the open window.
“Here, I got your piece back from the hospital,” Detective Harper said.
“Thanks.”
“I’ll say it again, I think having Miss Winslow near the baby is a bad idea,” Detective Harper said.
“She’s been the child’s nanny for six months.”
“Still, you don’t know what you’re dealing with.”
“Neither do you,” Whit said.
“She has a record. That’s all I need to know.”
Carly offered the teething toy to Mia, who waved it in the air.
“Let’s say you’re right, and she’s somehow involved,” Whit said.
Carly’s heart sank.
“She’s obviously developed a genuine attachment to my niece.”
“Which could be dangerous,” Harper said.
“Wouldn’t you rather I kept her close as Mia’s nanny so she doesn’t disappear into the wind? Especially if you’re trying to figure out how or if she’s involved?”
Carly stifled a gasp of disappointment. Whit truly didn’t believe her.
Of course not. He was a cop.
Carly carried Mia back to their original spot and sat down. As Mia giggled and waved the teething ring, Carly considered her options. Yeah, what options? It’s not like she would abandon Mia to her uncle Whit, who didn’t seem up to the task of taking care of a seven-month-old. Besides, he was essentially a stranger.
A distrustful stranger. Another manipulator?
Carly thought she’d gotten through to him earlier and had seen admiration in his eyes when he said he needed her to help with Mia. That didn’t jibe with what she just heard. It sounded like he was on the detective’s side, that Whit’s strategy was to keep Carly close so she’d lead them to the criminals.
She was pulled into that place again, the place where no one listened to her and everyone made up their own stories about Carly.
You’re a selfish little girl.
No, Mama. I’ll be good!
Love. All Carly wanted was for Mom to love her.
“Ga!” Mia squeaked, bringing Carly back to the present. Mia fell forward and Carly caught her. The little girl giggled, and Carly realized this was a new game. Fall and catch.
Like God had caught Carly when she was a teenager.
God knows what’s in your heart, Carly. God knows and forgives you. He loves you.
Her aunt Vicky’s words brought peace to Carly’s emotional torment.
“God loves me,” she whispered.
She wouldn’t let her past consume her. If Whit decided not to believe her, that was his choice.
Mia waved her teething ring and flopped back down, giggling. Up and down. Two, three, four times. It reminded her of life with all its ups and downs.
Carly redirected her thoughts to positive ones. Mia was okay, more than okay. She was remarkably resilient considering everything that had happened to her today. If only Carly could be so resilient.
Mia entertained herself by smacking the teething ring on the hardwood floor.
When the suite door opened and Whit entered, Carly didn’t look up. She had to steel herself against his gentle nature. He was like the rest of them, she reminded herself. He didn’t believe her.
“I made a shopping list of emergency essentials for the baby,” Carly said.
“Emergency?”
“Have you ever been around a famished seven-month-old?”
“Can’t say that I have.”
“You’ll want to avoid that experience if possible. We need formula and baby food, and diapers. Pronto.”
“As in right now?” Whit said.
“As in an hour ago.”
There was an odd silence. She wondered if he thought this was a ploy on her part to get him to leave so she could kidnap the child. She looked up, straight into his blue eyes. “We’re not going anywhere.”
He cocked his head slightly, as if trying to discern her honesty. She held his gaze, her heartbeat speeding up.
He doesn’t believe you. No one ever believes you.
“Okay.” He turned toward the door. “I’ll see if Harper can give me a ride to the house to get my car.”
“Wait, are you sure you should be driving with a concussion?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Then I’ll see you shortly.” She emphasized the last word to drive home the time-sensitive nature of his errand.
After he left, Carly wondered if authorities had posted a deputy outside to catch her if she attempted to flee with Mia. She had no intention of leaving the lodge, especially since at the moment she felt relatively safe.
* * *
An hour later Mia started making her hungry-whining noises and Whit hadn’t returned. The hospital staff probably fed Mia formula, which didn’t fill her up as much as soft foods at this stage of her development. Carly would have to get creative to prevent the baby from having a full-blown tummy tantrum.
She checked her purse for something Mia could gum, like crackers or cookies, but had nothing to offer. Carly should check the lobby for suitable snacks. Maybe they had a restaurant on-site.
She grabbed her purse. Whit and the police couldn’t fault her for wanting to find food for Mia, could they?
“Let’s see what we can find, sweetie.” With Mia in her arms, Carly opened the door and cast a quick glance across the parking lot, a new, automatic habit since the break-in at the Bremerton estate. She spotted a police cruiser parked in the corner of the lot. Whatever. She wasn’t doing anything wrong by going in search of food for the baby.
Lightly bouncing Mia in her arms, Carly continued speaking to the child to keep her engaged and distracted from her hunger pangs. “What are you in the mood for, sweet thing?”
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