Baby Love Lite (17 page)

“
Mrs. Bradley, I'm going to
show you a copy of a resume that was submitted to a local agency
that places nannies, babysitters and housekeepers. Read through
this and let me know if you recognize it.”

Nurse Bradley skimmed through the document
then handed it back to the detective. “No, I don't recognize it but
to answer your next question, yes, it does contain all of my
personal information, including my social security number.”

“
How would a resume such as
this be presented on your behalf?”

“
Well, detective, I'd say
that most everything on this resume of any importance could be
found on my driver’s license. Of course, the woman you're asking me
about if involved with the purse snatching would've had that
information, along with knowing where I worked and my license plate
numbers. That'd be my guess.”

“
So, you're basically saying
that you in no way participated in composing this resume for the
purpose of signing with an agency that was supplying candidates for
interviewing for the Sinclair family as a babysitter? That you're
not involved with Maggie Preston, that’s the name of the
grandmother in case you weren’t aware, so that she could gain
access to the baby and abduct her?”

“
Certainly not, detective! I
resent the implication! For one thing, I'm still employed as a
nurse, unlike what this resume presents. I imagine this Maggie
Preston would've to have had a background check done in order to
even sign with the agency, so that's likely where she found my
identity to work to her advantage.”

“
But how would Maggie
Preston have known the Sinclair’s were looking for a
babysitter?”

“
I don’t know the answer to
that detective, but by the same token, how would I've known that
piece of information, either? I'd speculate that Maggie Preston
knew someone closer to the Sinclair family than I did. I actually
had never even met them.”

The investigator seemed puzzled at this
point. She was conferring with the other detective in the room.
They decided that they had no further questions of Sheila Bradley
at this point and she was free to leave.

I turned to look at Tristan trying to gauge
his reaction. I couldn’t read him as easily as I did Trey. “Well,
what do you think?” I asked.

“
I think that Sheila Bradley
had nothing whatsoever to do with this. I'm totally sure you've
been right all along that Maggie is behind this."

Trey must've shared the recent information
I'd received from Daniel about Maggie with Tristan. We thanked
Detective Hook and he promised to keep us updated on the progress
of the investigation. Tristan and I left the building and headed
towards the parking lot in silence. Once settled in the car, I
finally shared my thoughts with him.

“
The thing that bothers me,
Tristan, is that someone close to us, either at Trey’s firm or at
the apartment building has supplied information that helped my
mother register at the agency, get the interview appointment, and
take Preston. That scares me."

“
I know,” he agreed. “I’ve
been thinking about that angle as well. Trey shared with me the
incident with your housekeeper getting run down. I'd have to bet
it’s someone at the apartment building; someone that knows your
comings and goings ---.”

“
One of the doormen,” we
both said in unison.

“
Okay,” Tristan said, taking
charge, “I'm going to get background checks done on all of the
maintenance and security personnel at the building. Trey gave me
the name of a local investigative agency that gets things done very
quickly.”

“
Sounds good,” I replied.
“What should I do?”

“
How about you go and visit
Jean?”

“
I haven’t seen her since
before Preston was taken. I’m not sure what I'd say when she asks
about Preston and I know she will.”

“
Tylar, she may know things
that she doesn’t realize are in any way connected to what happened
to her much less to Preston’s abduction. You can find a way to
break it to her. It may motivate her to really think deep and hard
about what she observed on the days she worked for you and
Trey.”

“
Okay, Tristan, take me back
to get my car and I’ll go see her."

Jean had just finished with physical therapy
for the day when I arrived at her room. As soon as I saw her face,
I knew that she knew. “Oh Tylar,” she wailed, “Please tell me that
you have good news about the baby. I’ve been watching the
television and when I saw her precious little face on the screen, I
couldn’t believe that someone would steal her. Is it true that your
own mother is the prime suspect?”

“
More or less,” I replied. I
didn’t want to get into all of the sordid details surrounding my
bloodline at the moment. “Jean, I need your help.”

"I'll help in any way I can, Tylar.”

“
We’ve come to believe that
the hit and run accident you fell victim to was done purposely and
is connected with Preston’s abduction. Can you think back over the
past several months, or even as far back as when I had the baby,
and recall if you noticed anyone lurking around the apartment
building, coming to the door while you were there, phoning and
asking questions about Trey or me – anything no matter how trivial
that involved us?”

“
I don’t understand. Why
would someone want to run me down in order to take
Preston?”

“
My suspicion is that
someone hoped to gain access to our apartment by perhaps applying
for the cleaning job that you currently hold. When Trey’s mother
came to stay with us that thwarted any plans someone may have had
in an effort to gain access to the baby through a temporary
position.”

“
There is something I
recall! It was when you were in the hospital having the baby - I
was on my way out that day and the doorman on duty started chatting
with me while I waited for my bus. He was kind of nosey come to
think of it.”

“
Do you recall what he
said?"

“
He asked me if I lived in
the building or just came to visit a lot. He said he was trying to
recognize the faces of the tenants or their family. I told him I
came in three days a week to clean the Sinclair apartment. He was
very personable and friendly; said he and his wife had just moved
to Atlanta and was glad to have found a job here."

She paused trying to recall if there was
anything else. "Oh and he mentioned that his wife might be
interested in cleaning and wondered what agency had placed me. I
gave him the name of the agency that Mr. Sinclair had used when he
found me.”

“
Did he say anything further
or ask any more questions?”

“
He acted as if he knew you
and Mr. Sinclair. When I mentioned that I cleaned for you he said
something about your new baby girl. I found that kind of
odd.”

“
Why?”

“
Well, because I hadn’t even
found out that you’d had a baby girl. This must've happened the day
after you delivered the baby because my next day back you were
already out of the hospital and that’s the first I'd have known
about you having a girl if it hadn’t been for the doorman. I
figured Mr. Sinclair had told him.”

“
Jean, which doorman was it
that asked you these questions?”

“
I don’t know. I never saw
him after that. You know there’s a fairly high turnover there, so I
guess I never thought much about it.”

“
Could you describe him
after all of this time?”

“
I’d be hard pressed to, I’m
afraid. About the only thing that I recall is that he was probably
late forties; had kind of brownish hair. I mean he wasn't very tall
- maybe 5'7"; he was built very slender."

That description could fit thousands of
people in this town. Tristan was getting the names of the security
and maintenance personnel at the building maybe that would help pin
down the identity of the man that Jean remembered. I didn't recall
anyone fitting that description during the time that I'd lived
there with Trey, but then they were mostly just a voice I heard
over the intercom.

When I got back to the apartment, Tristan was
already there; so was Trey. Trey was pacing. His face visibly
relaxed as I walked through the door. Within a moment, he was
pressed against me, hugging me close. I was scared. I wasn't sure
if this was good news or bad. I pulled back from him immediately,
searching his face for a clue.

“
The Mississippi State
Police just phoned, baby,” he said calmly. “They found the white
SUV abandoned at a truck stop about fifty miles north of Jackson.
They're fairly certain it's the vehicle that Maggie was driving and
ditched once she knew she'd been identified on the
news.”

I wasn’t sure what all that meant, but Trey
seemed pleased. “Where’s Preston?” I asked, hopeful that he had
more to tell me.

“
For right now, we don’t
know, but the authorities have verified Preston was in the vehicle.
The investigation has really heated up.”

“
In the vehicle? What
exactly does that mean, Trey?”

“
Baby, it means that we're
getting closer, I promise.”

I trusted my husband. I could read him well
enough to know that he was encouraged by this latest chain of
events. That was enough for me.

I slept restlessly in my husband’s arms that
night. Trey was very optimistic that she'd be back with us very
soon. I felt cautious knowing that if Maggie had ditched the
vehicle it was because she was fully aware of the magnitude of
search efforts being made. The fact that a large sum of money was
being offered for someone to divulge anything they might know, with
no questions asked, certainly opened the door for anyone who was in
cahoots with her to nark her out and take the money.

Trey had pretty much cleared his calendar for
the next week so that he could be home and focus on any other
avenues we might pursue to expedite our baby’s return.

Tristan and I'd shared the information we'd
gleaned from Sheila Bradley’s interview. I shared what I'd learned
from my visit with Jean. Tristan had met with the building
management. Unfortunately, identifying the doorman that had
initiated the conversation with Jean around the time Preston was
born wasn't going to be easy.

Apparently the building manager used a temp
agency to fill doorman slots because it was cheaper and presented
less headcount to the corporate board who oversaw maintenance and
operating costs. The temp agency was one of questionable repute
being that many of the doorman candidates were found to be illegal
citizens; the background and reference checks on these individuals
were non-existent. Trey had hit the ceiling upon hearing that. I'm
sure he'd put that on his agenda once we got Preston back home.

Tristan had gone to his room earlier to call
Libby. Trey and I'd busied ourselves folding laundry and loading
the dishwasher. I'd taken the last load out of the dryer and was
folding it when I came across several of Preston’s sleepers and
tee-shirts. Tears had immediately streamed down my face. Trey came
into the laundry room to ask me something and stopped when he saw
my emotional meltdown.

He'd immediately pulled me into his arms and
consoled me; assuring me that our baby girl would be home soon.

It was just past dawn when my cell phone
chimed on the nightstand next to the bed. I disengaged myself from
Trey’s arms quickly grabbing for it. The caller I.D. wasn't
recognizable simply showing "Indiana Call." It was Daniel’s voice
on the other end.

“
Tylar it’s Daniel
Henderson. I’ve heard from Maggie. I think I can help you.” I
sprang up immediately; he had my full attention.

“
Where is she?”

“
Whoa, wait a minute. I want
to make sure that if I give you this information that I'm not going
to be dragged down with her for this. That’s why I'm calling you
first. If you can’t give me that assurance, then all bets are
off.”

“
Daniel, don’t fuck with
me,” I hissed. “If you don’t give me the information then you're
withholding evidence in a felony kidnapping. If she's taken my baby
across state lines, it’s a bigger felony. Besides, there's a reward
being offered, if in fact, your information nets us the return of
Preston.”

“
Really?” he asked. “Well, I
wasn’t looking for any monetary reward, just your assurance that I
won’t somehow be incriminated in all of this shit.”

By this time Trey was up hovering over me as
I continued the conversation. He was shaking his head at me
indicating he wanted me to back off of Daniel. “You have my
assurance. Please tell me what you know.”

"I got a call from her a few hours ago. She
ditched my SUV because the heat's on and the word's out. She gave
me a sob story about how she only took your baby because she'd lost
mine and she wanted us to be a family, again. I didn’t mention that
you had been here. I acted as if what she was telling me was the
first time I'd heard it. She asked me if anyone had contacted me or
if the authorities had been around questioning me. I told her no.
She admitted to having a nice chunk of change stashed away and
wants me to meet her at a Greyhound Bus station in Wheeling, West
Virginia."

Wheeling, West Virginia??

"She gave me the arrival time of her bus and
said she'd be looking for me. I agreed to be there. She wouldn’t
tell me what city she was departing from. She probably doesn’t
trust me a hundred percent since she’s screwed me over so many
times.”