L.A.P.D. Special Investigations Series, Boxed Set: The Deceived, The Taken & The Silent (31 page)

Rico’s launched forward, ready to get up and punch the guy with the biggest mouth, but quickly restrained himself. The last thing he needed to do in front of the attorney was start a brawl. He didn’t have a clue what she was doing there. And the fact that she was there at all suddenly annoyed the hell out of him.

Tilting back on two legs of his chair, Jordan clapped Rico on the shoulder. “I think she’s here for you, Romeo.”

“You want us to leave?” Luke asked.

“No. Stay here. I need protection,” Rico joked.

“Yeah? If you want protection from that woman, you’ve got a major problem.”

“I’m not into high maintenance.”

“Not a problem for me,” Jordan injected.

“Yeah, I know.” Because Jordan’s family had more money than Bill Gates and Jordan was used to dating women like the good attorney.

Apparently seeing them, she moved slowly forward in their direction, and as she did, all eyes were upon her. His, too. He couldn’t take his eyes off her creamy smooth skin exposed by the open collar of her shirt. Her suede pants looked as if they were hand tailored for every curve. She was fine, all right. Too fine for the likes of him.

And she knew it better than anyone. But then it wasn’t likely she was there to seduce him. So why was she there? Had she reconsidered letting him talk to her client? Did she have new information on the boy’s identity? Even if she did, why seek him out?

Luke placed a hand over his chest and thumped it a couple of times. “Be still my heart.”

As she reached their table, Rico, Luke and Jordan clanked chairs in an effort to stand, but she gestured for them to stay seated.

“Excuse me, gentlemen.” She looked at Rico. “Can I talk with you for a minute?”

Could she talk with him? Hell, his body was saying she could do a hell of a lot more than that. “Now?”

Just then she looked away, her eyes lighting up. “Jordan? Jordan St. James?”

Jordan stood and held out a hand. “How are you, Macy?”

“I’m fine, thank you. You guys work together?”

Jordan nodded. “Yep. We’re partners. I was promoted right after the trial.”

“The trial. Oh, yes. Don’t remind me.”

“Why? You won the case.”

“But it wasn’t a good win.”

Rico had enough experience with attorneys to know what that meant. She’d won the case, but she didn’t like how she did it. It was either that or she knew her client was guilty.

“Well, it’s nice seeing you again, Jordan.”

“Thanks. I’m hoping you can help out my partner so he won’t be so cranky.”

Macy glanced at Rico, her expression somber.

He forced a smile through a sudden irritation. Why he was irritated, he had no clue. She obviously had something to tell him or she wouldn’t be there. But from her serious manner, he doubted whatever she wanted to see him about would be good.

“Do you have a minute?” she repeated.

“If you want to tell me you’re going to let me see the kid, sure, I’ve got a minute. If not, I’m busy.” He’d said it jokingly, but he was sure the message was clear. He didn’t play games with rich girls.

Her gaze flashed to Luke, then to Jordan and back to Rico again. “That’s not why I’m here.”

“Okay… So, why are you here?”

A loud roar went up from the guys at the bar, and because she was blocking his view, Rico missed the play. “Dammit.” He launched to his feet, and his chair scraped backward, falling over with a crash.

Macy’s blue eyes rounded like a little kid who’d done something bad. Seeing her expression, Rico bit back his next comment, took a breath and picked up his chair. He said, very quietly, very gently, “This is my day off, Macy, and I’m trying to watch a game. In fact, we’re at a critical point for my team. So, if you’re not here about Cody, can it please wait until this is over?”

Her eyes narrowed. She pulled out a chair and said, “Okay. I’ll wait.”

Rico ran a hand through his hair. How the hell could he focus on the game with her at the same table? Her scent alone was enough to jack his testosterone level up a couple notches. His body obviously didn’t recognize high maintenance as a flaw.

“Have it your way,” he said, then moved to face the TV.

And dammit if she didn’t pull her chair right up beside his. He inched his a little to the side, though out of the corner of his eye, he could still see her. As irritated as he was, he had to give her credit for having a little chutzpah. She wasn’t a quitter.

“Thank you,” he heard her say to someone behind him. And a few seconds later, she raised a glass of beer his way and said, “Cheers.”

Somehow he managed to watch the rest of the game, but it wasn’t easy listening to her laugh and joke with the other guys. Apparently a sexy woman with a great smile was all it took to capture their interest. Hell, who was he kidding? That was usually the case with him, too.

When the game was over, and his team had lost, he was fucking pissed…and with her sitting there, he’d had to bite his tongue over a dozen times.

“Sorry your team lost,” she said.

“No big deal. They’ve lost before and they always come back.”

“Sounds like you’re one of those die-hard fans.”

He snatched the pitcher and poured himself another beer, then he filled her nearly empty glass. “Depends on who you talk to.”

She looked at Luke and Jordan. “What do you guys say? Die-hard or not?”

Both men nodded and gave a thumbs-up. “Die-hard,” they said in unison.

“Stop talking about me as if I’m not here.” He leveled his gaze at Macy. “So, what’s up? What do you want to talk about?”

She leaned toward him and said under her breath, “Is there somewhere that’s private?”

Rico considered, then gestured toward the back of the bar where there was an empty booth. “There.”

She didn’t look particularly enamored with his choice, but said, “Fine.”

Rico picked up both glasses and followed her to the back booth. What could be so important that she had to track him down on his day off? Not that it would be his day off for long. Nine times out of ten he got called in on a case, anyway.

They edged into the booth, one on each side, and he slid a glass toward her, the condensation leaving a beaded trail on the table. “So, why are you here? I’m sure trolling the local sports bars isn’t your idea of a good time.”

Defiance flashed in her eyes. “I called the station and the officer in charge said I might find you here.”

He let his gaze travel over her. “And you dressed for the occasion?”

She looked down at her outfit, then shrugged, his question obviously not worthy of a comment.

“After I looked at your file, I was curious about some things and did some research myself.”

“Curious about what things?”

Macy curled her hands around her glass. She didn’t want to lie, but she didn’t want to tell him the real reason for her curiosity, either. “Nothing anyone else would notice, but it relates to a case I once worked on.” She lifted her glass and took a gulp of beer.

He nodded. “Go on.”

“I can’t tell you the details of that case, but it was similar to yours in that both girls had babies at Haven’s Gate.”

He frowned. “Not unusual. It’s a home for pregnant girls.”

“Yes, that’s true. Lots of women have had babies there. But something about these two cases came together for me. Call it intuition or whatever. It also struck me that the Ray baby investigation wasn’t all that thorough.”

He pulled up, squared his shoulders. “The investigation was very thorough,” he said, his words sharp. “I know because I was part of it.”

“Sorry, that came out wrong. I meant that after looking at the file, I had some questions.” Damn. She didn’t want to put him on the defensive, but she seemed to have a preternatural gift for it.

If she wanted him to help, she was going to have to be more cautious.

“My former client had been told her baby, the child she’d given birth to at the shelter, had been stillborn.”

“So?”

“The staff at Haven’s Gate told me my client’s child had been adopted. There was no reason to question it because it had nothing to do with the case at the time.”

Liar. She hated liars and here she was doing exactly what she hated in others.

His frown deepened. “And this is important to me because…?” He lifted his hands, palms up.

“Because they, the staff at Haven’s Gate, lied to me. And because another baby had been stillborn not twenty-four hours before that.”

“How do you know that?”

Macy waffled, searching for a quick answer. “My client told me.”

“Why do you think they lied to you?”

She shrugged. She had an idea, but she wanted to find out for sure. That’s why she needed his help.

“Maybe the staff at Haven’s Gate thought it wasn’t any of your business because their records are confidential,” Rico said.

“I could accept that. But they out and out lied.”

His forehead furrowed. “So how does this relate to the Ray case?”

“Same place, same physician, same staff. Two babies dead, one they lied about. If they lied once, they may not have given your people the correct information on the Ray case, either. Maybe there’s culpability on the part of the staff or the physician. Maybe the delivery was botched and the people at the facility said the baby was abducted to cover up what really happened.”

Leaning against the back of the booth, he didn’t say anything at first. Then he smiled, one of those lopsided, half-grin smiles. “I think you’re watching too many police shows.”

She clamped her mouth shut. His glib remark made her feel as if her opinion wasn’t worth anything. One of her father’s favorite tactics.

“So what did you think I could do with this information?” He leaned back against the padded booth.

“Take a look at the shelter’s records.”

“You’re joking.”

She shook her head. “No.”

“Well, first of all, we looked at all the records that were available to us five years ago. And as an attorney, you should know I can’t just go in and rifle through records. I’d have to get a warrant.”

“So get a warrant.”

“And to get a warrant, I’d have to have probable cause. I’d need new evidence. Believe me, if there was new evidence in the Ray case, I’d be on it like white on rice. But as it stands, no judge in his right mind would sign off on a warrant for the reasons you just gave me.”

“I know a judge who might.”

Rico looked surprised. Or maybe shocked.

“He owes me a favor.”

At that, Rico’s whole body seemed to tense up. “That might be how things work in your world, Macy. But I don’t take liberties with the constitutional rights of others.”

His words were crisp. Succinct. And she didn’t like his accusatory tone. “I’m not asking you to trample anyone’s constitutional rights. I’m asking you to get more information on an old case. People do it all the time.”

“I don’t need a warrant to get public information.”

“No. But without a warrant, all you’ll get is what they tell you.”

“Sorry.”

Macy was at a loss. He was a stubborn man. Rigid. Her nerves stretched tight like rubber bands. He reminded her of another inflexible man she knew.

“Laws are laws. I’ve taken an oath to uphold them.”

“And you always play by the rules?”

He looked her straight in the eyes. “Always.”

“You don’t bend them even just a little?”

“Nope.”

“No matter what?”

“No matter what.”

She leaned forward and stared back at him. “Well, you know what I think? I think you just haven’t found anything important enough for you to bend the rules.”

“You’re right. And I doubt I ever will.”

CHAPTER FIVE

MACY CAPSHAW CONFUSED the hell out of Rico. She was adamant about adhering to the letter of the law in her job as an advocate for Cody, but she was willing to bend it to get information she needed on something else. He shouldn’t be surprised.

While spouting all their legal platitudes, most attorneys were only concerned with one thing — getting their client off, guilty or not. Twisting truth to serve their purpose. He spent all his time trying to put criminals behind bars and lawyers did all they could to get the perps back on the streets.

Rico swung around in his chair and pulled another file. He was just getting to like her and then she threw that at him.

While he wasn’t as altruistic about police work as he’d once been, he wasn’t as cynical as many longtime cops, either. The job had a way of changing people, but he hoped he never reached the point where he’d disregard his values and beliefs. Not even a little, because once you crossed that line, it was easier and easier to go just a little bit further. He’d seen it happen too many times.

“I say we go through every old missing-child case within the past ten years and see if there are any similarities.” Jordan’s cultured voice cut through Rico’s musings.

Rico looked up. “We did that before.”

“Yeah, but time changes things. We have new ways to look at evidence now. And we might come at it with a new perspective.”

Jordan may have been away from the case, but Rico hadn’t. Although he wasn’t thumbing through the file every day, he wondered all too often if he’d missed something. If he could’ve done more.

“Good idea. Let’s go back an even dozen.” Rico stood. “Not everything will be in the computer archives. We’ll have to go to the morgue.” The morgue was the warehouse-like room where the cold cases were stored. “But this is my gig. I don’t want to drag you into it. You’ve got other cases to take care of.”

Jordan bobbed his blond head and said, “I’ll get some coffee and meet you there.”

Three hours later, Rico punched in one last note on his iPad. The most important note he’d taken so far. Jordan had left an hour ago. But he had a gut feeling there was something he wasn’t seeing, something they’d all glossed over — and he’d been right. He didn’t know if it meant anything or not, but it certainly was an interesting bit of information — and one more lead to follow.

***

MACY PACED OUTSIDE Cody’s hospital room, waiting for the doctor to finish. She wanted all the information she could get before going to the hearing.

Cody’s room had changed and he was now on the children’s floor, which was surprisingly quiet. She heard laughter coming from one room and whimpering from another. Her heart melted knowing how hard it must be for a child to be away from his family. How hard for the parents. Yet Cody hadn’t shown any sign that he missed his family and she guessed it was because he didn’t remember them.

Dr. Stanley came out of the room. “Cody’s waiting for you.”

“How is he?”

“He’s remarkably well. His spirits are good, and physically he’s improved a great deal. With proper nutrition he’ll keep improving. Healthwise, he can go home at any time. There appears to be no organic cause for his amnesia, so we have to believe it’s psychologically induced.”

Which meant they couldn’t find a natural cause, no head trauma or other physical problems such as a brain tumor. “So he does have amnesia then?”

“He has a block that won’t allow him to remember. He could remember everything an hour from now — or never. Either way, it’ll be a big adjustment.”

“The social worker is pushing for foster care immediately. Do you think he’s ready?”

“We can’t do anything more for him here that couldn’t be done in the home. Wherever he goes, I recommend therapy.”

“I can make sure that happens.”

“I’ll sign off on the discharge papers tomorrow at the latest. I can’t justify keeping him any longer.”

She thanked the physician and went into the room. Cody was dressed in the hospital pajamas that had been provided for him and was sitting at a small table with some puzzles on top. But he wasn’t playing with anything.

His eyes lit up when he saw her.

“Hi, pal. How are you today?” She ruffled his tousled brown hair and then sat in the small seat next to him, careful not to crush the chair. “I brought you some clothes.” She placed the bag on the table and pulled out a red Avenger’s T-shirt, jeans and multi-colored Nike tennis shoes, some underwear and socks.

“Did you find my mommy or my daddy?”

“No, I’m sorry to say we didn’t. But we’re going to keep looking. And in the meantime, we’re going to find a nice place for you to stay.”

The wary look on his face said he’d had a bad experience with places to stay.

“It’ll be with some really nice people who’re looking forward to meeting you.”

“Can I come with you?”

Her heart wrenched. “I wish you could, Cody. But I work with many other children. Part of my job is to help find a good place for you to live.”

His bottom lip protruded.

“I’m not at home very much,” she added, hoping he’d understand.

His eyes glazed over, as if he was used to hearing bad news.

“I promise I’ll come to see you and we’ll go have some ice cream. How does that sound?”

He nodded, but the brightness had left his brown eyes.

A lump rose in Macy’s throat and she clenched her jaws, her blood pressure rising as she wondered again what kind of person could abandon such a sweet child. How could anyone abandon any child? And making things worse, the foster system had its problems, too. Not every child received the loving care they should.

Pulling a long breath, she vowed to make sure whoever took Cody in wouldn’t be doing it just for the money. There were plenty of good foster parents out there, but it was tough to know who they were. Once she’d simply assumed everyone did it for altruistic reasons, but in the past few years working with the system, she’d learned quickly that was not the case. Unfortunately, there was no way to tell which homes were good and which weren’t…until something bad happened. And then it was always too late.

She went directly from the hospital to the hearing, which lasted less than fifteen minutes. On the way out of the chambers, Karen Creighton caught up with her. “I’ll be moving Cody as soon as a decision is made on a caregiver. Will you be there this afternoon?”

“I’ll be there.”

The social worker went to leave. “Oh, I had a call from a detective who wanted to see Cody. I told him that wasn’t my decision and suggested he speak with either you or the doctor.”

“When was that?”

“This morning.”

Macy clenched her hands at her sides. She’d bet her law license the detective was Rico Santini. He wouldn’t help her, but he still wanted what he wanted. He wasn’t going to give up — no matter what she said. Unbelievable. What arrogance.

She snorted at the irony. Well, screw him. She wasn’t going to give up either.

***

RICO ROSE FROM HIS CHAIR in the waiting room of Macy’s office when the attorney suddenly barreled in. Seeing him, she rolled her eyes and kept going through the doors and into her private office. Rico followed.

“What is it now, Detective?” she asked without turning. “I’ve had a really busy afternoon and my patience is as thin as rice paper.”

“I need to talk to you for a few minutes.”

She turned abruptly to face him. “I don’t have a few minutes. And most people make an appointment to see me.”

He checked his watch. “Isn’t it quitting time? Your receptionist has gone.”

“I’m running a business. I have to work until the job is done.”

He sighed. “It’s a real pity if that’s all you do.”

She shot him a narrowed gaze. “Excuse me?”

“A person’s got to take time to have fun.”

She raised her head, her chin jutting defensively. But then her shoulders seemed to relax. “Well,” she said, her voice suddenly softer. “I’m sure your idea of fun and mine aren’t the same.”

Nodding, he said, “Probably true.”

“What is it you came to see me about? I really hope it isn’t about seeing Cody again.”

Macy was still standing behind her desk, but Rico sat in one of the chairs anyway. “Cody’s doctor says he’s ready for discharge.”

Her back stiffened and he knew he’d said the wrong thing. He could almost see the steam rising.

“So it was you. You disregarded my request and went to the hospital anyway.”

“I didn’t disturb Cody. I’m not as insensitive as you apparently think I am.” Besides, he hadn’t actually talked to the doctor. One of the nurses at the desk had given him the information.

Finally Macy sat, but she didn’t say a word. Just stared at him, not giving an inch. He didn’t give an inch, either. After a few moments of hard eye contact, she said, “I don’t think you’re insensitive. Just persistent. And while I admire the quality, it isn’t going to help in this instance. Cody is going to be discharged tomorrow and placed in foster care. He’ll need some time to get oriented to new people and new surroundings.”

He was ready to protest when she added, “When he’s settled and I’m sure he’s not suffering any trauma from the move, I’ll make arrangements for you to see him. Hopefully, it won’t be too long.”

It took a moment for him to absorb what she’d said. His spirits lifted. “That’s great.”

“So now you can go home, or to your sports bar, or wherever it is you go to have all that fun you’ve been talking about.”

“Thanks, but Cody wasn’t actually the reason I came to see you. I came about Haven’s Gate.”

Her eyes flashed with apprehension. “What about it?”

“I was researching missing kids and I noticed that four mothers had some connection with Haven’s Gate, or the same doctor.”

“Dr. Dixon?”

He nodded.

She sat forward in her chair, elbows on the desk. “What do you think it means?”

“I think it deserves further research. I contacted a couple of the mothers, but I didn’t find anything to hang a warrant on.”

“And you came here to tell me this because you’ve changed your mind about getting help with that warrant?”

He couldn’t tell if she was serious or joking. But it was serious to him. “I’m telling you because I wanted to apologize for discounting your theory when we were at the bar.”

She sat up, suddenly attentive. “Really? Does that mean you think my theory has some basis?”

“I think it’s worth checking out, and since you had a client who’d been at Haven’s Gate maybe—”

“You know that’s protected information. Client confidentiality.”

He grinned. “Hey, it was worth a try.”

She returned the grin. “So, how will you pursue it if you can’t get the records?”

“We have a list of those who stayed at the facility when the Ray baby was kidnapped. It might be helpful to reinterview those women and also some of the previous residents.”

Macy’s face paled. “I guess you’d have to have a warrant to get that information, too.”

“For the earlier stuff, yeah, we would. But without probable cause, it’s not going to happen.”

Just then, the office door flew open and a woman who appeared to be in her fifties or sixties breezed into the room. It was hard for Rico to tell how old any woman was anymore since natural aging seemed to be a thing of the past in California.

“Mother.” Macy’s voice rose when she said the words. “What are you doing here? Is something wrong?”

“Oh, no.” Then the woman saw Rico. “I—I’m sorry. I was out shopping and thought I’d…well, I didn’t know you had a client. It’s after hours and no one was out in front and—”

“He’s not a client,” Macy quickly clarified.

“Oh. A friend then?” The woman looked from Macy to Rico, and she was smiling. Pleasant.

Macy seemed a little rattled. Maybe she wasn’t impervious after all. “Yes,” Rico said. “We’re good friends.”

Macy’s mother gave her daughter a look he easily recognized. The bad manners look. His mother was good at that, too.

“I’m sorry,” Macy said. “This is Rico Santini.” She gestured toward him. “And this is my mother, Sarah Capshaw.”

Rico stood and extended a hand. “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Capshaw. Although I’m surprised. You two look more like sisters than mother and daughter. But then you’ve probably heard that more than once.”

Macy’s mother beamed. “Please, call me Sarah.”

“And please, call me Rico.”

Macy glared at him.

“Well, dear,” said Sarah, clutching her bag. “I won’t keep you. Why don’t you come to dinner tonight? We’d love to have you join us, too, Rico.”

“I don’t think—” Macy began, searching for the right words.

Standing next to Macy’s mother, Rico saw the woman’s disappointment in her eyes. Apparently Macy saw it, too. “Well, let me check my schedule,” she said, hitting a few keys on her computer. “Okay. It looks like I’m free.”