Lullabies and Lies (22 page)

Jane ground her teeth and glanced toward the taxi driver. “Your precious kid is not dead—yet.”

Sunny’s hand flew to her mouth. She sucked air into her burning lungs. Her gaze searched Jane’s dull eyes.

“Don’t lie to me, please.” Hope flared painfully inside her.

Jane rolled her eyes and bared her small teeth. “Stop sniveling or I
will
shoot you.”

“Who—” Sunny swallowed her tears. She had to concentrate, had to find out everything she could, in case she was able to get away. “Who are you? You’re Jane Gross, aren’t you?”

“I’ll tell you who I am, you stupid busybody. I’m someone you should have left alone. We Specialize in Happy Endings.” Her voice was mocking. “What the hell did you think you were doing? One person’s happy ending can ruin another’s life.”

Sunny nodded numbly. She’d been so naive, so arrogant, thinking she could dispense happiness like
Valentine candy. Maybe Griff was right. Maybe there were no happy endings. “But what did I do to you?”

“You meddled in our lives. Brought up things that should have been buried forever.”

“It’s true. Jennifer Curry
is
your daughter.”

“Shut
up!
This is all your fault. You deserve to die.”

“That’s what you’re going to do? Kill me?”

“Probably.”

The offhand answer didn’t even frighten Sunny. Only one thing stabbed deep into the empty place where her heart used to be. She’d never see Emily again. A sadness too deep for tears engulfed her.

She thought about Griff, and the way he’d looked at the photographs of his sister. How had he done it? How had he maintained hope through all these years?

Griff.
He’d taught her so much in the few days she’d known him. She saw his violet eyes in her mind, electrified by passion, darkened by sadness, soft and warm as he looked at her.

A sense of calm swept through her. If Jane killed her, at least she’d had a taste of her own happy ending. She’d had Emily.

And for one moment out of time, she’d had love. Remembering the compassion and understanding in Griff’s eyes, she knew in her heart that he would make sure Emily was all right.

Suddenly, determination flowed through her. She lifted her chin. She was not ready to give up. Never. As long as she was alive.

“I need to see my baby.”

“Why?” Jane’s voice grated through clenched teeth.
“It’s not even your kid. You got it from some little whore who didn’t want it.”

She stared at the other woman, shocked. “Of course she’s mine. I’m her mother. It’s not based on biology. It’s based on love.”

Jane’s brow furrowed for an instant. Sunny watched her. Had something she’d said gotten to her?

“You sentimental little pansy. You sound like Bess. It’s based on
nothing
. Kids aren’t good for anything. They’re whiny and helpless and always in the way.”

Jane’s words came from somewhere outside of herself. They were awful, hateful, damaging words. In a flash of insight, Sunny understood. Jane had heard those words—probably from before she could talk.

“Bess didn’t tell you that.”

“No. Bess is a sucker for kids.”

“So it was your mother.”

Jane’s face went red with anger. “You shut
up!
Unless you want to die right here, right now, and never see your
daughter
again.”

Chapter Ten

Griff listened to the canned voice telling him the cellular customer he was trying to reach was unavailable.

“Damn it, Sunny!” He shot up out of the chair and punched Redial. A sick crawling in his gut told him something had happened to her.

Captain Sparks gathered up the photographs of cigarette butts and tire tracks. “So CSU has ID’d the tires as consistent with a late-model Lexus, and Trace is working on lifting DNA from the cigarette butts.”

Only half hearing him, Griff listened to the phone ring and ring. “There’s something wrong.”

“Maybe she’s talking to Bess Raymond. My detective is on her way over to the hospital. She’ll check on her.”

Griff snapped his phone shut and cursed.

“Now, son,” the older man said, “the hospital’s got a rule about using cell phones inside the building.”

“She’d answer.” Griff rubbed his chest, where apprehension burned. “I’ve got to get over there.”

Sparks was already on the phone. He spoke for a moment, then hung up. “The officer guarding Ms. Raymond hasn’t seen her. The detective just got there.”

“Tell the officer to page her. Talk to hospital personnel and families. Find out who saw her last. Tell him to ask if anybody noticed anything unusual.”

Sparks nodded, a wry sympathetic amusement showing in his face. “The officer knows what to ask.”

“Right. Sorry sir. I’ve got to go.”

Griff knew he wasn’t acting like an FBI agent. He didn’t feel like one. He was losing it. He felt as he’d felt at fourteen—terrified, helpless and horribly afraid he had lost the one person he loved most in the world.

Aw hell
. The raw burning in his chest spread out through his entire body. His hand shook as he grabbed his jacket. He had to find her.
Now.

Lost in tormented thought, Griff followed Sparks out to his car.

He didn’t want to love Sunny. He didn’t want to love anybody—ever again. He’d learned too young how awful losing a loved one was.

By the time Sparks pulled into the hospital parking lot, Griff had reached a heartbreaking realization. He couldn’t make himself stop loving Sunny. No more than he could forget Marianne.

It was hopeless, a love built on shared pain, shared tragedy. Griff knew that if he couldn’t give Sunny back her child, there would be no happy ending for either of them.

She had needed something that night, something he’d been able to supply, at least for a while. His body stirred at the memory of her beneath him, moaning with passion, clinging to him as she took him deep inside her, as she cried out with fulfillment.

But the need to feel alive, to feel safe and cherished,
wasn’t enough to build a life on. Another lesson he’d learned. Using someone else to ease your pain didn’t work for very long. It was why he had made up his mind long ago not to love anyone.

But now he’d even failed in that.

He loved her. He’d just have to deal with it.

Captain Sparks led the way to the intensive care unit and flashed his badge. The nurse nodded and opened the automatic door into the large circular room surrounded by glass-enclosed cubicles.

She pointed toward one of the rooms. Griff could see the detective inside.

“Has Sunny Loveless been in to see Ms. Raymond?” Griff asked.

The nurse shook her head. “The policewoman already asked about her.”

Tense with worry and torn between what he wanted to do and what he needed to do, Griff thanked her and turned to Sparks.

“Captain—”

Sparks nodded. “The officer knows we’re here. He’ll let us know if they find her.”

Fear still engulfed Griff. Sunny wasn’t here. He knew it. Something had happened.

“I know you’re worried about her, son. She can’t have gone far.”

As they stepped inside the monitored room, the young detective stood. Griff nodded at her.

The only light in the room was the blue from the monitors surrounding the bed. Bess Raymond’s gray hair looked dingy against the clean white sheets. She looked small and old, her face wrinkled and pale.

A nurse was watching the monitors.

“How’s she doing?” Sparks asked the detective.

“She’s pretty doped up. She just barely managed to tell me her name.”

“Wait outside, would you? Help the officer canvass the employees and visitors.”

“Yes, sir. No problem.” She left.

“Ms. Raymond?” Griff said softly.

Her thick, gnarled fingers twitched and she opened her eyes. She licked her lips. The nurse held a cup so she could sip a little water through a straw.

Griff took the cup and held it. “Ms. Raymond, can you talk?”

“Who are you?” she croaked. “Another…cop?”

“I’m an FBI Special Agent. I’m looking for Emily Rose Loveless.”

“Emily Rose,” Ms. Raymond mumbled. “Get her back to…her mother. Missing her.”

Griff’s eyes prickled. “That’s right. Her mother misses her a lot. Do you know where Emily is?”

The woman’s weak blue eyes cleared, and she looked straight at Griff. “Can’t let Janie find her.”

Griff glanced at Sparks. “Jane Gross.”

Sparks nodded. Reaching into his pocket for his cell phone, he stepped out of the room. “That should be enough to get them picked up for questioning.”

“Tell me, Ms. Raymond. Tell me about Janie.”

The nurse took the cup of water from Griff and set it on the tray table, then left.

“Ms. Raymond?”

Bess Raymond’s eyes were closed again. “Tired,” she said.

“I know. You’ve been shot. Do you know who shot you?”

Her fingers picked at the blanket that covered her. “Tired of helping her hide those poor babies…”

Griff’s pulse pounded. “Did you say babies? Have there been others?”

Long-buried hope clawed its way up from deep within him. He resisted its pull. He’d given up hope of ever finding his sister. “Ms. Raymond. I need to know where Emily is.”

“Excuse me, sir?”

The tinny voice coming through the intercom unit on the bed rail startled Griff.

“Yes? Griffin Stone here.”

“Sir, there’s a call for Ms. Raymond. Do you want to take it?”

“Yes!” Griff stood, just as the phone on the bedside table rang softly. He lifted the receiver.

“Bess Raymond’s room.”

For a few seconds, there was nothing but the sound of soft rapid breathing.

“Hello?” He spoke softly. Was it Sunny? He didn’t dare ask. He didn’t want to frighten whoever it was into hanging up.

“Who is this?” a young female voice asked.

It wasn’t Sunny. Griff’s chest tightened. He shook his head. He had to stop obsessing over her safety. The police were looking for her. His job was here. He had to find Emily.

He concentrated on the barely suppressed panic in the girl’s voice and chose his words carefully. “I’m helping Ms. Raymond. Who’s this?” He held his breath.

“Is—is she all right?”

“She’s resting comfortably.” He took a risk. “Is this her daughter? She’s been asking about you.” It wasn’t too much of a lie.

He heard a relieved sigh. “Can I talk to her?”

He glanced at Bess, whose eyes were closed. “She’s asleep right now. Is this Mia?” he asked, remembering Natasha’s information about Mrs. Raymond’s daughter.

A pause. “Yes.” Her voice was strangled with tears.

Griff debated whether to tell Bess’s daughter who he really was. Would it reassure her or frighten her away?

“Is there anything you want me to tell your mother?” he asked.

Bess’s fingers began twitching. She picked frantically at the blanket.

Griff heard something through the phone line. Not Mia’s voice. It was something in the background. Was it a cry? A
baby’s
cry?

Adrenaline surged through him, sucking the breath out of him with a thrill of anticipation.

“No. I should go.” Her voice sounded panicked. “I just wanted to be sure—”

Another cry. It
was
a baby.
Dear God, let it be Emily.

“Mia? Listen to me.” Griff tried to control his voice. He didn’t want to let on to the girl that he’d heard the baby’s cry.

“I really—”

“Mia. My name is Griffin Stone. Your mother is helping us try to find a missing baby.”

Mia made a distressed sound. “H-helping who?”

“Mia. I want you to listen closely. I’m an FBI Agent. I’m protecting your mother.”

He heard her gasp.

“Mia, don’t hang up. Mia?”

The phone went dead.

“Damn it!” He gripped the receiver in his fist, wanting to smash something with it. But with a huge effort, he relaxed his fingers and hung it up. He reached for the glass door.

“Nurse, get Captain Sparks. I need that call traced.”

The nurse looked up.

“Now!” he snapped.

He glanced back at the bed. He wanted to be out there, looking for Sunny, or tracing Mia’s call. But he needed information that only Bess had.

Breathing deeply to calm his racing heart, he pulled a chair up close to the bed.

“Bess, are you awake?”

Her fingers twitched. “Mia?”

“Yes, that was Mia. She called to check on you.”

Bess’s eyes opened. “You’re FBI?”

Griff forced a smile. “So you were listening?”

“Not dead yet.”

“Bess, I need to find your daughter. She has Sunny’s baby, doesn’t she?”

Bess closed her eyes and nodded. “Never should have—”

“It’s okay. Trust me. I know you were protecting the baby. I know you called Sunny.”

“I couldn’t refuse to take—the baby. Janie hates babies.” She licked her lips. “Babies need love.”

“Yes, they do.” He patted her wrinkled hand.

“The rattle?”

“We found Emily’s rattle.”

“Kept it to prove—”

He nodded. “To prove you were telling the truth about Emily.”

She nodded weakly. Then, with a sudden surge of strength, Bess grasped his wrist. “Mia! You’ve got to stop her.”

He leaned closer. “Stop her?”

“I told her if anything happened to me…”

Griff waited, his heart pounding.

“Told her to get the book.”

“The book?”

Bess closed her eyes and sighed.

“Bess. What book?”

“Book of children. At my house. Janie wants that book.”

“And Mia knows where it is?”

Bess swallowed. “Mia knows everything.”

“Bess.” He squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry. Tell me how to reach Mia. We’ll protect her.”

“And the baby,” Bess whispered.

He felt the sting of tears. Clenching his jaw, he nodded. “And the baby.”

135 hours missing

SUNNY COULDN’T TEAR her eyes from the obscene black stain of blood on the oak coffee table. It was Bess Raymond’s blood. She couldn’t help but wonder if any of it was Emily’s.

Jane prodded her with the gun. “Go on. I don’t have all day.”