Rogue Diamond (27 page)

The druggist was even more thorough in his questioning than Homer had been. He asked for identification, and Alex whipped out her dated Arizona driver's license. He examined it then compared her with the photo. "It's expired. A year ago," he observed.

Alex feigned surprise. "Why, how in the world could that have happened? Oh, I kn
ow! My hus
band took me to the Bahamas for my birthday last year! We stayed two months and it was so wonderful. I gue
ss I just forgot to renew my li
cense on my birthday. Gosh, I'm glad you found it before the police did." She tucked the little
card back into her purse. "Well, can you direct me to the place that has the babies?"

The druggist's eyes were gray-cold and wary. "You will have to talk to Consuela. She'll make the arrangements. She
ru
ns the cafe down the street. Tell her you're looking for an original Cabbage Patch Doll. She'll know what you want."

Alex tried to hide her excitement. Maybe she was nearing the end of this chase and wouldn't have to tell
her story many more times. "Cab
bage Patch Doll? Okay. Thank you very much."

Alex walked to the cafe, buoyed by hope. When she entered the small eatery, there wasn't a soul in
si
ght. She took a
si
de table and could hear an afternoon soap opera on a T.V. in the back roo
m. A very large, buxom woman ap
proached, and Alex ordered a glass of tea. When the woman set the glass before her, Alex asked, "Are you Consuela?"

The woman nodded.

"Consuela, I'm Alex Julian. I talked to the druggist a few minutes ago and he sent me here. You see, I'm looking for an original Cabbage Patch Doll. He said you could help me."

"I might. Let me check." She disappeared and returned about fifteen minutes later. "Come with me, please."

Alex wasn't prepared for the complete search Consuela inflicted on her, including sorting through her purse and patting down each leg. She was glad she'd hidden her passport and other
information proving her years of living and working in Mexico in the van.

"Sorry for the inconvenience, senora, but we have to make sure. You understand."

"Of course," Alex nodded, trying to act calm. "Can you tell me now where I might find one of these, uh, dolls?"

"Someone will come after you and take you there. In about an hour."

"An hour?" Alex felt a definite weariness from lack of food an
d sleep. The escalating tempera
ture out
si
de wasn't helping any, either. Another hour in this heat, and she might collapse on the spot.

"You could always have something to eat," Consuela grinned.

Alex ate a plate of fiery enchiladas and drank two glasses of
iced
tea while she waited. She depo
si
ted a generous tip on the Formica-topped table and decided that Consuela wasn't so dumb. Maybe she kept everyone waiting so they'd have time to eat at her place.

Eventually Alex was led to the back alley to board the vehicl
e that would take her to the ba
bies. She looked at the cream-colored pickup truck and its camper on the back with sudden trepidation. Should she get in? Hell, it was too late to back out now. The driver motioned for her to ride in the camper part.

As Alex climbed into the rear section,
she
caught
sight of
a huge platform truck with wooden stakes on the
si
des.
It was the kind used for trans
porting vegetables, and probably hauled them
up from Mexico to Consuela's cafe and other area restaurants.
She wondered what else was hauled in such a vegetable truck.

Alex sat in the semi
-
dark camper, barely able to contain herself
.
So, t
hat's how they brought the
babies
across the border
.
The "Cabbage Patch Dolls"
was code name for
Mexican babies hidden beneath crates of vegetables and fruit, delivered on a regular ba
si
s to the restaurants of Jessup. Sometimes the haul contained a b
aby; sometimes not
.
How smart
.
How cold and calculating
.
Wait until Nick heard
about this theory of hers.
He would be so proud of her—if he didn't kill her for taking off without him.

They rode around for a con
si
derable period of time, and Alex knew the driver was trying to confuse her.
She wondered if this was the biggest mistake she’d ever made. Would she find herself in the middle of the desert, fighting the heat while she made her way on foot back to town? Or would she be holding Jenni soon?

Nothing in Jessup was this far away, unless they were driving all the way to Tucson. The camper windows had been painted black, so she couldn't see anything out
si
de and had no idea where they were. Just when Alex thought she would swelter in the heat, the truck stopped and someone opened the back door for her. Fresh, hot air had never felt so good!

She approached the modest house as if she could care less where it was located. In fact, she took meticulous
mental notes of the scrubby fo
liage in the almos
t-flat landscape. She was deter
mined that all this effort would not go to waste.

Alex introduced herself to the heavyset woman who came to the door.

"I'm Margaret Hannah," the woman returned, pale blue eyes asses
si
ng Alex warily. After a moment's pause, she nodded. "Come on in. I've been waitin' for ya."

So this was the American link. Quite obviously, the American c
onnection wasn't merely one per
son keeping a houseful of babies but an involved chain of people right here in sleepy little Jessup. Alex couldn't help wondering where the chain went from here. Although this Margaret Hannah was a pleasant
-faced woman with slightly gray
ing hair, her expres
si
on was guarded, her pale blue eyes severe.

"Would ya like a glass of tea before we get started? Ya look awfully hot. That truck," she shook her head, "is like an oven this time a year."

"No, thank you. I'd like to go ahead and see the babies." Alex grew
excited at the prospect of see
ing Jenni. She'd been through so much today, she'd almost forgotten that Jenni might be right here in this house, at this very minute!

"Sure," Margaret agreed shortly. "Well, come on. I've only got three right now." She lumbered down the hall and Alex trotted after her. "Two boys and a girl. Do ya care which?"

"Uh, the girl."
Alex tried not to sound
anx
ious.

"Some don't, ya know. They're so desperate for a kid, they'll take either kind. But others'
a
re
real particular. Like you." She ended pointedly and halted be
si
de an open doorway.

Alex almost stumbled in her haste to enter the room. An infant of about three months napped in the gentle breeze of a ceiling fan. "Is this it? The only girl?" Disappointment was clear in her tone.

"Shh
h
, don't wake her up," Margaret cautioned and jerked Alex back into the hall. "Yep, this is the only one."

"But this just can't be all you have!" Alex pushed past Margaret and looked in every room. There were only two other babies, both napping, both male.

Margaret motioned to the baby girl. "What's wrong with this one? She's perfectly healthy. Good strong back. Real good reflexes."

Alex looked frantically into Margaret's stodgy face. Suddenly she felt all alone, a pos
si
ble victim in the hands
of Margaret Hannah. "Why, noth
ing. That's a fine baby. It's just that . . . well, I had hoped for one a little older."

"When they're this young, ya can train 'em from the start."

"T-train? Yes, well, maybe you're right. But I'd still like to think it over a little. I really should consult my husband too." A nervous heat spread up Alex's back and she had the distinct feeling she'd better get the hell out of here. And fast. She began walking in slow, ambling steps toward the door. "You see,
my husband is a little old-fash
ioned. He doesn't let me make deci
si
ons without him. Not final ones that involve money."

"Or kids?" Margaret raised thin eyebrows.

"Oh, yes, especially involving kids," Alex agreed readily, hoping Margaret believed her.

"If ya want her, ya'd better say so. Sometimes these babies go through here pretty fast."

"Yes, I understand. But you'll have more, too, won't you?"

Margaret cast
a cutting look. "Look lady, this ain't no department store. Who knows if we'll have more? They might be all boys. The babies that com
e through here are homeless. No
body wants 'em. We find fami
lies
for 'em. When they leave here, they've got homes to go to. There's always somebody out there that wants
a cute little baby
."

"Enough to pay good money for them," Alex finished dourly.

"Sure do," Margaret nodded emphatically. "There's alw
ays money exchanged in the adop
tion of children."

"Now, how do
I get back in touch, if my hus
band agrees to this. Do I need to go back in town to the druggist?"

"Do you think you could find your way back here?"

"Well, no," Alex hedged.

"Then ya go back through the same people. Sometimes things change, y'know."

"Okay." Alex forced a smile. "I imagine I'll see you soon, Ms. Han
nah, but I really should be get
ting back now." She was beginning to see the potential danger of her precarious
si
tuation. No one knew wh
ere she was. Anything could hap
pen to her now and no one would know. Oh, would Nick be furious with her
.

Alex had been so overwhelmed by the
si
ngular idea of finding Jenni at this house that she hadn't thought through all the angles. Now her one aim was to get out of here safely. She was so nervous, and her palms so slick, shaking hands with Margaret Hannah was out of the question. She eased out the door and muttered a hasty farewell.

Margaret loomed in the doorway watching, not smiling, just observing with those pale blue eyes.

Alex stifled a shudder and clamored into the back of the camper.
Si
tting alone in the darkness she fought stinging tears. No Jenni. No Nick. Just Alex alone and not knowing where to turn.

The drive back into town didn't take as long. Perhaps the driver felt she had been sufficiently confused. Alex was released on the street in front of the cafe and began the long trudge back to the edge of town where she'd par
ked the rattletrap van. Her all
night chase, her wild and rambling lies
down the chain
, her waiting, had
all
been futile. Still no Jenni. But she had come close, damn close. Alex just knew it. Maybe if she had arrived a day or two earlier, or if Nick had flown her up as she'd begged him to do, they would have been in time to catch the child. Maybe.

Finally, Alex stumbled up to the van as the sun was dropping fast behind the Mexican horizon.

She continued her journey, not stopping
for hours,
until she reached her final destination. It was dark when she knocked on the Phoenix re
si
dence.

"Alex, what a wonderful surprise!"

"My God, Carol, you're a
si
ght for sore eyes! Do you mind hugging a tramp?"

The two old
friends grabbed each other, hug
ging and laughing and crying all at once.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Alex's first thoughts the next morning were of Nick. She could see his dark form hovering over her, his dark eyes crinkling at the edges when he smiled, his teeth flashing white against the tan of his skin. She could feel his cool kiss, the feather strokes of his mustache on her lips, and the warmth of his body stretched out against hers.

She squeezed the pillow and murmured his name. Trust me, he said. But she hadn't. She had disregarded his advice. As she grew more awake, Nick's image faded, and Alex realized he really wasn't with her. He wasn't here because she'd left him in Mexico. She'd defied him to go on a wild goose chase by herself.

To find her precious Jenni!

Alex sat up in bed with a start. Now, she had neither of the two people she loved! She'd left Nick and had no idea where to look for Jenni.