Finding Her Son(41)

Emily’s enthusiasm warmed Mitch’s heart, but more than that, he’d come to recognize Perry had, at least in the last month of his life, laid some groundwork for them. “Did he share a lot of information like that story with you?”

“Not really. That’s why it stuck out.”

“Probably just what he intended,” Mitch said.

They hurried over to locker thirteen. Inside were only three bottles of wine. He slipped on his gloves and forced open the lock. One more act that would get him suspended. Or fired. Right now, he didn’t care.

He pulled the bottles one by one from the cabinet. “An eighty-five Merlot,” he said. He hefted the bottle in his hands. “The weight is wrong.”

He turned it over, studying it from every angle, then smiled. “Well done, Perry.” He twisted the bottom, and it screwed open. A tube fell out. He opened the lid, revealing several sheets of paper coiled inside.

“Clever guy,” Mitch said.

Emily started to remove the papers, and Mitch shook his head. “No. Not here. Not now.” He pulled out his phone and tapped the speed dial.

“Our fingerprints are all over this place. We have to be here when they arrive.”

Emily gripped the tube. “You’re not going to show them Perry’s files?”

“Not yet, but you have to understand what we’ve done here today could cost us a prosecution.”

“I want these guys in jail, but I won’t let one more of Perry’s clues get lost in the police department, Mitch. I only trust us to find Joshua.”

Her words solidified the dark cloud on Mitch’s soul, but he pushed it aside. “Let’s get outside and wait for the cruiser. Then we’ll go back to Noah’s.”




EMILY SAT HUDDLED IN the truck. Heat blared at her, and she clutched the wine bottle in her arms.

Cops swarmed the wine shop. Ian had shown up alongside the coroner. Two bodies in black bags had been carted off, and Emily hadn’t ever seen Detective Tanner as furious as he was right now—or Mitch’s expression as cold and withdrawn.

Tanner, his face red, pulled Mitch aside and poked at his chest. Mitch’s entire body went stiff, and he reached under his jacket. He pulled out his gun and badge and shoved them at the detective, then turned his back on his boss.

Oh, no. She’d watched enough television to know what that meant.

Had she cost Mitch his job?

She needed his help, but she knew enough about Mitch to know his career meant everything to him. Otherwise he wouldn’t be fighting so hard to get his SWAT position back. His work defined him. She couldn’t let him sacrifice himself.

The weight of the bottle they’d hidden from the police turned heavy. Maybe Perry had given her enough that she could help herself and Mitch at the same time. Once they found Joshua, everything would be fine.

She twisted the bottom of the bottle open and slid out the documents. She rifled through them, but at the top of one paper was a phone number and a single word circled: Adoption.

The word screamed through her head. She looked up at Mitch, who still argued with Tanner. She bit her lip and with a deep breath took out her cell phone and dialed the number.

Every ring vibrated through her, rattling her already shot nerves. She held her finger over the end call button. Another ring. Then a woman’s voice came on.

“Anderson and Wiley. We specialize in private adoptions. How can I help you?”

She couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. Had Joshua been adopted? Could this woman lead her to her son?

“Hello?”

Emily forced herself out of the fog. “Umm, yes. I wondered…I mean—”

“You’re interested in adoption?”

The kind voice seemed like a grandmother’s, and even though she wanted to spill out her entire story and scream at this woman to tell her everything, Emily hung on to the calm and patience she’d learned over the last year of dead end after dead end. Her mind whirled through possibilities, and she finally settled on a strategy.

“Y-yes. I don’t really know what to ask.”

“You want a baby.”

“Oh, yes.” Emily could hardly keep the eagerness from her voice. “I’ve tried so hard…”

“I understand, my dear. You have to know it can be expensive, though. Our young mothers need their living and hospital expenses paid, postpartum visits seen to, that sort of thing. I hate to be indelicate, but if that’s not something—”

“Money’s not an issue,” Emily said quickly. When it came to Joshua, she would hock or sell everything she owned.

“Fine. If you’d like, we could set up a meeting with you. Discuss your options.”

“I’d like that. When’s your soonest opening? I really want—”

She knew the woman could hear her desperation, but she couldn’t help it.

“I understand. It’s an emotional issue. Tell you what. You sound like a nice girl. I could fit you in—” rustling paper filtered through the phone “—Thursday afternoon, I think. At the end of the day.”

“I was hoping we could talk today.” Emily couldn’t hide the real disappointment.

“I’m sorry, dear. We just don’t have time. If you’re not interested…”