Lullabies and Lies - By Mallory Kane Page 0,66
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