Until I Find You - Rea Frey Page 0,58

await his news.

“Alright, so there’s a nearby museum that has a surveillance camera. I’ve requested the tapes, which should give us a pretty clear shot of the park and maybe even show us what happened. I’m also going to check street cameras.”

“That’s good,” Jess offers. “When do you get the footage?”

“Not sure. Working on it.”

Bated breath drains from my lungs. “Did you get my voice mail about the footprint?”

“I did. I’m looking into that as well. Maybe another hospital we can try outside the area, but it looks like a company issue, not a hospital one.”

I tell him about my calls to the other hospitals and the flyers, even though Jess slaps me on the arm.

“Rebecca.” His disappointment is swift. “You can’t do things like that. There’s a reason we don’t put out an immediate blast. It’s strategic. You could have just compromised this case.”

“I had to do something,” I say.

“I know you feel that way, but that’s not helping.” Something muffles his voice, then he’s back on. “Look, I’m on a pretty intense case, but I’ll keep you updated. Keep your phone on.”

I look toward Jess. “Now what?”

“We do what he says. Keep your phone on. We’ll keep hunting on Facebook. We might not know where your kid is, but we can try and find out who this one belongs to. I’ll look at all the forums, photos of women in the area with their babies. See if we can do some digging.”

I nod. The baby’s cry stalks the charged silence, and we keep walking to placate him. I ignore the part of me screaming that these early hours are critical. And here I am, walking home from a parade, taking care of another baby like I don’t have a care in the world.

Coward.

“Rebecca! Jess!”

We both turn. Beth trots up to us, breathless. “Hey! Were you just at the parade? We had a huge group of moms there. All without the kiddos, for a change.” She pauses. “You’re a brave soul, Bec. Did all that noise not bother Jackson?”

Though I can’t see Jess, I know a look passes between us. How much do I say? I know Beth well enough to realize she’s a perpetual gossip.

“We’re actually just heading back now because Jackson’s so exhausted. Coffee this week?” Jess gently ushers me in the opposite direction. Suddenly, I’m so deflated, I can barely stand.

“Wait, what’s going on?” Beth’s bubbly persona drops. “Did something happen?”

I turn to her. “Why would you ask that?”

“Because you both look like shit. No offense. What’s up?”

I dab my tearstained cheeks, desperate to tell someone, but then I think of what Jake said. I remember so many days of brutal cases when Jake would come home, crack a beer, and wear that glazed look that said: you can’t possibly understand this. He was never allowed to talk about his cases, but he never shut me out either. He was one of those rare breeds who could separate work from home. I’d never forgotten that—all the many kindnesses he’d shown me without even being aware of it. The least I can do is obey his wishes now. Before I can speak or Jess can concoct some story, the baby starts crying.

“Whoa, the baby who never cries is crying.” There’s almost glee in Beth’s voice. “I guess he is human after all.”

I want to twist him around to face her, to ask her if he looks different. Instead, I walk away to bounce him while she and Jess talk. I can’t possibly explain myself. How can I? No one can grasp the gravity of this situation, especially if it appears I’m just out for a stroll at the parade with my child.

“Let’s go,” Jess whispers.

“What about Beth?”

She stops. “Wait. I knew something seemed different about her.”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“Trevor wasn’t with her. I wonder if she finally got a nanny or something.”

“Trevor’s not with her?” I ask, surprised. I’ve never been around Beth when that baby wasn’t glued to her. We continue walking, but I glance over my shoulder.

Where is Trevor?

I crane my neck to witness the hazy canvas of my world and turn back to keep focused on my steps. It’s not like I can see if she’s still there, but the hairs prick to attention on the back of my neck.

I can feel her watching us.

25

BEC

We stop at Jess’s on the way home and Rob welcomes me with open arms—literally. He jerks me into a tight hug and crushes me so hard, my