Miami had not lived to hold her baby. And now Evelyn and her baby’s life were on the line.

Celia seemed to momentarily retreat, I struggled to my feet, looking down the hall for Evelyn. When I glanced back at Celia she was clutching the patches in her hand.

Blood streamed from her nose and her smirk both sickened and frightened me.

My eyes locked on the patches, my vision suddenly clear. She peeled one off and dangled it in front of me. “Helene was so addicted to cigarettes I knew she’d use the patches I gave her.” She laughed. “Especially when I told her a proper mother couldn’t smoke. She’d have done anything to be a good mom even if it meant stealing the kid.”

Celia advanced on me, I stepped back.

“I never dreamed she’d use the patches on the night of the cruise. How perfect is that? With me nowhere near her.” Her lips curled and she lunged at me. “But then you—”

I thrust my elbow out using her own momentum against her. She cried out as my elbow connected with her broken nose. She fell to her knees. A moan came from the birthing room. I ran down the passage way. Evelyn was lying on a bed in the birthing room, her head rolling from side to side, a ridiculous smile on her face.

“I’m so high,” she said.

The first effects of fentanyl were like drinking a couple glasses of wine. Helene had seemed so drunk on the cruise; now I realized it had been the drug.

I rushed to Evelyn, but before I could reach her, Celia rammed her shoulder into my back. I stumbled and fell.

“You’re going to die!” she said through her teeth. “You meddling—”

I got to my feet and used my position below her as leverage and head-butted her in the chin with as much force as I could muster.

Fortunately, I have a very hard head.

Hers snapped back and she lost her balance. She stumbled and fell. I heard the door to the center open and Kenny called out.

“Help!” I screamed as I dove toward Evelyn.

“Whoa, whoa,” Evelyn kept repeating.

I pulled three patches off her arm.

How much had she absorbed already?

Kenny flew into the room and stopped short, his eyes bulging out of his head.

Poor kid, only seventeen. What did I expect?

Celia let out an ear-piercing scream and attacked me with new fury. Kenny pulled her off me and shoved her to the ground.

Sirens reverberated from down the block. Kenny and I tried to restrain Celia until the EMTs burst through the doors.

“In the back!” I screamed.

Kenny and I were trying to hold Celia down but she was punching and kicking at us with fury. We scrambled out of the way as one EMT grabbed and restrained her. The other EMT ran to Evelyn’s side.

I rushed to the EMT by Evelyn. “She’s in labor and she’s been given fentanyl. This woman”—I pointed at Celia—“was trying to poison her and take her baby.”

The EMT frowned, looking at me like I was crazy. He pulled out a stethoscope and placed it on Evelyn’s chest.

“You have to get her to the hospital!” I cried.

The EMT continued to evaluate Evelyn.

I felt Kenny’s hands on my arms. “Everything will be okay now, Kate.”

“They have to pump her stomach!” I screamed.

“She’s in active labor,” the EMT said to his partner.

I glanced over to the EMT holding Celia. She’d composed herself in their presence, her face a cold hard mask.

She pulled away from the EMT. “I can deliver the baby.”

“No!” I screamed. “Call Inspector McNearny! She’s killed two people! Call Inspector—”

Evelyn let out a low moan.

Celia rushed to her side.

More sirens sounded from down the street.

The EMT said, “Her heart rate’s too low. We’re losing her.”

More EMTs rushed in. Soon they had Evelyn on a stretcher and into an ambulance with Celia. Kenny and I were ushered to the other ambulance. When we made our way through the lobby of the center, I spotted my diaper bag strewn across the floor. I gathered up my items, including Laurie’s purple puppy, which had fallen out.

I remembered that my cell phone was somewhere in the middle of the street. When I asked the EMT if I could go retrieve it, he gave me a look that would freeze over hell.

We were silent on the ride to the hospital. I was examined by a middle-aged physician, who told me my ribs were bruised where Celia had repeatedly kicked me. He taped them up for me and then I was