Frowning, she realized there was no way he could get any kind of job without the required forms of identification - a birth certificate, a driver's license, a high school diploma, a Social Security number. Some jobs required applicants to be fingerprinted. Did Xanthians have fingerprints? And what if a physical exam was needed?
She groaned softly, dismayed by the seemingly endless documents Micah would need. And yet, such things couldn't be impossible to obtain. There were lots of people who had entered the country illegally and they managed to get by. Somehow, they would find a way.
She was still trying to come up with a solution the following morning when the doorbell rang.
The minute she looked through the peephole and saw Frank Bergen standing on the porch, she knew that trying to find a birth certificate for Micah was the least of their worries.
Hoping Micah wouldn't come home early from his walk, she opened the door.
Part One Chapter Twenty-Seven
"Miss St. John?"
"It's Mrs. Forrester now," Lainey said, striving to keep her voice calm.
Frank Bergen looked momentarily taken aback. "Married, you say?"
"Yes."
Bergenglanced at his partner, Edward Falk, who looked Lainey over from head to foot, then shrugged.
"Would you mind if we came in for a few minutes?"Bergen asked. "We have some questions we'd like to ask you."
Lainey hesitated only a moment, then stepped back, allowing them entrance. "Sit down, won't you?"
"Thank you."
Frank Bergen sat down on the sofa. Falk remained near the front door. Lainey had the uneasy impression that he was there to keep her from running away.
Lainey sat down in the chair across from the sofa, her hands folded in her lap. "What was it you wanted to ask me?"
Bergenglanced at Falk, then reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a fat brown envelope. Wordlessly, he handed it to Lainey.
She stared at it for a moment before withdrawing the contents. She felt the color drain from her face as she looked at the pictures: pictures of Micah in his human form, and in his own form. Dozens of pictures: Micah, stark naked on the examining table, obviously heavily drugged; close-ups of his ears, the webbing on his hands, the blue glow that radiated from his skin, his genitals; profiles of his face.
She gasped when she saw the first photo of herself, taken before the baby was born, her stomach huge with its burden. There were more pictures, taken while she was in labor. Lastly, there was a photo of herself holding a red-faced baby wrapped in a blue blanket.
Bergenplucked the photos from Lainey's hand. "He's here, isn't he?"
"No. He... he took the child and left." Lainey lifted her chin. "He said it was too dangerous here." Tears trickled down her cheeks. "He's gone," she said again, her shoulders shaking, "and he took my baby with him.''
She was crying now, not because Micah was gone, but because she was afraid he would come back whileBergen was still in the house.
Micah, if you can hear me, don't come home.
Edward Falk took a step forward and, after a moment of indecision, pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Lainey.
"Thank you." She sniffed, and blew her nose.
"The baby,"Bergen said, leaning forward, his gray eyes burning with curiosity. "What was it like?"
Lainey looked up at him, blinking back tears that wouldn't seem to stop flowing. "It was a boy," she sobbed. "A beautiful little boy."
"Was it... normal?"
Lainey nodded. "Yes, perfectly."
"Damn! Are there more pictures of the child?"
"No." Lainey blinked several times. "How did you get those pictures?"
Frank Bergen jerked as if he'd been slapped. All expression left his face as he stood up and went to stand beside his partner. "I'm afraid that's classified information."
"Yes, of course," Lainey said. "I should have known."
Micah, don't come home! She screamed the words in her mind. There was only one wayBergen and Falk could have gotten those photos. They had gone to the lab. They had seen what was left of Red's body, taken his notes, and burned the place to the ground, then come here, hoping to find Micah and the baby so they could take over where Red had left off.
In the back of her mind, she heard Red's voice telling her that she was going to make him rich and famous.
"Is there anything else?"
"Would you mind if we have a look around?" Falk asked.
"Not at all."
She stayed where she was, conscious ofBergen 's scrutiny, while Falk searched the house. He would find the baby's