Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
As medical staff hovered over her, checked her vitals and covered her with warm blankets, Lydia was only partially aware of what was going on. She felt herself drifting in and out. Something was said about her heart sounding stronger.
As she floated toward unconsciousness, the memory of being carried by River materialized in her mind, warming her even faster than the blanket that was laid on top of her.
In her near comatose state, she’d said something to him.
She didn’t remember what. The vision of lying shivering on the cold hard ground and then looking up to see his face was the last image that popped into her head before she drifted off.
She’d been praying for someone to rescue her.
River was an answer to a prayer.
When she opened her eyes, the curtains in the hospital room were drawn but early morning light snuck in between them.
A warm hand gripped hers.
River.
“Hey.” Affection made his face glow.
She raised her head to see him more clearly. “Hey. I slept all night?”
“Yes, the doctors say you’re out of the woods.” He leaned a little closer to her and squeezed her hand. “I was afraid you weren’t going to make it. When I found you, you looked…”
“…like I was close to gone.”
He nodded. “It scared me. You were still conscious. You said something kind of out there.”
“What was that?”
“You said ‘I love you.’”
Lydia’s cheeks flushed with warmth. “Oh…my.” So that’s what she’d said when her defenses were down. Was it true?
River shifted in his chair. “It must have just been the hallucinating that happens during advanced hypothermia.”
“Yes, that must have been it,” she said. River seemed to want to dismiss the sentiment.
“You were just overjoyed that I showed up?”
“That must have been what was going on. Sure.” There was a part of her that wondered if the hypothermia had loosened her inhibitions, and she’d spoken a truth that her conscious mind would never accept. She let go of his hand, the warmth of his touch fading slowly from her skin.
She stared at the ceiling, wishing the awkward moment would end.
River leaned toward her. “Did you see the man who attacked you?”
She sat up and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. “Not really, but I know it wasn’t Norm. This man held me down. He was close to me. I was in the car with him for a long time. People have a smell, a presence. I don’t know how to explain it.”
Elsie’s grandfather would not attack her in such a brutal way.
River shifted in his seat. “I can take you back to my place soon as the doctor’s checked you out.”
“Thank you.”
“Frankie’s waiting in the patrol car. I arranged for it to be brought over here.”
“You stayed all night?”
“I made phone calls and took care of some stuff. The clerk at that gas station is going to send Eva a digitized file of that camera footage since we didn’t get through it all.”
“But the man who attacked me wasn’t Norm.”
“I know, but we need to be thorough. You said yourself—he still wore a mask.”
River hadn’t let go of the idea that her in-laws were somehow involved.
The more she thought about it, the more absurd the idea seemed to her.
She’d sat across a dinner table from them.
They’d come to Elsie’s christening and her birthday parties.
Even though they did those things to have a relationship with Elsie, she couldn’t imagine Norm attacking her in such a violent and close way.
River rose from his chair. “We can talk about it later. I’ll see if I can have the doctors sign you out. I have another video call to do with the task force later today.”
He left the room. A sense of emptiness invaded her mind. She didn’t want to get in an argument with River about the investigation. They were both doing the best they could.
Within the hour, Lydia was dressed and ready to go.
They drove back to River’s place. When they stepped inside, Lydia spotted Elsie’s teddy bear on the couch where she’d left it. The weakness she felt from the hypothermia and seeing the toy caused the tears to flow. “Where is my little girl?”
She turned back to River, who gathered her into his arms while she cried. She tilted her head to gaze into his blue eyes. He bent close and his lips brushed over hers, a kiss as gentle as the brush of butterfly wings that lifted some of the sadness off her.
He stepped back, shaking his head. “Whoa. First you say you love me and now I go and kiss you. What is up with us?”
She detected fear in his voice. She felt it, too. After Sloane, she’d vowed to remain single. In her world, relationships meant the possibility of deep pain. Never again. “It’s just everything that’s happened. The doctors said I wouldn’t feel like my old self for several days.”
“Yes, that must be it. Lot of dramatic stuff for both of us.” He hurried across the room, grabbed his laptop from the side table by the sofa and set it on the kitchen table.
She avoided making eye contact with River while he got ready for the video call. She rushed into the kitchen, not sure what she intended to do there. The kiss had her all discombobulated.
“Guess I’ll make some coffee. You want some?”
“Sure,” he said.
Doing something productive would get her mind off of how desperately she wanted to be back in River’s arms again.
* * *
River stared at the black screen of his laptop. It was still another five minutes before the video call with the task force was set to start. When he’d been standing close to Lydia, the urge to kiss her again had been overwhelming.
Even now, he was keenly aware of her presence as she moved around the kitchen. She was a woman in crisis. He didn’t want to take advantage when she was all over the place emotionally. Maybe if Elsie was back safe and this nightmare ended, he would have a clearer perspective on his feelings.
The truth was, when he’d thought she might die, he’d realized how much he cared about her.
She came over and set a cup of hot coffee down on the table. Her shoulder brushed against his, causing his heart to flutter.
“Meeting hasn’t started yet?”
He clicked keys, trying to look busy. “Just a few more minutes.” The online meeting room, with only him signed in came up on the screen.
One by one, the other faces popped up on the screen starting with Emmett. Eva was the last to make an appearance after Eli, Lizzie and Maren.
“How is Lydia doing?” Eva asked.
“Yeah, we heard what happened,” said Lizzie.
River glanced over his shoulder. Lydia must have retreated to the bedroom. He looked back at the screen. “She’s on the road to recovery.”
“That’s good to hear, River,” Emmett said.
“I know everyone’s time is valuable, so let’s officially start the meeting.
Thank you all for showing up. I know with Elsie’s case and the investigation centered on Mia’s disappearance, all of us have been putting in substantial overtime.
There’s been a slight shift in the focus of the baby snatching case.
Lizzie, I know you and Autumn questioned staff at several homes in various towns for unwed mothers.
Eli as well did some poking around in Denver. ”
“Nothing in our interviews set off alarm bells,” said Eli.
Eva piped up. “If there had been any red flags, a whistle blower of any variety, I would have found a way to pull the financials on those places.”
“Anyway, what we’re starting to believe is that these young women are not being kept at one particular place.
” Emmett’s head shifted slightly on the screen.
“It would just be too easy for them to be caught. We believe that several locations are being used. Locations that probably aren’t connected with medical facilities or pregnancy homes. ”
“So that means,” said River, “that an OB doctor and probably a nurse with delivery experience must go to wherever these locations are when it’s time for the baby to be born.”
“Exactly,” said Emmett. “We need to shift from locations to who might be involved in the delivery, maybe a doctor or nurse who lost his or her license.”
“Or even someone with a lot of debt who needs to create income on the side and is willing to do it in a shady way,” Maren added.
“I’m checking legal filings and news stories for any leads,” said Eva.
“We still need to keep questioning staff at clinics, just alter your line of inquiry. As you interact with people at these places, find out if there are any former employees who may be disgruntled,” said Emmett.
“That might be a way to root out some suspects who would have motive beyond what Eva can do on her end.”
“Got it,” said Lizzie.
River shifted in his seat. Lydia had come back into the living room and sat down on the sofa to read a book. He found himself being extremely aware of her presence and her movements. It divided his attention from the meeting.
“River? You look like you were thinking about something.”
“No, I just…” He glanced toward the sofa where Lydia sat out of view. “I was just wondering if we’ve located the clinic that Gayle went to in Denver.”
“Still poking around,” said Lizzie.
On the screen, Maren looked to the side and shook her head. “I just keep thinking about Mia out there somewhere afraid. She probably doesn’t realize that once the baby is born, her life will be over.”
A hushed silence fell between the members of the task force. It felt like a weight lay on River’s chest. Somewhere in Colorado, Mia Andrews was alone in a room, feeling her baby move around as she got closer to her due date in October. The image made him shiver. “We have to find her,” he whispered.
The others nodded.
“I spoke to Dodger and his wife yesterday,” said Emmett. “Just to give them an update. He and Clara are still praying and remaining hopeful, but I can tell you that this is tearing them up after losing their daughter and now their granddaughter is missing.”
“Dodger has done so much to support K-9 programs. We have to do this for him. For Mia,” said River.
Eli tugged on his beard and nodded. “And for the three other babies that have already been born.”
“I just hope they were adopted by people who love them,” said River.
“That’s all for now. I’ll be in touch with each of you individually if I have stronger directives,” said Emmett. “River, how is the investigation into Elsie’s disappearance going?”
He glanced over at Lydia, who put her book down and sat up straighter.
“We still don’t have any strong leads as to who would do this. Or where the child might be. We’re looking into the grandparents as a possibility. But Lydia doesn’t think the man who abducted her was her father-in-law.”
“I’m trying to help on that end,” said Eva. “River, if you could stay on for a few minutes after the meeting adjourns, I have something to share with you.”
“Sure,” he said.
“Stay safe out there and let’s be praying for Mia’s return.” Emmett leaned a little closer to the screen. “And for Elsie too.”
* * *
One by one, the faces disappeared from the screen until it was just Eva.
“River, I know you want to resolve Elsie’s disappearance. I’m trying to help as much as I can. The workload on Mia’s case just keeps expanding.”
“I feel bad that I can’t help more with the footwork for that case. I’ll be a hundred percent if can just get Elsie back safe in her mother’s arms.”
From the sofa where she sat, Lydia had turned toward him, listening to the conversation.
“Anyway, I did a quick scan of the digital file from that convenience store. There were several vehicles that came up as matches when I put in search parameters. The grandparents’ car is kind of generic. I’m wondering if there is a way to identify it.”
Lydia rose from the sofa and peered over River’s shoulder. She was standing close enough that River could smell her floral perfume.
“Eva, thank you for doing this. Norm had some bumper stickers on the back of the car that I would recognize if I saw them,” she said.
“I can send photos of the three cars that came up. I think I can isolate an image of the back of each car. It’s taken from a distance, so it won’t be the highest quality when I blow it up.”
“One of the bumper stickers had distinctive neon colors,” said Lydia. “Even if it was blurry, I would be able to recognize it.”
“Okay. I’ll send the images to River’s phone. I got to get back to work. Lydia, we’re all praying for Elsie’s safe return.”
“Thank you. I appreciate all that everyone has done.”
“Take care. I’ll get those to you as fast as I can.” Eva waved goodbye and then disappeared from the screen.
Lydia sat in the chair kitty-corner from River. She stared off into the distance. “I guess we just wait now.”
“I’m sure Eva will get it done as fast as she can.”
“I don’t think it’s them. Fine, they think they could do a better job raising Elsie, but to kill me? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Okay, so who else would want to kill you?”
“I don’t know.” Her eyes glazed with tears as she placed her hand on her mouth and shook her head. “I just don’t know.” She rose and ambled into the kitchen. “Do you want more coffee?” Her voice sounded brittle and tired.
He stared into his half-empty coffee cup. “I’m good.”
She fussed around in the kitchen, poured herself a cup of coffee and sat back down in the living room.
As if he were flipping through index cards, River mentally reviewed everything they’d learned since Elsie had been kidnapped.
The car that had been spotted on the dirt road had probably taken her away.
Was she even now somewhere in the city? He was still baffled by the way that Frankie had lost the scent.
As if Elsie had been taken up into the air.
Frankie hadn’t followed the scent out to the road where the car must have been parked, so maybe Elsie hadn’t been taken away in that car. The evidence was confusing.
His phone dinged that he had a text. “It’s Eva.”
Lydia pushed up from her seat and came toward him.
He read the text.
I sent the files to your computer.
River tensed as he placed his fingers on the keyboard. “Let’s have a look at those photos.”