Chapter 12 - THE CHILD IN THE WAREHOUSE
I stood so fast my chair fell backward.
“Why can’t they confirm?” I asked.
The detective held up a hand, listening to his radio. The seconds stretched.
“Infant found in the office,” the voice said. “Blue blanket. He’s responsive.”
Leo.
I bent forward with both hands on my knees. My mother put an arm around my shoulders. I could hear her crying, but I couldn’t move until the detective said the words directly to me.
“Your son is safe. They’re having him checked by medics.”
Teresa covered her mouth. I turned to her.
“You found him,” I said.
She shook her head. “We all did.”
It took another forty minutes before an officer drove us to the warehouse. I counted every turn. When the car stopped, I was out before anyone could open my door.
A medic stood near the entrance holding Leo. He was wrapped in a plain gray blanket, furious and red-faced. The moment I took him, he grabbed my shirt and buried his face against me.
“I’ve got you,” I whispered. “I’ve got you.”
A medic told me Leo appeared unharmed, though they wanted him evaluated at the hospital. I agreed. I would have agreed to anything that kept him in my arms.
Across the yard, officers led Graham toward a police car. He twisted around when he saw me.
“She knew what she was doing,” he shouted. “Ask your bride who gave me the nursery schedule!”
Victoria had driven over with a detective to identify the building. She stood near the gate, her white dress bright against the rusted fence. For once, she didn’t have a reply.
I looked down at Leo. He had already started to fall asleep.
At the hospital, my mother stayed beside us while a doctor examined him. Teresa waited outside, refusing to go home until she knew he was fine. I watched Leo kick at the paper on the exam table. Every ordinary little movement felt like a gift.
David arrived with news from the police.
“Graham has been arrested. Owen is cooperating. They found messages between Graham and Victoria about the warehouse and Leo’s routine.”
“Did she tell him to take Leo?”
“We don’t know yet.”
I thought I was ready for the answer. Then David showed me a message Victoria had sent Graham four days earlier:
IF JULIAN GETS SUSPICIOUS, LEO WILL BE WITH TERESA DURING THE CEREMONY. DON’T INVOLVE THE CHILD.
I read the last sentence twice.
She had warned Graham where Leo would be. She had also told him not to involve my son.
Both things were true. Neither brought me comfort.
May you like
“Is there more?” I asked.
David’s face tightened. “There’s a message from Graham after he took Leo. Victoria replied.”
