Page 91 of Fatal Betrayal

"I'd bet my life that Damon is not dirty."

"Just don't bet mine. Don't try to find me. I'll get back to you." She ended the call and blew out a breath.

"You didn't tell him about the store," Cooper commented.

"No. And I didn't forget." Their gazes met for a quick moment. "It's going to have to be just us for a while longer. I don't know who else I can trust."

"That works for me."

* * *

The Baby Time Boutique was located on a side street off the Sunset Strip. There were three businesses, a printer, a laundromat, and the clothing store, which had a parking lot adjacent to the building. Cooper parked in the lot. There were three other vehicles nearby, a back door to the store, and a large dumpster. She didn't see any security cameras by that back door, but hopefully there was one in the front, so they could verify Burnett's presence at the store. But even though he'd had the receipt, he could have simply sent someone to pick something up, and they'd given him the receipt when they'd dropped the items off. That didn't make a lot of sense, though, since it seemed doubtful anyone was keeping receipts for any reason.

She might be on the wrong track. But at this point, she didn't have many other leads to work, so she might as well follow it through.

When they reached the front of the store, she didn't see any cameras there, so video footage would not be available. But maybe someone in the store would remember an older man buying baby supplies.

The store was busy with shoppers, so they wandered around, waiting for the line at the front desk to disappear so they could talk to the clerk. Toward the back of the store, she saw a cozy sitting area with comfortable chairs, a tea and water station, with a tray of desserts and a sign encouraging mothers-to-be to rest, have some tea, and enjoy some complimentary reading. There was also a large bulletin board with various community notices, a prenatal exercise class, mommy and me yoga, a tour of the new hospital maternity wing at St. Mary's, and a flyer urging parents to learn about surrogacy and adoption.

Cooper moved in closer to her. "What are you looking at so intently?" he asked.

"That flyer about adoption. I wonder if the store has a connection to an adoption agency." She paused, hearing loud voices coming from the hallway near the restrooms and what appeared to be a half-open door leading into the back room of the shop. Two women were speaking loudly in another language. It was Russian, she thought, her heart speeding up as she strained to pick up a couple of words. She knew a little Russian, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. They were talking too fast. Then the voices dimmed. A door slammed, and it sounded like one or both of the women had left the building.

"Did you understand any of that?" Cooper asked.

"It was Russian. Kristine was originally from Belarus."

"That's right," he said, a gleam in his eyes.

"It might not mean anything, but it's interesting." She paused as a middle-aged woman approached them. She was blonde with blue eyes, and her name tag said her name was Veronica.

"Hello," Veronica said with a warm smile. "Can I help you find something?"

"Maybe," she replied, deciding on the spot to try something different. She'd have to reveal she was an FBI agent if she asked about Burnett, and that didn't seem like the best plan. She looked over at Cooper, then took his hand. "My husband and I have been trying for a long time to have a baby, and it's not happening." She drew in a shaky breath, blinking her eyes until they watered. "We're kind of losing hope. We registered at an adoption agency, but we're really far down on the list. I noticed that you have flyers about adoption on the board, and I wondered if you know of someone we could try. We're pretty desperate."

Veronica hesitated. "We try to share whatever information we have on the board. You should go to one of the seminars. They're very good."

"I'm sure they are. But that one isn't for another few weeks, and I just don't know how long I can wait."

"It's going to be fine, honey," Cooper said. "We'll do whatever it takes to become a family, whatever it costs."

"I know," she said, looking at him with an adoring gaze. Then she turned back to Veronica. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get so emotional."

"I understand. We see a lot of emotional women here." Veronica hesitated. "I do have a business card for an attorney who works in adoption."

"Could you give me his name? That would be amazing."

"Of course." Veronica walked them back to the front of the store and pulled a card out of a drawer behind the counter. "His name is Sergio Molina. Here's his information. I hope he can help you."

"Thank you so much. I really appreciate it."

"Good luck," Veronica said.

Another customer stepped up to the register, so Andi moved away from the counter and headed out of the store.

"That was a quick improv," Cooper said as they left the building. "Why didn't you ask her about Burnett?"

"I would have had to identify myself as FBI to get information, and I didn't want anyone to realize we have a connection between Burnett and this store."

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