Page 4 of The Secret

“Twenty-five.”

I sighed in relief and pushed off the table, needing to pace.

“Fuck. Fuck’s sake. A secret? Why didn’t she come to me sooner? I could have helped her.”

“Dude, don’t shout too loudly.” Penn’s eyes shot over to the baby.

“How long have we been here?”

Rafe looked at his watch. “An hour?”

“Fuuuuck,” I hissed, pulling on the ends of my hair. If I knew anything about babies it was that they didn’t sleep for long, and this bomb was ticking on borrowed time. “What the fuck do I do? Was there anything else in the car seat?”

“Like a return policy?”

Penn’s lip was quivering, and at any other time I would have found it funny, likely something I would have said myself. But not right now. Right now my teeth were grinding hard to distract myself from the bile churning inside me.

“No,” I seethed through my teeth. “Like diapers, milk. We need something for when she wakes up.”

Penn peered around the car seat as gingerly as an explosives’ expert would a tripwire, patting gently before lifting the blanket, but came up empty.

“Nothing? Seriously?”

He shook his head with a grimace. He had sisters, he was also aware of the consequences of a screaming, hungry baby, and promptly snatched my key card up and took off. “I’ll be back.”

Barclay got up and followed him, his tail wagging.

“Hello?” A voice called, getting nearer.

My head shot up from where it was resting on the table, to see Graham hovering in the kitchen doorway, looking nervously at the car seat. Barclay returned with him, glued to his side, sniffing excitedly around his pockets, hoping to be given one of the biscuits Graham usually carried with him.

Traitor.

“Penn told me to come in.”

“Tell me someone has come to claim ‘the package’.” Even though deep down, I knew there was no way of that ever happening.

“No.” He held out his hand. “I have the security footage.”

Rafe raised an eyebrow, walking over and taking it from him. “Thanks, Graham.”

“Have you watched it?”

He nodded, his eyes holding mine but filling with remorse. “I let her up. I’m sorry, Murray. I didn’t even… I could never have imagined…”

I wanted to see what was on the USB before I decided whether I was feeling forgiving or not, seeing as either way there was still a baby asleep in my kitchen that someone was claiming to be mine. I leaned across the table and pulled my Macbook over, holding my hand in the air for Rafe to chuck me the footage.

It fired up in black and white. She was wearing a bobble hat and a thick winter coat, the car seat down by her side. I watched her speak to Kevin and start to walk away, but then Kevin turned his back. She snuck around the side at the same time Graham had exited the third elevator and he’d swiped his card, letting her straight up.

Everyone wanted to help a woman struggling with a baby. No one doubted that there would ever be an ulterior motive.

My head dropped in my hands. I was going to be sick.

“I’m sorry, Murray.” Graham’s face was still ashen.

“It wasn’t your fault. Anyone would have done the same.”

“Let me know if there’s anything you need. Or anything we can do.”

---