Page 40 of Deny Me
“Why would West break in here?” Saint asked. “I don’t see the sellers doing the dirty work. They’d squeeze their contact for the child or the money, maybe go after it if their contact was dead, but other than that…”
“We know whoever it is, isn’t dead. No one in Charlotte’s circle has died or disappeared except Richard Jones, and he’s not smart enough to pull off a longtime con,” Dain said.
“If West came after your client,” Dennis said, “it was the only way they could get close enough.”
King clenched his fists. “Because their go-between is incapable of doing it. Why?”
“They’re incompetent,” Elliot offered.
“They’re recognizable,” Saint said at the same time.
Dain nodded at them both. “Exactly. Can you picture a single person we’ve met so far that’s capable of infiltration?”
They all answered in the negative.
King turned the question over in his mind before trying a different angle. “Our guy,” he said, for want of a better way to identify the enemy, “may not have the ability to infiltrate undetected. But he couldn’t have successfully stolen more than one baby without the ability to make contact and maintain a business relationship with a ruthless gang of heartless baby sellers. We need to evaluate who on our list has the balls for that.”
“Any clues as to who their contact is on the local level?” King asked.
“Definitely more than one,” Dennis said. “There are too many babies coming through for it to be only one—that would be too noticeable. We’re zeroing in on possible connections, but so far nothing seems to connect known subjects to the names you’ve sent me.”
King’s team would make the connection; they had to. “Thanks, Dennis. I’m sending you some information we gained today and a contact if you want to interview the woman we uncovered. Any resources you can give us on tracking down the missing baby would be greatly appreciated.”
They made plans to talk further; then King closed out the call. Planting his fists on the table, he eyed the grim faces surrounding him. “Okay, what next?”
∞
Charlotte refused her mother’s knocking, needing to hide away from the pain of memories she struggled to keep buried on a good day. Memories Kim Alexander had dragged up in her quest to breach the connection between Charlotte and King, a connection Charlotte wasn’t even certain she wanted. She could be fooling herself. All the…stuff…going on right now could be messing with her brain. And her heart.
King had been gone for years; was this just proximity and chemistry rearing its head, or something else?
Did it matter right now?
“Charlotte?”
That wasn’t her mother. Elliot’s voice drew her to the door of her bedroom. There was nothing she could do about red-rimmed eyes and the pounding in her head that she was certain showed on her face, but she wouldn’t neglect her duty.
Elliot’s knowing gaze stared back at her as she opened the door. Surely King hadn’t told his team? No, those eyes had traced her face and seen exactly what she’d known they would see. “Yes?”
“We need to meet with you and your family,” Elliot said, not unkindly.
“Okay.” Charlotte glanced over her shoulder. “Give me five minutes?” Maybe that would allow her time to add some makeup to her ravaged face, give her some semblance of dignity in front of King and his teammates.
“That’ll work.” Elliot was already turning toward the hall. “I’ll bring Becky down as well.”
Good. Becky had far more at risk than Charlotte, and she was glad to see they weren’t excluding her simply because she was young.
Exactly five minutes later, Charlotte walked into the front sitting room. Everyone was present but Elliot and Becky, who followed closely behind Charlotte. They all took their seats, Charlotte careful to keep her focus on Dain and Dain alone.
“We’ve had a couple of developments,” he said once everyone was settled. “The FBI has a task force already working on gathering evidence to prosecute the perpetrators of this ring. They’ve agreed to work with us in return for any information we can give them. Unfortunately that doesn’t lead us any farther toward the person or persons working as a go-between with the ring selling the babies.”
“Are we certain there is a go-between?” Charlotte’s father asked. “Maybe these people are contacting the families or birth mothers directly.”
“We considered that,” Dain assured him. “Based on intel from the FBI regarding yesterday’s intruder, we are certain he cannot be the go-between. He had too much inside information about your home and your family’s routines. There is someone else feeding him information, and that someone knows all of you very well.”
Charlotte’s mom took a shuddering breath. Charlotte reached for Becky’s hand where she sat beside her, trying hard to convey confidence and strength. “We will keep you and the baby safe.”
Becky nodded. “I know that.” She rubbed a hand over her rounded stomach, fatigue darkening her eyes.
