Page 12 of Forged in Steele

Jared locked gazes with Bristol. “Tell us the minute you learn anything about him, and I mean the minute.”

She nodded.

“And that goes for both of us.” Franz turned back to Zeke. “Let’s see what you have.”

Zeke started a video playing. A woman who stood around five-six and wore a large parka with the hood up entered the birthing center stairwell at nine a.m. and carried an oversized tote bag.

“Winter jacket in August is the first clue that something’s off,” Jared said. “Conceals her face from everyone and hides anything on her person.”

“Agreed.” Bristol focused on the woman’s hands. “I’m pretty sure that’s the tip of a gun barrel in her right hand.”

“It is.” Jared’s tone was deep and ominous sounding.

Teagan looked at Bristol. “Can you tell us anything about the gun?”

Bristol shook her head. “Not without enhancing the video.”

Jared cast a questioning look at Bristol.

“She’s really into firearms of any kind,” Teagan said. “You’re just as likely to find her at the firing range as anywhere else.”

Jared’s eyebrow went up as he studied her, but he didn’t say anything. Her father and grandad taught all the siblings to shoot at a young age, so when she’d known Jared, she could proficiently handle a gun. But she didn’t gain a real interest in weapons until her time at the police academy.

“The tote bag’s easily big enough for a newborn,” Teagan said.

“Even a nearly nine-pounder like Luna,” Bristol added.

“The woman’s taking a huge risk that the child could cry,” Franz said. “Unless—”

“Don’t say it.” Jared curled his hands into fists. “She’s alive until we have evidence to say otherwise. And I don’t even want to contemplate that the baby was drugged so she would sleep. That could go horribly wrong.”

“Maybe not if we’re looking at a medical professional here,” Franz said. “Which wouldn’t be farfetched at all.”

“Or it could be more simple,” Teagan said. “The swaying movement of the bag could be keeping the baby happy.”

“Or the bag is holding something else, and the woman has the baby in a body carrier hidden by the jacket.” Bristol hoped she was right, but she wasn’t a baby whisperer. Her only experience with kids had been as a camp counselor for middle schoolers, and her knowledge of babies was what she’d learned in a few babysitting gigs.

“Switch to the feed at the building’s rear exit,” Teagan said.

Zeke changed the video.

The woman stepped out, her head still down, and hurried toward the parking lot then disappeared out of the camera’s range.

“We hope to catch her on another feed.” Zeke shook his head. “We’re looking at the exits now to locate a vehicle. So far no luck.”

“I told the deputy who’s securing the backpack about this location,” Teagan said. “He has deputies checking the area.”

“What about the cameras where she would’ve entered the birthing center?”

“Nothing,” Zeke said. “Looks like she came in through the stairwell. We’re reviewing all footage for a woman in this coat, but cameras don’t cover the stairwells.”

“She could’ve carried the coat in the bag so it didn’t draw attention to her,” Bristol said.

Zeke nodded. “We’re looking for the bag too, but people carry tote bags in and out of hospitals all the time so it might be a challenge. Also, she could’ve stashed the coat and bag in the stairwell days ago.” Zeke planted his feet wide. “We’ll keep going until we have her.”

“Then all we have is a woman about five-six and wearing a blue parka exiting the birthing center at nine a.m.,” Bristol said. “No description of her face at all.”

“It’ssomethingto go on, though,” Jared said.

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