Page 16 of Forged in Steele

“I’ll need their contact details.” Franz held out his notepad again.

The terrified mother snatched it from his hands as if she was relieved to have something to do.

“Add the names of any close friends who could’ve taken the baby,” Franz added.

“No one I know would do that.” She poked her chin in the air at Franz, then started writing and glanced at her phone a few times, likely looking for contact information.

“I just want to clarify,” Bristol said. “Your husband wasn’t here when you discovered Luna was gone.”

“He came back a few minutes after I found her missing. At first, I thought I was dreaming, but then I pinched my arm to make sure I was awake and started screaming. That’s when Nurse Johnson came in.”

“Do you have any reason to suspect Mr. Pratt might have taken Luna?” Franz asked gently.

“Of course not.” Mrs. Pratt slammed the notepad on the bed. “He’s a fine upstanding Christian man. He would never do that.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but we have to ask,” Franz said, but his statement came off as placating, not as if he believed it. “What about the nurses who’ve been caring for you and Luna? Was there anything off about any of them?”

“No.” She shook her head violently. “They’re wonderful. So helpful as we struggled to get Luna feeding right and keep her sugar levels up.”

“And you haven’t seen any strangers lurking in the hallway or cleaning and maintenance staff acting oddly?” Jared asked.

“I haven’t left the room since I arrived and no one but Kevin, our parents, and the nurses and doctors have been in the room. And before you ask, no, our parents weren’t acting weird. Just grandparents in love with their first grandchild. Now all of it is ruined.” She shoved the notepad and pen at Franz. “Now tell me what you know.”

He closed his notepad. “We have a female, about five-six, wearing a blue winter parka leaving via the emergency exit during the time your husband was gone from the room.”

“Was she carrying Luna?”

“She had a large tote bag.” Bristol stopped there to let Mrs. Pratt draw her own conclusion.

“She put Luna in a bag?” Mrs. Pratt’s tone shot up like a bottle rocket.

“Maybe or maybe she had a baby wrap or carrier under the big jacket,” Bristol said. “Or she might not be the person who kidnapped Luna. We don’t have a lot of details at this point.”

“Is there a woman in your lives who might’ve recently lost a child?” Franz asked.

“Oh, I get it. Someone who wants to replace her lost child.” Mrs. Pratt wrapped her arms around her abdomen. “I don’t know anyone like that.”

“You’re sure?” Jared asked. “Maybe a coworker or someone at church that doesn’t come readily to mind.”

Mrs. Pratt shook her head. “No. No one.”

“How about someone desperate for a child who can’t have one?” Jared asked.

She shook her head.

Franz pocketed the notepad and pen. “I don’t have any other questions for you.”

“Good.” Mrs. Pratt glared at him. “Stop wasting time and go find her.”

Bristol stepped forward. “I know this might seem like a waste of time, but we have to know where to begin to look. Asking questions of the people closest to a missing child often provides the direction to proceed.”

“Okay, well, good. Please just find her and do so quickly.” She folded her hands and closed her eyes as if she were praying.

Bristol turned and stepped into the hallway, pausing outside the door to wait for Jared and Franz.

Franz looked at her, then Jared. “Before we talk to the father, I’m going to run a quick check on the Pratts for any priors and find out which detective caught this investigation. Once they get here, it likely means this is the end of the road for the two of you.”

“Not for me.” Jared got out his phone and stepped away.

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