Page 4 of Forged in Steele

“Agreed,” Jared said. “You stay here with Deb. I’m going to take charge and see if I can find this baby before it’s removed from the hospital.”

“I should help.”

“I know you want to, but your place is with Deb and your son right now.”

“Yeah.” He didn’t sound convinced. It wasn’t because he didn’t love his family, he just possessed the profound sense of duty of a good law enforcement officer.

Jared pounded fists with Tim on his way past. “Pray for the family.”

Jared lifted them up in prayer too as he stepped into the empty hallway.

Not a surprise. When a code of any kind was called, hospital staff responded accordingly, taking on any collateral duty as assigned in such a situation. But even before the code announcement was made, the staff and security would’ve taken positions at key locations in the event that panic ensued. Certain doors would’ve been locked down, not letting anyone in or out unless it was an emergency.

The Pink Alert was issued at the hospital, but the state police would issue an official AMBER Alert to the media and law enforcement only after a responding officer confirmed that a child had indeed been abducted. If specific additional criteria were met, this officer would call the state, and the alert would be issued.

Jared made a quick scan of the other hallway and noted a uniformed guard outside Room 332. No other movement. Too quiet for such a situation. He would’ve expected additional support to have arrived by now.

He marched up to the nurses’ station located between the two wings. Two harried-looking nurses faced him, eyes cutting every direction as if looking for the kidnapper who had to be long gone.

Jared displayed his credentials. “I need to speak to whoever’s in charge.”

“That’s me,” the nurse with graying hair said. “But I’m sure our administrator is on the way up, and he’ll take over.”

“Who issued the Pink Alert?” he asked.

“All I know is Natalie—Nurse Johnson—called our supervisor. Natalie heard Mrs. Pratt screaming and went in to discover Luna had disappeared while the mother slept and Mr. Pratt had gone to get some coffee. She’s still with them.”

Babies didn’t just go missing. Someone took the newborn. “And we’re sure the father didn’t, for some odd reason, take the child with him when he went for the coffee?”

“I saw him leave,” the younger nurse said. “He had a backpack but wasn’t carrying the baby.”

“Did he have the backpack when he returned?”

They both nodded.

“And you didn’t see the baby being taken?”

They both shook their heads.

“Anyone suspicious hanging around here?”

“I didn’t see anyone that didn’t look like they belonged,” the older nurse said.

“Me, either.” The younger woman picked at her nails. “But then we’re run off our feet all the time with the patients and trying to staff this desk too. Sometimes it gets too much, and the patients have to come before watching the door.”

“So there might’ve been a time today when there was no one at this desk. Say the time the baby went missing?”

They glanced at each other and nodded. There was a story there, but an agitated male voice came from outside the birthing center’s door. It clicked open, taking Jared’s attention.

An older man and a young woman stepped in. They had to be staff if they gained access without asking to enter. The older man wearing a gray suit looked like a stuffy businessman. The woman watched the floor as she walked so he couldn’t get a look at her face, but her blue suit and high heels weren’t all business looking like the man. More young, fresh, and curvy, but she seemed unsteady in the heels.

She looked up.

No! No way!He swallowed a gasp.

What was she doing here of all people?

“That’s Mr. Coglin, our administrator,” the older nurse said.

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