Free Find My Baby by Mitzi Pool Bridges Page B

breasts some relief and go to bed. Instead, she sat down beside her aunt, gave her a hug and said, “I got a job, Aunt Nester.”
    “How wonderful. Tell me about it.”
    So she did. “The job could lead me to the kidnappers. Luckily, the people there are really nice. I like them all, especially Jackie Howard. I want you to meet her. She’s promised to help me look for the woman who took Sam.” Kayla stifled a yawn. “Sorry. I’m beat.”
    “Then go to bed. Sleep as late as you can.”
    Kayla nodded. “I will. I don’t have to be at work until eleven in the morning.”
    Making her way to the bathroom, Kayla prayed that tomorrow or the next day, the woman would come into the bar. Then she would have something to go on.
    A few minutes later, she looked at herself in the mirror, didn’t recognize the woman staring back at her with huge, tired eyes.
    Her stomach clenched. Her eyes filled with tears. She’d failed as a mother before she’d gotten started. A mother who couldn’t save her baby and was barely able to save herself.
    The task of finding her son seemed huge. But regardless of the help of the police and the FBI, or the lack thereof, she was the one responsible for Sam.
    Maybe she should abandon her search, give the police the matchbook.
    No one would blame her if she stayed out of this and let the police handle it. No one but herself.
    Ignoring the tremor in her hands, she ran them through the unfamiliar blonde strands. They looked awful.
    She lifted her chin as she stared in the mirror. “I’ll find you, baby boy. Mommy will never stop until she does.”
    When she lay in bed, she moaned at her physical aches and pains, but knew by morning they’d be gone. But nothing; not sleep, not anything, would ease the deeper pain in her heart.
    Curling into a ball, she shut her eyes.
    If she listened closely, she could almost hear Sam cry.
    ****
    Luke and his partner Terry Maguire had spent a fruitless day on the Tanner case. Now Luke was tired. But didn’t think he’d be able to sleep. So he went to the room he’d turned into an office and sat behind the desk. Picking up the list of names Kayla had jotted down, he scanned it quickly, shook his head. Short list. No friends. What was it with Kayla Hunter? She didn’t hurt her baby. That much he was sure of, even if he couldn’t explain his reasoning to his partner’s satisfaction. Terry had reminded him of how many times a parent had hurt their child.
    Not Kayla. And didn’t know why he was so sure. But the grief he saw in her eyes was real. There was no doubt in his mind she’d been held in that ramshackle house against her will. She was in trouble in more ways than he could count.
    But what could he do? Most likely, her baby was across the country thousands of miles away. More than likely, she’d never see him again.
    His thoughts churned. No family except her aunt. No money. So who would want her baby? It was a real mystery and he hoped the FBI was better at this than he was.
    Once more he was wracked by the thought of how she could disappear without a single person questioning her absence? Even with her explanation, it didn’t seem logical. He wanted more background information. If he stepped on Wagner’s toes, so be it.
    It was late, but sleep didn’t come easily with so many questions running through his head. After tossing and turning another thirty minutes, he finally blanked out. But his dreams were of a beautiful dark-haired woman with sad, cornflower blue eyes.
    ****
    “I have to do more to find Sam.” Kayla’s gaze followed her aunt early the next morning as she placed a cup of tea on the table. “The police need to do more. I called Captain Jensen this morning and he couldn’t tell me a thing. I asked if the FBI had made any progress. He grunted an answer that meant no. I still don’t think they believe me.”
    “Give them a chance,” Aunt Nester said.
    “I’m trying to. But it seems that Luke is the only one really interested.”