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had marked “fed” and “walked” for Maddie on the day’s date.
    Blowing out a breath, she put her hands on her hips and looked at the dog. “I’m too tired right now, but I promise a good walk later, when it’s cooler.”
    Maddie just kept wagging and followed Carly into the bedroom.
    Once in her room, she got ready for bed and, in spite of the drama and turmoil of the morning, fell right to sleep. She slept soundly for about five hours and woke up bathed in sweat. The ceiling fan was ineffective; it was really only pushing around hot air. The apartment did not have AC.
    “Bet you’re twice as hot as I am.” Carly reached down and patted Maddie, who was panting at the end of the bed. It was really a heat wave when it got this bad on the coast. Her apartment was only a block and a half from the beach, and generally there was a cooling ocean breeze. Not today.
    She got up, let the dog out on the patio, then took an invigorating cold shower, which helped a little. Two things nagged her mind as she dressed in light shorts and a T-shirt. First, she wondered about Christy and how she was doing. She double-checked her phone, but there was no new message from Joe. Second, Carly thought about Andi. By now, her roommate was halfway through her shift. And it kept bugging Carly that they hadn’t talked things out after the tiff about the man in the shower. Normally, Andi didn’t stay mad long. But this disagreement about overnight guests was the most serious one they’d ever had.
    She pondered the situation as she fixed herself a tuna sandwich. After eating it without really tasting it, she decided to take a stab and call the hospital to talk to Andrea.
    Her shift schedule was on the fridge. When Carly checked it, she saw that Andi would be covering in pediatrics, so a call to Andi would probably kill two birds with one stone. It would be easy for her roommate to find out what was up with Christy even from pediatrics. Hopefully Andrea is over her huff and can give me an update without disturbing Joe.
    Carly punched in the number for pediatrics. The phone rang several times before someone picked it up.
    “Hi, can I speak to Andrea, please?”
    “Who’s speaking?” The voice was impatient, and it wasn’t anyone Carly recognized.
    “This is her roommate.”
    “She’s busy right now. Can I take a message?”
    “No, no message.”
    The phone clicked before Carly could say anything else. That’s weird. She sent Andi a text message, using their code for emergency callback, and waited. Fifteen minutes passed, but the phone didn’t ring. Carly paced the small living room and decided that Andrea was pouting. This was irritating. She knew now they needed to sit down and have an uninterrupted conversation about the friction between them. The overnight guest situation had been a sore spot for her for a long time, but Carly had suffered in silence.
    I guess because I brought it up, I’m going to have to initiate a peace talk. Too bad it had to all come to a head this weekend. Giving up on Andrea, she hit the speed dial to call up her partner’s number.
    “As much as I don’t want to bug you, I want to know what’s going on,” she muttered while she typed her text message. This time she was rewarded with a callback.
    “How are things going?” she asked, hoping the response would be positive.
    “Carly.” Joe choked her name out.
    Carly felt her stomach cramp. Christy must be worse. “Yeah, how’s Christy?”
    “Christy’s doing better. She’s, uh, actually stable now.”
    Then why do you sound so strange? “Okay, what’s the matter, then?”
    “Oh, Carly,” he sobbed over the phone as his thin layer of composure broke. “Someone’s taken A.J. Someone stole my son.”

6
    SOMEONE STOLE A.J.
    As many times as Carly repeated the words, they still didn’t make sense. Officers were all over the hospital this morning. How could someone kidnap a baby? And why?
    She sped to the hospital and prayed that when she