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and brushed the
crumbs off my pants as Devlin pulled up to the hospital
portico.  He flashed his badge to the security guard waving
wildly for him to move on.
    “ What’s the first step,
Helen?”
    We jogged toward the elevators.  “We’ve
got to talk to the nursing staff,” I said.  “Hospitals enacted
specific security measures to prevent babies from being stolen from
nurseries years ago.  Things like this aren’t supposed to
happen.”
    “ You think it was an
inside job?”
    I punched the button for the sixth floor
with determination.  “Honestly, I don’t see how it could be
anything else.”
    Then again, all the facts couldn’t begin to
explain the motive behind something that should’ve been a very
simple investigation.  We hadn’t even chipped past the tip of
the tip of the iceberg.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 5
     
    I’d seen less security in federal
prisons.  The maternity ward, where all the moms and babies
were housed – happily on most days – was overflowing with uniformed
officers, detectives and hospital administration.
    Dev’s badge got us off the elevator, but
word of mouth spread quickly from that point.  I found it
amazing that mere hours ago I believed gone equated forgotten in
this city.  It wasn’t imagination.  My name literally
rippled through the cramped space a moment before bodies parted
like the Red Sea mythically had for Moses back in the day.
    “ Where’s Mrs. Datello?” I
asked.
    “ Room 612, Dr. Eriksson,”
man in suit who looked officially panicked said. 
    “ And you are?”
    He thrust out one hand, “Francis Fangman,
CEO of Saint Mary’s Hospital.”
    “ I’ll need to talk to you
later,” I said.  “You should get the director of human
resources over here as well, Mr. Fangman.  I’ll need
employment files on everyone with access to this unit.”
    “ Surely you don’t believe
one of our employees would –”
    “ How else do you explain
this, sir?  I know for a fact that hospitals have
sophisticated security measures in place to prevent infant
abductions.  Someone got past those carefully implemented
measures and stole a newborn.  Are you suggesting that your
system has vulnerabilities that you failed to correct before
tragedy struck?”
    Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Devlin
smirk. 
    “ I –”
    “ Please do as I
asked.  When I’m finished talking to Mrs. Datello, I’ll come
find you.”
    A nurse was poised with a syringe, ready to
inject clear liquid into Celeste’s IV when Devlin and I stepped
into the room. 
    “ Hold off on that,” Devlin
said quickly.  “We need to talk to her first.”
    Celeste’s eyes were red, swollen nearly
shut.  A half empty box of tissues lay in her lap, the used
scattered around her on the bed.  I stepped close and spoke
her name softly.
    “ Detective Eriksson,” she
sobbed.  “Thank you for coming.  You’ve got to find my
baby.  You’re the only one who can do it!”
    I perched on the edge of the bed. 
“Mrs. Datello, there are close to a hundred officers in this
hospital dedicated to finding your baby and bringing her safely
back to you.  It’s imperative that you tell us anything you
know right away.”
    “ It won’t matter what I
tell them,” she whispered with a hysterical edge to her affect,
sort of a waxy expression, wide eyed, dilated pupils. If I hadn’t
seen Dev prevent the nurse from injecting her with drugs, I’d have
sworn we were too late.  “They don’t understand these people
the way you and Danny do.”
    Great.  Nice way to build rapport,
Celeste.  Lump me in with a bunch of crazy criminals. 
Still, I couldn’t argue her logic.  Not really.  In many
ways, Datello and I did share a few traits I’d rather that the rest
of the world not realize. 
    “ It was my understanding
this morning that I’m the last person your husband wants helping
resolve this matter.”
    “ He’s angry.  Oh God,
I don’t even think he knows that our