By the time I’ve given them the list of everything from the emergency numbers they both know by heart to how many ounces of formula she takes, they toss me out the front door with a snap of the latch and a grumble that I’m well on my way to being an annoying helicopter mom.
And I’m five minutes late for my shift.
Chapter Sixty-Eight
Jake
One Hour Later
Even though my head hurts from lack of sleep, too much caffeine, and the adrenaline drop from the chase and arrest of Chad, I drive from the police station parking lot to the ambulance lot.
The ambulance is in the lot along with Emily and Dale’s vehicles. The gravel crunches under my feet as the sun crests over the rooftops of the houses across from the lot.
Karen Claypool rocks in her porch swing, using her foot to shove off the porch railing. “Heard you had a busy night last night.”
“I did. That’s for sure.” I walk toward the sidewalk across from her house, so we don’t have to yell back and forth. Not that anyone else is out this early in the morning. “I didn’t realize you lived this close to the station.”
When I was in high school, she and her husband lived in a big, two-story Victorian house, two streets and three blocks down the road. When she called the morning Grace was found, I assumed she still lived in her old place.
“I moved here after my husband passed about five years ago. Now that it’s just me, I needed a smaller house to keep up with.” Her leg straightens as the swing slides backward with a loud creaking sound. The faint line of her knobby knee shows under the thin fabric of her white robe.
“I’m sure you see a lot of movement from both the station and the ambulance lot from your house.” She had to have seen the boy that dropped Grace off in front of the station.
She clutches the edges of the housecoat with her spindly fingers. The bumps make it appear that arthritis has hit, making it difficult for her to grip with any dexterity.
“Yes.” She nods with a sage expression on her face. “What else is an old lady with no family to do? After Don passed, I’ve been stuck living life through other people. No kids. My friends are all living with family, in a home, or passed.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I thought it was smart not to have children because my mother died young. I didn’t want to saddle a child with the possibility of losing their mother early, but look at me now,” she says without acknowledging my comment, “All alone with my shows, my living room window, my porch swing, and a cordless phone.”
She lifts the white rectangle off the swing. Who knew people even kept landlines outside of office buildings?
I shove my hands into my pockets. “I imagine it’s rough being out on your own.”
She shrugs. “It’s not so bad when people start coming outside. I’ve made friends with the neighbors and check in with the girls that’re still living around here and those that’ve moved away, so it’s not a horrible existence. I keep busy.”
“Mrs. Claypool, can I ask you a question?”
Her eyes narrow as the swing comes to a halt. “I’m assuming it’s not out on a date since I’ve seen and heard thatyou’re smitten with Miss Emily.” Her eyes twinkle as some of the melancholy eases from her features.
“You’re right.” I chuckle at her attempt at humor. Or at least, I hope it’s an attempt at humor. “I am smitten with Emily.”
“Good. She’s a sweet girl. I heard she’s taking care of the baby that was dropped off.”
“Yes, she is. Actually, that’s what I wanted to ask you about. I believe it was that morning when you called. Right before I found Grace. You thought you saw something, right?”
“I thought I saw someone sneaking around, but I wasn’t sure. My eyes play tricks on me when it’s dark out. I need that cataract surgery.” She frowns. “If I would’ve known it was someone dropping off a baby…. I wish….”
“That’s fine, Mrs. Claypool. You had no idea.”
“I did see a vehicle parked in the ambulance lot that morning. I’m pretty sure it belongs to that kid that drives Mackenzie Whitlock around sometimes. I don’t know his name, but he’s been hanging around here for the last several months.”
My heart skips a beat. We were right. It was Lucas. Does the baby belong to him and Mackenzie? Or to a girlfriend in the city?
I arch an eyebrow. “Nine months?”
“No.” She glances toward the police station as if she’s thinking back. She frowns and pushes her foot off the railing again. “It was only a few months ago the first time I saw him with her. He drove an old Charger with no muffler at the time, but he stood out. Tall, too thin, freckles with blond hair. Two months ago, he changed cars.”
