She almost laughed. Instead, she cracked a smile. “You know it.”
“Wait. I was kidding. You do?” His face scrunched. More pain?
“No. Nothing.” His reaction caught her off guard. It was likely the pain of his headache causing his face to twist with concern when he believed she had a date. Why would he care?
She chalked it up to curiosity and nothing more.
At twenty-four years old, she’d been on the job for two, going on three, years following college graduation. Harrison hadworked here for six. Clearly he had more experience—and was probably right.
“We can’t wear a red cape for everyone who comes through the front door, Carys.” With those words, he waved and closed her door.
He might have had more time on the job, but that didn’t mean he had as much compassion. Did those extra three years harden him?
Harrison would agree—this job was difficult. You were exposed to child abuse and neglect that made you lose faith in humanity. Carys decided on day one of the job that when the bad days outnumbered the good, it would be time to move on. While she was occupying this desk, however, she would do everything in her power to help kids and families.
Did that mean bending a few rules when necessary?
Carys gently placed the baby in her carrier seat, then strapped her in.
Phone. Wallet. Keys.
Once Carys had all three, she grabbed the carrier’s handle and then headed out of the office. Taking the baby to her nearby rented two-bedroom bungalow wasn’t a big deal. Her home was warmer than this sterile office environment. Two years on the job already, and Carys had yet to make the space hers. There were no pictures sitting on her desk. Nothing personal on the walls.
No wonder the little girl couldn’t get comfortable.
After securing the carrier in the back seat, Carys made the short drive. Halfway there, the little one quieted.
“Do you like car rides?” Carys whispered. She should have thought of the move earlier. It would have saved her ears and the baby’s lungs. She glanced at the rearview mirror. The girl’s face was still red. Her forehead had been warm earlier. Carys couldn’t decide if the baby was sick or just overheated.
She pulled the sedan onto the parking pad next to her house and then cut the engine. She took a deep breath and waited a few seconds for the screaming to kick up again.
It was quiet.
A small win. Carys was more convinced than ever that she’d made the right call in taking the baby out of the office. The office kept a loose work-from-home policy following the pandemic, so her absence shouldn’t raise any alarm bells. Her boss might even think Carys was on her way to the orphanage. Good. That could buy more time. She could reach out to the director, Rosie Baumgarten, after lunch.
As a bonus, now that there was peace, Carys could log into the work computer via her laptop and take a deeper look at the baby’s file. Locating next of kin before the workday ended was her primary focus before she had to drop off the little girl at the orphanage. The little one had stayed overnight at her babysitter’s house and the change in routine had probably added to her fussiness.
After taking the carrier inside and setting up at the kitchen table, she made a cup of coffee and checked the time. Eleven thirty. Good. She had plenty of daylight hours left to locate next of kin once she looked up the birth certificate.
Storm clouds had rolled in on the way home. Rain splatted against the windows.
Thankfully, Ruby Lark was still out. She must be exhausted.
Carys wondered if the baby girl was called Ruby, Rue, or Lark. Then again, it wouldn’t surprise her if she was called by her full name, Ruby Lark. This was Texas. Two names weren’t out of the question. Since Carys had always liked the name Rue for a nickname, she decided to go with that one for the time being.
Fingers tapping on the keyboard, she glanced at the intake form. There wasn’t much there she didn’t already know.
The vehicle owner’s name was Stephanie Cross. The deputy on scene’s name was Levi Liu. Carys made a mental note of the names as she skimmed down the page. There wasn’t much else.
Huh.
Thankfully she’d requested a court order to give her access to the child’s birth certificate before taking custody of Rue. The permission should be granted before end of day if all went well.
What was she supposed to do until then?
She tapped her fingers against the table, waited.
An hour passed by while getting caught up on paperwork from other cases. Then another.
