Unbreakable Bond & The Missing Twin. Rita Herron

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СКАЧАТЬ not here to cause trouble for the staff, or blame anyone for that night,” Nina said. “In fact Carrie was so sweet to me, that I just want to talk to her, that’s all. Please.”

      The woman’s expression softened. “All right, sugar. I’ll let her know.”

      She rose from the desk, exited on the opposite side and walked down the hallway.

      Voices sounded, and she glanced to the left and saw a new mother cradling her baby as the nurse pushed her in a wheelchair toward the elevator. The father walked behind, carrying a bouquet of balloons and pink roses. As they reached the elevator, he leaned over and kissed his wife and baby girl. Tears stung Nina’s eyes.

      Slade’s hand stroked her shoulder as if he understood how the scene affected her. A minute later, the nurse returned and pointed them to a waiting room. The bubbly red-haired nurse Nina remembered popped into the room a second later, and Nina made the introductions.

      “I don’t know if you remember me or not,” Nina began.

      “Of course I do.” Carrie sat down and took her hands in hers. “I’ve thought about you a lot over the years. I’m sorry for all you’ve been through.”

      Her kindness touched Nina. “You were so sweet to me and my baby,” Nina said. “I want to thank you for that.”

      Carrie smiled. “I can still see her little face, all scrunched up and fussing. She was a real fighter. I… thought she had a good chance.” Carrie’s voice cracked. “And then everything went wrong.”

      “Can you tell us exactly what you remember about that night?” Slade said.

      She bit her lip as she looked at him, then nodded. “I wasn’t in the nursery when the fire broke out. I was down the hall with another patient. I helped them to get out, then rushed back to help clear the babies. Two other nurses from the regular unit had infants in their arms, and rescue workers were rushing toward them to help. I ran to the NICU. There were only two babies in there that night, and Jane had the little boy. I went to get Peyton, but she wasn’t in the bassinet.”

      “No one saw anyone take her?”

      Carrie shook her head. “Dr. Emery had ordered tests for the baby, and I assumed that someone had taken her to another wing to administer them.”

      “Carrie, I know it’s been a long time,” Slade said. “But do you remember anyone odd hanging around the nursery, someone who looked out of place?”

      She fidgeted with the pocket of her scrubs jacket. “No, not that I can think of.”

      Slade hesitated. “How about other births that might have gone wrong that night or week? Maybe someone who had a miscarriage?”

      Carrie drew her shoulders back. “That information is restricted for the patient’s privacy.”

      “Please,” Nina said. “If there’s a chance another patient kidnapped my baby, you have to help me.”

      Her eyes flickered sideways nervously. “Well, there was one woman… She gave birth to a stillborn that afternoon. A baby boy.”

      Nina’s chest constricted. “Do you remember her name?”

      Carrie chewed her bottom lip. “I’m really not supposed to divulge that information. I could get fired.” She fidgeted. “Besides, the poor woman suffered a terrible tragedy herself.”

      “I understand,” Nina said. “What happened to the baby?”

      “I don’t know. He was probably taken for an autopsy.”

      “The woman’s name?” Slade pressed.

      “Gwen Waldorp,” Carrie said. “I think she moved to Kings Mountain.” Carrie glanced at her watch. “If that’s all, I need to get back to work.”

      “One more question,” Slade asked. “Do you know William Hood and his family?”

      Carrie nodded. “I’ve seen their pictures in the newspaper.”

      “Were either William or his mother at the hospital the night Peyton was born?”

      She backed away, fidgeting with her hair again. “I don’t remember seeing them.”

      “How about William’s wife? Her name is Mitzi.”

      “I told you I don’t remember. It was madness here, everyone in a panic.” She tapped her watch. “Now I really have to get back to work.” Her ponytail swung behind her as she turned and rushed down the hall.

      “What do you think?” Nina asked.

      Slade frowned. “I think that nurse knows something she’s not telling us.” He gestured toward the elevator.

      “That bone your forensics person found, it could have belonged to the stillborn,” Nina suggested.

      He gave a clipped nod. “I’m going to check out this Waldorp woman and have a chat with William’s mother.”

      Nina’s thoughts raced as they took the elevator to the main floor, and Slade drove back to her house. Compassion for the woman who’d given birth to the stillborn baby squeezed her heart. Could she have been distraught enough to have kidnapped Peyton?

      And William’s mother…she’d been adamant that she should get rid of her baby. Could she have stolen her or hired someone else to and arranged for an adoption?

      “Does Mrs. Hood live in Winston-Salem, too?”

      Nina nodded.

      “I’ll question her tomorrow, but first I want to do some background work. I’m going to take that doll to the lab.” Slade maneuvered around traffic through town, flipping on his windshield wipers as a light rain began to fall. “I’ll also see if I can get an address for the Waldorp woman. I’ll call you if I find anything.”

      Shadows flickered along the sidewalk, night setting in, the rain clouds adding to the gray fog over her house as he pulled into her drive.

      Nina grasped on to hope as she climbed out and hurried up to her door. She went inside, flipped on the lights, then went upstairs to shower. A few minutes later, she dried off and pulled on a loose warm-up suit.

      But the moment she went downstairs, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end, and panic hit her.

      The CD of lullabies she’d bought for Peyton was playing.

      And the baby blanket she’d crocheted and stored in the blanket chest in the attic was wrapped around another rag doll that had been stabbed just like the first.

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