Her Lost and Found Baby (The Daycare Chronicles 1)

He started to sweat. Wanted a beer. He felt things were getting out of hand. Looking at pictures, visiting daycares, going home and supporting your next-door neighbor as she grieved for her missing son was no-brainer stuff. Accusing a real live man of kidnapping and involving the guy’s associates, possibly even friends, involving others whose actions were completely unpredictable and out of your control—he didn’t like it.

Tabitha had hardly sipped her tea and they’d yet to have dinner. She’d made him a snack from the day’s leftovers as they’d closed up the truck, reminding him that they had this meeting and that he got cranky when he missed a meal. He hadn’t thought anything of it at the time. But remembering now...

When had they grown so familiar with each other? How had they reached the point where pressing knees under the table meant something?

“The truth is, we’re not sure what we’re looking for.” Johnny didn’t like that. “His last name might be all we need if the police can use it to verify that he is who he says he is. But unless he has a criminal record, it’s also possible that he paid for a new identity that would pass through police databases. Keeping your eyes and ears open for anything that might be a clue, or that could, alternatively, clear Matt... We’re going with the hope that when we see it, hear it, find it, we’ll know.”

Mallory’s eyes were clouded with concern and warm with empathy as she glanced toward Tabitha.

“Then we’ll take our list of coincidences to the police and hope to God it’ll be enough to justify a warrant.” For Tabitha’s sake, he hoped that if it got as far as contacting the police, they’d ha

ve more to go on than they did at present. “We’ve also got a private investigator helping us, just so you know.”

Braden spoke up. “Or we could find something that clears Matt, and then there’d be no reason to go to the police.” His glass of tea was half empty.

Johnny leaned forward. “It’s imperative that you not let Matt know Tabitha’s in the area, that he’s suspected of kidnapping his son or that he’s being investigated,” he stated in his most intimidating lawyer tone. “I cannot stress this enough.”

“There’s nothing illegal about looking out for a friend,” Braden said, but he seemed to be feeling his way more than asserting an intention. “And Matt’s become a friend.”

“If he’s innocent, none of this is going to hurt him. And if he’s not, then you telling him will most likely cause him to run again, which will put the life of a two-year-old boy in jeopardy.”

Braden didn’t seem convinced enough to suit Johnny. “Let’s look at this another way,” he said, becoming a lawyer completely for the first time since he’d started his sabbatical. “If Tabitha’s right, and Jason really is her kidnapped son, Jackson, and you knew about the possibility and refused to help, it could look like you were harboring a criminal.” He was getting into the swing of it. “Here are different ways the headlines could read. Daycare Owner Helps Return Kidnapped Toddler. Daycare Owner Helps Catch Kidnapper of Child in Her Care. Or, Daycare Owner, Housed in Building Owned by Ex-Husband, Cared for Kidnapped Child—or Harbored Kidnapped Child. Or how about his one? Ex-Husband of Daycare Owner Rents Business Space to Kidnapper...”

“I’m not going to put my business reputation above loyalty to a friend,” Braden said, meeting Johnny’s gaze head-on. Trouble was, although Braden was shaping up to be a pain in his ass, Johnny kind of liked the guy.

Who wouldn’t see value in a man who stood by his ex-wife and put friends before business?

“What about the other tenants in your building? If your business takes a hit, so, likely, will theirs. Don’t they deserve your loyalty, too? And what about Mallory’s business?”

Braden didn’t respond.

“Say it gets out,” Johnny went on, “that someone—Tabitha—suspected her kidnapped son was in Mallory’s care. Even if it turns out not to be true, what if Mallory did everything she could to help that mother find peace, while also protecting the health and safety of the child in her care? But if you say something to Matt, and he does turn out to be Mark and runs...or if Mallory didn’t do anything to help...”

“Enough,” Mallory said as Tabitha started to fidget beside him. “Get the testosterone brain off the table for a minute.” She softened the words with a sincere-sounding, “Please.”

She looked at her ex-husband. “I know you’re training with Matt, and I won’t ask you not to, but I think everything else in this situation is my call.”

Braden met his ex-wife’s eye. For a very long moment.

Johnny watched with interest, amazement, even. He’d known a lot of divorced couples, had studied difficult cases in law school, and had never seen anything like this. They seemed to have a divorce agreement much like the relationship compromises worked out between still-married couples. The most impressive part was that it appeared to work for them.

Just being there together seemed to proclaim that.

For a second, he envied them...

Braden nodded, conceding that the decision on how to proceed was Mallory’s. Johnny felt Tabitha stiffen beside him. She was staring at Mallory.

As if she thought they were down to the moment she’d been both dreading and needing. She didn’t seem to get that they’d passed that moment a while back. Mallory was in. All that was left was the formality of a verbal agreement.

“So we can expect your complete cooperation?” He looked from Mallory to Braden.

“Of course,” Mallory said, and Johnny felt the air leave Tabitha almost as though she’d been deflated. He might have made a joke, if not for the seriousness of the moment. Or put an arm around her—if he wasn’t Johnny and she wasn’t Tabitha of the life-quest partnership.

“Where do we begin?” Mallory asked, clearly unaware of the strange undercurrent between Tabitha and Johnny all of a sudden.

Or, at least, Johnny’s reactions. Based on the subtle changes in Tabitha’s behavior, Johnny suspected the vibes weren’t just his, but he could be wrong. The changes in her could easily be explained by the growing circumstantial proof of her certainty that she’d finally found her son.

“I suggest we all order some dinner.” Johnny blurted the first thing that came to mind that he deemed appropriate.