God, if only this could be that easy. He’d ask; she’d help. And he could officially pull off the road to hell.
HURRY, PLEASE, Sue silently urged the man on the other end of the line. No matter how vigorously she bobbed, Camden wouldn’t go back to sleep. There’d been a mix-up with his paperwork the day before, so she’d had him one more night.
But they’d be here within the hour to take him away from her. One hour. Sixty minutes of which, to Sue, every second counted.
The baby was going to be calm, happy, in a good mood to begin his new life. It was the only way she could rest assured that he’d have a smooth transition.
Or at least any hope of one.
Besides, Carrie was due to wake up, and one thing Sue had discovered over the years was that talking on the phone was a tad difficult with a squalling infant nearby.
“Mr. Kraynick?”
“Yes. Sorry. I was…are you sure there isn’t a better time to call? Are you jogging or something?”
“I’m bouncing a baby, Mr. Kraynick. It’s what I do.”
“Is it Carrie?”
Just that quickly Sue’s mood went from self-pitying to defensive. “How do you know Carrie?”
“I’m her uncle, her mother’s older brother, and I know you have her.”
“I can neither confirm nor deny your allegations, Mr. Kraynick. Please call social services.” She rattled off the government number. If he was legitimate, the city would send him to WeCare. And Sonia, Carrie’s social worker.
Sue was already walking back to check on Carrie, about to hang up.
“Wait!” The urgency in his voice stopped her. “Please,” he said more calmly. “Just hear me out.”
He didn’t sound like a crackpot. Weary, maybe. Desperate, perhaps. But not nuts.
“How did you find me?”
“A friend of Christy’s. Apparently Christy talked about you all the time. She said Christy had visitation rights.”
That was true.
Christy had never missed a visit.
And maybe that was why Carrie was so special. Because Sue had spent a lot of time with the baby’s sixteen-year-old mother. Had seen how hard the girl was working to get her baby back. How determined she was.
“Why are you calling?”
“Because you have a say in Carrie’s welfare and I’m concerned. I…”
She was invited to all meetings pertaining to the baby’s welfare. She gave input for Carrie’s sake. And only regarding what she’d seen with her own eyes. Only regarding what she knew, not what she heard.
“I’m sorry I can’t help you, Mr. Kraynick. Maybe if you talk to your sister—”
“What do you know about Christy?”
“Uh-uh, Mr. Kraynick,” she said softly, laying a sleeping Camden in his crib. Carrie was sound asleep, on her right side, just as Sue had left her. “This conversation is over.”
“I grew up in foster care,” he said, as though that gave him privilege. Some insider’s edge.
“Then you know you shouldn’t be calling me.”
“I know that, right now, you’re my best shot.”