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An hour into their trip, Nina had taken a picture of their subpoena with one of the new phones and passed it up to him. He and Creed had agreed to purchase phones that had a few more bells and whistles compared to most disposable phones. They were more expensive, but that was the least of their worries.

“Let’s just hope that there’s someone within the hospital that can provide the records.” Nina’s brow puckered with a frown. “From what I see on the website, that service is only available during business hours, Monday through Friday.”

“We’ll find a way.” He tried to sound confident. Hospitals operated 24/7 just like law enforcement. Someone in a leadership position should be able to help. “If we have to wait, we’ll need a plan B.”

“While we were at the coffee shop, I found several high school yearbooks online,” Nina said. “Once I find out which one my mother attended, we should be able to find a friend of hers. Someone, somewhere must have known her.”

“That’s a great idea.” He really hoped the subpoena would work, but at least they’d have another option to pursue while in Temple.

The rest of the trip into town was uneventful. Creed pulled into the hospital parking lot, then turned to look at him. “Do you want to take the lead?”

“Yeah. Nina and I will head inside. You keep an eye on things out here.” He pushed open his passenger-side door and jumped out. Nina quickly joined him. Nina had taken the lead on getting replacement phones, registered and programmed with their new numbers. His and Nina’s also had the subpoena image on the screen.

Upon hearing the word subpoena, the woman at the information desk contacted the hospital administrator on duty. A man in his mid-fifties approached cautiously. “I’m Dennis Cook. How can I help you?”

“We have a subpoena for medical records for a patient by the name of Anna Lange.” Jackson turned his phone so Dennis Cook could see the information. “She was a patient here twenty-eight years ago.”

Cook’s eyes widened. “Twenty-eight years? I’m sorry, but you’ll have to return on Monday.”

“We need this information now, not Monday.” Jackson kept his tone firm. “At the very least we need to review them. We can get copies later, but we need to see what her records entail.”

Cook didn’t look convinced at his portrayal of urgency but crossed over to the phone on the information desk. He made a call, then turned back to face them. “Okay, fine. We have a medical records staff member in house. Her name is Mary Fowler and she’ll get you the records.” Cook gestured to the elevators across from the desk. “Take the elevator to the basement level. Follow the signs for Medical Records.”

“Thank you.” Jackson was surprised the administrator didn’t put up more of an argument.

“I can’t believe we’re about to get our first clue,” Nina said as they rode down to the basement. “There must be an address or some other information in her records that will help us find someone who knows her.”

“I hope so.” He was cautiously optimistic as they opened the door to the medical records department. Mary Fowler was younger than he’d expected, in her late twenties, but when he handed her the phone, she took it without complaint. “I’m sure Mr. Cook informed you. We need Anna Lange’s medical records.”

“Yes, but I can’t certify them on the weekend.” Mary made a note of the pertinent information and handed the phone back. “Certified records must be done by the supervisor. And you’ll need certified records for legal purposes.”

“I understand. We’ll take noncertified copies now. If we need them certified, we’ll come back next week.” He flashed his most charming smile. “We really appreciate your help.”

“I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Mary picked up her sticky note and walked back to another computer.

Nina gripped his arm tightly. “I don’t know why I’m nervous,” she confessed.

“You didn’t even know your mother’s name until last night. It’s understandable you’re on edge about learning more.” He hoped she wouldn’t be disappointed. He still thought it was more likely than not that Anna had lived on the streets.

The minutes seemed to tick by with excruciating slowness. Nina restlessly shifted her weight from side to side.

The whirring of a printer filled the silence. Then Mary stood, crossed the room and returned with some paperwork. He frowned at how thin the records were.

“Here you go.” She handed the papers to him.

“Is this all of the records?” he asked, quickly scanning them. They appeared to be labor and delivery records from the day Nina was born.

“That’s correct.” Mary sank into the chair behind the desk. “Anna Lange was only here one time and that was to deliver a baby.”

“Thank you.” He handed the paperwork to Nina as they turned away. Nina was already reading through the information as they took the elevator up to the main lobby.

“There’s an address listed here,” she said after a moment. “125 Bluebird Court.”

“We’ll check that out next.” He held the door open for her. “Unless you want to keep looking at the high school yearbooks.”

“Let’s go past the address first.” Nina’s green eyes gleamed with anticipation. “Soon I’ll see the place where my mother lived. We’re getting close, Jackson.”

“We are.” He wanted to share her enthusiasm, but the memory of the black truck opening fire upon them haunted him. He felt certain the bad guys had already acquired a new ride and were out there searching for them.