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Nurse Haddox looked from Sadie to Brittany. “If you’re okay with that, I’ll be in and out of rooms in the hallway if you have any problems.”
“Thank you, Ms. Haddox,” Sadie said. “We’ll be okay. Right, Brittany?”
Brittany nodded.
Nurse Haddox sighed. “Thank you.” And she hurried out of the room.
“If you’re good for now, I’ll go to your apartment and pack a bag,” Jenna said.
“You go,” Hank said. “We’ll ensure Brittany runs her marathon and gets all her discharge papers in order.” His gaze shifted to Cliff.
Cliff nodded. “We’ll be back as quickly as possible.”
“Oh, and Jenna…” Brittany called out.
“Yes,” Jenna turned back.
She motioned for Jenna to come close and whispered. “Mr. Water’s business card is in the top drawer of the nightstand, sticking out of the pages of a book I was reading. It has his name, David Waters, on the front with his work phone and address. His home address and personal cell phone number are handwritten on the back, along with the amount he gave me and what he promised upon delivery. I know the police have probably already interviewed him, but if he’s not the one who took my baby, I owe him the courtesy of telling him I’d changed my mind anyway. He might still expect me to give her up for adoption once she’s found.”
Jenna nodded. “He’s one of the people I want to talk to. I’ll be sure to let him know.”
“Cleaning up my messes again,” Brittany said, her lips twisting. “I love you, Jenna.”
Jenna hugged her. “Love you, too.” Anxious to get to the apartment and get back, she left the room with Cliff on her heels.
After the incident with the brick through her window earlier, Jenna was glad Cliff was going with her. She felt confident Brittany was being taken care of, which helped reduce the worry and left her free to focus on finding the baby.
Once they left the hospital, Jenna headed for her car.
“Let’s take my truck,” Cliff said.
She grimaced. “Right. I don’t imagine you want to sit on all the glass in my front seat.”
“Not particularly.”
Riding shotgun, Jenna gave Cliff directions to the bar. Still early in the day, the bar wasn’t open. Jenna found a staircase on the side of the building and climbed up to the door at the top, Cliff bringing up the rear.
When she reached out to place the key in the lock, she noticed the door wasn’t closed all the way.
Cliff grabbed her wrist. “Let me go first.”
Jenna shook her head. “I’m trained to clear a building, and I have a gun,” she said, pulling her weapon out of the holster.
“Right,” he said, “but I’m right behind you.”
Jenna stood to the side of the door, out of range if someone was on the other side. With the barrel of her Glock, she nudged the door open and peered around the doorframe into the dark interior of the apartment.
Reaching a hand inside, she felt for the light switch and flipped it on. A single bulb hanging from the ceiling cast a yellow glow throughout the small room.
It appeared as if a tornado had swept through, stirring the contents of the room, flinging everything across every available surface.
Nothing moved inside, and there wasn’t anywhere to hide in a space barely big enough for a twin-sized bed, a dorm refrigerator and a small counter with a sink and a hotplate.
Picking her way through the mess, Jenna found a door on one wall that led into a bathroom with a shower that belonged in a camp trailer, a toilet and a pedestal sink.
Jenna lowered her weapon, her heart sinking into her belly. “I can’t believe my sister lived here during the last couple weeks of her pregnancy.” She shook her head. “The stairs alone had to have been awful. And the shower…” She stepped out of the bathroom and looked around the room.
“She’s pretty tough,” Cliff said, ducking his head into the bathroom. “But yeah, I can’t imagine anyone getting into or out of that shower easily. Especially someone who was nine months pregnant.” He shook his head. “It looks like someone came through here looking for something.”
