UNSEEN (25 page)

Her eyes flitted up. "Yes?"

"
Your lack of response tells me you had foreknowledge that the suspect in your son's kidnapping works at this facility. What do you have to say about that?"

"
No I didn't," she said.

"
Just now, when I told you we were here to search his office, you showed no signs of surprise or shock."

"
I wasn't shocked," she said.

"
And why is that?"

"
I saw his name on the door across the hall." She pointed.

It was true. There it was, Gary Carter, written on a plaque in the middle of the door. How had she missed that? "Was that why you were nervous in the hallway?"

Holly hesitated. "I don't know. Yeah. I guess."

"
Why the hesitation?”

"
I don't know! Why are you grilling me like I'm a suspect? I didn't know Gary worked here, and even if I did, what could I possibly do that you can't do?"

"
Revenge," Agent Grant said, holding her eyes steady on Holly's.

"
What? Kill him? He's holding my son!"

She had a point. It made no sense for her to come here for revenge. She couldn't kill him, not while her son was still being held somewhere.

"
Then tell me why you're here, across the hall from the man who is holding your son."

"
I have an appointment! It was made before any of this started. Ask the clinic."

"
Before this all started?"

"
Yes," she gasped.

"
And you didn't know Mr. Carter worked here until you came here today?"

"
That's what I'm trying to tell you. Can I go, please?"

"
Go?"

"
Yes. I think I'm going to be sick."

"
What about your exam?"

"
I barely wanted to do it in the first place. Please! Can I go?"

If she made the appointment before the kidnapping took place, that removed the motive. There was no reason to detain her. "Yes. You're free to go."

Holly burst from the chair and pushed by. Angela watched her walk briskly down the hall and take the corner. Had she misread the whole situation? Was it only a coincidence? If so, she could understand Holly's fear. This would be the last place Holly would want to be.

Angela made a quick call to Perez. "Holly is on her way out. Let her go."

There was a hint of confusion in the way he said, "Okay."

"
Make sure you find out from the office staff when Holly made the appointment at the clinic. If it was before yesterday, she has no motive."

"
I'm on it."

"
And tell our SBI friends to join us in Mr. Carter's office. I want to tear the room apart.”

Chapter 36

The
friendly
hospital
receptionist
looked
up
and
over
her
glasses
. "
May
I
help
you
?"

Jake attempted to relax. "Yes," he said, "I'm looking for a patient—last name Thomas."

"
When was she admitted?"

"
Today," he said.

She clicked some buttons and scanned her screen. "Pamela Thomas?"

"
Yes. Yes, that’s it."

"
Are you a relative?"

"
I'm her brother." He immediately regretted the response. It was probably a bad idea to lie to a woman with the resources of a computer in front of her. He had no idea what kind of information they kept on those things. It would have been safer to say no and have to search the maternity ward than give a suspicious answer and have security escort him off the premises.

"
She’s in room 814. Take the elevators to the eighth floor and follow the hallway to the nurses’ station. You can check in there."

"
Right. Eighth floor. Thank you." He hid his relief, and crossed over the hall to the elevators. It felt as if every eye in the entire lobby was glued on him. It wasn't true of course, but inward guilt has a way of toying with one's perceptions.

The elevator doors opened, and he herded onto it with other visitors and squeezed toward the back. It was a short trip, and by the time he reached the eighth floor, the elevator was empty.

Ding. The doors slid open and he stepped out into the corridor. Everything was quiet. To his right was the waiting room where he noted an old couple, a young man by himself, and a father with his two children. There were no pregnant women, so Jake took a left down the hall. Immediately he saw a set of double doors with a Restricted Area sign on it.

Standing in front of the doors was a three-year-old in blond pigtails with a mixture of shock and excitement on her face. She turned and ran through the doors—without opening them.

Jake made a quick check to see if anyone was looking, then walked briskly to the doors. He peeked through the window to see that the corridor beyond was empty, then pushed through and walked down to where the hall turned right. He could hear giggling coming from the next hallway, so he slowed and carefully peered around the bend.

Four children stood staring at him.

"
See! Is him!" squealed the girl in pigtails. "He-ah in da hossible!"

An olive-skinned two-year-old boy standing next to her smiled a crooked smile, while a pair of twin girls behind them hopped and clapped.

Jake took a step back to avoid being seen; the children came around the corner. He crouched down. "You guys know me?"

"
Yah,” said the pigtailed-girl. "We know you. Yaw Inas dod."

Jake cocked his head. "I'm what?"

The olive-skinned boy put his hand on Jake's arm. "Yaw wam."

The twins came around and touched his skin too. He felt like the subject of a lab experiment with their little fingers rubbing and poking.

"
Do any of you have a message for me? Something you're supposed to tell me?"

The girl in pigtails said, "I don’ ting day memmer yet. Day happy cos day nevaw tauch stuff."

"
But do you remember?" he asked.

She nodded enthusiastically.

"
How do you know me?"

"
Some ov us know eesh ovor befaw."

"
Before what?"

"
Befaw we lef."

"
Left where?” He looked at her intently. "You were somewhere before you came here?"

"
Yah, but nawt wong."

"
Do you know what that place was?"

"
No. I don’ know it."

"
But—you remember it."

"
Yup."

"
Are you here to help me?"

"
No, I don’ ting so."

"
Then why are you here?"

She appeared confused by the question. "Cos you c’n see me."

"
But why? Why can I see you? And not anyone else?"

"
I don’ know."

"
Think hard. Try to remember."

A black woman in baby blue scrubs came around the corner. The children all backed up. Jake blinked up at her, innocently.

"
Can I help you, sir?"

How was he going to explain crouching and talking to himself in a restricted area of the maternity ward? This was it, they’d kick him out for sure.

"
I'm sorry, I felt sick,” he said, slowly getting to his feet.

"
Mmm-hmmm," she said, with a curl of her lip. Her arms came up and folded across her chest. "And who are you here with?"

Out of sheer desperation, he said, "Pamela Thomas."

She gave a suspicious squint. "You're Mr. Thomas?"

"
Yeah."

"
Your wife's not even in here yet."

That was good news, and bad. Bad because it didn't explain why he was acting squeamish in the hall, but good that she wasn't in a nearby room in labor. He could only imagine the look on his neighbor's face if the nurse had dragged him into the room while she was giving birth.

"
Where is she?" he asked, hoping she would avoid addressing the elephant in the room.

Suddenly one of the twins let out a piercing screech that sent Jake's soul bouncing off the wall. His eyes opened wide as he stood rigid before the nurse. Somewhere around the corner another scream filled the air.

The girl screeched again and her eyes got big. "I think I'm comin’ OUT!"

The nurse took a step back.

"
I AM! I'm comin’ out! Push, Momma! Puuuuuuuush!" cried the little girl. Her sister started hopping and clapping.

There was another scream and a loud groan from down the hall.

"
Your wife is in her room, Mr. Thomas." The nurse pointed back toward the double doors. "But you're going to have to go around. I don't want to see you in this hall again, unless you're with your wife, understand?"

Jake started backing up. "Yes, ma'am. Thanks."

The twins ran down the hall, followed by the other children. Jake could hear the little girl continue her excited screams. "Push, Momma! You c’n do it! I'm comin’ out! I'm comin’ OUT!"

Jake left the restricted area. His options were dwindling. These children didn’t have any answers for him, they were just as confused as he was about the whole situation. He could see them, and they could experience things while he was around, but to them it was just a weird experience. They weren't supernatural messengers. They had no connection to some ethereal world where information could be acquired by some extrasensory ability. They were simply children waiting to be born, and somehow, when he was near, they could experience a taste of the world around them. Aiyana had mentioned not being able to see anything he couldn't see. Why then had all the children run down the hallway to watch the birth? How would they see it, if Jake wasn't seeing it?

There was only one way to get more answers, and that was to travel deeper into the bowels of the maternity ward and find Aiyana. She was older than the other children and much more articulate. His chances of getting meaningful answers lay with her.

Chapter 37

Holly got into the driver's side of her car and slammed the door. Her body quaked as she gripped the steering wheel and tried to pull herself together. She needed something to numb the pain. She couldn't do this anymore. It was too much. She had to ditch Dan and her roommate and get to her pills.

Dan studied her. "You all right?"

"
No. I'm not all right." She clutched the keys and started the car with force. "I'm about as not all right as I've ever been in my life!"