Authors: Angie Daniels
When It Rains... (34 page)
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The hospital was swarming with police. Every wing was checked and every nurse questioned, but there was still no sign of J.J.'s whereabouts.
After Jay contacted his brother, Terraine was there within minutes.
“Any word yet?” he asked as he joined Jay at the end of the hall.
Jay shook his head. Terror shuddered through him, drowning out all the frantic voices as he shuffled numbly down the hall. He spotted a female police officercoming out of the nursery, heading toward the exit.
“Hey! Aren't you gonna question the rest of the staff?” he shouted.
“Sir, we've already done that.” She gave him a sympatheticsmile.
Terraine reached for Jay and pulled him in the other direction. “Come on, Jay, let the officers do their job.”
“I know, I know. I just can't fuckin' believe this shit is happening.” Jay ground his teeth in helpless anger. It had already been two hours since J.J. was last seen.
“I can't believe it either,” Terraine said. “If anything happened to Ciarra, I'm not sure what I would do.”
“I think God is punishin' me.”
“What're you talking about?” Terraine's eyes were large in disbelief.
Eyes filled with regret, Jay said, “For not wanting J.J.”
“
What?
”
What?
”
“No, I'm serious.” Jay shook his head, then said, “I need to get some air. Go back to your family. Kiss Ciarra for me.” Terraine heard the deep sadness in his brother'svoice.
Jay traveled down to the lobby to smoke a cigarette, dodging TV cameras and newspaper reporters. The chill air met him at the door, temporarily numbing his pain.
There were clouds overhead again.
Honey walked into her house and, leaving her suitcasein the hallway, moved to the answering machine to check her messages, removing her coat on the way. There was a message from both her mother and Darrius,but nothing from Jay.
She reached for the remote control and clicked on the television, then strolled into the kitchen for an ice-coldsoda.
“This just in ... the newborn son of Jason Andrews, great-grandson of millionaire fashion designer Richard Andrews, was abducted today from the maternity ward at Christian Hospital.”
Honey slowly walked back into the living room, and her eyes froze to the television.
“About seven this morning, a woman dressed in a nurse's uniform walked into the mother's room and told her she was taking the baby to have some tests. The little boy hasn't been seen since.”
Honey watched, rooted to the floor, as Kendra appearedon the screen. “Whoever you are, please bring my baby back!” she said, then burst into heart-wrenching sobs.
Jay moved in front of the camera and pulled her into a comforting embrace. His pained eyes blazed onto the television screen. “All I want is my son back. No questionsasked.”
With a trembling hand, Honey managed to click the television off. Her knees turned to water as she lowered herself onto the couch, feeling as if someone had reached into her chest and crushed her heart.
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It was well past midnight when the police finally convinced Jay to go home. The nurses were forced to give Kendra a tranquilizer to calm her down. When he left, she was sound asleep. Jay found it a relief to know that deep down she did care about their son.
She was probably just as confused as I had been.
It was a shame it had taken a tragedy to bring her to terms with her feelings.
She was probably just as confused as I had been.
It was a shame it had taken a tragedy to bring her to terms with her feelings.
Clicking on the television, he found the media still reporting on the kidnapping and clicked the television off again. They didn't know any more than he did. He walked back to the room he had all ready for his son, and seeing it choked him up. Who took his son? His heart wrenched with pain as he thought,
Are they feedinghim? Is he okay?
He had to pray that whoever had taken him did it because they wanted a child of their own, and would make sure that all his needs were providedfor.
Are they feedinghim? Is he okay?
He had to pray that whoever had taken him did it because they wanted a child of their own, and would make sure that all his needs were providedfor.
The phone rang. Hoping it was news, Jay raced into his room to pick it up and practically shouted hello.
“J-Jay?”
“Honey?”
“I'm so sorry about your son,” she said.
Taking a seat on the bed, he briefly closed his eyes. It was soothing to hear her voice. “Thank you. I really needed to hear that.”
“Have they any leads yet?”
He lowered his head into his hands and answered in a troubled voice, “No, not a one.”
Honey heard the pain in his voice, and wished she could be there for him. But did he need her? He and Kendra had each other. The thought of the two of them consoling each other caused her stomach to churn. “They'll find him. I can feel it.”
“I hope so.” There was so much more he wanted to say. “Honey, I want to ...” His voice broke. He was an emotional mess, and now wasn't the time. “Honey, I've got to go.”
She tried to hide her disappointment. “Good luck finding your son,” was all she could muster.
Twenty
N
atalia slumped back against the couch, shaking her head in disbelief. “Who could do somethin' like this?”
atalia slumped back against the couch, shaking her head in disbelief. “Who could do somethin' like this?”
It had already been twenty-four hours. There were still no leads. Jay's eyes blazed with anger as he paced around the living room. “I'm not sure. But when I find out, they'll have hell to pay.” And that was a promise.
Natalia's brow furrowed with worry. She had returnedto St. Louis only hours ago. After catching word of the abduction at the airport, she headed straight to Kendra's apartment. “I didn't even get to see him,” she whispered.
Remembering his son squirming innocently in his arms, he sighed, then lowered himself into a chair. “J.J.'s adorable. Big brown eyes and ... wavy hair like mine.”
Natalia didn't miss the catch in his voice. Jay was trying to appear strong, but she knew he was torn up inside. “What are the police doing?”
He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “They're building a case, but so far they've got nothing. I can't just sit back and wait for somethin' to happen.” Jay stared down at the floor. The not knowing was killing him. To ensure that he didn't miss any news, all his calls were being forwarded to Kendra's phone. She'd been discharged from the hospital only hours ago.
Natalia leaned over and patted his hand. “We mustn't panic. They're gonna find him.”
He turned to her with solemn eyes. “I hope so.” The lack of leads was eating at his confidence, but he wasn't about to give up hope.
Kendra moved into the room. She was dressed in black pajamas, her eyes bloodshot and her hair in disarray.“Nat, when did you get back?”
“An hour ago.” She rose and embraced Kendra, then kissed her cheek. “It's so sad.”
“It's terrible!” Kendra shrieked, fear burning in her eyes. “How could someone do something like this?”
Natalia blinked in surprise. Jay had already warned her that Kendra was upset, but she had to see it to believeit. “They're gonna find him,” she told her distraughtfriend. “It's just a matter of time.”
“I wish I had that kind of faith,” Kendra said as she took a seat on the couch next to Jay. “The Lord is punishingme for being a bad mother.” She threw herself into Jay's arms and began to cry again. “I'm so scared. Can you hold me please?”
His arm curled around her waist, then his gaze settledon Natalia as he mouthed, “See what I'm talking about?”
As quickly as her tears started they stopped. Kendra moved her head from his chest and leaned back against his shoulder. “When are they gonna send the ransom note so we can get this shit over with?”
“IâI don't know.” Jay was afraid to voice his darkestfears that maybe whoever had J.J. planned to keep him. Best to let Kendra believe that this was a ransom kidnapping.
Natalia wished there was something she could do to comfort the two. If anyone could find the baby, Jay would. He was an excellent PI, and finding J.J. was just a matter of time. Searching his troubled eyes, she tried to read into his thoughts. “Jay, do you think this could be directed personally at you? Maybe someone's trying to get back at you?”
“I've considered that.” Jay had been racking his brain since yesterday trying to think of people who would be out to get him. The list was extensive; he'd made a lot of enemies over the years. He had assigned Chad and Alan to start narrowing down the possibilities.
“Look at my hair,” Kendra moaned as she tunneled her fingers through the lifeless mass. “I look awful!”
Now, that's the Kendra I know
, Natalia thought. Who else but Kendra would be thinking about her appearancewhen her child was missing? “Would you like me to make you an appointment?” she offered, certain she could get her hairdresser to see Kendra right away.
, Natalia thought. Who else but Kendra would be thinking about her appearancewhen her child was missing? “Would you like me to make you an appointment?” she offered, certain she could get her hairdresser to see Kendra right away.
Lip quivering, Kendra nodded. “That would be nice. I have to do something to take my mind off of this.”
Jay was no longer listening.
Dean.
Not only had Dean threatened him with harm to his child, but he had been in his office when Jay received the news that Kendra was in labor.
Jay took several breaths to calm the rage stirring again. Removing his arm from around Kendra, he moved to call his office, thinking,
J.J., Daddy's coming for you.
J.J., Daddy's coming for you.
He was going to hold his son again.
Now that the renovation was in the final stage, preparationswere being made for the salon's grand opening.
Honey tried burying herself in her work, concentratingon the décor for the new space. She even overbookedher schedule so she had little free time to think. But nothing worked. Her thoughts kept returning to Jay and that bitch named Kendra Johnson. She couldn't even turn on the television without taking a chance of hearing some reporter talking about “the Andrews baby boy.”
Every night when she turned on the salon's security system, her thoughts turned to him. Then she went home to spend a restless night of tossing and turning while he invaded her mind. He was hurting, but she was too. She needed to feel his arms around her, his lips on her lips.
She held back tears that she stubbornly refused to shed.
Yesterday she tried calling his house to give him some moral support, only to find that he wasn't at home. He was with Kendra.
Of course.
She tried not to be jealous because she knew they needed each other right now, but she couldn't help herself. She wanted him to need her.
Of course.
She tried not to be jealous because she knew they needed each other right now, but she couldn't help herself. She wanted him to need her.
As she rubbed the palm of a hand across her flat stomach, her heart churned. She was jealous of Kendra and Jay's son.
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Dean was nowhere to be found.
Unable to sit still, Jay returned to work the next morning, anxious to dig into the investigation. The police had warned him to back off, but there was no way he could sit still and do nothing. Sitting behind his desk, he went over his notes.
According to the nursery, J.J. was taken to Kendra's room an hour before he was discovered missing. Kendra claimed that Nurse Jewel showed her how to properly hold the baby and feed him his bottle, then she had left Kendra to burp him. The idea of Kendra willingly burpinga baby was far-fetched, but he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. Kendra then reported putting him back in his crib, where he had fallen asleep. She was in the bathroom when she heard a nurse arrive, saying she had to take J.J. for some blood work. When Kendra reenteredthe room, they were gone.
Jay lowered his head to his hands. By the time he had arrived twenty minutes later, J.J. had already disappeared.His chest cringed at the possibilities. The policehad interviewed the entire staff, monitored all the exits, and confiscated the security tapes. But no one had seen or heard anything. The first twenty-four hours were the most critical. The longer it took to find J.J., the more likely they never would. It had now been forty-eighthours.
Jay rose from his chair and moved toward the window,shaking away the ridiculous thought. He would find his son. No matter how long it took.
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As soon as Honey got home that evening, she decidedto call Jay. She had promised him that when she returned, they would talk. Even though he had brushed her off the other night, she needed to let him know that she was there for him.
She dialed his number, and the phone picked up after the first ring.
“Hello?”
Honey hesitated at the sound of the female voice. “Sorry, I have the wrong number.” She hung up and dialedthe number again. However, the same voice came over the line.
“Is this Honey?” the woman asked.
She frowned. “Yes ... who is this?”
“The same lady who told you to stay the fuck away from her man.”
Kendra. What the hell was she doing at Jay's condo? “I'm sorry about your son,” she said, trying to be nice.
“If you were really sorry, you would leave us to grieve alone.”
Who does she think she's talking to?
“Look, I know there's nothing going on between you and Jay.”
“Look, I know there's nothing going on between you and Jay.”
“Hmmph! If that's what you want to think.”
“That's what I
know
. Jay and I love one another. Now put him on the phone,” she ordered. Baby's mama or not, Kendra was trippin'.
know
. Jay and I love one another. Now put him on the phone,” she ordered. Baby's mama or not, Kendra was trippin'.
“Jay isn't available to talk to you. We're trying to ... console one another.”
“Excuse me?” Honey sputtered.
“You heard me, bitch,” Kendra said. “Jay and I have discovered we still love each other, and are trying to work through our differences so J.J. can come home to a family. It's over, so I would appreciate it if you would leave us alone.” She snorted. “The only woman who's gonna be ridin' his dick is
me
.”
me
.”
Honey's ear was then met by the dial tone.
His son had been missing almost seventy-two hours. With the help of a friend in hospital security, Jay was granted access to the maternity ward the following afternoon.He intended to try to reconstruct the events of that night.
Using a stopwatch, he monitored the amount of time it took from Kendra's room to the nursery. Without any stops, the short trip took forty-two seconds. He then walked down the hall again and observed all of the doors along both walls. There was an exit door near the nurses' station and a supply closet.
As he moved down the hall, a door swung open. He quickly jumped out of the way.
“Oh, I'm sorry.” A tall woman stood behind a cart piled high with fruit juice.
“No problem.” Smiling down at her, Jay found somethingoddly familiar about her gentle amber eyes. But he couldn't quite understand why.
She noticed the pad of paper in his hand. “Y'all still investigatin' the missin' baby?”
Jay nodded. “Were you working that night?”
She looked around her to make sure no one was watching.The staff had been instructed not to discuss the case with anyone. “Not on this floor. That day I was workin' up in the OR.” She extended a slender hand that had rings on every finger and a diamond tennis bracelet dangling from the wrist. “Ledora Hayes.”
“Pleased to meet you. I'm Jay.”
She signaled for him to follow her into the supply room, where she put juices in the refrigerator while she talked. “I'm an on-call nurse. Normally I'm assigned to this unit, but there were quite a few C-sections that morning. They were pretty short-staffed, so I was sent up to the OR.” She looked up at him, eyes narrowed. “I did, however, get the pleasure of meeting that hateful bitch the afternoon before. She had buzzed the nurses' station wanting a cup of tea, and even had the nerve to ask for lemon and honey. When I went down to her room, she was still pretty upset from the couple who had visited her earlier.”
“What couple?”
Ledora ran a hand across her honey-blond weave as she tried to remember. “A fancy-looking couple dressed in furs and diamonds came in carrying a car seat. They asked me which child was the Johnson baby, and I pointed to him through the window. They were so excited.”
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