What’s the status on the girl?” Garth snapped. 

The rental vehicle rocked to a stop as Garth slammed on the brakes. An elderly man stepped from the curb into the crosswalk, shaking his cane in the air. As he passed the front of Garth’s car, he yelled, “Slow down. Think you was going to a fire?” The old man’s fedora-covered head shook from side to side as he proceeded on his way, muttering to himself.

“Sorry, Tango. I got distracted. The people in Hayden don’t appear to appreciate my driving.” Garth adjusted his rear-view mirror, straightened his sunglasses, and put the car in motion again.

“It’s not the big city, boss.” Tango laughed and returned to the business at hand, “The hospital staff rushed her to the emergency room as I walked into Cassidy’s room. I don’t have an update yet.”

Garth maneuvered around a double-parked car. His team’s sloppiness had his temper flaming red hot. He spotted the driver and yelled, “Get out of my way.” The driver acted totally oblivious and waved.  Garth smiled and returned the wave. “Must be a sale on dumb today!”

“What’s that, boss?” 

“Nothing! Some people need to learn how to drive,” Garth sighed, “Get forensics dusting that room. Seal off the wing.”

“Already in motion, boss. I’ve instructed the hospital to move all patients, medical staff, and anyone else to a different floor until further notice. Just waiting on you.

“Be there in less than ten. Commandeer one of their conference rooms.” Garth sighed. “We’ve got some sloppy work staring us in the face, Tango. It stops here. Understand?”

 “Yes, sir. I’ll have everyone there. See you when you get here.” Tango ended the call and sent out a group text. “Conference Room 2 in fifteen minutes. Mandatory.”

**********

When Garth stepped into the conference room, his entire team was assembled and waiting. His stiff gait, squared shoulders, and angry scowl erased signs of laughter and smiles. A hush fell over the room. Today, he was all business. Garth’s long, angry strides moved him to the far end of the oval conference table. All eyes focused on him and he returned a frosty stare. 

“Since when did you guys become losers?” Garth’s words were cold and brittle, so unlike his usual posture.  His words snapped, “Caldwell 2 - Woodhouse 0. Think about it! I’m angry! You should be too. You’re on my team because you are the best. We’ve just let these women down, not once but twice. What the hell’s going on?”

Garth paused, took a deep breath, and turned away from the table. 

Slow down, Garth. You want them to focus on the case, not your anger. Breathe, boy! Let’s start again.

Looking around the table and side table, he asked in a calmer voice, “Coffee?”

“Yes, sir.” An agent sitting near the carafes grabbed a styrofoam cup. “Black?” After a nod from Garth, he poured it and handed it to his boss.

“Thanks.” Garth accepted the coffee and took a long swallow. “I might need the whole pot.” He smiled at the agent, a few snickered, and the tension settled. “Okay, let’s get to work. We have three objectives today. Number one, how did we get so slop…”

Someone’s knuckles rapped against the closed door. Tango had posted a sign on the door which read. “Do Not Disturb.” The drumming on the door persisted. An exasperated sigh exited Garth’s mouth as he rolled his eyes.

“Tango, unless someone else is dead, get rid of them.”

“Got it!” Tango made a bee-line toward the door as the annoying pounding got louder. He yanked the door open and discovered Allie in a motorized wheelchair. “You can’t come in here.”

“Like hell, I can’t. Move it!” Allie yelled at the top of her lungs. She pressed the forward button, and the chair lurched. Tango jumped aside. “I’m coming in, or this machine is going to run over you.” Allie’s eyes flashed with anger as she challenged Tango.

Garth couldn’t see her, but he recognized her voice. He also realized that Tango was no match for this spitfire when she wanted her way. He moved toward the door, signaling Tango with a quick nod. Tango stepped aside. “This is a private FBI meeting, Sunshine.” Garth towered over Allie, but she had no intention of backing down.

“Yeah, that’s me...Undercover FBI.” Allie smirked at him.

“Can you lower your voice, please?”  

“You tell Tarzan to let me in, and I will.” Allie shot an unladylike snarl in Tango’s direction. Tango’s expression was priceless.

Garth surrendered to her demands and stepped aside. Allie wheeled into the room with a satisfied look on her face. 

Tango glanced down the hallway. “You didn’t bring a posse with you, did you?” Allie’s emerald eyes sparked, but she held her tongue. Tango locked the door.

Allie wheeled the chair closer to Garth. “What happened? Is Cassidy okay?”

“She’s fine. There’s been a prob…”

“A problem! You think! Half of the FBI is roaming the hallways. I’d say that indicates a problem.” Allie pressed her advantage. “Thanks for this motorized chair. It’s a great battering ram. You might check on the guy outside the freight elevator.”

“Freight elevator?” Garth raised an eyebrow.

“How do you think I got up here? He bent over to tie his shoe when the elevator doors opened. I couldn’t have asked for better timing. Pow! Rammed his…….”

A few laughs erupted at Allie’s painted image but were short and brief. 

“We got the picture, Allie. Tango, send someone down there and check on the hit and run.”

“He’s fine.” Allie snapped. “I want to know about Cassidy.”

“Allie, please. I’d like to continue this meeting. Would you care to join our conversation?” Garth swallowed his coffee

“I’m not going anywhere, so start talking.” Allie shrugged and offered Garth an angelic smile. He ignored her.

“As I was saying before we were interrupted, I need answers. This team is acting like sloppy hometown law enforcement. What’s going on?” He didn’t expect an answer, but he stopped a moment to let his comment take hold. “Two, what do we know about today’s incident? And three, how are we going to get Cassidy somewhere safe?”

“Boss, I checked and rechecked the delivery guy, the flower shop, and the basket. The store owner says he filled the order himself. The bin was empty at the counter so he got a new box from the stock room. He says all of the candy boxes were sealed. One went in the basket and the rest in the bin.” Tango paused and read his notes. “The owner confirmed the order was on Liz McKinley’s credit card.”  

“Liz’s credit card? Has anyone checked with her to see if she ordered them?” Garth looked around the room for a response.

Allie was the first to grab her cell. “I’ll call her right now. She’s on speed dial.”

“No, wait. I want to walk through this mess before we muddy the waters.” 

“Whatever your mess is, I assure you Liz had nothing to do with it.” Allie grumbled.

Garth paced back and forth, thinking. “Okay, Howard, let’s start from the beginning. Who was in the room?” 

“Just the usual. The doctor and Brittany, the RN. Stacy, the lab technician, was going to take blood but then she sampled the candy.” Howard’s voice trailed off to a sigh.

“Was the delivery guy in there?” Garth fired his question at Howard.

“No, Tango did a once over on the basket, made the proper phone calls, and then Brittany carried them into Cassidy’s room. She put the vase on the window ledge.” Howard paused, “I believe Cassidy asked Brittany to open the candy. Yeah, because she said she had one filled with cream.”

Tango interjected, “I saw her after that, so she didn’t get sick from the candy.”

“You sure no one else entered that room? Maintenance? Equipment check? Another nurse?” Garth rattled off suggestions, hoping to trigger something in Howard’s mind.

 “The priest, and…” Howard gulped as he remembered talking to the priest and then letting him step inside to pray.

“The priest... what priest?” Garth knew he would not like Howard’s answer before he even opened his mouth. 

“The one making his rounds. He was just there long enough to say a prayer. I was standing in the open doorway.”

“Could you see him?” Garth’s voice was brittle. His temper was rising again.

“I could see his back because he was facing the bed. And I could hear him.” Howard thought he’d covered his bases. Now he regretted his decisions.

 “Did he ever touch anything? Did he move around?”  

“No… I don’t think…”

“Which is it, Howard? Did he touch anything? Did he move away from the bed?” Garth knew he was being hard on him, but he needed answers, ones only Howard could give.

Howard squeezed his eyes closed and then opened them. “He laid his Bible on the table.” He wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead. 

 “Anything else?” Garth pushed. “Think. Did he do anything else?”

 “I was distracted when Stacy called my name. She brought me coffee.”  Howard’s face grimaced expressing his regret.

“Distracted! How long? A second, a minute? Long enough to switch out a few pieces of candy?”

Howard shook his head and stared at his lap. “Maybe. I’m sorry.”

“Tell the girl you’re sorry.” Garth snapped. “When you’re on guard duty, that’s your job. Guard the patient.”

Tango hung up his phone. “Forensics says they’re checking for fingerprints on the candy.”

“Oh my God.” Howard moaned as he tipped his head toward the ceiling. “When he made the sign of the cross, I saw his hands. He was wearing white gloves.”

“Someone check the security cameras. The ones on this floor, the elevators and the first floor. Get him coming or going.”

“I saw him leaving the hospital when I was getting into the elevator. My gut told me something was wrong.” Tango pressed his lips together.

“Howard, what can you remember about him?”    

“His face was messed up. It looked like he’d taken a serious beating, but he’d tried to cover it with makeup. I asked him, and he said he fell from a ladder at the church.” Howard looked around the room at all the eyes staring at him. “What? He’s a priest. I couldn’t call him a liar.” 

“This guy is clever. He got to Cassidy in prison and the hospital. We’ve got to get her to safety.” 

Allie waved her hand at Garth. He was in no mood for any more of her antics.

“What?” His remark was terse.

“Excuse me. I’m just offering a suggestion.” 

“Fine. What is it?” 

“Who knows Cassidy is alive? Has anyone seen her since the lockdown?”

Tango answered, “No, once the gurney rushed to ER, we shut the area off. Our people and the nurse are the only ones who saw her.”

“I think you should announce that Cassidy is dead. Send officers to the church and tell Jon she died.”  

“You don’t think her brother will want to see her body? What about a funeral? It won’t work.” Tango’s response suggested he wasn’t on board.

“Yes, it will.” Garth liked Allie’s idea. “We tell him that the coroner is holding her body because of suspicious circumstances relating to her death. I don’t think he’ll push us too hard.”

“Yeah, and Caldwell will just be happy she’s out of his life. If we keep him busy with other things, he might not care either.”    

“We can take her out tonight through the morgue. Put her someplace safe this time.”

“Where’s that in this town?”

“The ranch. Bring her in at night and make sure no one knows she’s there. We can explain the extra agents as added protection for Liz and Allie,” Tango added.

“That’s not a bad idea. Anyone got a better one?” Garth looked around the room. “Then let’s get it in motion. The faster we get these women out of here, the better.”  

**********

With Faith and Annie sleeping, Mary decided to examine the boxes Hank had delivered so she could tell Faith what was in them. She’d made herself a comfortable nest in the bay window amongst the overstuffed pillows.

The first two boxes were old books. They would be donated to the library. The third box was handmade linen doilies. Mary thought she should let Faith see those in case she wanted to save any for Annie. The fourth box had baby blankets and some clothing. Mary lifted them from the box, admiring the beautiful crocheted work. She assumed they were either Faith's or Annie’s. Underneath the blankets was another sealed box. Mary lifted it out and carefully removed the tape.

On top, she found a pair of baby shoes with tiny pink ribbons, lacy white socks no bigger than her thumb, and a tiny pink dress with a note pinned to it. Mary held the tiny pink dress up to the sunlight. Her fingers touched the delicate lace trim and miniature bows. 

Mary read the note, 

“I brought the most precious gift from God home in this dress today.” 

She smiled as she held the tiny bit of fabric to her cheek, imagining Faith having her precious child, Annie, in her arms. 

Laying the shoes and dress on the window seat, she removed some drawings. They were more like scribbling, but a Van Gogh or Monet wouldn’t have touched her heart as much. Annie had drawn a house with a mom, a little girl, and a puppy. The stick figures were happily waving. 

Tears glistened in Mary’s eyes as she remembered Annie’s excitement when she discovered Sebastian was hers to keep.

Next, she found Annie’s birth certificate, a vaccination record, pictures of Faith when she was younger, and several baby pictures of Annie. On the very bottom was a folded piece of paper. Mary opened it and read,

My darling baby girl,

This morning I counted each of your little fingers and toes. I marveled at your button nose and your beautiful eyes. Fingering the tiny pink bow in your wisps of brown hair, I couldn’t help but wonder if it would be long and curly like mine or thick and wild like your father’s. Whichever, I know you will be beautiful, and you will hold a special place in my heart forever.”

As Mary read the letter, tears streamed down her face. She clutched the letter tightly to her heart, remembering. She stared out the window for a long time before returning to the letter.

“I want you to know I love you more than life itself and that is why I must give you to someone else today. My last gift to you is a new mommy and daddy. They can give you the life you deserve, one I can only dream of at this immature age. I pray you grow up to be strong and determined like your daddy, but you share my love of reading. Books let you discover worlds you might otherwise never know. Books teach you about feelings and caring about others. Their words will give your soul the freedom to fly.

Tears flowed from her eyes, and she had to stop reading again. Her breath came in gulps. A mother’s aching heart had written this letter; each word seared Mary’s mind.

“The nuns tell me that your sister, born five minutes after you, is struggling to breathe. The nuns have told me there is little chance your precious sister will survive the night. I had prayed the two of you would be adopted together. Since that will not be a possibility, I wanted you to know, if only for a fleeting time, you were a twin. She has a tiny angel face with mere wisps of blonde hair. She’ll make a beautiful angel. 

I pray that one day you will understand how much I love both of you. My heart breaks to make this decision, but it is the right one for you. Every night before I close my eyes, I will think of you and send my love wherever you are.

Forever and Always,

Your Loving Mommy

Mary picked up the picture that lay at the bottom of the box. She could no longer control her sobbing. She held the photo to her lips, remembering when the Reverend Mother had snapped it thirty years ago. A picture of her two babies.  

Gasping for air, Mary tried to comprehend what was happening. How could she have been caring for her own child and never known it? And Annie, the adorable child was her granddaughter. She looked around the room, sure that she was dreaming. 

She couldn’t believe the gift God had given her. Memories flooded her mind as she remembered writing the letter and posing for the picture only moments before they took her babies away. Faith was that baby! Her sister had been Hope.

Faith’s eyes opened and met Mary’s swollen, tear-stained eyes. “What’s wrong, Mary? Why are you crying?”

Getting up from the window seat, she hurried across the room to Faith’s bedside. Gently, she lifted the frail hand to her lips, softly kissing her daughter’s fingertips, just like she had so many years ago.

“While you were asleep, a man from the ranch, I believe he said his name was Hank, brought some boxes that belonged to your parents.”

“You can throw them away, Mary. Don’t bother with any of that old stuff. It would just be old dusty junk.”

“I thought the same. But I was wrong. The boxes held treasures neither of us would have ever expected. Faith, I found a letter in the box and a picture.”

 “A letter? From who?”

“A letter from your birth mother. Have you ever seen it before?”

“No, not that I remember. That was so long ago. You’ve been a second mother to me, Mary. You’ve been there for Annie and me through it all. It doesn’t matter about the woman who gave birth to me.”

“But it does, Faith.” Mary couldn’t control her tears. “I wrote the letter.”

 “I don’t understand. How did you write a letter that was from my birth…? Tears brimmed in Faith’s eyes. “Are... are you… telling me…?”

“Yes, honey. I am your mother, but I never knew until I saw the letter and the picture.”

Mary handed the picture to Faith. 

“But there’s two babies.”

“Yes, the one on the right is you. The one on the left is your twin sister. I was going to name her Hope.”

“What happened to her?” Faith studied the picture and ran her fingers across the faces of the two babies.

“The nuns took her to a Catholic Charities Hospital. They said she was dying. I never saw either of you again.”

“Mary… Is this real?  You’re my mom. You're Annie’s grandmother.” Tears rolled down her face. “Please tell me I’m not dreaming.”

“If you are, we are having the same dream.” Mary hugged Faith. “I can’t believe you’re really my daughter.”

A smile crossed Faith’s lips, and she mouthed the words, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Mary sobbed, “I have always loved you.”