She tilted her head slightly, her brow dipping a little. A bell dinged, and the second elevator door opened. Avery stepped inside and waited for Grant to get in as well before answering, “Not really.”
Grant fought a grin all the way up to the third floor, glad for the ease of their shared humor in the situation. If only they could be less guarded when they were alone in their room with nothing but air and memories between them.
Chapter 9
When the door slid open, Grant stepped out first. “Coast is clear.”
Avery joined him. Together, they walked to their room on the north end of the hallway.
Grant touched the key card to the reader. A green light flashed. He turned the handle and pushed the door open. “After you,” he said and stepped back.
Avery entered with her bags of clothing and set them down on the dresser. “You can have the shower first. I want to sort through these bags.”
Grant dropped his go-bag on the bed. “Do you want to call Swede first and get him looking for some of the numbers to your informants?”
“Yes,” she said.
Grant pulled up the number and called using the video function.
Moments later, the big, blond giant of a man appeared on the screen, looking like his Viking ancestors.
“Swede, say hello to Agent Avery Hart.” Grant leaned close to Avery and pointed the phone’s camera at her.
Avery gave a hint of a smile. “Nice to meet you, Swede.”
“Same to you, Agent Hart.”
“Please, call me Avery,” she said.
“Avery,” Swede said with a nod. “I dug through the database from the Division of Children and Family Services of Nebraska and matched it to your parents’ adoption records.”
Avery’s body stiffened beside Grant.
He slipped his arm around her, holding her gently.
“Go ahead,” Avery said.
“The records show a Jane Doe and her infant daughter were delivered by ambulance to the University of Nebraska Medical Center after an automobile accident. The woman had no form of identification, and it was reported that her vehicle had exploded and burned. The mother and child were treated for smoke inhalation. Shortly after being admitted, the mother disappeared, leaving behind her baby girl. The only form of identification was the necklace found around the baby’s neck with the letter A engraved on the pendant.”
Her face pale, Avery moved a hand to the necklace she’d always worn since Grant had known her.
“Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Hart were on the waiting list to foster a child and answered the call to collect the baby, which they did. After a year, the courts allowed the foster parents to adopt the baby. They named her Avery Hart.”
Avery blew out a breath she’d probably been holding. “So, my biological mother walked out of the hospital, leaving her child in the care of strangers. I was lucky enough to land with great parents who wanted me. I was loved and cared for. What more could I ask for? For that matter, maybe that’s all my biological mother wanted for me.”
“I did a comparison with Bree Lansing’s abandonment history,” Swede continued. “Baby B was left at the Kansas City hospital a few hours before Baby A was brought to the Omaha hospital in the ambulance, giving the mother enough time to drive that far north before being involved in the vehicular accident.”
Grant didn’t need more evidence to conclude the two women were twins. But Avery might. “You could do a DNA test to compare with the one Bree took,” he suggested.
“Maybe someday.” Avery shook her head and squared her shoulders. “After we nail the killer. Swede, I need to contact some of my informants, but their numbers were on the phone I lost when my car was swept away in the flash flood. If I give you some names, can you search the dark web for a way to contact them?” She grimaced. “It would have to be on the down low. I don’t want to blow their cover, and they might be using other aliases. Is it even possible to find them?”
Swede shrugged his broad shoulders. “I can try.”
Avery gave Swede the names. “If you can’t locate them, see if you can find any chatter about the downfall of the Miami Elite Crime syndicate. Is anyone plotting revenge or retribution on the feds involved in Operation Orchid?”
“I’ll get on it,” Swede promised. “Grant, do you need reinforcements? Hank is worried Ms. Lansing might need a protector until the killer is found.”
Grant glanced toward Avery.
