ONE
K-9 Officer Maren Anderson battled the fatigue she’d been facing since driving from Colorado Springs to the Barren Valley Clinic in Barren Valley, Colorado. Grief could do that to a person. She’d been exhausted ever since she’d received the call a few months ago that her sister was dead. A pang pulled at her heart, threatening to derail her attention, but she needed to focus. Her partner, a Doberman pinscher named Haven, shifted closer to the chair Maren sat in across from the clinic director.
Sitting on the opposite side of the mahogany desk, the older woman with dark eyes and light blond hair cropped at her chin steepled her hands. The nameplate in gold lettering facing Maren read Dr. Victoria Newton.
Maren and Haven had come here following up on a lead about a discredited OB/GYN who’d once worked at this small practice in the sleepy mountain town. Maren hoped to find out more but didn’t anticipate success.
The organized illegal adoption ring that she and her team were tracking had, so far, managed to stay one step ahead of law enforcement. Still, maybe today’s interview could get her new information.
“Dr. Newton, do you believe that stolen babies are being sold illegally in the state of Colorado?” She was curious what the doctor knew about the subject.
Her K-9 seemed to lean forward with her, as if Haven also had an interest in what the woman would say. All sleek lines with a red-and-brown coat, the dog wore a black vest with the wordsK-9 Unit. Haven was three years old and cross-trained in drug detection and suspect apprehension. And for good measure, protection.
Maren placed a calming hand on the dog’s head, though inside, she was far from feeling calm. June sunshine streamed in through the window overlooking the main street, but a chill chased down her spine.
For months, the Colorado K-9 Unit had been searching for Mia Andrews, the missing, pregnant nineteen-year-old granddaughter of the task force’s wealthy benefactor, Dodger Andrews. In the course of the search, three deceased young women were discovered in various parts of the state, each showing signs of having recently given birth. It was the discovery that someone was targeting vulnerable young pregnant women in that area that had that led to the task force being formed, comprising K-9 officers from around the Denver area.
They couldn’t help but fear that Mia Andrews might be the next victim of a dangerous baby smuggling ring that was killing young moms and stealing their babies. Racing against time, the task force hoped to rescue Mia before her due date in October.
“You want to know if it’s feasible that an operation like this exists?” Victoria gave a slow nod. “Not only possible, but probable. I’ve heard rumors that there is a black market rife with this sort of underhanded and often violent practice. Unfortunately, there are also some very unscrupulous doctors who will do anything for the large sums of cash being offered.”
Maren sucked in a breath and slowly exhaled before asking, “Do you believe Dr. Derek Rolls could be involved?”
Victoria made a face. “Dr. Rolls lost his license two years ago and was booted from this clinic. And he left town as far as I’ve heard. He was involved in insurance fraud as well as being accused of writing prescriptions for various medications for nonpatients for a very high fee.”
That aligned with the information they had gathered. The task force had been looking into any medical professionals who’d lost their licenses in the past five years. “Could he still be practicing medicine somewhere?”
“If he is, it’s under a false identity or in some back room somewhere,” Victoria said. “No reputable medical practice would touch him with a ten-foot pole.”
“Do you happen to have a recent picture of Dr. Rolls?” Maren thought of the couple who had been spotted in a fancy SUV outside of a free clinic in Denver last month. The photo of Dr. Rolls that the task force had been able to dig up was from many years ago, when he was much younger.
A man and woman had seemed to be watching the obstetrician’s office, leading the team to wonder if the occupants of the vehicle were scouring for vulnerable pregnant teens and young women with the intent to kidnap them and hold them until their delivery. The theory was the kidnappers would kill the women and sell their babies to unsuspecting adoptive couples who likely thought the high fees were mostly for prenatal care and the deliveries.
“No picture that I know of,” the clinic director said. “I came on board after Dr. Rolls. I only know him by reputation.” She reached forward to press a button on the desk phone. “Fran, can you come in here, please.”
Moments later, the door opened and Fran, the clinic’s receptionist, walked in. Maren put Fran in her mid- to late sixties and a throwback to the days of hippies and flower power, a fashion trend that had resurfaced of late. The woman had shaved the bottom half of her head, leaving a floppy top to be clipped in a colorful barrette. She had cat-eye-shaped eyeglasses in bright red and a silver nose ring as well as gauges in her ears. She wore a flowing top with wide-legged pants in a geometric pattern that made Maren’s eyes hurt. She’d take her staid black pants, navy blazer and white blouse over bold colors any day.
“Is there a problem?” Fran asked, her blue gaze flicking to Maren and dropping to Haven, who stared back at her. Fran took a step back.
Haven could be intimidating even when not trying.
“You were here when Dr. Rolls was on staff, correct?” Victoria asked, drawing Fran’s attention.
“I was.” The derision in Fran’s tone made it very clear she hadn’t liked the doctor. “Good riddance, if you ask me.”
“Do you have a photo?”
Fran shook her head. “He was very peculiar about having his picture taken.”
“Can you give me a description of Dr. Rolls?” Maren held her breath, waiting to see if the description matched the man who had been seen outside the free clinic.
Fran’s brow wrinkled. “He was tall, muscular. He had thinning reddish hair that he never seemed to comb, with a full beard, and he wore the strangest-looking silver eyeglasses.” Fran touched her own glasses, adjusting them on her straight nose. “I don’t think he needed corrective lenses, but he wore them anyway.”
Maren nearly gasped aloud. It fit the description of their suspect. And the man had lost his medical license in the right time frame. There was a strong possibility that Dr. Rolls, the former OB/GYN of Barren Valley Clinic, was a part of the baby smuggling ring terrorizing the state of Colorado. Maren lifted up a prayer of hope that linking Dr. Rolls to the baby smugglers would help bring down the criminals and allow the team to rescue Mia.
“Do you know where he went after he left here?” Maren asked.
Fran shook her head. “No. I felt bad for his wife, though. She seemed nice enough.”
