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“Hi.” Marc took another slow, calm drink before setting down his cup on the end table. “How’s Justin?”
“The same.” Amanda sank down on the institutional sofa, her yellow paper hospital gown making a rustling sound as she did. “Oh.” She seemed to notice the gown and the mask for the first time. “I should have tossed these. I’ll need sterile ones when I go back in.” She dropped her face into her hands. “Why doesn’t the antibiotic work? Why won’t his fever come down?”
“It’s only been a day,” Marc soothed. “I know it feels like a lifetime. But it’s not. Give the medicine and your son some time to combat the infection.”
“And then what? There’ll be a new one?” Amanda looked up, the agony on her face too acute to miss. “He’s struggling so hard. And there’s not a damned thing I can do.”
“You certainly gave it your best shot last night.” Marc’s comment was pointed but gentle. The woman was unraveling. She’d reached out in desperation, clawing at a chance to find Paul. Sure, it had complicated their investigation. And it had almost melted Ryan’s precious server. But it’s not like their search was classified. And, as for the server, its load had been lifted. There were a bank of people at the office now, taking calls.
How furious could he be? It was her baby’s life at stake.
Amanda stared blankly at him, looking completely out of it. It was almost as if she had no clue what Marc was talking about. Then, comprehension dawned in her eyes. “You’re talking about the video.”
“Yup. Very impactful. Succinct, heart-wrenching, and great videography. You’ve got talented friends. Plus, you accomplished your goal. You captured the world’s attention. Hell, the number of YouTube hits are off the chart. And our server practically self-destructed from all the phone calls pouring in.”
“Are any of the calls worthwhile?” she asked, a plea in her voice. “Has anyone given you information on Paul?”
“No. So far, it’s been a lot of crank calls and reporters.” Marc leaned forward, held Amanda’s gaze. “Not your best idea. Grandstanding like that tends to bring out all the crazies. It wastes precious time and resources. Getting a worthwhile lead is like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
“I wasn’t grandstanding. I was using my contacts to reach as many people as possible.” She studied his face. “You’re angry. I’ll pay for any damage to your server.”
Marc almost laughed, just visualizing Ryan’s reaction to that statement. “Don’t worry about the server. It can take it. We also had to scramble to get a bunch of college kids into our office to field the phone calls.” A pause. “We’re not big on broadcasting our phone number round the globe. But then, you already knew that. You also knew we’d cut you off at the knees if we’d known your plan. That’s why you didn’t mention a word about your plan to Claire and Patrick.”
“You’re right.” Amanda licked her lips. “It was a calculated risk, but one I had to take. I knew it could backfire. I told Melissa so when she first suggested it. But then Justin got worse. And I had to try. I knew you might write me off as a client. But the idea of reaching so many people in one fell swoop—any one of whom might have seen Paul… I had to do it. I’m ready to ask my uncle to offer a reward for any information on Paul’s whereabouts.” She gave a resigned shrug. “In any case, if you’re the one assigned to ream me out or kick me to the curb, go for it.”
She looked like a small, broken bird, and Marc felt another huge wave of compassion. Emotion wasn’t normally his thing, and it felt weird to be reacting this way. But a child… no, not just a child, a newborn—talk about his Achilles’ heel.
Images of what he’d seen in years past—children being torn from their parents, sold like livestock, used as human shields, shot and killed before they’d even had a chance to live—those images flashed through his mind like some heinous movie. They’d never go away. They’d haunt him forever.
And here was a mother who’d lain down her life for her child. How could he berate her for that? If Justin survived, it would be his mother’s love and tenacity that made it happen.
Marc had taken Amanda’s case before talking to his team. It had been personal to him from the start. It still was.
“I’m not going to kick you to the curb,” he said. “I’m going to tell you not to act without talking to us first, because impulsive acts rarely pay off, and because you hired us to do the job and do it right. I’m going to tell you that we need you to help us, not impede us. And then I’m going to buy you a large orange juice and an egg sandwich. You need protein and electrolytes. You’re about to collapse.”
Amanda nodded. “You’re right—about everything. Clearly, my first instinct was the right one. I never should have jumped the gun without talking to you first. I’m sorry.”
“You might have been surprised by our reaction. We’re not big rule-followers. We could have found a better way to pull off that video—a more controversial one, actually. One that could have pushed all the necessary buttons—while probably pissing off some people in the process—but that didn’t put us in the limelight. We could have set up a special toll-free number for the incoming phone calls. So don’t sell us short. You hired us because we’re the best. So let us be the best.”
A weak smile. “Point taken. And, speaking of being the best, I never had a chance to thank you. I just found out that your whole team had yourselves tested as potential matches for Justin. That was incredibly kind.”
“It was something we chose to do,” Marc replied.
“Nonetheless, I’m grateful.” Amanda drew a slow, exhausted breath, then rose. “I’ll take you up on that OJ and those eggs. I’m feeling really shaky. And Justin needs me to be strong.”
“Agreed.” Marc glanced at his watch. “Let’s head down to the cafeteria. I can only stay a few minutes.”
“Ah. You drew the short straw and had to deal with me first, then head straight back to the office to do telephone damage control.”
“Nope.” As always, Marc went for the no-bullshit approach. “Like I said, the phones are under control now. Yeah, some of us are pissed. Especially Ryan, who got woken from his beauty sleep by Yoda reporting an overheating server. He’ll get over it. We all will. But Casey thought I’d be the easiest one for you to talk
to. And I’m not heading back to the office. I’m heading out to Southampton.”
“Southampton? Why?” Amanda looked startled, and then thoughtful. “Does this have something to do with your meeting last night with my uncle? Because I forgot all about it. How did things go? Did he ask you to come back and meet with the Town Board?”
Marc gestured toward the elevators. “Let’s get you fed. I’ll fill you in along the way.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
