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She took her from Mat and buried her lips in that dandelion hair.
Neither Toni nor Jason spoke as they drove away from the house. Toni took a left when they reached the main drag, then pulled into a KFC parking lot. She found a place off to the side, turned off the ignition, and stared through the windshield at the Burger King across the street.
Jason finally broke the silence. “It’s her.”
“Did you see a freckle by her eyebrow?”
“She was wearing too much makeup.”
“She’s pregnant! Barbara Shields didn’t say a damn thing about that!”
Toni reached for her cell phone, and a few minutes later she had Shields on the phone. Their conversation was short and to the point. When she hung up, she looked over at Jason.
“At first she said it wasn’t possible. Then she admitted she didn’t get a clear look at her stomach because the baby was in the car seat, along with some groceries. And Jorik blocked her view when he stepped in front of her to pay.”
“Damn.”
“You’re right. It is her,” Toni said.
“She sure doesn’t want to be found.”
“Did you see the way she looked at those kids? Like they were her own.”
“Maybe she isn’t Aurora.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“Do you believe that?”
“I don’t know what I believe.”
They watched two businessmen come out of the restaurant and walk toward a new Camry.
“We can lift some prints from the door of the motor home, but we’ll have to wait until dark to do it,” Toni said.
Jason gazed straight ahead and asked the question that was on both their minds. “Are we going to contact the boss now or later?”
“Do you want to tell Ken that we talked with her but still aren’t sure if we have Aurora?”
“Not particularly.”
“Neither do I.” She reached for her sunglasses. “Let’s give ourselves a couple of hours and see what else we can come up with.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
Mat walked out onto the sunporch and regarded Nealy grimly. “Looks like the jig’s up.”
She pressed her lips to the baby’s soft cheek, trying to shut everything out except this wiggly little bundle. “I’m sure Button didn’t know what she was saying when she called me ma.”
“Hard to tell.” The expression in his eyes mirrored her own feelings. “Nealy, they’ve got you.”
“Not yet. They don’t know for sure. If they did, this place would be swarming with Secret Service.”
“The day’s still young.”
She gave him her best attempt at a cheeky smile. “You were coming on out there like Public Enemy Number One.”
“I’ve always wanted to talk back to cops, and I decided this was the best chance I’d ever get. As long as I’m with you, I figure I’ve got diplomatic immunity.”
“I wouldn’t push it.” She gazed out into the backyard. “I need to find Lucy.”
