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“She’s determined to find her daughter.”
“We thought she would be. Does… does she hate us?”
“No. She’s sad and upset, but she doesn’t hate you. She’s asked me to invite you to our family barbecue this weekend.”
“She did?”
“She loves you and has a good heart. That’s why it’s so important for me to find her daughter. Anything you can tell me about the day she gave birth would be helpful.”
“The adoption records are sealed.”
“We’re working on those. Laura said she gave birth on June twenty-first, but hospital records show no stillbirths that day, or babies eligible for adoption.”
The silence between them had me sitting higher. The air thinned into an uncomfortable string of unsaid words.
“Mr. and Mrs. Young?”
Her father drew in a long breath.
“We knew Laura would check all records, so we had the baby’s birth registration delayed to the twenty-third. The records will show a stillbirth on the twenty-third.”
That was Kensi’s birthday.
“Except the baby was alive. The adoption agency has no record of Laura?”
They shook their head, and I knew Axel Wagner wouldn’t be able to help me. The Agency would have no information to give.
“James, even if you get the adoption records open, you won’t find any relevant information because there is none. The little girl left the hospital with nothing but a birthdate.”
Mr. Young confirmed my suspicions.
“What about the father?”
“You won’t find the father because Laura doesn’t know who attacked her.”
“Right.”
“The agency was told the baby was found in a dumpster,” Mrs. Young whispered. “I’m not sure how you’ll find the girl. And if you don’t, I fear Laura will never forgive us.”
I lowered my hand to hers. “You forgave her for keeping your grandson to herself, and she’ll forgive you for this. Time heals all.”
She glanced over at her husband, and he returned her nervous look.
“We thought we were doing the right thing. We thought the baby would have a better future with a stable family. Laura had schooling ahead, but we didn’t mean to rob our daughter of a child. This secret has eaten us from within over the years. We’ll do anything we can to help you find our granddaughter.”
Mrs. Young removed a rectangular box from a bag she carried and slid it over the table. “Can you please give this to Laura? We kept the baby’s first clothes and a photo we took before we gave her away.”
“Of course.”
“And James?”
“Yes?”
“Should we get a lawyer?”
“Why?”
“Legally, we kidnapped a child and gave it up for adoption. Our medical licenses—”
