Fatal Consequences Read online

  “When can she go home?” Nick asked.

  “We’re waiting for the results of several tests. Provided everything checks out, she can leave this afternoon.”

  “Okay, thank you.”

  The doctor walked away, and Nick stood outside the door. His stomach was queasy, the way it used to get when he’d sit in his grandmother’s window for an entire Saturday waiting for a mother who wasn’t coming. Taking a final unsteady breath, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

  “Oh! There he is! Look at him,” Nicoletta said to the nurse who was checking her monitors. “My son, the United States senator!” She held out her arms. “Come, darling. Give your mother a hug.”

  Nicoletta had often been compared to Sophia Loren with wavy auburn hair, flawless skin and dazzling smile. However, as Nick approached the bed to hug her, he noticed lines on her face that hadn’t been there the last time he saw her.

  His mother drew him in tight, and Nick was surrounded by her familiar fragrance. Releasing him from the hug, she framed his face with her hands. “Isn’t he so handsome, Roberta? Didn’t I tell you?”

  “He sure is, and you sure did,” the nurse said. “I’ll leave you two to visit. Ring the call button if you need anything, Nicoletta.”

  “Thanks.” Turning back to Nick, she said, “Well, look at you. So grown up and so handsome. Thank you for coming, sweetheart.”

  Despite all the warnings he’d given himself before seeing her, Nick glommed on to the compliments and endearment like a starving man who’d just found food. “Um, sure, no problem.”

  She dropped her hands from his face. “I know how busy you must be. When I heard you’d become a senator, well…I just couldn’t believe it!”

  “I thought I might hear from you.” Nick hated that he sounded like a sad little boy who still sought his mother’s approval.

  “I had every intention of calling, but one day became two and then three. I didn’t want to bother you.”

  He dropped into the chair next to her bed. “Too bad you didn’t call. Maybe you could’ve come for the swearing-in. The president and first lady were there.” Inside, Nick winced at his shameless name-dropping.

  “You don’t say! I’d love to meet the president. How lucky you are!”

  “I’ve been very lucky lately. I’m not sure if you’ve heard that I’m engaged.”

  “I read that in the paper. Congratulations.”

  “They reported our engagement out here?”

  “I read the Washington paper on the computer,” she said, chagrined. “I was so curious after I heard you’d taken office.”

  Sam’s warnings echoed through his mind, louder than ever. If his mother had read about his engagement, she’d no doubt read about the two-million-dollar life insurance payment too. “Her name is Samantha, but she goes by Sam. She’s a homicide detective in Washington.”

  “And you’re happy with her, Nicky?”

  The nickname was a shot to the heart. His parents were the only people who’d ever called him that. “I’ve never been happier in my life.”

  “I’m glad for you,” she said, sounding sincere. “You certainly deserve to be happy.”

  “I certainly do.”

  Nicoletta looked down at her hands in her lap and then at him. “I know I have no right to call you here, and it’s no thanks to me that you’re the kind of man who comes when his mother needs him even if she’s never done the same for you.”

  Nick couldn’t deny that, so he said nothing.

  “It’s just that I’ve, you know, fallen on some hard times. And now this accident…”

  Here it comes, Nick thought. “What happened to Mel?” he asked, referring to the man she’d married the last time Nick saw her—at her third wedding during which she’d refused to introduce him as her son. Nothing like being a walking, talking symbol of someone’s youthful indiscretion.

  “He’s been gone a while now.”

  “What do you want from me, Nicoletta?” She’d asked him to call her that at the wedding. Apparently, it was easier for her to introduce him as an old friend than the son she’d never wanted.

  Right on cue, fat tears began to roll down her flawless face. “When Mel left, he took everything. I had a job for a while, but I got laid off and now my benefits have run out. I didn’t know who else to turn to.”

  “So you thought this would be a good time to hurl yourself down a flight of stairs?”

  Her eyes widened with shock at his cold tone. “Don’t be ridiculous! I could’ve been killed! I tripped over the runner on the stairs.” She held up her arms so he could see the bruises she’d sustained on the way down. She turned those potent, tearful eyes on him again. “You’ll help me, won’t you, Nicky?”

  Nick schooled his face into what he hoped was a flat, emotionless expression. “How much do you need?”

  Gonzo sifted through the phone records the cell company had finally produced, highlighting common numbers that appeared on the lists for both Regina and Maria. There were three, which gave Sam some of those threads she liked to pull. He was about to report in to her when his cell phone rang.

  “Tommy, it’s Andy,” his lawyer said. “I just got off the phone with the child protective services representative who did the home inspection.”

  “And?”

  “Apparently, when she went to the house, the conditions were so poor that she immediately removed the baby from the premises.”

  Gonzo sat up straighter in his seat. “Where is he?”

  “At the moment, in foster care, but here’s the good news—a family court judge has agreed to hear our petition for custody. Today.”

  “On what grounds?” Gonzo asked, his heart and mind racing. “We haven’t even gotten her to agree to the DNA test to establish my paternity.”

  “We don’t have to,” Andy said, sounding ebullient.

  “Okay, you’ve totally lost me here.”

  “Tommy,” Andy said, “she listed you as the father on the baby’s birth certificate!”

  All the air left Gonzo’s body in one long whoosh. “Seriously?”

  “Yep. Normally, they send written notice of a hearing, but the judge waived the notice.”

  “Who is it?” Gonzo asked even though he suspected.

  “Morton. Do you know him?”

  “I caught his sister’s killer two years ago. Got the guy put away for life with no chance of parole.”

  “Well, that explains it. Unless he says something in court, don’t mention that. If he’s doing you some sort of favor, we don’t need to point it out.”

  “Don’t worry, I won’t say a word.”

  “So while the judge will no doubt order formal paternity testing, there should be nothing standing in the way of them awarding you temporary custody today. Can you be in court in an hour?”

  Gonzo thought about the case they were working and Sam’s declaration that all leave was canceled. Surely, this counted as an emergency, right?

  “I’ll be there,” he said.

  “Not to be premature, but I hope to be saying, ‘Congratulations, Dad,’ before the end of this day. See you soon.”

  Dad. The word struck every emotion he’d ever experienced. Joy warred with fear as he remembered he didn’t know a damned thing about taking care of a baby. He’d figure it out, though. If it meant he got to bring his son home, he’d do whatever it took to make it work. Picking up his phone again, Gonzo called Sam.

  “Give me something, give me anything,” she said when she answered.

  Her familiar line made him smile. He brought her up-to-date on what he’d found on the cell records. “I’ll run the common numbers now and see what we get.”

  “Excellent work. Thank you.”

  “How’s McBride?” When he thought about what had happened to his friend and colleague, Gonzo saw red. He wanted to be right in the thick of tracking down the monster who’d attacked her, but today he had something else he had to do.

  “A little better. It’s
gonna be a long road.”

  “Yeah. Listen, Lieutenant…something’s come up, and I wondered if I could take some emergency leave.”

  The request was met with silence.

  In a rush of words, he told her about the call from Andy. “I know this is the worst possible time and you canceled all leave, but if I’m awarded custody I need to be there and the judge needs to see that I’m a fit father and—”

  “Gonzo! Gonzo! Of course you have to be there. No question.”

  “But the case—”

  “We’ve got it covered. Go take care of your kid.”

  “Jeannie—”

  “Would tell you the same thing.”

  “Okay,” he said, releasing a deep breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “Sam…”

  “Yeah?”

  “What the hell do I do with a baby? My parents are in Arizona for the winter, my sisters are hours from here. What the hell do I do?”

  Laughing, she said, “I’ll call my sisters. They’ll set you up with everything you need. Leave it to them.”

  “I can’t ask that of you—or them.”

  “You didn’t ask. I offered them up, and trust me, they love to butt into other people’s business. They’ll have you fixed up in no time.”

  “Wow, thanks. I mean that. Really.”

  “I’m not doing it for you. I’m doing it for the poor kid.”

  Gonzo laughed. “And for that he will be eternally grateful.”

  “What’s his name, Tommy?” she asked softly.

  “It’s going to be Alejandro, after my father. But we’ll call him Alex.”

  “That’s a beautiful name.”

  After a long pause he said, “You really think I can do this?”

  “Absolutely. I have no doubt that you’ll be great. Let me know how you make out in court. I’ll call my sisters and give them your number.”

  “Thank you so much—for that and the flexibility.”

  “Go take care of your family. Keep me posted.”

  His family. The whole thing blew his mind. “I will.” He ended the call with her and called Christina to bring her up to speed. “Can you come to court? I’m totally freaking out over here.”

  “I can’t,” she said in a protracted wail. “Nick got called away on a family emergency today, and I’m scrambling to shift all his appointments and meetings to tomorrow. The office is insane, and I’m still waiting for my deputy to show up after his stint in rehab. I can’t believe I’ll miss it!”

  Gonzo couldn’t believe he had to get through it without her by his side. “I wish you could be there.”

  “I do too,” she said with a whimper. “I’ll be dying over here waiting to hear something.”

  “I’ll call you as soon as I can.”

  “I love you, Tommy. I’m so happy for you.”

  The words were still so new that they caught him by surprise. “I love you too. Thank you for all the support. I couldn’t have gotten through this without you.”

  “That’s nice of you to say, but getting custody might turn out to be the easy part,” she said with a laugh.

  “No kidding. I’ll call you.”

  “Good luck!”

  As soon as Sam ended the call with Gonzo, her dad’s number beeped in. “Hey, Skippy, what’s up?” She pictured him in the kitchen wearing the headset that allowed him to use the telephone.

  “Just checking on my daughter who’s been threatened once again.”

  “How do you know about that?” Neither Malone nor Farnsworth would’ve wanted to worry him, which left…“Nick. Ugh, I’ll shoot him.”

  “He’s worried, Sam, and rightfully so. If this guy could grab McBride the way he did, what’s to stop him—”

  “I hear you. Farnsworth put a tail on me. They’re right here.” She glanced at the two young officers, who waved at her. When she scowled at them, they had the good sense to look elsewhere. Coupla probies, right out of the academy, no doubt, but at least they were armed.

  “If I hear you dodged them or did anything other than exactly what your superior officers tell you to do, you’ll answer to me. Am I clear?”

  “You did get the memo that I’m thirty-four now and don’t have to do what you tell me anymore, didn’t you?”

  “You’ll do what I tell you for as long as I draw a breath on this earth, missy.”

  Sam laughed. “Did you really just call me ‘missy’? I haven’t heard that one since middle school.”

  “You drove me to it with your insolence.”

  “I apologize for my insolence, and I promise to do what I’m told. Happy now?”

  “I’ll be happy when you catch this bastard.”

  “So will I,” Sam said with a sigh. “Believe me.”

  “Come see me if I can help.”

  “Freddie and I will be by later to run a few things past you.”

  “I’ll be here.”

  “Counting on it.”

  “Right back atcha. Be careful.”

  Gonzo sat in the courtroom wishing he’d had time to go home and change. In a room full of suits, he felt woefully underdressed in the jeans and pullover sweater he’d worn to work. Even though the room was warm, he kept his black leather jacket on because it made him feel more dressed up. He had, however, unzipped the jacket so the gold shield clipped to his belt was visible. That had to count for something, right?

  Looking harried, Andy rushed into the courtroom and joined Gonzo in the gallery’s front row. Lori and Rex walked in a minute later and the glare she directed his way was sharp enough to cut glass. After noting that Rex had dressed up for court by removing his bandana, Gonzo looked away from them. She wasn’t his problem. No, the baby who arrived in the arms of a woman wearing a suit had Gonzo’s full attention. Under the woman’s arm was a manila file folder. A yellow diaper bag hung from her shoulder.

  Lori cried out when she saw the baby, and Rex held her back as she dissolved into tears.

  Gonzo rubbed his sweaty palms on his jeans.

  A few minutes later the judge entered the chambers and court was called to order. Feeling like he was watching a movie rather than a scene from his own life, Gonzo observed the proceedings with an odd sense of detachment. Surely all this talk about competency and best interests of the child and other legalese was making sense to someone because a lot of it was lost on him. The judge thoroughly quizzed the social worker about the condition of Lori’s home as well as her criminal record and Rex’s.

  Lori’s attorney stood up. “Your honor, may I please address the court?”

  “No. Sit down.”

  Andy surged to his feet. “Your honor, Andrew Simone, representing Detective Thomas Gonzales, the child’s father.”

  “Detective, please approach the bench.” The judge gave no indication they had ever met before.

  Andy nodded at him to go ahead and followed him to the front of the courtroom.

  “Is it my understanding,” the judge said, “that you had no knowledge of the child until this past weekend?”

  “Yes, Your Honor.”

  The judge glanced at Lori, who was quietly weeping as Rex kept an arm around her.

  “And you believe you could provide a loving home for the child?”

  “I do, Your Honor.”

  “Do you have a crib, car seat and other necessary equipment?”

  “It’s being procured for me as we speak by two experienced mothers. One of them will deliver the car seat here momentarily.”

  “Have you ever cared for an infant before?”

  Gonzo swallowed hard. “No, Your Honor. But I’m a fast learner, and I have friends who can show me what I need to know. My parents will come too. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to ensure he has a safe, clean, comfortable home.”

  The judge cast a distasteful look at Lori. “And will you see fit to give him a name?”

  “Yes, Your Honor. His name would be Alejandro, after my father. Alex for short.”

  The judge seemed satisfied wit
h his answer. “I’m granting temporary custody to Detective Gonzales. Miss Avery,” he said, referring to the social worker. “Please conduct weekly visits with Detective Gonzales and report to the court. We’ll reconvene in thirty days to determine how the arrangement is working out.”

  As the judge’s words registered, Gonzo couldn’t believe this was actually happening. Any moment now, he was going to wake up and discover he’d dreamed the whole thing.

  Lori’s attorney once again stood up. “Your Honor, if I may, will his mother be permitted to see the baby?”

  “Two hours a week, supervised,” the judge said. “Work out a schedule that suits Detective Gonzales and Miss Avery.”

  “You can’t do this!” Lori screamed. “He’s my baby! You’re only giving him to his father because he’s a cop!”

  The judge’s eyes narrowed with displeasure. “Unless you’d care to spend a few nights in the city jail, I’d suggest you contain your outbursts in my courtroom. Do you understand me?”

  Through her sobs, Lori managed a nod.

  “I’m giving him to his father because your home is a pigsty and frequented by criminals.”

  Rex pulled her back down to her seat.

  “Two hours a week. Take it or leave it.” The judge banged his gavel. “Next case.”

  Just like that, it was over, and Miss Avery was handing him his son. The baby’s big eyes, so wide and trusting, gazed up at him, his lips forming that adorable pucker that Gonzo remembered from the other time he’d seen him. He held the tiny body against him, struck by just how small he was. Had he been that tiny the other day? Or did the baby seem smaller because it was now up to Gonzo to keep him safe? The enormity of the moment came down on him all at once.

  Oh my God, he thought. How in the world am I going to do this?

  Chapter 20

  “What’d you get from the mothers?” she asked Freddie by phone once she’d gotten her team started on the canvas in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood where Jeannie was abducted.