"Is this the one?" she said, pointing to the approaching doorway of examination room A.

"No, she's in the next one."

Angela turned the corner. "Down here?" she said.

"Yes, ma'am. Halfway down on the right."

Angela stepped into the examination room and looked around. "This is the room?"

"Yes," said the receptionist pushing in behind her. "The nurse said she left her in room B."

"Well." She shot the woman an accusing look. "She's not here now. I want the building shut down. No one leaves without my authorization."

"I'll have to get Dr. Page to approve this."

"You call whoever you want, but I have a warrant to search these premises and detain any individuals I believe are suspect in this investigation. If you allow Miss Paris to leave this property, I will hold you personally responsible. Got it?"

The woman looked as if she might pa.s.s out. "O- okay." she stammered. "I'll see what I can do." She started to exit the room-then screamed.

There was another scream from the hallway. Angela pushed past the receptionist and unstrapped the revolver on her belt.

Holly stood in the hallway squeezing her purse to her chest. Her irises floated in a sea of white.

Angela released her grip on the revolver. "Miss Paris, what are you doing in the hall?"

"I had to pee," she squeaked. "I didn't want to have an exam with a full bladder, so I went to look for the bathroom. Why is everyone freaking out?"

The receptionist was clutching her chest, so Angela put a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you go sit down, and tell Agent Perez we found Miss Paris."

The woman walked away, looking like she just stepped off a fair ride.

Holly looked rattled as well. Her brow and top lip were noticeably moist and her body quaked with subtle tremors.

"Are you all right, Miss Paris?"

"Y- yes." she said. "Why?"

"You're sweating and trembling."

"She scared me half to death!"

"Being startled doesn't make a person sweat."

"Yeah-well-I- I'm so nervous about the exam. I don't think I can go through with it."

Agent Grant watched her closely. Either Holly was telling the truth, or she was an excellent actress. Her neck muscles and eyebrows tightened when she said the word exam which meant the emotion attached to that word was real. She was not happy about taking this exam, but was that the only reason for her heightened emotional state?

"Come in and have a seat, Holly." Angela moved to the side and let Holly go in and sit down on a chair in the exam room.

"Why are you here?" Holly asked.

This was Angela's opportunity to check for motive. If Holly knew Gary's office was in the clinic, she would have no choice but to lie. Admitting that she knew this, but had still come, would be highly suspicious. She had to know that. If she was truly unaware of the connection between Gary and the clinic, her first and uncontrollable response would be shock.

Angela chose her words carefully. "We believe Gabe's kidnapper works in this clinic. We are here to search his office."

There was no shock, not even feigned shock. Holly just looked puzzled.

"Holly?"

Her eyes flitted up. "Yes?"

"Your lack of response tells me you had foreknowledge that the suspect in your son's kidnapping works at this facility. What do you have to say about that?"

"No I didn't," she said.

"Just now, when I told you we were here to search his office, you showed no signs of surprise or shock."

"I wasn't shocked," she said.

"And why is that?"

"I saw his name on the door across the hall." She pointed.

It was true. There it was, Gary Carter, written on a plaque in the middle of the door. How had she missed that? "Was that why you were nervous in the hallway?"

Holly hesitated. "I don't know. Yeah. I guess."

"Why the hesitation?"

"I don't know! Why are you grilling me like I'm a suspect? I didn't know Gary worked here, and even if I did, what could I possibly do that you can't do?"

"Revenge," Agent Grant said, holding her eyes steady on Holly's.

"What? Kill him? He's holding my son!"

She had a point. It made no sense for her to come here for revenge. She couldn't kill him, not while her son was still being held somewhere.

"Then tell me why you're here, across the hall from the man who is holding your son."

"I have an appointment! It was made before any of this started. Ask the clinic."

"Before this all started?"

"Yes," she gasped.

"And you didn't know Mr. Carter worked here until you came here today?"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you. Can I go, please?"

"Go?"

"Yes. I think I'm going to be sick."

"What about your exam?"

"I barely wanted to do it in the first place. Please! Can I go?"

If she made the appointment before the kidnapping took place, that removed the motive. There was no reason to detain her. "Yes. You're free to go."

Holly burst from the chair and pushed by. Angela watched her walk briskly down the hall and take the corner. Had she misread the whole situation? Was it only a coincidence? If so, she could understand Holly's fear. This would be the last place Holly would want to be.

Angela made a quick call to Perez. "Holly is on her way out. Let her go."

There was a hint of confusion in the way he said, "Okay."

"Make sure you find out from the office staff when Holly made the appointment at the clinic. If it was before yesterday, she has no motive."

"I'm on it."

"And tell our SBI friends to join us in Mr. Carter's office. I want to tear the room apart."

Chapter 36.

The friendly hospital receptionist looked up and over her gla.s.ses. "May I help you?"

Jake attempted to relax. "Yes," he said, "I'm looking for a patient-last name Thomas."

"When was she admitted?"

"Today," he said.

She clicked some b.u.t.tons and scanned her screen. "Pamela Thomas?"

"Yes. Yes, that's it."

"Are you a relative?"

"I'm her brother." He immediately regretted the response. It was probably a bad idea to lie to a woman with the resources of a computer in front of her. He had no idea what kind of information they kept on those things. It would have been safer to say no and have to search the maternity ward than give a suspicious answer and have security escort him off the premises.

"She's in room 814. Take the elevators to the eighth floor and follow the hallway to the nurses' station. You can check in there."

"Right. Eighth floor. Thank you." He hid his relief, and crossed over the hall to the elevators. It felt as if every eye in the entire lobby was glued on him. It wasn't true of course, but inward guilt has a way of toying with one's perceptions.

The elevator doors opened, and he herded onto it with other visitors and squeezed toward the back. It was a short trip, and by the time he reached the eighth floor, the elevator was empty.

Ding. The doors slid open and he stepped out into the corridor. Everything was quiet. To his right was the waiting room where he noted an old couple, a young man by himself, and a father with his two children. There were no pregnant women, so Jake took a left down the hall. Immediately he saw a set of double doors with a Restricted Area sign on it.

Standing in front of the doors was a three-year-old in blond pigtails with a mixture of shock and excitement on her face. She turned and ran through the doors-without opening them.

Jake made a quick check to see if anyone was looking, then walked briskly to the doors. He peeked through the window to see that the corridor beyond was empty, then pushed through and walked down to where the hall turned right. He could hear giggling coming from the next hallway, so he slowed and carefully peered around the bend.

Four children stood staring at him.

"See! Is him!" squealed the girl in pigtails. "He-ah in da hossible!"

An olive-skinned two-year-old boy standing next to her smiled a crooked smile, while a pair of twin girls behind them hopped and clapped.

Jake took a step back to avoid being seen; the children came around the corner. He crouched down. "You guys know me?"

"Yah," said the pigtailed-girl. "We know you. Yaw Inas dod."

Jake c.o.c.ked his head. "I'm what?"

The olive-skinned boy put his hand on Jake's arm. "Yaw wam."

The twins came around and touched his skin too. He felt like the subject of a lab experiment with their little fingers rubbing and poking.

"Do any of you have a message for me? Something you're supposed to tell me?"

The girl in pigtails said, "I don' ting day memmer yet. Day happy cos day nevaw tauch stuff."

"But do you remember?" he asked.

She nodded enthusiastically.

"How do you know me?"

"Some ov us know eesh ovor befaw."

"Before what?"

"Befaw we lef."

"Left where?" He looked at her intently. "You were somewhere before you came here?"

"Yah, but nawt wong."

"Do you know what that place was?"

"No. I don' know it."

"But-you remember it."