Fatal Charm

“We know your daughter was adopted, and that you’ve tried to keep that from everyone. If you don’t do whatever we say, we’ll make sure you regret it. We can alter adoption records, even make sure that the age-progression software Ramos is using starts producing an image that looks just like your kid. We can set it up so that there’ll be no doubt in his mind that she’s his little girl. Once he’s convinced, it won’t matter what anyone else thinks or says. Official approval or not, you know he’ll stop at nothing to take her away from you.”

That threat had the ring of truth. Having met Tony, Amanda couldn’t deny it. She felt her blood turn to ice. “Breaking into the state’s computers can’t be easy. How do I know this isn’t just some kind of bluff?”

“Check it out. We’ve set up a little demonstration. There is no longer any computerized record of your daughter’s adoption. We’ve eliminated it from the data banks completely.”

“I still have the original documents,” Amanda answered, unable to suppress the fear that came through in her voice.

“Nothing exists in the computer’s memory to back them up. Ramos could claim they were phony.”

“You’ve obviously been digging deeply into my life. Why? What do you want from me?”

“Just do what you’re told and don’t go to the police, not unless you want to be responsible for the death of his child, and the loss of your own. And don’t even think about running. If you do, we’ll make sure Ramos tracks you down wherever you go. In the end, we’d be off the hook, he’d have your child, and you’d have nothing.”

“Blood tests would prove my daughter isn’t his,” Amanda argued back angrily.

“And not yours, either. Are you willing to give up the girl to a welfare agency while the courts decide the case? That could take months, years maybe. I’ll bet the press would like to know about it, too. Imagine how a story like this could affect your business. Who’d trust an accused baby snatcher with their own precious darlings?”

“You’re bluffing,” Amanda uttered in disbelief.

“Check the state computer for the adoption records if you doubt us. We’re very capable of backing up our threats.” The line went dead.

Bernice walked into the office and gave Amanda a startled look. “You’re white as a sheet! What’s going on?”

Amanda’s hand shook as she hung up. “Does your friend still work for Social Services?” Amanda asked.

“Sure. She’s been there for years.”

“I need a favor. I was hoping to keep this story from you. In this situation, knowledge is dangerous, but I need your help and you have a right to know.” After telling her friend about the kidnapper’s threat, she dropped back into her chair.

“How could they know Hope was adopted? The only ones who knew were Ron, his sister, you and I, and a few clerical workers at the agency who handled the adoption. If I remember correctly, Ron made you promise never to tell anyone. He was always afraid that the child’s father would return to harass his sister about giving up Hope for adoption. Did you change your mind and confide in anyone else over the years?”

Amanda shook her head. “Of course not. I would never have risked it.”

“Maybe the birth father is behind this scam, or at least in league with the people responsible. Somebody obviously talked to the woman who called.”

“Maybe. First things first, though. Get hold of your friend and have her search the computers. See if the adoption record is still there. I have to know if it’s just a bluff.”

Bernice glanced at her watch. “I may still catch her. She usually works late. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Amanda sat down to wait, then, on impulse, decided to call Ron. She’d need to know if he’d told anyone about the adoption, and also to find out all she could about Hope’s birth father. It would definitely be tricky. She couldn’t afford to tip her hand. If Ron knew the whole story, it was possible he would insist on getting involved. Yet she knew he’d be doing it out of pride—not love for his daughter—and that meant he would be willing to take the kind of risks she’d never condone. He’d likely complicate things rather than solve them.

Gathering her courage, she dialed her ex-husband’s office. Katrina, his longtime paralegal assistant and secretary, answered the phone.

“Hello, Katrina? This is Amanda. I’d like to speak to Ron, please. It’s important.”

“He’s with a client, Amanda. I’ll take your number and have Mr. Vila return your call.” Katrina was cold and excessively polite, as she had been ever since the divorce. She made it a point to be difficult whenever Amanda called. Katrina was undoubtedly acting on Ron’s instructions.

“Sorry, Katrina, this can’t wait. Tell Ron it’s about Hope, but it doesn’t concern his money or his time. That should put his mind at ease.” Amanda couldn’t understand why Katrina was so loyal to Ron. It certainly wasn’t because of a romantic attachment. In two years of marriage, Ron had proven to be the most unemotional man Amanda had ever known.

Katrina put her on hold without another word. After five minutes, just when Amanda was getting really angry, Ron picked up the line. As usual, Ron seemed more annoyed than pleased to hear from her. After a curt greeting, he urged her to get to the point.

“I need to get in touch with your sister,” Amanda said, “but I don’t have her telephone number.”

“Why do you want to talk to Louise?”

“Hope has a little friend who’s adopted, so Hope is now filled with questions of her own. I thought this was the perfect time to start introducing Hope to the idea that she’s adopted, too. But I don’t want to do it if there are still problems with her birth father.”

“Louise hasn’t heard from that guy in years. In fact, last Christmas when I saw her, she said he’d moved to Mexico. Louise is married now, so don’t go calling her and dredging up the past. Her husband doesn’t know about the baby. Besides, don’t you remember that you and I agreed not to tell anyone Hope was adopted? Try to keep your word for the sake of my sister, and leave me out of it, too. I’ve got important work to do.”

She heard a click, then a dial tone. Some things never changed. To Ron, Hope had never ceased to be a reminder of his inability to father a child. Frustration and anger rippled through her, making her insides tie into a knot.

When Bernice finally came into Amanda’s office twenty minutes later, Amanda scarcely dared to breathe as she waited for the news.

“There’s no record of the adoption,” Bernice said in a muted voice. “Everyone was gone, so Jenny was able to access several different data banks. She checked everything she could think of, but the adoption records are just not there. They must have been erased somehow.”

Amanda felt the blood draining from her face. “Then it’s not a bluff. They’ve tampered with the state records.”

“So what now?”

“I call Tony, pass on their demands, and keep quiet about the rest. For now, that’s the only thing I can do. I don’t want to risk losing my daughter, even if it would only be for a while.”

“You’re a fighter, Amanda. You won’t be able to stand this for long. When your patience runs out, what will you do?”

“I’m not sure, but I do know I can’t just sit back and trust this caller to keep her end of the bargain. I’ll need some leverage of my own sooner or later.”

Amanda managed to keep her hands from shaking as she finished dialing. To her disappointment, she only reached Tony’s answering machine. Frustrated, she decided to leave a sketchy message and wait to give him the details later. They were in this together now, though for different reasons; allies, yet not.

As she finished speaking to the machine, she considered giving him her unlisted home number, but then decided against it. She didn’t want him calling her at home, possibly frightening Hope. “I’ll call again later so we can discuss this at length,” she added.

Bernice watched her. “You’ve got to talk to someone...the cops or a lawyer. You can’t handle this by yourself.”

“I can’t go to anyone yet. And you can’t say anything, either. Promise me. I’ve got to have something on these people in order to safeguard Hope and myself. The only way I can get that is to play along for now.”

“I understand, but—”

“No, no buts. This is the way it’s got to be.”

Bernice nodded. “I’ll do everything I can to help you. I don’t know how much good I’ll be, but you won’t go through this alone.”

Amanda toyed with a pencil on her desk, trying frantically to get a handle on the situation. “Wait a second. Did you tell me the caller knew I was here?”

“That’s what she told me.”

“How could she know that—unless she’s watching?” Amanda walked over to the window and pulled the curtain aside to glance up and down the street. Finally she allowed the curtain to fall back into place. “There are cars parked all the way down the street as usual, but I didn’t see anyone sitting inside one.”

“Maybe they know your car.”

“I suppose that’s possible.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m going outside to take a look around. I don’t want to leave here with Hope and have someone follow me home.”