Heart of the Raven(20)

"No, you don't."

"Why not?"

"Because I know the system, and I can work around the system. If you  don't want to turn him over, you don't have to. Not until Eva is found.  Or his … someone else with legal authority to take him."

"I don't understand."

"Eva willingly left him with you. That counts. You're providing a good  home. He's being well taken care of. And, Heath, I won't put him with  CPS, period. If you don't want him, I'll take him."

"You say that like you'd be able to keep him forever."

"I won't. I know I won't. But I'll gladly keep him until the right person claims him."

He scrubbed his face with his hands. "Why did she do it, Cassie?"

She melted at the pain in his words. "She liked you."

"What?"

"She chose you. She seduced you, didn't she? You haven't said so, but I'll bet it's true."

He nodded.

"Heath, we know now that someone else fathered the baby, but she must've  already known she was pregnant when you slept with her, because you  thought she had three weeks to go before she would give birth. She knew  she didn't. Apparently she doesn't want the real father to know."

"But she's smart enough to figure out I would do DNA tests."

"And she counted on the fact you would do exactly what you did-love him and fight for him."

"Can I? Fight for him?"

"I don't know. But you don't have to give him up just yet, unless you want to. Do you want to?"

He was silent for a very long time. She studied his profile-his long,  shiny hair, his strong jaw and sharp cheekbones, the straight line of  his nose. His beautiful hands, clenching and unclenching. "It would be  like being a foster parent, wouldn't it?" he asked, facing her. "Take  him in until the right home is found. Love him. Let him go."                       
       
           



       

"Yes."

"I don't want anyone else to have him."

"I know. Me, neither."

"I thought she would come and take him back. I never expected this."

"What do you want to do?" She kept after him, staying on task as much as  possible. If she didn't she was going to break down like she never had  before. Danny …  My baby. My heart. My love.

"What would we have to do?"

She straightened her shoulders, getting down to business. "I make a call  to Missing Persons first, see if anyone reported Eva missing, then see  who did. It might lead to something. Then I'll go over to CPS and talk  to them. We need to make it all legal, if there's any chance at all of  making it permanent."

"Someone will want him," he said. "Someone else gave him life and will want him."

"You don't know that. Can you do it? Can you continue to keep him?"

"Without question."

That's what she wanted to hear-conviction.

"And still give him up?"

"I won't have a choice, will I?"

"Then I'll get busy. I can't go to CPS until they open again in the morning, but I'll call my contact at Missing Persons."

"Do it now. Here."

"Okay. He'll be off duty, but he'll remember the name, if she's on the  list. I've got to get my address book from my briefcase. I'll be right  back."

She needed a couple of minutes away from him, away from his sorrow that  threatened to expose hers. He probably thought she didn't care as much  as he did. Maybe it was a good thing if he thought that. It would make  the break easier in the end, not only from Danny but from Heath. He  wouldn't want her around if Danny was gone. He already had to live with  the pain of losing Kyle, and that would never go away. The pain of  losing Danny would lessen in time, but not if she was there as a  reminder every day.

Cassie splashed cold water on her face before she got her address book  and returned to the office. She caught him staring into space, looking  so alone. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and never let go. She  knocked on the open door instead and walked in.

She didn't say a word, just headed to the phone and dialed.

"Speak," came the voice from the other end.

"Hey, Johnson, it's Cassie Miranda. How're you?"

"Cassie, my angel, my one and only. I'm good, babe. How're you doing?"

"Working hard."

"When don't you?"

"Hey, I'm on a case that might be linked to something you've got. Maybe. I'm wondering if you've got an MP for an Eva Brooks."

"Brooks. Nope. Not officially, anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"You're the second person to inquire about her recently."

"Who else was asking?"

Heath came to attention.

"Some lawyer," Johnson said.

"Kerwin Rudyard?"

"No. Let me think. Who the hell was that? Oh, yeah. Torrance. Brad Torrance."

Heath's corporate attorney and Eva's boss. He'd called her roommate,  Darcy, too. "Okay, thanks. Listen, give me a buzz if anyone files a  report, okay? I'd appreciate it."

"Sure thing. Take it easy."

"You, too." She hung up the phone. "Brad Torrance made an inquiry."

"Torrance? You find that odd, I take it."

"Yes and no. She dropped out of sight. Maybe the company wanted to talk  to her about something, a paycheck perhaps, or her maternity benefits,  but wouldn't it be the human resources director? Not the boss, I don't  think."

They stared at each other.

"What do you know about him?" she asked.

"He's married. His wife is expecting a baby, as a matter of fact. She  was due the same time as Eva. But I don't socialize with him, so I don't  know more than that."

"How do you know she was pregnant?"

"Eva told me."

"How did it come up in conversation?"

He thought about it. "I think she said something about Torrance's wife  coming into the office one day and, I don't know, they compared bellies,  or something like that. What are you thinking? That he's the father?  That they had an affair?"

"Makes sense, doesn't it? Eva was insistent, you said, that she couldn't  tell anyone at work who the father was. Maybe it had nothing to do with  it being a client, you, but with it being the boss," she said, warming  to the idea even more.

"The boss would try to keep it hush-hush, anyway, of course, but  especially with his wife pregnant," he said. "I think I should call  him."                       
       
           



       

She thought about it. "Yeah, probably. But not tonight, not at home. Tomorrow at work. You'll have to be circumspect."

"I've been that since I was a day old. I've never forgiven my parents, either."

"Okay-" She stopped. Saw a twinkle in his eye. If he could joke at a  time like this, she didn't need to worry about him. He would recover.  "Wise guy."

Danny started to cry. The sound drifted up the staircase and into the  office like butterflies, elusive and fragile. She looked at Heath, who  had shut his eyes. After a few seconds he stood.

"I'll get him," he said.

She squeezed his arm as he passed by. He stopped for a second, his soul  in his eyes, then kept walking. She waited where she was, giving him  time alone, then made her way to the kitchen to make a dinner that  neither of them would feel like eating.

They could pretend for one more night that he was theirs.



Heath wasn't sure he wanted Cassie to join him in bed. He didn't know  what to do. He didn't want to talk. He didn't want to make love. He  couldn't grieve. To grieve for Danny meant it opened the door for Kyle.  He wasn't ready to face that, not now. Not yet.

Letterman was on but Danny, off his normal schedule all evening, was  already asleep. Cassie was doing whatever she was doing. He didn't know.

After a few minutes she tapped lightly on his door. "Hi," she said,  peeking in first, then coming into the room. Bathed in the blue light of  the television, she looked otherworldly, yet he knew she was as  earthbound as a person could get.

She walked to the bed, climbed onto it and sat cross-legged, facing him. "I was lonely."

He didn't say anything. He knew it hurt her. He didn't know how to tell her what he wanted, and didn't want.

"Dance with me," he said, deciding spur of the moment. It would be  something new, a distraction, not likely to lead to deep conversation.

Although she was obviously surprised, she said okay. He held her hand as  they got out of bed. He turned off the television, picked up another  remote control and music filled the room, something slow, a tune he  didn't recognize. She came into his arms like she'd been born to. How  long had it been since he'd danced? Years and years. He was glad he'd  asked her.

"Do you do this often?" he asked against her hair.

"Not slow dance. I go to clubs with friends. Lots of no-name dancing."