High Stakes Gamble

Chapter Thirty-Six

“Okay Eddie, tell me what made you call it in.” Kai arrived to Mike’s in less time that he should have. No doubt, the flashing lights and spurts of siren helped.

Sweeping the sidewalk in front of his place, Mike barred the door when he first spotted Kai heading in his direction. His body language screamed antagonism and the glint in his eye warned retribution.

Shit! Here we go again. That woman of mine sure has the friends.

“Brainless prick!” Mike spoke first.

“You got that right,” Kai agreed.

Taken aback, Mike relaxed a smidgeon. “You come back for the baby? What about Aurora?”

“I’m back for both my girls.” Kai waited, hands on hips, hoping he could grab his gun out before Mike ripped him another a*shole.

“Just so you know; you get one chance. Next time wave good-bye to your shadow cause you won’t be needing one where you’ll be.”

“Sounds fair.” Kai didn’t chance a grin; he just stared Mike down.

An eternity passed before Mike broke contact and turned away. Hoping his back muscles would eventually return to their normal rigidity, Kai opened the door and stepped into the dimness of the beer-stinking joint.

Eddie waited for him at a back booth with two beers still foaming in chilled mugs. The man hadn’t changed one iota. He still hid his worth behind dirty clothes, long stringy hair and a dim-witted mask.

Ignoring Eddie’s obvious scorn, Kai slid into the seat opposite and picked up the glass to wet his dry mouth.

“You ever hear of our resident crackpot, Matilda?” Eddie went straight to business. His tone withheld the disgust written all over his features as soon as he set eyes on Kai.

“Can’t say as I have. Detective Hampton knew of her—says she calls in a lot with complaints about people living across from her. He figures she’s full of shit, because from the looks of the woman, she’s most likely homeless.”

“I thought the same until I heard her spout off about today’s crazy mothers and how the red-headed bitch doesn’t know squat about looking after a baby. It was the red-headed part of her harangue that caught my interest.”

“Did you question her?”

“No, she was poleaxed by the time she left here. Instead, I decided to follow her home after she left the bar to see where she’d end up. Glad I did. Turns out the crazy lady lives in the Gresham block. It’s a group of relatively new condos, four set in a semi-circle all facing each other around a small plaza.”

“You don’t say.” Kai’s heart starting beating double-time. “By any chance did you get her apartment number?”

“No. But I can tell you which building it is and I have no doubt, you’ll get in. I’ve asked around and found out her real name is Matilda Swift.”

Kai stood, pulled out his wallet to leave tip money for the drinks and payment for Eddie’s report.

“Don’t insult me, man. Aurora and me… we’re colleagues. This is for her and Lily.”

Sincere appreciation rang in Kai’s voice and he didn’t try to hide it. “Thanks Eddie. I owe you.”

Kai left the darkness of the building and once outside, he blinked rapidly before putting his sunglasses on. “Damn sun makes my eyes water,” he muttered real low, his voice cracking.

In a short time, he arrived at the condo and found the apartment he wanted. He rang the bell and used his most professional tone when Matilda’s querulous voice answered. “Who is it?”

“Detective Kai Lawson, LVMPD. Have a few questions to ask you Ma’am. About the Morelli baby’s disappearance. Understand you have some information?”

“Show your badge.”

Kai held his badge up to the small screen near the pad full of buttons.

“Says you’re from LA?”

Old bag wasn’t too stupid after all. “Yes, Ma’am, I’m a special consultant here on the kidnapping.”

He heard the lock being released and entered the building before she changed her mind. A few minutes later he approached her open door to find the possible crackpot, or hopefully a possible savior waiting for him.

His first impression was that she’d smoked too many cigarettes, drank too much booze and killed off a lot of brain cells in her earlier years. The ugly, beady-eyed woman who stood before him gave him the creeps.

Dressed in a sweat suit that probably worked as both day and night wear that hadn’t seen soap or water for months, the straggly-haired old witch waved him inside. Her sour-smelling apartment didn’t look much better than its owner and reeked even worse.

An open balcony faced into the inside of the plaza and a pair of binoculars duct-taped to a stand caught his attention immediately. Before he could follow his inclination to step outside for both fresh air and a chance to view her panorama, she stopped him to whine.

“I’ve called the precinct lots of times and you’re the first person who has ever come to discuss my complaints. I suppose I oughtta thank you.” She wobbled to where an ancient old lazy-boy, ratty and filthy, sat in front of a beauty of a big-screen TV.

Seems Matilda liked certain luxuries, Kai surmised. Empty beer bottles lined the floor around her seat and littered the table in front and beside her. The woman didn’t go without.

“Nice place you have here, Miss Swift.”

“Mrs. Swift. My man left it to me. Set me up before he passed on. Wanted to make sure I was looked after. Good husband, my Henry, I still miss the old goat.” Tears filled her rheumy eyes.

So maybe the old doll wasn’t as wacky as Ham thought. Kai sat on the hard-backed chair nearest her and decided to just come straight out with his questions, no beating around the bush.

“Last night you mentioned seeing a red-headed woman, a mother who didn’t know how to look after her baby. I’m interested in anything you can tell me about this woman.”

“They’re all over the place, so called mothers who have no sense. God isn’t as select anymore—lets any stupid hussy give birth. It’s the babies who suffer. I never had any children, and I still curse him for making me that way.”

Matilda reached to the floor and lifted a half-empty bottle of beer and drained it. She burped loudly and then continued. “The Bible says God is all-seeing, all-knowing. Well I say he don’t know nothing! What goes on around me in this place would make your head spin. It’s a crazy world out there, full of nuts. Nuts everywhere!”

O-kayyy… she’s as wacky as Ham warned. Kai wondered if he was wasting his time. One more go at it and he was outta here.

“About the redhead, Mrs. Swift?”

Matilda shook herself and her head spun in his direction as if she wondered who he was and how he’d appeared. Then she put her hand up to her forehead and rubbed. “The redhead? Not so red anymore. She’s changed it to black. Looks horrible if you ask me. I liked it better before.”

Son-of-a-bi… Excitement began to prick at the queasiness in the pit of his stomach. “Tell me about your black-haired neighbor.”

“My neighbor? Oh yes. She changed her hair color but I’d recognize her anywhere. I call her Mama of the Year. At least she isn’t one of them that hurts her baby. She just never puts the kid down. Day and night I see her carrying the babe, always kissing and smooching, and singing. It’s kinda nice sometimes, you know what I mean? I like watching her.”

His heart instantly took up the rumba. A breath caught in back of his throat and he thought if he forced it through his lungs it would choke him. So instead, he breathed through his nose and halted the ecstatic joy that pulsed throughout his system. Please God, please!

“Umm Mrs. Swift, could you show me the window you’re talking about?” He rose and waited for Matilda to follow.

Like a recorder clicked on to play, Matilda still talked and ignored him. “She never goes out. Gets her groceries delivered from all different stores. I know. I see the trucks all the time. Once in a while, she brings the baby to the balcony for fresh air. I like him. He’s beautiful.”

Quickly, Kai strode back toward the nutcase still nattering. “You’re sure it’s a boy?” Harsh with sorrow, his tone one decibel down from a yell, he instinctively probed.

His voice must have registered because she blinked and gave him her attention. A crafty grin lit her face and she added. “She dresses the babe in blue, but if you see the darling’s blue eyes and cute giggle, it don’t look to me like a boy. Too pretty! Come on, I’ll show you.”

She led him to the binoculars and swung them to the building straight across. “One floor down, directly opposite.”

Barely able to contain himself, Kai did as she ordered, fixed the sights on the glasses and stared directly into the face of his precious baby daughter.