Twenty minutes later, she had located every other baby born at Granite Cay Memorial Hospital on June 14, 1995, but no Jane Elizabeth. She had never registered for school, and her parents never owned a home or signed up for the census. It was like Jane and her family never existed at all.
Riley’s finger hovered over the Granite Cay Gazette. The idea of Jane—of Riley herself as Jane—was weighing heavily on her now. Jane and her family didn’t exist. But the birth certificate proved she did once. And it was hidden—locked away in Riley’s baby book. Her stomach soured and she chewed the inside of her cheek. Could her parents—? She looked back at the computer screen.
If Jane had been kidnapped, there would be an article about it. If something horrible had happened to the family—murdered, killed in a car crash—it would be in the Gazette.
She blew out a long sigh and typed in Granite Cay—Major Crime—1995–1998. Her stomach burned, and it seemed like the ancient hall of records computers were deliberately taking hours, ratcheting up her own tension. Finally a slew of articles populated the screen, each one stabbing at Riley.
If she was Jane—if her parents stole her—what did that mean for her? For them?
She clicked on the first article, the tightness in her heart becoming unbearable—until she read the headline: “Major Crimes Division Breaks Car Thief Ring.” She clicked to the next: “Drugs Found in High School Student’s Locker.” She rested her chin in her hands, clicking article after article on small-time crimes that the city of Granite Cay considered major. There wasn’t a single kidnapping mentioned, the only death an eighty-nine-year-old woman in a house fire. Somewhere, a band of graffitiing teenagers ran amok.
“Were you planning on leaving me there all day?”
Riley snapped up when she heard JD’s voice then immediately regretted it when her neck started to spasm. She rubbed the aching spot just under her ear. “Oh, I’m sorry. I guess time got away from me.”
“Well, that’s understandable.” JD squinted. “What with this fascinating report of suspected score tampering at the Sixth Annual Dolphin Swim Tournament.” He feigned terror. “Where the Granite Cay Water Bonnets took second place for the third year in a row. What the hell is a water bonnet? Are they seriously named after hats?”
Riley was too exhausted—and annoyed—to be amused. She thunked her forehead on the desk in front of her. “Ugh. I’m sorry. And this was a big waste of time too. I couldn’t find a single thing I was looking for.”
“Well, yeah, if you’re looking for medical records in the Gazette.”
“Do you have a better idea?”
“Yeah. Pizza.”
“How is pizza going to help me find…medical records?”
“It’s not, but it’ll help me from dying of starvation.” He grinned and she couldn’t argue; her stomach growled at the thought of a big, greasy pie.
They found a diner a block away from the hall of records and slid into a booth. “If you’re getting a roasted veggie with no cheese, I’m out,” JD said, scanning the menu.
Riley wrinkled her nose. “What is a roasted veggie with no cheese?”
“It’s a pizza.”
“No, it’s not. An all-meat supreme with extra cheese and double sauce is a pizza.”
JD shut his menu and grinned. “My kind of woman.”
After the waitress took their order, JD leaned back in his seat and eyed Riley. Riley immediately felt self-conscious. “What?”
“Are you ever going to tell me why we’re really out here?”
Riley looked around the restaurant. “We’re out here because you’re starving.”
“In Granite Cay, Ry. Who’s Jane and what are you looking for?”
FIVE
Nerves like steel bands wound around Riley’s heart. She tried to swallow but found her mouth was dry. She looked into JD’s eyes and thought about their detention week. He was funny; he was nice—he was smart. She licked her lips.
“I really don’t know who Jane is. I came here trying to find out.”
To her surprise, JD didn’t laugh. “OK. So if you don’t know who she is, where did you get the name?”
The birth certificate was burning in Riley’s pocket. She took a deep breath and slid the paper across the table. She scrutinized JD as he opened the folded paper, his hazel eyes scanning it, then meeting hers.
“This is a birth certificate.”
Riley nodded. “I know.”
“For Jane. But you don’t know who she is.”
“No.”
“She must be someone pretty important if you’re willing to hop a train and come all the way out here for her.”
Riley swallowed. “You hopped a train and came all the way out here.”
The waitress broke in, sliding an enormous pizza in between them. She turned away and JD already had a giant bite of pizza in his mouth. He swallowed. “So you have no idea who Jane Elizabeth O’Leary is?”
Riley pulled a slice of pizza onto her plate but couldn’t bring herself to eat. “I’ve been trying to figure that out, but I keep coming up empty.”