“That’s all I know. Leave.”
Siobhan was growing increasingly frustrated with this entire situation. How could she be so close to Mari and Ana and still not find them? It wasn’t fair!
Lucy cleared her throat and said in clear, perfect Spanish, including a slight accent she didn’t have when she spoke English, “Mrs. Hernandez, por favor. The young woman Ms. Walsh saw yesterday was pregnant and appeared in poor health. Father Sebastian is very concerned about the health and welfare of both her and her unborn child. We don’t care about her immigration status, we don’t care about any crimes she may have committed. We just want her to be safe. Did she leave with someone?”
Mrs. Hernandez nodded.
“A man or a woman?”
“A man. A young man, I see him many times. He drove the truck, the pregnant girl was with him. She walked out on her own. She wasn’t hurt.”
“Did they pack anything up? Suitcases?”
She nodded again. “She had a small bag. He had a suitcase. No one has come back since. I’m glad, but Enrique is worried they’ll come back and know we let her in.” She glared at Siobhan. “I don’t want trouble.”
“No trouble from us, I promise you,” Lucy said. “Do you know who the boy was?”
“Pedro. That’s his name. He talks about his parents, but I never see them. He’s always there. He’s seventeen, I know this, because I asked him once why he’s not in school. He said he doesn’t need school, he’s seventeen.” She shook her head. “My boy went to school. Went to community college, too. Now has his own restaurant. Education is important.”
“How long was he living there?”
“Since the week after Easter.” She crossed herself. “Please, that’s all I know. I told Father Sebastian everything I knew, that they all left Thursday night. I didn’t know there was anyone else there, other than Pedro, until you came.” She glared at Siobhan. “I don’t want trouble.”
“Thank you for your time. God bless,” Lucy said.
Siobhan wanted to ask her more questions but Lucy led her away.
“That’s all you’re going to get from her,” Lucy said. “They’re gone.”
“No!”
“But we have information we didn’t have before. You said you know how many girls were there?”
“There were eight beds, and they all appeared to have been used.”
They got back into the car and Noah drove back to Siobhan’s rental car.
“And Mrs. Hernandez saw three or four pregnant women. There may have been more. It all changed after the baby was left at the church. They took everyone away on Thursday, except for that one girl. She may have been too sick to travel, or about to give birth, or there was another reason.”
“But Mrs. Hernandez was wrong—there was another baby. I have no idea how old, but I saw a girl—she couldn’t have been more than twenty—carrying a baby out of that house. Surrounded by several goons. And a well-dressed woman who didn’t fit into the neighborhood.” Siobhan straightened her spine. “I have the pictures. I can prove everything I said.”
“Proving their existence doesn’t mean anything illegal was going on,” Noah said.
“But you know there was something going on. Why else would someone steal my SD card and not the four-thousand-dollar camera it was in?”
“Let’s see what you have,” Lucy said, “and maybe we can find out exactly what’s been going on.”
CHAPTER FIVE
An hour later, Lucy and Noah arrived at Siobhan’s hotel room with takeout from a nearby fast-food restaurant. It wasn’t a five-star resort, but it was a nice, clean residence-style hotel with in-suite kitchenettes, laundries in every wing, and a work area. Siobhan unlocked the safe in her room and pulled out a small, thin laptop. She sat at the desk while Noah and Lucy sat at the two-person table.
Siobhan quickly booted up her laptop and downloaded the photos from her cloud account. She worked quickly and efficiently. “I’ll pull out the best photos—the ones that clearly show facial features. I also have license plates. But then I really need to go to the hospital. You should come, too—see Elizabeth, talk to her doctor. I’m worried about her.”
“Is she sick?”
“No—she was small, barely five pounds, but was at term or close to it. Beautiful. Perfect. But the hospital has already had inquiries about her. What if someone tries to claim her?”
“The police would have questions. CPS would need to verify—”
“But she’s my only connection to Mari and Ana. She was left at that church for a reason. She was left with the locket for a reason—and that reason was for the priest to call me. She wants my helps. Needs it. I can’t walk away, and I can’t let anything happen to Baby Elizabeth.” She took a deep breath and turned back to the photos. Siobhan was certainly passionate.
Noah’s phone rang, and he excused himself and went into the hall.