“Your baby didn’t die,” Jon said. “They stole her. We’re stealing her back.”
“What the hell do you mean?” Alex asked.
“I mean just what I said,” Jon replied.
“Is she all right?” Miranda asked, so softly Jon almost didn’t understand her.
“Yes,” Sarah said. “We haven’t seen her, but as far as we know she’s fine.”
“They lied about her being deformed,” Jon said. “They lied about all of it.”
Miranda began to cry. Alex clenched the steering wheel tightly.
“Who?” he said. “Who did this? I’m going to kill them.”
“Listen to me,” Sarah said, and they could all hear the claver in her voice. “You can kill whoever you want, but then you won’t get your baby back. It’s your choice. Do you want revenge or do you want your daughter?”
Miranda was sobbing. Jon reached over and put his hand on her shoulder. “We’ll get her back,” he said.
“Make the next right,” Sarah said. “Alex, we have a plan. It’s risky, but I think we can pull it off. If something goes wrong, remember that Charles and Amy Stockton have your baby. Go three more blocks and make a left. Charles and Amy Stockton.”
“We’ll need to get out of Sexton as fast as possible,” Jon said. “No one will be looking for us at Matt’s, so you can leave us there and take Sarah on to Virginia.”
“If we don’t come out with the baby, go,” Sarah said. “Hide out in White Birch until you can figure out another plan.”
“I can’t let you do this,” Alex said. “It’s my baby.” He touched Miranda gently. “Our baby.”
“We have a plan, Alex, and you’re not part of it,” Sarah said. “Except as the driver. Go one more block. Okay, see that white house on the corner? Park directly in front of it, but turn your lights off. Keep the motor running, though, and have the back doors open.”
Miranda turned around and looked straight at Jon. “You can do this?” she asked. “You can bring my baby to me?”
Or die trying, Jon thought. Instead he reached over and kissed his sister on her cheek. “Do you have everything?” he asked Sarah.
“Take the sign,” she said. “And the tape. Let’s put the surgical masks on now. The gowns can wait until we’re out of the car.”
“I’ll never be able to thank you,” Alex said.
“You don’t have to,” Jon said. “We’re family. Come on, Sarah.”
“Surgical masks, surgical caps, surgical gowns,” Sarah said as they got out of the car. “The only thing they’ll see are our eyes. Remember, Jon, let me do the talking. You go upstairs and get the baby and her things. Do you have the suitcase?”
“Can’t you see it?” Jon asked.
“I’m nervous, all right?” Sarah said. “Okay. Let’s do this. Put the sign on the door and start knocking.”
They walked to the front of the house—a mansion, really. Lisa had told them they had six domestics but only the guard and the wet nurse should be there. The rest would be in White Birch until the morning.
Jon attached the sign to the front door. “Ring the bell?” he asked.
Sarah nodded. “Three times,” she said. “Then start knocking and shouting.”
Jon pressed hard against the doorbell. He could hear it ringing in the house but no other sounds. He began to pound on the door. “Medical emergency!” he yelled. “Open the door!”
The guard opened the door. He had his gun already pulled out and pointed it at Jon’s head. “Who the hell are you?” he growled. “And what the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“We’re here to see Charles Stockton,” Sarah said.
The guard stared at her and pulled the safety.
“If you kill us, you’re signing your own death warrant,” Sarah said. “Now either get Charles Stockton here now or be prepared to die.”
A man and a woman came to the top of the stairs. “What’s going on here?” the man asked.
“Mr. Stockton?” Sarah asked.
“You want me to kill them?” the guard asked.
“Mr. Stockton, your baby is highly contagious,” Sarah said. “You have to listen to me. Your life, all your lives are in danger.”
“My baby?” Mrs. Stockton said. “What about my baby?”
“Mrs. Stockton, I’m very sorry,” Sarah said. “Shortly after the baby was born, its mother died. We performed an autopsy, and the blood workup came in tonight. The grub died of osteomyelitis. If she had it, the baby has it. It’s invariably fatal.”
“Are you saying our baby is going to die?” Mrs. Stockton cried.
“I’m saying you’re all going to die,” Sarah said. “Unless we get the baby out of here and you clean every single thing in this house. We’ll take the baby back to the hospital and isolate her until she dies. Tell your guard to put his gun down, and let this grub go upstairs. He’ll take the baby and all her things. It’s the only chance you have, Mr. Stockton.”
“Let him go,” Mr. Stockton said to the guard.
Jon began walking upstairs.
“You’re taking my baby?” Mrs. Stockton said. “Charles, tell them they can’t.”
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Stockton,” Sarah said. “We have no choice. The incubation period is a week to ten days. If you keep the baby a moment longer, not only are you at risk, but everyone else you have contact with. The house is quarantined. You can let your domestics in to do the cleaning, but none of you can leave until someone from the hospital authorizes it.”
“You can’t do this to us,” Mr. Stockton shouted. “My father’s on the town board.”
“Do you want to die?” Sarah asked. “Do you want your wife to die? If you see your father before you’ve completely disinfected your home and yourselves, you risk killing everyone you see, including your father and the entire damn town board. The baby’s going to be dead by tomorrow night anyway. Is it worth the risk?”
“We’ve had the baby for over a week now,” Mrs. Stockton said. Jon could see the tears flowing from her eyes. For the briefest moment he felt sorry for her. “Wouldn’t we have seen something?”
“There’s a two-week period between infection and symptoms,” Sarah said. “Arthur, what are you waiting for?”
“Sorry, ma’am,” Jon said. “Excuse me, please. Can you tell me where the nursery is?”
Mrs. Stockton pointed to a door. “Charles, what are we going to do?”
“Demand our money back for starters,” Mr. Stockton said. “Take the baby. Wake up the wet nurse and tell her to start cleaning the house. I knew this grubber baby was a bad idea. Maybe next time you’ll listen to me.”
“It was the only way.” His wife sobbed. “I wanted a baby so much.”
Jon told himself not to feel sorry for her. He walked into the nursery and saw a baby sleeping in her crib. The wet nurse was standing next to her.
“Who are you?” she asked. “What are you doing here?”
“Stay where you are,” Jon said. “The hospital sent me to take the baby.”
“Is she sick?” the wet nurse asked.
Jon nodded. He longed to look at Liana, to see what she looked like, but there wasn’t time. Instead he opened the chest of drawers and threw things into the suitcase. “Diapers,” he said.
“In here,” the wet nurse answered, pulling them out and handing them to Jon.
Jon pulled out a laundry bag from the suitcase. “Put the dirty diapers in here,” he said. “All of them.” He knew from traveling half the country with Gabe how important diapers could be.
The wet nurse emptied a hamper into the laundry bag.
Jon threw all the rest of the baby clothes into the suitcase then handed it to the wet nurse. “Take these downstairs,” he said. “I’ll take the baby. It’s dangerous for you to be holding her.”