The Baby Snatchers Read Online Free PDF Page A

came to a sudden
stop.
    “Oh, shit. I’m sorry, Cam. That was stupid
of me. She… She didn’t die, did she?”
    Cam shook his head and ran a hand tiredly
over his face. Squeezing his eyes shut against the sudden surge of
pain, he clenched his jaw and tried to come up with an answer.
    “No, mate, nothing like that. At least, not
that I know of. My dear old dad kicked me out when my sister was
just a kid.” He shrugged. “I haven’t seen her since.”
    Bryce’s expression grew more troubled.
“Jesus. I had no idea! Shit, I’m sorry, mate. I was only joking. Me
and my big mouth. Chanel’s always telling me to think before
I—”
    “Don’t sweat it, Bryce. You weren’t to know.
No one knows. That’s the way I like it. I did it tough for a few
years, but who doesn’t? There wouldn’t be many people who go
through their childhood without picking up a few scars along the
way. That’s just the way it is.”
    “So you haven’t seen your sister
since—?”
    “I left home at sixteen. Cynthia was five. I
remember she stood near the front gate and waved good-bye to me
until I was out of sight. It was the last time I saw her.”
    “You never thought of looking her up or
finding out where she was?”
    Cameron shrugged and did his best to keep
the emotion out of his voice. “What’s the point? I assume she’s
still living at home and I have no inclination to see my father
ever again. Besides, she probably wouldn’t even remember me.”
    Bryce stared at him in silence, a strange
expression on his face. Cam frowned up at him. “What’s the matter?
You look weird.”
    Bryce averted his face, but Cam could see he
was gnawing on his lower lip—as if he had something to say, but
didn’t know how. Cam cursed under his breath. What the hell. His
secret was out there now. Did it matter if Bryce knew all the
sordid details?
    “I can tell you’re bursting to know more,”
Cam said, forcing a grin. “Ask away.”
    “It’s not that. I… I was speaking to Chanel
a few minutes ago. She… She called to ask me if I knew a cop by the
name of Cameron Dawson.”
    Cam frowned. “Why would she ask about
me?”
    “She was asking on behalf of someone else. A
friend of hers who works at the Sydney Harbour Hospital. Georgie
Whitely. She’s a midwife.”
    Cam watched Bryce curiously, wondering what
point his colleague was trying to make. He raised an eyebrow.
“And?”
    Bryce looked away and then began to pace.
Cam’s frown deepened. What the hell had gotten into the man? He asked Bryce as much.
    “Shit, mate. I’m sorry. It’s none of my
business, but I promised Chanel I’d speak to you about it.”
    “About what?” Cam said, not even bothering
to hide his exasperation.
    “About… About someone who claims to be your
sister.”
    Shock held Cam momentarily immobile. At
last, he found his voice though he was filled with a growing sense
of unease. “My sister? What the hell would your wife know about my
sister?”
    “Not Chanel. Her friend. Georgie. The
midwife.”
    “You’re not making any sense, Sutcliffe. For
Christ’s sake spit it out!”
    “Georgie Whitely helped deliver the baby of
a young girl by the name of Cynthia Dawson. She said she was your
sister.”
    Cam gaped, his jaw slack with shock. It
couldn’t be his sister. His sister was barely
sixteen. “She must be mistaken,” he said, his voice not quite
steady. “My sister lives in the country and she’s still in high
school. Way too young to be having a baby.”
    Bryce stared at him, his expression solemn.
“I don’t think so, Cam. Chanel told me the girl was young. A
teenager. She insisted she had a brother who was a cop and was
stationed in the city. His name was Cameron—”
    A loud buzzing noise started in Cameron’s
head and blocked out the rest of what Bryce had to say. Shock and
disbelief rendered him speechless. His heart pounded. How could
his little sister be in a hospital in Sydney, having a baby? She was still a child! How the hell