The Nesting Dolls Read Online Free PDF Page B

isolating the woman’s profile. She’d beenmoving, and the photo was blurred. He flicked to the first picture he’d taken, and when he saw it, he breathed a single word: “Bingo.” Then he handed the camera to me.
    Isobel had been right. The woman in the picture was an uncanny projection of what she, herself, would look like as an adult.
    Zack was on another track. “She looks like Dee when we were in law school.” He slipped the camera back in his pocket, took out his BlackBerry, and tried three numbers in rapid succession. “Yet again, no Debbie. No Delia. No Noah. And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, my love, but it is getting cold in here.”
    On cue, the baby in my arms began to cry lustily.
    “Fuck it. I’m sick of waiting,” Zack said. “I’m going to text Taylor and tell her to round up Izzy and Gracie. Then we’re going to take this boy down to Regina General. They have auxiliary power so they’ll be able to keep him warm and fed until somebody figures out what to do next.”
    I kissed the baby’s head. “Sound good to you, bud?”
    “You’re liking that little guy, aren’t you?” Zack said.
    “Baby lust,” I said. “Our littlest granddaughter is already four. It’s been a while since we had a baby in the family.”
    “I don’t believe this is the last we’ll see of this one.”
    “Zack, what do you think is going on?”
    He sighed. “I wish I knew. All I know is this was not a random act. The mother said her son belongs with Delia, and one look at that picture proves that she and Dee are related. When we ran into her at the Wainbergs’ this afternoon, the mother was taking the baby to Delia. She backed off because of the party, but she took the first available opportunity to get the child into Isobel’s hands.”
    “She must have seen the girls’ picture in the paper and made the connection,” I said. “Wainberg isn’t a common name and there is that stunning resemblance.”
    “So the deed was done,” Zack said. “And now we have to deal with the consequences.”
    When Zack’s phone rang, I tensed. I waited for a howl, but the little guy had snuggled in. It appeared our luck was turning. Not only had the baby slept through the ringtone, but the person calling was Inspector Debbie Haczkewicz. Zack’s account of the evening’s events was factual and concise, but his concern about the missing woman’s mental state was palpable. When he hung up, he sounded weary but satisfied. “Success,” he said. “Apparently it’s shit city out there. No power except on the east side. Traffic lights are out and the roads are godawful, so there are plenty of accidents. According to Debbie, some of our less principled fellow citizens are taking advantage of the blackout to smash windows and do a little Christmas shopping. It’s a bad night to be a cop, but Debbie’s going to send an officer to take the little guy to Regina General, and she’s going to put out an all-points bulletin on the mother.”
    “Good,” I said. “So we should just wait here for the girls and the police.”
    “Yep. Nothing to do but sit tight.”
    “I noticed that when you described the baby’s mother to Debbie, you didn’t mention the connection with Delia.”
    “Time enough for that,” Zack said. “It’ll be easier for Delia to hear the story from me.”
    “It’ll be a shock,” I said.
    Zack’s tone was pensive. “I wonder if it will be,” he said. “Only one way to find out.”
    This time when he called Delia, Zack hit pay dirt. He gave her a brief account of the events of the evening, and apparently she didn’t ask questions. When he was finished, he listened for a moment. “Okay, I’ll call when we’re getting close,” he said.
    I shifted the baby’s weight in my arms. “That was short and sweet.”
    “Short, sweet, and only the beginning,” Zack said. “Delia’s going to meet us outside their house. Noah’s been driving home the sobriety-challenged, so he hasn’t ploughed