A/N #1: This chapter picks up where the previous chapter left off.
A/N #2: One of my muses said they felt that I was rushing through the case fic of this story, so there will be at least two more chapters dealing with the case.
A/N #3: There will be another reference to 'Meet Me in St. Louis.' Lily isn't the first child to say or sing things that she shouldn't, and she won't be the last. Case in point: when my niece was three-years-old, her favorite movie was 'Beetlejuice.' Her favorite scene? When Michael Keaton kicks over the model in the graveyard and says, 'Nice f**kin' model.' We would have to warn my niece every time not to say it with him. Did it work? Uh, no.
In My Veins
Chapter 12: Things Are Never as They Seem
"You think that Emma is with a foster family?" Alexis read over the notes that Paul Whittaker had presented them with.
"Yes. I spoke with three of Angie Cochran's former co-workers. By the way, let me just say that I could never work at DFS. All three of these co-workers talked about overworked and underpaid social workers. Needless to say, most burn out quick. Is there a way to find out what families Angie would work with on a regular basis?"
"Are you kidding? I can find out anything," Hayley boasted. "But wouldn't a judge also be involved in placing kids with families?"
"Not if it was a voluntary placement," Alexis said. "The boys found Tommy Simpson. We'll know more once he's questioned."
"In the meantime, I will start looking for foster families," Hayley booted up her computer and began rapidly typing.
***CCC***
"We have some questions, Tommy," Esposito said as he led Tommy to a chair and the young man sat down.
"Yeah, you caught me cooking crank. Charge me and let me call my attorney already."
"Well, we'll get to that in a few. We have a more pressing question right now. Where's Emma? And don't tell us that you gave her to your ex. Your ex is the one who came in and told us that she hasn't seen your little girl in two years. Two years, Tommy!" Ryan raised his voice. "What happened? Did you hurt her? Did you bury her somewhere?"
"No! Man, that's just sick! Okay, so I lied when I told Bethany and her old man that I took Emma back to Dez. But I only did it because I didn't want Bethany to be all in my face about what I did to Emma. Because I didn't do anything. It was that lady from DFS. She took her."
Standing on the other side of the glass, Kate was listening to the boy's interrogation of Tommy. Things were finally starting to make sense. Paul had called her after speaking to more of Angie Cochran's former co-workers and reported that all three had told him the same story. Emma was probably alive and with a foster family. But Kate knew that there were both good and bad foster homes out there. She hoped that Emma was safe with the former and not being tortured by one of the latter. It didn't make things right, but at least Desiree could get her baby back. The other scenario didn't bear thinking about as Kate brought her hand back down to her belly, feeling the two lives inside.
Inside the interrogation room, Esposito focused his attention back on Tommy. "When did Angie Cochran take Emma?"
"I don't remember. She came by one day. Bethany was out with her dad and Patrick. I think she was at the doctor or the store. I can't remember. I was smoking."
"Meth?" Ryan asked, watching Tommy nod. "You were smoking meth with your baby in the home?"
"She was in another room," Tommy explained as if that made everything all right. "That lady just showed up out of the blue. When she saw that I was high, she threatened to call the cops. I begged her not to do that. That I would do anything if she just wouldn't call the cops. If I went back to jail, Bethany would never let me see my son. She had already told me that. That lady . . . Angie . . . she said that maybe there was something that I could do. She said that Emma would be better with parents who weren't meth-heads. If I let her take Emma, I'd never see or hear from her again. I just didn't want to go back to jail, so I told her to just . . . just take her. I remember that Emma wasn't even sad. It was like she was . . . so used to being taken by those people. When Bethany and her dad came back to the apartment, I told them that I had called Dez and told her to come and get Emma. We never saw Dez, so I knew that Bethany would never challenge the story. Look, I know that lying about Emma was wrong, but isn't she better off with good parents? People who will make sure that she goes to speech therapy and take good care of her? I love my daughter and my son, but I'm a fucked up mess. So is Bethany. So is Dez, for that matter—"
"The truth is, Tommy, that Desiree has been clean and sober for over a year. So, yeah, you and Bethany are messes, but Emma's mom isn't. And all she wants is her daughter. Did Angie tell you where she was taking Emma?"
"No," he shook his head. "Only that they were really good people."
On the other side of the mirror, Kate's attention was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Captain?" Kate turned to find Hastings standing there.
"Did you find Angela Cochran?"
"No," Hastings entered the ob room. "Her supervisor said that Ms. Cochran requested a sudden emergency leave of absence to tend to a sick family member. The leave started yesterday."
"Okay. Find out what she's driving and put out a BOLO."
"What do you want me to state on the BOLO?" Hastings asked.
"She's wanted for kidnapping and interference of child custody. I'll talk to the D.A. and see if we need to charge her with anything else."
"Okay, I'm on it," Hastings smiled when she saw Kate absently rubbing her stomach. "When do you find out?"
"Oh, tomorrow," Kate dropped her hand.
"You and Castle must be excited."
"Oh, we are. So is Lily. She wants two brothers. Please tell me that you and Paul are going to be there Saturday night?"
"We'll be there. Should we bring anything?"
"No but thank you."
"I'll get the BOLO issued," Hastings turned to walk away.
"Thank you, Ann."
By the time Kate walked into the loft, it was after eight o'clock. Castle was sitting on the couch with his head back, staring up at the ceiling. "I'm sorry," Kate apologized, coming over and sitting down next to him. "I tried to get home before you put Lily to bed."
"It's okay. She might still be awake if you were going to go up and check on her," he smiled at her.
"Let me guess. She pulled another con job on you."
"No. I let her stay up a little later, but she was falling asleep on the couch, so I took her upstairs. But I only took her up about 10 minutes ago."
"I'm going to go and kiss her goodnight," she kissed Castle before getting up and going upstairs.
"I'll heat up your dinner."
Kate walked upstairs to Lily's bedroom and crept up to her daughter's bed. She bent down to kiss her forehead, brushing her dark hair from her forehead. She then smiled when she saw Lily's eyes flutter open. "I tried to stay awake," Lily struggled to sit up in her bed. "Did you catch the bad guy that is making little kids mis-appear?"
"What have I told you about listening to grown-up conversations?"
"Not to. Daddy said I'm going to Gram's tomorrow. Why can't I go to the P.I.?"
"Because Alexis and Hayley are going to be very busy. But you know what? I'm almost sure that Gram will let you watch 'Meet Me in St. Louis' again."
Kate watched Lily's face carefully. Much like her father, Lily would get a mischievous little grin on her face before she did something that her mother wouldn't like or approve of. "I was drunk last night, dear mother—"
"Lily Johanna," Kate warned before Lily could belt out the rest of the song. "I think daddy and I are going to have to have a talk with Gram. Get back down under the covers. It's time for you to go to sleep. I love you," Kate kissed Lily on the forehead once again, and tucked the blankets around her.
"Mommy?"
"What?"
"You didn't say if you caught the bad guys."
"Good night, Lily."
Castle was taking Kate's dinner out of the microwave when he heard Kate coming down the stairs. "Was she asleep?"
"No, and we need to talk about our daughter's choice of song material. She's lucky that she's little and cute."
"Adorable," Castle agreed, before his face sobered up again.
"What's wrong?" Kate asked as she began to eat her dinner. "Was Lily hiding her broccoli again?"
"No. But I lied to her earlier today," he came around and sat on the stool beside his wife. "She was scared because of the disappearing kids. I told her that you and I would never let anything happen to her. But then I remembered that I lost her sister for over an hour at a mall in White Plains when she wasn't much older than Lily is now. Not to mention Alexis getting kidnapped and taken to Paris."
"Castle, Lily's three. Right now, she doesn't need to know that the world isn't always a nice place, even for little kids. She's going to learn those things eventually, but she doesn't need to know them today. Today, she needs to enjoy being a safe and happy toddler. Okay?"
"Okay. Did you make any progress today?"
"We're confident that we're not working a homicide. But we can't find the social worker. She took a temporary leave of absence, and she could be anywhere. But there is a BOLO out, so with any luck, we'll find her soon. I don't want to talk the case anymore tonight. I want to talk about these two," she took Castle's hand and placed it on her stomach.
"Does it feel crowded in there?"
"Yeah, and it's only going to get worse."
***CCC***
The next morning, Castle and Kate took Lily to her grandmother's apartment nearby. "Good morning, my darling!" Martha greeted her youngest granddaughter, who instantly flew into her arms. "Some of my students are coming over to work on set designs. You can be my little helper."
"That sounds like fun," Kate commented. "Uh, Martha? Could you keep the viewings of 'Meet Me in St. Louis' down to a minimum today?"
"Lily-Pad, which song were you singing this time?" Martha looked down at Lily, who gave her a crooked grin. "Never mind. I'm sure that I know the answer. That was your daddy's favorite song, too."
"Really?" Kate looked at Castle, who managed to look sheepish. "You told me that you had never seen that movie."
"We need to go or we're going to be late," Castle changed the subject. "Lily, be good for Gram."
"I always am."
"Mother, I should be back in a couple of hours."
"Take your time. Lily and I are going to have a wonderful time."
***CCC***
At Castle, Shipton & Associates, things were getting interesting. "Hey, Lex?" Hayley called out.
"Yeah?"
"I've been going through Angie Cochran's records and this one family keeps popping up. The Marshalls. Over the past 10 years, Angie has placed children with the Marshalls 22 times."
"Twenty-two times?" Alexis walked over and stood behind Hayley's chair. "Do any other families pop that many times?"
"Not even close. And the Marshalls have adopted seven of the children that have been placed with them by Ms. Cochran."
"Check adoption records. See if Emma has been adopted by them or is in the process of being adopted by them. I'll call Esposito and let him know."
Esposito was at his desk when Alexis called. "Hey, Alexis. What's going on?"
"We think that we found the foster parents that Emma is with. But we might have a problem."
"What kind of problem?"
"The foster parents that we found have adopted seven children that Angie Cochran has placed in their care. We're looking to see if Emma is one of those kids."
"Alexis, the foster parents can't adopt without the parents' consent. Look, Ryan and I will see if we can talk to these foster parents. What are their names?"
"Marshall. Daniel and Roxanne Marshall. They live in Williamsburg."
"Okay, we'll look into them. What kind of people do they appear to be?"
"Good people, Espo. They've been named Foster Family of The Year nine times. There are no red flags."
"Okay. I'll let you know what we learn."
Ryan had been listening to his partners' conversation. "These people aren't going to talk to us. But they might talk to someone who was say . . . writing an op/ed about the foster care system in New York."
"Whittaker. Good call," Espo called Paul Whittaker. "Paul, it's Esposito. We have an assignment for you."
***CCC***
"Kate, how are you feeling today?" Dr. O'Malley entered the examination room.
"Good. Anxious to find out what I have on board here."
"That is always the burning question, isn't it? What is everybody hoping for?" He asked, looking toward the door when his nurse walked into the room.
"Lily is hoping for two brothers. And I agree with her. These two are going to be the last of my babies. Having at least one son would be great."
"Well, let's find out, shall we?"
"If they're both the same sex, will you be able to determine if they're identical?" Castle asked.
"Yes."
"Thank you for keeping your gel in the warmer," Kate looked at the monitor when Dr. O'Malley began moving the wand around.
"Yeah, I was getting a lot of complaints," he joked.
"Look at them, Castle," Kate felt Castle grabbing her hand while they watched the babies moving onscreen.
"Are you sure that you want to know? Because you didn't want to know with Lily."
"We want to know," Kate and Castle said in unison.
"Okay, Twin A is a boy, and this is his identical brother."
"Boys?" Kate could barely breathe. "Castle, we're having sons," she looked at him and reached up to brush the tears from his face. "Jacob and Reece, right?"
"Right," he bent down, capturing her lips with his own. "I love you."
"I'll give you two the room," Dr. O'Malley said after wiping the gel from Kate's abdomen.
"Now we just have to decide who is who," Castle placed his hand on Kate's bare belly.
"Jacob," Kate took his hand and placed it on one of the boys before moving it over. "Reece."
"Are you going back to work?"
"I should, but I don't have to. Do you want to go home to celebrate before we go pick up Lily?"
"Hell, yes."
***CCC***
Paul Whittaker knocked on the front door of the brownstone in Williamsburg. A moment later, it was opened by a gentleman in his late 50's. "Mr. Whittaker?" He asked, as Paul showed him his press credentials. "I'm Dan Marshall. Please come in." Paul followed Dan Marshall into the large living room, taking note of the photographs that lined the walls leading up the stairs. "You said on the phone that you were writing a piece about the foster care system in the state of New York."
"Yes. These days you hear so many horror stories of children who die because the system failed them. I just thought that it would be refreshing to write about some of the successes of the system. I read about you and your wife . . . where is your wife?"
"She's making coffee." As if on cue, Mrs. Marshall came out of the kitchen carrying a tray with coffee on it. "Roxie, this is Mr. Whittaker. He's the writer that I was telling you about."
"How do you do?" She placed the tray in the center of the coffee table. "What is it that you'd like to know, Mr. Whittaker?"
"I was reading the piece from The Ledger from two years ago when you were honored as Foster Family of The Year. That's quite an honor. What does it take to become a success at being foster parents? It surely can't be easy taking in a child that's been in a horrific situation."
"It isn't," Roxie Marshall admitted. "We've been doing it for more than 25 years. By our own estimate, we've fostered more than 300 children. Some of them still think of us as mom and dad."
"How does it work? Do you work with more than one social worker?"
"We work with every social worker inside of DFS. Some of them take their job more seriously than others do. But if they need someone quickly, we're one of the first families that they call," Dan answered.
"Do you foster children of any age group?"
"We've had newborn babies and we've had 16 or 17-year-old kids. We don't take in too many of the young ones anymore because . . . well, neither of are spring chickens," Dan Marshall chuckled. "But we're proud to have passed the tradition on to three of our daughters."
"So, you have daughters that have also become foster parents? That's remarkable," Paul made a note for Alexis and Hayley. "You must be very proud."
"We are. But we're also proud of the children that have come through that door over the years. Seven of them became permanent members of our family, but we still consider all of them a part of us. Most of them have graduated from college because of our encouragement and guidance."
"Have you fostered children with special needs?"
"Yes, we've taken in children born addicted to crack and methamphetamines in their system; five of our fosters were autistic, and three were visually impaired. Our oldest daughter takes in children with hearing and visual impairments."
"Would she mind if I spoke to her for my article? I'm trying to get as many different viewpoints as I can. It's refreshing for my readers to see that not every child falls through the cracks."
"I'll text her and see if she will speak with you."
"Thank you."
"Excuse me for just a moment," Roxanne excused herself from the room.
"Three hundred children? Wow," Paul breathed out. "It must be very difficult for you when the children are reunited with their parents."
"You would think that, but when we signed up for this, we went in with the understanding that the purpose of DFS is always reunification," Mr. Marshall took a sip of his coffee.
"I understand that, but it still has to sting."
"I won't lie and say that reunification is the best idea, because sometimes it isn't. But every parent is entitled to a second chance. Or more, in some cases," Paul noticed that Dan's words had a particular bite to them.
"Mr. Whittaker?" Roxanne Marshall walked back into the room. "I'm sorry, but my daughter doesn't wish to be interviewed."
"I see. I'm going to leave my card," Paul placed a small rectangular card on the coffee table. "Will you give it to her? In case she changes her mind."
"I will," Roxanne picked up the card.
***CCC***
After leaving the Marshall's, Paul's next stop was back to the P.I. office. "The Marshall's have three daughters, who are also licensed foster care parents," he announced as he walked in. "One of them specializes in children with hearing and visual impairments. I tried to set up an interview with her, but she declined."
"Do you know her name?" Hayley asked.
"No, I don't. How hard is it to find fosters who specialize? I wouldn't think there would be a lot of them."
"Then you would be wrong," Hayley turned her screen so that Paul could look at it. There were hundreds of entries. "I'll try to narrow it down, but it might take a while."
"Hey, Castle told me that you were a hotshot at computer stuff."
"I am," Hayley smiled.
"Speaking of hotshots, where's my little cub reporter today?" Paul asked, referring to Lily.
"Lily is spending the day with her grandmother," Alexis walked into the room. "Are you and Ann coming to the gender reveal Saturday night?"
"We are."
"Do not come empty-handed."
"I thought Beckett said—"
"Not what I mean. Do not come without something for Lily. We don't want her feeling left out."
"Oh, gotcha. I've got it covered. I'll see you two Saturday."
"I heard you talking about the Marshall's daughter," Alexis said after Paul left. "I was just thinking. If we go back and read the newspaper articles when they were honored, it will probably list the names of their kids."
"That is worth a shot," Hayley did some more typing. "What would I do without you, Lex?"
"Probably get in a lot more trouble than you do."
***CCC***
Castle smiled when he felt Kate's lips nuzzling his shoulder. "Hey," she whispered in his ear.
"Hey yourself," he rolled toward her, wrapping his arms around her, and kissing her bare shoulder.
"We should go get Lily. Your mother is not as young as she once was, contrary to what she is constantly telling us. And while Lily is usually very good when she's with her, she is still a three-year-old."
"Quick shower first?"
"As long as that's all it is."
"Spoiled sport," he grumbled.
***CCC***
"Do you remember the notes that I taught you the last time?" Martha was sitting beside Lily on the piano bench in front of her piano.
"I remember everything," Lily grinned at her grandmother.
"Of course you do, kiddo."
"Gram?"
"Yes, baby?"
"Would you look for me if I mis-appeared?"
"Would I . . . ? Lily-Pad, you are my most precious grandbaby. I would look for you everywhere."
"There's a mis-appeared little girl. I heard mommy and daddy. And Uncle Javi said it, too. But daddy got really mad. But you know what?"
"What?"
"I know all the good hiding places at home. And at the P.I., too. Nobody will ever mis-appear me."
"No, they won't," Martha hugged her small granddaughter.
"Are you going to like the new babies more than me?" Lily asked, changing the subject.
"Absolutely not. You are going to follow in my footsteps and be a Broadway diva. As for your new babies, I promise that I will them the same as I love you, but not more."
"How is that even possible?"
"Because Grandma's can divide their heart equally among all their grandbabies. I love you and Alexis exactly the same. And I will love these new babies exactly the same. Not more and not less. Because Grandma's are allowed to do that."
"Not mommies and daddies?"
"Oh, mommies and daddies can do it, too." They both smiled when they heard the doorbell. "I bet that's your mommy and daddy right now."
***CCC***
Saturday night, Kate was upstairs helping Lily get dressed. "Will the new babies be here tomorrow?"
"No, sweetie," Kate tied a white ribbon in Lily's dark hair. "The babies won't be here until after Christmas."
"That's forever. It isn't even Thanksgiving, yet," Lily sighed.
"I'm so sorry that it's taking so long. One more time," Kate turned Lily to face her. "What are the rules?"
"All of them?" Kate's answer was a quirked-up eyebrow. "No running around with Nicholas like a screaming banshee. No playing in your room. No playing in daddy's office. No playing on the stairs. No interrupting when grown-ups are talking. How come SG doesn't count in the rules?"
"Because SG doesn't run around like a screaming banshee. Pop-Pop will be here in a little while. I want you to play up here quietly until he gets here. I have to finish getting dressed."
Kate walked down, smiling at her daughter's questions. Ryan's two children, Sarah Grace, or SG, and Nicholas were three years and one year older than Lily. Lily and Nicholas were best friends, but they had a tendency to run around when they got together. And Kate shuddered when she considered the noise level created by the two of them.
An hour later, the doorbell rang. Lily ran downstairs when her mom answered the door. "Pop-Pop!" Lily ran into her grandfather's arms. "Did you bring me anything?"
"Lily," Kate admonished her daughter before kissing and hugging her father. "Hi, dad."
"As a matter of fact, Lily, I did bring you something," Jim reached into his pocket and pulled out a fidget spinner.
"Oh, cool!" Lily exclaimed when her grandfather showed her how to spin it on her small finger. "Can I show daddy?"
"You may," Kate nodded, watching Lily dash from the room. "Just think in a year, there will be three of them running around."
"Well, two of them won't be quite running around. Yet. How are you feeling?"
"Great. Excited. Nervous. Take your pick."
"You look wonderful," he kissed her on the cheek.
Soon, everybody else began arriving. When Kate opened the door to Ann Hastings and Paul Whittaker, Paul was holding a small blue card in his hands. "Alexis warned me not to show up empty-handed. She worried that Lily would feel left out," he explained. "Where is Lily?"
Kate looked around, noticing for the first time that both her husband and her small daughter were missing. "Dad, are Castle and Lily still in our bedroom?"
"I know that she went in to show him the fidget spinner. I haven't seen either of them come out."
"You've got to be kidding me," Kate whispered, rolling her eyes before walking into the master bedroom where Castle was spinning the gadget on his finger.
"Mom, daddy took my spinner fidget and now he won't give it back."
Kate had to bite her lip to keep herself from bursting out laughing. "Castle? Rick?" Castle finally looked at her, stopping the fidget spinner in mid-spin. "Will you please give the spinner back to Lily and finish getting dressed? We've got a room full of company. Come on, Lily," Kate went to guide her daughter back toward the living room after she had retrieved the fidget spinner. "Please put that away because I don't want you and Nicholas fighting over it."
"We won't fight over it because it's mine."
"Lily," Kate said in her best warning tone.
Everyone watched as Lily zoomed past them and up the stairs to her room, followed a moment later by Kate. "Castle will be out in a minute. Dad, did you have any idea that you were giving a toy to both of my kids?"
"They are addictive."
"It's bad when your child has to tell on her father because he won't give her toy back to her. Before I ask, Paul, what are you giving Lily, and will her father take it from her?"
"Uncle Paul brought me something?" Lily had re-entered the room, very excited. "Mom, is it my birthday?"
"No."
"Lily, every good reporter has to have their very own press pass," Paul placed the lanyard around her neck.
"Does this mean that I can go to crime scenes now?" Lily looked up at her mother.
"Uh, no. What do you say?"
"Thank you, Uncle Paul!"
Within an hour, all the guests had arrived and were eating and chatting. "Have you found out anything about the Marshall's daughter?" Paul asked Hayley and Alexis.
"Yes. Roxanne Marshall's oldest daughter, Brenda, has a home in Williamsburg, not too far from her parents. Right now, that's all we know."
"Thanks. I owe you guys."
"Excuse me! Can we get everyone's attention, please?" Castle called out. "As everyone knows, Kate had a very important doctor's appointment yesterday. And I promised that I would let her tell the rest."
Castle settled on the sofa and pulled Lily onto his lap. "Dad, I want to play with Nicholas," she looked over at her best friend, who was perched on his dad's lap.
"And you can get back to your play soon. Let mommy talk. Okay? Don't you want to know what your babies are going to be?"
"I don't know if there's a pool or not," Kate began.
"Girl, there is always a pool going on where you and Writer-Boy are concerned," Lanie piped up as everybody laughed.
"Lanie, how many times do I have to tell you. Man. It's Writer-Man."
"Whatever. Girl, end the suspense! Is it two boys? Two girls? One of each?"
"Castle and I are having two boys," Kate said, the rest of her words drowned out by shouts and clapping. "Hold on! Not only boys, but identical boys."
"What does 'dentical mean?" Lily asked her father.
"It means that they look exactly alike. Like when you look in a mirror. What do you think about having two baby brothers?"
"It's okay. Can Nicholas and I go play now?"
"Yes, you may."
"Come on, Nicholas," Lily motioned for Nicholas and SG to follow her.
Kate came over to sit beside Castle, noticing that Hastings was on her cellphone. "Is it just me or is Lily somewhat underwhelmed?"
"She's just more interested in playing with her friends. How are you feeling?"
"Good," she smiled.
"Decker!" Hastings stood up. "Guess who just got stopped trying to cross into Canada?"
"Angela Cochran?"
"She's in custody and is on her way back to New York as we speak."
"That's good," Kate spoke up. "Are you leaving?"
"Not yet. She won't be in our interrogation room until early tomorrow. Until then, she'll be in an eight by ten cell. Now I hope we can learn where Emma is."
"Beckett, do the boys have names?" Jenny asked.
"Yes, they do. First names, anyway. We're still negotiating on middle names. Their first names are Jacob and Reece."
"When you're ready, I have a lot of baby clothes that you're welcome to."
"Thank you. I appreciate that."
Later that evening, after their guests had left, Kate was upstairs tucking Lily into her bed. "Did you have a good time tonight?"
"It was okay, I guess," Lily was examining the press pass that Paul Whittaker had given her.
"You guess? Hey," Kate reached out and removed the pass from Lily's fingers, "what's going on? I thought that you were excited to find out what the babies are."
"I am. Kind of."
"Sweetie, you know that you can tell me and daddy anything, don't you?" She got a nod in response.
"Everybody is going to be talking about them now," she pointed to her mother's belly. "All the time. Even Nicholas and SG. That's all they wanted to talk about tonight. I thought that they are my friends. But all they care about is them."
"Lily, you are my first baby. That means that you are always going to be special. Because you were here first. When the boys get here, I'm going to need a lot of help. So is daddy."
"I can't do anything. I'm not a grownup."
"That's true. But you can still help. When they get older, you're the one who can teach them what it means to share. You can also teach them their numbers and their colors."
"I can do that," Lily nodded.
"For right now, I need for you to close your eyes and go to sleep," Kate kissed the top of Lily's head before getting up. "I love you. Daddy will be up to kiss you goodnight in a few minutes."
***CCC***
The next morning, Kate was standing in the ob room, watching the interrogation of Angela Cochran. She watched the door open, and Detectives Hastings and Decker entered, taking seats across from their person of interest. "How was Canada?" Hastings asked.
"I wasn't leaving the country," Ms. Cochran argued, "I had a family emergency."
"In Canada?" Decker raised her eyebrow.
"Yes, in Canada."
"Interesting. While you were off galivanting to Canada, we did something that we like to call 'investigating.' Would you like to know what we've discovered?" Hastings looked at Angela, who crossed her arms over her chest and looked bored. "One of the foster families that you have worked with a lot over the past decade or so happens to have a daughter, who is also running a licensed foster home. A home where she takes in children with special needs. Is any of this ringing a bell, yet?"
"I work with a lot of the same families. I have several families that I know will take in children on short notice. Every social worker does this, Detective. It's not exactly breaking news."
"Where's Emma Simpson?" Decker asked. "And before you think about feeding us a line of crap, we've spoken to Tommy Simpson. He told us about you coming to their apartment, where he was smoking meth with his young daughter in another room."
"Do you have any idea what it's like to place these children in homes, only to have them returned to parents who have done nothing to change the behavior that resulted in their children's removal in the first place? The goal of DFS is reunification. Reunification is crammed down our throats until we can't see or think straight! Do you have any idea how many children I have reunited with their parents, only to have the children further abused or murdered weeks or months later? Too damn many! Detectives, reunification is a fucking joke! So, yeah, I took some of these kids and gave them to families who actually care about them!"
"Desiree Martin has been clean for a year and a half," Hastings slid the report across the desk. "She wants her daughter back. So, I'll ask you again. Where is Emma?"
"Before I answer, will the foster parents face any charges? Will they lose their licensing? Because it's hard to find foster families who are equipped to deal with special needs children."
"We'll talk to the D.A. about charges. As for whether they lose their license or not, that's up to your bosses. Did your supervisor know what you were doing?"
"No," Angela shook her head.
"Were there any judges involved?" Decker asked.
"Only if the children were subsequently adopted and the parents had to sign off on that. I told the family that the children I placed with them were emergency placements. The children that were adopted were done on the up and up. Emma is with Brenda Kennedy and her husband Trent," she gave them the address.
Kate tapped on the glass. Moments later, Hastings and Decker entered the room. "Call Judge Markway and get a warrant to remove the children from the home."
"Right away," Decker left the room.
"Do you want me to call Desiree Martin?" Hastings asked.
"Not yet. Wait until we have the children here on site."
"Captain, will Emma even remember her mother?"
"She'll remember," Kate smiled.
Kate went into her office and called the D.A., who promised to have someone from her office at the precinct within a couple of hours.
***CCC***
Across town, Brenda Kennedy opened her front door to find a lot of police officers on the other side. "Are you Brenda Kennedy?" Hastings asked, watching the woman nod. "I'm Detective Ann Hastings, NYPD. We have a warrant to take emergency custody of the foster children that are currently in your care."
"Why are you taking our kids?" Brenda stepped aside.
"Have you worked with a DFS worker by the name of Angela Cochran?" Decker asked.
"Yes. We work with her all the time. Is Ms. Cochran in some kind of trouble?"
Decker stepped outside and warned the uniformed officer to stay outside the residence. "We don't want to freak the kids out. This needs to go as smoothly as possible."
"Do you have a child by the name of Emma Simpson?" Hastings asked.
"Yes. We've had her for about a year or so. Look, I have documents on every child that we are fostering. I can get them."
"Do that," Hastings ordered. "Where are the children?"
"The older children are in school. The two youngest are in the playroom. I'll go and get my files on the children."
"Decker, go with her in case she pulls anything," Hastings told her partner. "Mrs. Kennedy, is Emma in school right now?"
"Yes, she's in Kindergarten."
Decker followed Brenda Kennedy into an office and watched the woman remove a folder from a nearby file cabinet. "I have everything in here. Court documents, doctor's reports, everything. Have we done something wrong?"
"Your social worker was giving you children without the authority of DFS. Do the parents visit the children?" Decker asked.
"All of the parents visit except for Emma's. Her parents aren't allowed to see her because they won't comply with the court orders to take parenting classes and drug rehab."
***CCC***
By early that afternoon, one of the interview rooms was filled with children of all ages, including Emma Simpson. "Captain?" Hastings approached Kate. "Angela Cochran's supervisor has gone over the documents that Brenda Kennedy has. It appears that Emma is the only one that they had in their home illegally. There is documentation of parental visits with the other six children. The children are all healthy and well cared for."
"Let's go talk to Brenda Kennedy."
Brenda Kennedy was in an interrogation room when Kate and Det. Hastings walked in. "Mrs. Kennedy, I'm Capt. Beckett. Have you been advised of your rights?"
"Yes. I waived them. My husband is on his way here. Will he be allowed to take the other children back home?"
"I don't know. Someone from the D.A.'s office should be here shortly. How long have you and your husband been foster parents?"
"Ten years. I grew up with my parents being foster parents. I love giving a loving home to children who have nothing. If I had known that Ms. Cochran was doing something wrong, I never would've accepted Emma into our home. My parents can't take younger children into their home, anymore. I am fluent in ASL. Emma has significant hearing loss, and her speech was very delayed, despite the implants. I think her parents were overwhelmed."
"Didn't you find it odd that her parents never visited despite the fact that the main goal of DFS is reunification?"
"Captain, I have fostered children whose parents have lost their parental rights. So, no. I didn't find it odd. If I had known that her mother was looking for her, I never would've stood in the way of her getting Emma back. Will Trent and I lose our license over this? Are you going to remove the other kids?"
"Again, I don't know."
They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Kate walked over and opened it to a young man in his mid-30's. "Capt. Beckett?" He asked, watching Kate nod. "I'm Brad Wilkins. I'm from the D.A.'s office."
"Come in. Mr. Wilkins, this is Brenda Kennedy. She and her husband have had the missing child, Emma Simpson, in their custody for almost two years."
"We didn't know that Emma was missing. Ms. Cochran told us that Emma had been removed from her father's custody because he was a chronic meth user. So was the mother. All of the paperwork she gave us looked to be the real deal."
"What about the fact that a judge didn't sign off on Emma being removed?"
"Emma was an emergency placement. That doesn't always involve a judge."
"This is true," Kate confirmed. "I asked a judge friend of mine to confirm it. He said if the parents had gone to court, fighting for Emma, then a judge would be involved. Mr. Wilkins, a supervisor from DFS has gone over Mrs. Kennedy's records of the children in her home. She has kept meticulous records. She and her husband had no knowledge of any wrongdoing."
They were interrupted by another knock at the door. "Captain?" Espo was on the other side of the door. "Desiree Martin is here. What do I tell her?"
"Put her in my office. I'll be there in a few minutes."
"As you wish," Kate closed the door and returned to the table.
"How many children are in their custody illegally?" Wilkins asked.
"Just Emma."
"I talked to my bosses before I came over here. It's hard to find good foster parents. While you and your husband won't be losing your license, you will be placed on probation for six months and during that time, you won't be able to take in any new kids."
"We get to keep the kids already in our home?" Brenda asked.
"Yes, the kids can stay where they are. There's no need to confuse these kids more than they've already been confused. I have some documents for you to sign acknowledging that we're in agreement."
"Capt. Beckett?" Brenda Kennedy looked at Kate. "Would it be all right if I met Emma's mother? I think that I can help her."
"Let me ask her first."
Desiree was nervously pacing around Kate's office when she entered the room. "Did you find Emma? Please tell me that you found her!"
"We have Emma," Kate began as Desiree began crying hysterically. "We'll reunite the two of you soon."
"Is she okay? Was she with monsters? Please tell me that she wasn't with monsters who would hurt her!"
"Desiree, Angie Cochran did an awful thing by hiding Emma from you. But the people that she placed her with are really good people. As a matter of fact, the foster mom would like to meet you. That is, if it's all right with you."
"I guess."
Kate looked out her office window and signaled to Ryan to bring Brenda Kennedy to her office. "Desiree, this is Brenda Kennedy. She is . . . was . . . Emma's foster mom."
"Is Emma okay? Does she remember me? Does she ask about me?"
"Emma is terrific," Brenda smiled. "And yes, she asks about you all the time. I want to help you reconnect with Emma, if you'll let me. Emma was placed with me and my husband because I'm fluent in ASL . . . American Sign Language. Emma does talk, but she will also sign."
"I knew a little when she was with me, but I thought the implants meant that she could hear."
"She can, but signing is her primary means of communicating. She's so smart," Brenda smiled. "I can work with you and teach you ASL. If you're want to. I know that you must think that I'm the awful person who stole your daughter."
"No, that would be Ms. Cochran. When can I see Emma?" Desiree looked at Kate.
"Right now," Kate led Desiree and Brenda to one of the interview rooms where LT was keeping watch over a roomful of children. Emma was playing with one of the younger children. "Emma?" Desiree's voice choked on the word.
Emma looked up from her play and her eyes got wide. She looked at Brenda, signing the word 'Mama,' and mouthing the words at the same time. "Mommy!" Emma flew into Desiree's arms, her arms and legs wrapping tightly around her mother. She then looked at her and signed, 'You came back.'
"She said that you came back," Brenda translated.
"Of course I came back. I missed you," tears rained down her face.
"Captain, I think this has been the best day I've ever spent here," LT said, as he wiped his eyes.
"I think that I agree."
A/N #4: I know that this was a long chapter, but I wanted to get this case wrapped up so that I can focus on the twins from here on out. I'm figuring another three or four chapters until the end.
A/N #5: I asked a former social worker friend what the consequences would be for the foster family in this case. She said first off, a scenario like I described would be unlikely, but it possibly could happen. She said that the foster parents could have their license suspended or terminated. She left it up to me.
Follow me:
Facebook: Wylie dot Cindy at Yahoo dot com