Whirlwind

28

Duncanville, Texas

Jenna Cooper pressed the baby’s romper to her cheek and wept.

She ran her fingers tenderly over the soft cotton fabric, studying the blue-and-white stripes before she drew it back to her face and breathed in her baby’s sweet smell.

“This belongs to my son. This is Caleb’s.”

A circle of solemn faces watched her in silence.

Jenna had been shaking since Holly’s phone rang forty-five minutes ago with a call from some official who was helping find people missing in the storm. Jenna and Blake were staying with Holly and Garrett at the Embassy Suites nearest the flea market. Jenna first thought that the call was from Holly’s family in Atlanta but then Holly said, “No, Jenna’s cell phone was lost in the storm. She has a new number and left mine for- Yes, I’m her sister and I’m with her.”

Holly listened then put her hand over the phone and told Jenna, “They found something that might belong to Caleb at a shelter and they need you there to identify it.”

Garrett must’ve set a record getting them to Duncanville, using the GPS and with Blake directing him. As their rental SUV roared across the city, Jenna held Holly’s hand. In the wake of what they’d experienced in the high school gym the previous night, Jenna struggled not to get her hopes up and prayed to heaven for good news.

Now she was standing here in the shelter, grappling with the fact that Caleb may have been here in this spot where she was holding the last thing he’d worn before she lost him. Her mind swirled with questions.

“Where is he? Is he hurt?”

“Jenna?” a man in the circle said.

“How come no one held him for me?” she continued. “Where is he?”

“Jenna, I’m Frank Rivera with the Missing Person Emergency Search System. We’re helping police find people who’re missing or displaced because of the storm.”

Numb, Jenna stared at Rivera as he nodded to two uniformed police officers.

“This is Officer Soria and Officer Burns with the Duncanville Police Department. Dr. Charlene Butler is with the medical unit here at the shelter and I believe you know Kate Page with Newslead?”

Jenna offered Kate a weak smile.

For the next several moments, Rivera gave Jenna and Blake a summary of what had transpired at the shelter-how a couple brought in a baby, how Dr. Butler examined him before the couple left, and how the case led to the discovery of the romper.

“It was Kate who alerted us to the romper,” Rivera said.

Jenna gave Kate a quick look of appreciation.

“Now, we’re just starting to sort things out.” Officer Soria had his notebook open. “Jenna, maybe you can tell us how you’re certain that this is your son’s item of clothing?”

“The color, the style, the elephant crest is lifting a bit on the right,” she said through tears. “And the bottom snap is loose. I told that lady, Belle, at the flea market-she put it all in the computer file when I reported him missing.”

Rivera nodded to the officers. “It’s all there, detail for detail,” he said. “And I believe it was submitted to the Dallas PD and State database for entry into NCIC.”

“What’s that?” Blake asked.

“It’s the FBI’s National Crime Information Center,” Rivera said. “It’s a national database. Given Caleb’s age and the fact he disappeared after a catastrophe, his case is listed as a Missing Person file in the system.”

“Like the thousands of other new ones in the aftermath of the storm,” Officer Soria said. “We’ve alerted the FBI’s Dallas Division. They’ve got people on their way here, but I’m sorry, things have been a little overwhelming for them and everyone.”

“Overwhelming for them?” Blake said. “Do you have any idea of what we’ve been through?”

“I understand,” Soria said. “Nothing was meant by that, sir. It’s just that resources are being stretched to the limit right now-that’s something everyone’s got to appreciate.”

“We’re talking about our son!” Blake shouted.

“Blake, Blake.” Garrett stepped in. “Let’s just take a breath. The good thing is we found a sign that Caleb’s alive and people are working on it.”

“What I can’t understand…” Jenna started shaking her head slowly. “What I cannot accept, is that from what you just told us-” she nodded to Frank “-Caleb was here with strangers and no one did anything about it. They just let them come into the medical unit and leave with our baby. Like it was nothing.”

Dr. Butler swallowed hard then glanced at the officers indicating maybe Kate should leave, but Jenna caught that.

“No, I want Kate to stay,” Jenna said. “I want her to hear how and why this happened.”

Butler cleared her throat. “The couple was from out of state and came to our unit requesting attention for their baby,” she said. “A male they listed as being three months old.”

“Was he hurt?”

“No, he had a minor abrasion on his head, here.” She touched her forehead. “No sign of a concussion. He was in good health.”

Tears rolled down Jenna’s face. “Did you check for a birthmark on his calf?”

“I saw the mark, yes.”

“You had my son! You had my son in your care and you let those people get away with him! Those people who pretended to be helping me while all the while they wanted my baby! They’re evil and you let them walk right out of here! I don’t understand how you could do that!” Jenna clenched her hands into fists, raised both arms to strike Butler when Blake, Garrett, Rivera and the officers stopped her.

“I’m so sorry,” Butler said. “We’ve been going 24/7 here since the storm. There were no telltale signs about that couple. The woman had short dark hair, not red. We’re not police-we’re medical staff. We didn’t really know until this reporter came to us and questioned us. If it hadn’t been for her, no one would’ve known anything. I’m so terribly sorry.”

Jenna said nothing.

She stared at Butler until she didn’t see her anymore. She sobbed and crumpled into Blake’s chest before Rivera took them to a private corner in the Missing Persons station at the shelter. From there, as they waited for the FBI to arrive, Jenna watched the activity across the floor at the donation table.

The Duncanville police officers were unrolling yellow plastic tape, sealing the area where Caleb’s romper had been found.