Diana Racine 02 - Goddess of the Moon

brightened her face. “I like the sound of that, Lieutenant. I’ve never had a boyfriend before.”
    “What are you laughing at?” Lucier snarled at Beecher, who took the hint and left. Lucier stroked his fingers across Diana ’s cheek. “I don’t want to be your first boyfriend and your last.”

Chapter Six
    The Offering

    T he man with the red beard stepped into the bedroom. The walls were painted bubble gum pink, and the sun shone through the Victorian leaded-glass windows, creating facets of dancing light across the room. Pausing by the empty crib, he remembered the baby who had occupied its place. She was a beautiful baby, he recalled. Always hungry. It was a pleasure watching her feed. He lamented that he had to give her up so quickly, but that’s what they wanted. The babies only stayed for a short time before they were transferred. They’d probably have to stop for a while or a pattern would emerge. Maybe the FBI had already found one . He walked to the second crib and looked down at th e small figure wrapped in pink.
    “Good morning, Lilith.” He stroked the baby’s cheek. “I’m so sorry you must leave me soon. I wish I could keep you longer, but it’s not to be.” When he reached the third crib, he leaned down and picked up the new arrival with the same care her mother would have, given the opportunity. “You are a beauty,” he said. “What shall I name you? Ah, Persephone, a fitting name.”
    He brought the baby to the young woman with long blonde hair , sitting in a rocking chair , and placed the infant in her arms. She unbuttoned her blouse and unsnapped the panel of the nursing bra. Cradling the baby in her arms and cooing softly, she guided the hungry infant to her chest . Persephone placed her tiny hands on each side of the woman’s breast, as if to squeeze every drop from its overflowing bounty, and suckled hungrily. After a few minutes, the young woman changed sides and the baby drank until she fell asleep. The n she put the sleeping infant back in her crib and covered her with a soft pink blanket.
    The man with the red beard watched Persephone sleep . “You will be a special gift. But the ultimate offering will be Diana herself, Goddess of the Moon.”

Chapter Seven
    Into the Mythological Realm

    W illy Cash carried the printout into Lucier’s office. “Here’s the lowdown on the babies snatched in the past year, Lieutenant. Two from hospitals like the one here, but different M.O.s for the other. Besides the Seaver baby and the girl in Mobile, one baby went missing in Atlanta.” Cash flipped to another sheet of paper. “ A few other reports of missing babies from around the Southeast were parent abductions, and the police found both the parents and the babies.
    “Halloran and I studied the tapes from the hospitals where the other kidnapped babies were born. Our man is in all of them.”
    “We got ourselves a suspect, ” Lucier said. “Now who the hell is he? ”
    Lucier’s phone rang. Diana. He shot a pleading glance at Beecher. “Give me five, okay ?” Beecher left, and Lucier turned his chair around to answer the call.
    “Will you make it here for dinner?” she asked. “I’m trying my hand at pot roast. Even I can’t screw up that.”
    “Yeah, but I don’t know what time,” he said, curling around the phone. “ Might be late. ”
    “ I’ll wait,” she said . “ And guess what’s for dessert?”
    “I give up. What?”
    “Me.”
    Lucier broke into a huge grin. “I’ll be right there.” Her wonderful, full-throated laugh never failed to excite him. “ Keep dinner warm, and―” he lowered his voice― “ d on’t let dessert get cold. I like my psychics warm with a little whipped cream. And I’m starved. ”
    He hung up, turned around, and noticed Cash standing near his desk, looking almost as embarrassed as Lucier. Shit . He hated when his men caught him in a personal moment. “What?”
    “Um, we showed the picture of our suspect to the hospital staff. Even though the face is obscured, o ne of the janitors recognized the jacket. Our guy’s another janitor, named Dudley Reems , and he hasn’t shown up for work since the kidnapping. Here’s the hospital picture. No record we can find.”
    Lucier examined the picture. “Unless that’s not his real name. Any other record of employment?”
    “Not under that name. The same janitor that recognized the coat said Reems didn’t talk much, but overheard him on the phone once mentioned the