Taken by Virginia Rose Richter Page A

guests need to leave, Mrs. Novak.”
    Anna Novak’s face turned white. “Why? What’s the matter?”
    “The police are closing down the hospital.” The supervisor began to cry. “Someone took your baby.”

Chapter Two
    Outside the hospital, Jessie’s mother found a phone booth and called her father. Carl Hanson was County Attorney and needed to know about the stolen baby. “Carl. We were visiting Anna Novak at the hospital and…you already know about it? Are you coming here? This is terrible. Poor Anna. Okay, I won’t hold you up.” She hung up the phone.
    “What’d he say?” asked Jessie.
    “He’s on his way here. He said to go on home and he’ll call later.”
    “But, Mom…”
    “Let’s go, Jessie. We’ll just be in the way,” said her mother. Jessie reluctantly followed her mom to the car, got in and fastened her seat belt. “Who would do this, Mom? Don’t they check out strangers in the nursery?”
    “You would think so. Let’s hope that it’s someone who wants a baby for themselves.” Mrs. Hanson turned the ignition key. She drove the car onto the street by the hospital.
    “I thought the first nurse was weird,” said Jessie. “Didn’t you? Why was she wearing a mask? And did you notice her tennis shoes?”
    “I didn’t even think,” said her mother. “How could this happen? Poor Anna and Ben. I hope and pray that whoever did this doesn’t hurt little Andel.”
    “Do the police usually find stolen babies?” asked Jessie.
    “They need to do it quickly because babies’ looks change so fast.” She turned into Willow Lane and drove up the street to their house. “Can Bryce Peterson develop that picture you took? The police will want it.”
    Oh good! thought Jessie. An excuse to call Bryce . Her folks frowned on Jessie calling him for no reason. “I’ll ask him.”
    Mrs. Hanson parked in front of the house, and hurried up the walk and steps to the big wide porch. Mrs. Winter, the babysitter, was in the swing with Phillip, reading him a story.
    “Mama,” said Phillip. His hair was the same color as Jessie’s now. He wore little jeans and a red jacket. He was tall for two-and-a-half and had no trouble jumping from the swing and running to his mother. She lifted him up and hugged him tight.
    Jessie was glad to see him too. What if someone had taken Phillip when he was born? She couldn’t even imagine it. Sometimes he was a real pain and did all the annoying things that toddlers do. But she wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to him.
    Mrs. Hanson left Phillip with Jessie and hurried to the car with the babysitter.
    Jessie steered Phillip into the house and to the living room where he found his toy truck and began making loud motor noises.
    She hurried to the hall phone and dialed Bryce’s number. She knew it by heart.
    The housekeeper answered.
    “Hi, Mrs. Nelson. This is Jessie Hanson. Is Bryce at home?”
    “He’s practicing, Jessie,” said the housekeeper.
    “Oh. Would you ask him to call me when he’s finished?”
    She hung up. Mrs. Nelson never interrupted Bryce’s practice sessions on the violin. It was no use telling the woman it was an emergency. Jessie had tried that. I’ll just have to wait.
    Jessie went back to the living room, picked up another truck and played with Phillip until her mom got home. When the phone rang, she was sure it was Bryce, but instead it was Tina Adams, Jessie’s best friend from kindergarten.
    “I can’t talk for long. I’m waiting for a call from Bryce”. Jessie twisted the telephone cord through her fingers.
    “How is it you are always around when some crime happens?” asked Tina.
    “Oh you know about the baby. How’d you find out so fast?”
    “My dad called. Totally freaked out my mom.” Tina’s father was a doctor on the staff at the hospital.
    “I took a picture of the baby so Mom wants me to ask Bryce to develop it.”
    “She actually asked you to call him?”
    “Right. Miracles do happen,” said Jessie. “Mom