Jayne found the Kings in the hotel’s rooftop café. They were sitting side by side, Alicia holding Kob in her lap. Jayne took a seat at a table close enough to watch them and hear their conversation without attracting attention.
The couple was older than she expected, Leroy’s cropped hair speckled with grey. They looked exhausted and elated in equal measure, just like any new parents she supposed. There was a half-empty bottle of Budweiser on the table in front of Leroy, and an untouched glass of orange juice in front of Alicia. Strewn in between were a set of multicoloured stacking cups, a dummy, clumps of tissue and a teddy bear. Kob was playing with a string of beads around Alicia’s neck.
‘I think he likes us,’ she said, planting a kiss on his forehead. ‘I think he’s decided his Momma and Daddy are okay.’
‘Praise Jesus,’ Leroy said. ‘I don’t know if I could’ve handled another day like yesterday. I’m not sure how much more singin’ I had left in me, know what I’m sayin’?’
Alicia laughed and patted her husband on the knee. ‘I just knew all that choir practice would come in handy some day.’
‘It sure helps that he’s a Bob Marley fan.’ Leroy leaned towards Kob and sang the chorus of ‘Three little birds’. Kob beamed, reached out to stroke the man’s face.
Jayne was shocked. She assumed Kob would be fretting for his mother. He was happy. This would be harder than she thought.
‘The counsellor was right,’ Alicia said. ‘She said the first couple of days would be tough. We were total strangers to him. Jesse needed time to get to know us.’
‘And we’re still getting to know him,’ Leroy said. ‘Like, how come he slept like a log that first night an’ ain’t never done that again?’
‘He’s just keeping his Momma and Daddy on their toes,’ Alicia said, touching her forehead to Kob’s. ‘Right honey?’
Kob smiled when she pulled back and tilted his head forward to do it again.
‘His appetite’s improving,’ Leroy said, watching them play.
He glanced at his watch. ‘Actually honey, he’s about due for a feed. You wanna take him downstairs or should I bring the bottle up?’
‘Bring it up,’ Alicia said. ‘I don’t want to spend a moment more than we have to cooped up inside that room. I can’t believe no one told us about the national holiday. We could’ve come a week later and got outta here so much faster. But that would’ve meant one less week with our beautiful boy—’ she kissed Kob’s cheeks ‘—so it’s worth it, isn’t it my darling?’
Leroy took a swig of beer and rose to his feet. He and Cousin Tommy shared a similar build. If anything, Leroy was even broader across the shoulders. Not a man to mess with.
‘Back in a minute.’
He bent down and kissed the boy on the top of his head, a gesture that seemed all the more tender coming from such a big man.
As Alicia watched him leave, Jayne caught her eye and smiled.
‘He’s a lovely baby,’ she said, nodding at Kob.
‘Thank you,’ Alicia smiled.
‘Mind if I sit with you for a moment?’
Alicia gestured at the chair Leroy had vacated.
‘I’m Jayne Keeney.’
‘Where you from?’
‘Australia.’
‘I’m Alicia,’ she smiled, ‘and this beautiful boy is my son Jesse.’
Jayne offered the boy a finger and he toyed with her silver ring.
‘Actually, that’s why I wanted to talk to you. It’s about the boy.’
Alicia felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
‘What do you mean?’
‘I’m a private investigator,’ Jayne said. ‘As painful as it must be for you to hear this, that little boy should never have been adopted. His name is Kamolsert, or Kob, and he was stolen from his Thai mother.’
‘How dare you.’
She snatched Jesse away from Jayne’s grasp. He startled and began to cry.
‘See what you’ve done,’ she hissed. ‘Shh, there, there, my darling.’
Alicia held Kob over her shoulder and patted his back. Her mind raced with possibilities. Could there really be a problem with Jesse’s adoption? They were led to believe the system was beyond reproach—another reason they’d chosen to adopt from Thailand and not Africa or South America where baby trafficking was rife.
No, nothing could go wrong. Not now. Not after all they’d been through. God wouldn’t do that to them. God wanted them to have Jesse.
It had to be a shakedown. The Thais, infamous for their scams, were getting more sophisticated, even involving Australians.
Alicia faced the woman squarely and narrowed her eyes.
‘I don’t know who you think you are or what you think you’re doing, but you should know my husband is an ex-Marine and he don’t take kindly to blackmail.’
‘Blackmail?’ Jayne sat back in her seat. ‘No, it’s nothing like that—’
‘We got papers,’ Alicia cut her off. ‘We got papers to show Jesse’s mom is dead. We got proof he’s ours.’
Jesse continued to cry. Alicia scooped up the pacifier from the table and put it in his mouth.
‘Shh, it’s okay my boy.’
‘The mother’s death certificate is a fake,’ Jayne said, speaking quickly and quietly. ‘The people at the New Life Children’s Centre, Frank Harding and the Thai doctor, have got a racket going. They take babies placed in the centre’s temporary care and turn them into orphans. They told Kob’s mother he was dead. Faked his death certificate, too.’
‘How come nobody at the US Embassy said anything?’
‘They haven’t been briefed yet. I’m helping the police put together the evidence to take to the embassy and—’
‘No, no,’ Alicia shook her head. ‘This is all part of a trick. You can’t fool me. I’ve been in Thailand before. Let me guess, the momma wants money and then she’ll call off the cops, right?’
‘The mother just wants her son back.’
Alicia sprang to her feet, drew herself up to her full height of five feet eleven inches and thrust out her chest.
‘He’s my son now,’ she said. ‘A good mother would never allow anyone to take her baby. I’m not about to lose mine.’
Jayne looked up at her.
‘Look I know this must be hard for you. But, please, meet with the mother. Hear her side of the story. She’ll be in Bangkok in the next day or two.’ Jayne reached into her bag and placed her business card on the table. ‘Here are my contact details. Call me anytime.’
Alicia watched her leave, picked up the card and shoved it in her back pocket as Leroy reappeared. He handed her a bottle of infant formula and clapped his hands to take hold of Jesse.
‘He been cryin’?’
‘He’s just hungry,’ she said, handing him over.
‘Good thing Daddy’s brought a bottle for his baby boy,’ Leroy chirped.
Alicia realised her knees were shaking and sank back down on the couch, fighting panic. Leroy, focused on Jesse, was oblivious to her distress. She made a spur of the moment decision not to tell her husband what had happened.
She shook the bottle, removed the cap and handed it back to Leroy. Jesse reached for the milk and settled into his father’s arms to drink.
Alicia gazed at her husband and son, forced herself to breathe, willed her heartbeat to slow down. Jesse sucked away at the milk, one hand on his bottle, the other reaching for the silvery hair poking out from the top of Leroy’s shirt.
Alicia felt a wave of love and, hot on its heels, a surge of anger.
How dare anyone seek to discredit their family. It was disgraceful. Alicia would not stand for it.
‘Honey, I know you said we need to watch what we spend,’ she said, placing her arm around Leroy’s shoulders. ‘But do you think we could move to the Hilton for the last couple of nights as a treat? I mean, nothin’s too good for our beautiful boy, right?’
She would stay one step ahead of the extortionists and by the time they cottoned on, she’d have her son far away, safe and sound.