The next morning, Mike was planning on working in his yard.  He couldn't keep his mind from wandering back to the kiss on Molly's doorstep.  He flushed and felt warm when he remembered.  He had to leave before things got out of hand.
    They had made another date for that evening and he could hardly wait.
    Molly had awakened early.  She was anxious to start her day because it would bring her that much closer to her date with Mike.
    She had received a phone call from her friend, Mitch.  He had said that they had traced the car to a family that had employed a young girl to babysit their baby - Baby John.
     She was being questioned by the police.  They were convinced that this was the break that they need to crack the kidnaping ring.
    The girl was very frightened.  She was very candid about her own involvement in the scheme, but was reluctant to mention anyone else that might be involved with the ring.  Molly was on her way to visit the parents.  She would need to determine whether the baby was in any danger from them.

    "Hi,  Mrs.  Collins?  My name is Molly Brightman.  I'm from Social Services."  Before Molly could get any further the woman, who looked as if she hadn't slept in several days,  lunged toward Molly.
    "Have they found my baby?  Please,  I have to know."  Molly tried to calm her down as best as she could.  They then proceeded into the living room.
    "We found a baby a couple of nights ago."  The woman's face brightened.         "Someone saw a young girl leave it in a fire truck.  A fireman found her."  In the woman's face was found a note of recognition.
    "Melissa?  She was our babysitter.  Is she the one who kidnaped our baby?"
    Molly would have to present her report to her boss before custody could be given back to the parents.  Mrs. Collins was not happy about that.
    "Why can't I have my baby?  You can't keep him from me."  Molly tried to remain calm in order to keep the mother calm.
    "It will just be a day or so.  We have to make sure that baby John Doe . . . "  The mother interrupted.
    "His name is Christopher."  Molly apologized.
    "We have to make sure Christopher is going to be safe before we release him."
    The mother finally calmed down enough that Molly felt as if she could leave.  She didn't feel as if there would be any problem getting Christopher back to his mom.
   "They've picked up Melissa.  She's probably spilling her guts as we speak."  The man seated behind the desk did not seem rattled yet.
    "Is there enough to connect us to her?"  The other man processed this information carefully.
    "Just her word against ours."
    At the police station,  Melissa had been processed and was now being questioned.  She was only twenty and was very scared.
    "Did you kidnap the Collins' baby?"  The detective asked her.
    "Yes,  but . . ."  And then she stopped.
    They could not get her to name the higher-ups in the organization even to save herself.
*********************************************************************
    "Hi."  Mike said as he kissed her.  For a moment, they were both brought back to the night before.
    "Mmmm, that was nice."  Molly said as they broke apart.  She had come over to his house where he had prepared a sumptuous meal.
    "Where did you learn to cook like this?"  She asked with her mouth slightly full.
    "I had to learn how to cook for the fire station."  Molly nodded as she continued eating.  Mike smiled as he watched Molly eat.  She was rather thin, so he was glad to see her eat.
    They sat on the couch and sipped coffee.
    "So, you're going to return the baby to his mother?"  Mike asked as he toyed with a strand of her hair.
    "Well, we have to make sure that the baby will be safe.  We think that we know what happened.  The babysitter kidnaped the baby and is working with the kidnaping ring.  However, the babysitter won't tell us who she's working with."
    They talked some more about other things as they listened to Christmas music.  It was a perfect evening.  They felt so comfortable together.
    "Chet is trying to get your phone number."  Molly laughed.
    "Well, even if he had my phone number, I wouldn't go out with him."  Mike got very serious, very quickly.  She was now staring deeply into his eyes.
    "Why not?"  His eyes were so intense that she found herself shuddering.  She could barely speak.
    "Because I . . . I like you  . . . a lot."  This was exactly what he wanted to hear.  He kissed her softly at first, and then with more passion.  He was losing control fast.
    "Would you like for me to spend the night?"  She was speaking barely above a whisper.  This time it was he who was shuddering.
    "I want that more than anything in the world."  He answered back softly.
Part Three