Cold River

On a whim, she called the fertility clinic and spoke with the woman who'd been so helpful that first day.

"Oh, yes! I definitely remember you. You're the strikingly beautiful blonde woman with the figure that made me so envious," the woman said cheerfully.

"Well, that's very kind of you, but my figure is pretty much shot these days," Sutton replied even though she'd already lost a good portion of the 25 pounds she'd put on and was back doing Yoga and Pilates twice each per week.

"Okay, let me see here," the woman said as Sutton listened to the sound of her tapping her keyboard.

"Ah, yes. Here we go," she said. "He did elect not be anonymous, but he didn't choose to to allow direct contact."

"What does that mean?" Sutton asked now desperate to get answers.

"It means I can't give you his contact information. However, you can give me yours and the clinic can pass it on to him. It would then be his choice whether or not to contact you."

When Sutton didn't reply the woman said, "I'm sorry, but that's the best I can do."

"No. That's fine. I understand," Sutton told her. "I'd definitely like to give you my information. What do you need from me?"

Two minutes later, the clinic had everything it needed and informed Sutton they would pass on the information she'd provided within 96 hours. That came with the caveat that if the donor was no longer reachable via the way or ways he'd provided, her only recourse would be to hire a private investigator and try and find him.

Sutton thanked her profusely then found herself wondering if her phone number or address would ever make it to him, or more importantly, if he'd even want to contact her if they did.

Even during the 96-hour waiting period, Sutton found herself looking at her phone numerous times a day just in case. Once the four-day period was over, she kept in within arm's reach every minute of the day.

A week later, when no one had called, she began to realize she may never know who Brianna's father was. That thought hurt, but she refused to allow it to get her down. After all, she had a child of her own, and whether or not she knew the father, she was bound and determined to enjoy every moment with her beautiful baby girl.

After six months, Sutton gave up hoping her phone would ring and continued focusing on her own physical and mental well being even as she dutifully recorded every tiny, insignificant 'first' in Brianna's life in the form of videos she sent her mother as soon as they were made.

Ida flew back into town for her granddaughter's first birthday, and arrived two days in advance and would be saying another five days after. In fact, she'd thought long and hard about moving to Cold River herself as every day without her precious grand baby was like an eternity. But the thought of giving up the many good friends she'd made back home was as wrenching as the thought of not being able to see Brianna growing up. For now, the videos and an occasional visit would have to do.

Many of the women Sutton had befriended since moving to Cold River attended the birthday party for the little girl too young to understand what was going on. But that didn't stop her mom and grandmother from taking dozens of pictures and making 'just one more' video of her laughing or smiling or staring at the single candle on her cake.

The two of them opened the many presents the ladies had brought for the birthday girl, and when the ones Brianna could play with were handed to her, she gnawed on them for a few seconds with the tiny little teeth that had come in so far then reached for the next one and did the same thing. But she clearly did it better than any other child in the history of the world.

"I'm exhausted!" her mother said once the last guest was gone.

"Same here," Sutton told her. "I'm just gonna throw away all the wrapping paper then call it quits."

All of the cars had pulled out of the driveway, but there was a black sedan with tinted windows sitting across the street Sutton hadn't seen before. She didn't think much of it, though, as she gathered up paper, ribbons, and bows to put in the trash.

It was a little after 8am, when Ida said, "Sutton? Have you noticed a black car parked outside?"

Suddenly wide awake, Sutton walked over to the large front window and saw it parked in almost the same place it had been when she noticed it.

"Yes. It was there after the party. Everyone else had left so I knew it wasn't one of their's."

"Do you think Scott is having you watched?" her mom asked as neither of them took their eyes off the car.

"Maybe. But why? He doesn't want me or Brianna so what would his motivation be?"

"I don't know. I just know I don't trust that man as far as I can throw him," Ida told her.

"Mom? Will you keep an eye on Brianna?"

"Yes, but what do you think you're going to do, Sutton?" she asked as her daughter grabbed her coat and threw it on as she headed outside.

If this was Scott's doing, she was going to find out why and find out right now.

"Hey! Who are you? Why are you watching us?" she hollered as she strode down the driveway.

She couldn't make out a face through the heavily-tinted window on the driver's side, but she did see movement and then she heard the engine start up.

"Don't you take off!" she hollered as the car was put in gear and did just that.

"Tell Scott I know!" she yelled as the car zoomed past her and accelerated.

Sutton tried to get a look at the driver and could only tell it was a man. She didn't see anyone in the back seat, but that didn't mean someone wasn't there.

"Who was it?" Ida asked as soon as Sutton stepped inside.

"Someone too afraid to talk to me," she said feeling proud of herself for having tried to confront him.

"Did you get a plate number? Do you think we should call the police?"

"No, I didn't even think to look, Mom. And I'm not sure about the police. I mean, what do I even tell them? A black car with a man inside is watching the house?"

"I know that sounds crazy, but perhaps you should have a record of this on file. You know, just in case," she said using that same phrase.

"Yeah, maybe you're right, Mom," Sutton said without really listening.

Scott was the only person on earth she could think of who'd do something like this, but she couldn't think of a motive he might have for doing it. But what about his girlfriend? Could Ashley be the jealous, unhinged type? If so, what was her motive now that she had what she wanted?

"Let's stop by the police station later on," her mom suggested.

"What's that?" Sutton said when she realized she hadn't understood before her mom's question finally registered in her brain. "Oh. Yeah, sure. That's probably smart."

"You have a daughter to think about now, honey. She has to be our main concern."

"No, you're right, Mom. We'll do that. I kind of know one of the police officers through one of the wives who was here yesterday. You remember, Marta, right?"

"Oh, sure. The pretty redhead."

"Her brother is a lieutenant on the force. We can let him know what's going on and hopefully whoever this is will leave us alone. Assuming, of course, he's there looking at us, and not for some benign reason," Sutton said still thinking about Scott or Ashley as she racked her brain to find a reason, benign or otherwise.

The lieutenant took all the information they had to offer and promised to have a car swing by every 4-6 hours for the next two days.

"Call if you see the car again. And Ms. Davis? Please don't run out and try and confront him again, okay?" he said with a polite smile but in a rather stern way.

"That was a little on the foolish side, wasn't it?" Sutton offered knowing she was putting Brianna's future at risk as much as her own life. And that's when it hit her.

"What if...what if Scott and Ashley want Brianna? I know how Scott feels, but what if she's convinced him to take away my baby?"

Sutton felt silly for even bringing up something made for a TV movie, but once the thought was there, it stayed with her.

"Let's not get a head of ourselves," the lieutenant told her. "Hypothetically, anything is possible, but my experience tells me otherwise. I can't stop you from worrying, Ms. Davis, but I can assure you we will be looking into this. Does that help?"

"Yes. Thank you," Sutton said knowing it did help. It just didn't help very much.

They thanked the senior police officer then headed outside where Sutton grabbed her mom's arm as soon as they stepped out of the building.

"Mom. Look. Over there!"

"Oh, my....Lieutenant?" Ida called out as the black car's tires squealed as it pulled into traffic and took off.

Back inside, the lieutenant brought in a detective. The only additional information they could provide was that the state the license plate was from didn't look like a typical license plate at all.

Now thoroughly rattled, the two women did their best to calm one another as they drove home hoping the detective would find out what was going on and why, and more importantly, put an end to it.

Somehow, Brianna managed to sleep through the entire ordeal to include getting in and out of her tiny carseat.

"She's such a little angel," Ida said as she pulled out one more time back at the house.

"My miracle baby," Sutton said as she stroked the baby's knit cap-covered head as she walked behind her and her mother.

They spent an uneasy day and night checking outside several times an hour all day long and right up until they went to bed. There'd been no sign of the black car, but Sutton feared this person knew they'd gone to the police and might now be angry.

All she wanted was to be left alone to raise her child. After all she'd been through with Scott it was hard not to ask, "Why me?"

Sutton worried a little less each day she didn't see the mysterious black car and as she dropped her mom off at the airport, they tried to convince each other it had most likely been nothing but a coincidence.

"Besides, I have the number for the lieutenant and the detective, so I see no need to be concerned," Sutton told her mom.

"I agree, but please let me know if you ever see this car again, okay, sweetheart?" Ida asked.

"You know I will, Mom," she told her.

"Okay. Let me hold that beautiful grand baby of mine one more time before I go."

Five minutes later, Ida gave Brianna back to her mother and said, "I don't know, honey. I may just have to move out here. I can't stand to be away from this little bundle of joy."

She hugged her daughter then said, "Or you."

"We'd love that, Mom. I know you have your life back home, but you'll always be welcome here."

And with that, Sutton was on her way back to the big, lonely house Scott was still paying for. She hated feeling like a mooch, but she'd agreed to stay home all those years and as a result, she had no real, marketable job skills in spite of having a college degree. To his credit, Scott was paying for the house and continuing to support her, albeit with the help of court-ordered alimony. Child support was out of the question for very obvious reasons.

As she headed home, she thought it might be time to start looking for work, even if it was entry-level. She was able to make ends meet, but there was very little left over and having a job would really help, even after paying for daycare. And were she able to find a way to work from home, she could avoid the cost of full-time childcare and bring in some much-needed money.

As she got close enough to her house to see her driveway, she noticed a black sedan in the driveway, and she immediately felt a rush of fear until she noticed it wasn't the same car she'd seen before.

As she pulled in, the detective assigned to look into her case got out and came over to open her door.

"Detective. You scared me to death. Well, you car did," Sutton said as she got out after thanking him for opening the door.

"Sorry, Ms. Davis. I usually drive a white car, but it was in for maintenance. I didn't mean to frighten you," he told her as she went around to get her daughter.

"What brings you out here, Detective?" she asked as she opened the door to the house.

"I have some information for you on the black sedan," he said.

He smiled then added, "The other black sedan."

Brianna was gurgling happily so Sutton laid her in her crib.

"What kind of information?"

"I was able to get enough of a look at the plate on the car from a video camera to determine it was a government vehicle."

"Oh?" Sutton said as she waited for more information.

"Yes. I couldn't get the entire number, but I did get enough to tell what agency it's from," he said.

"And?" Sutton said now feeling her fear return.

"It's an FBI vehicle," the detective told her.

"The FBI? What in the world is the FBI doing watching me?" she asked trying to stay calm.

"Good question," he replied. "I made some phone calls and got the typical stiff arm the FBI usually gives local law enforcement. I wish I had more information, but whoever's watching you must have permission from with the Bureau."

"Oh, my goodness. Now I'm really freaked out," Sutton admitted.

"Please don't take this the wrong way, Ms. Davis, but is your ex-husband possibly involved in some kind of illegal activity?"

"Scott? No. Of course not. Well, not that I know of anyway," she told him.

"And you're not in any kind of trouble yourself?" he asked very delicately.

"No. Heavens no! We filed for an extension on our taxes a few times, but that's the closest to trouble with the law either of us was ever in," she explained.

"Well, extensions are legal so if that's it...."

"What about Scott's girlfriend? Ashley. Or maybe she's his wife by now for all I know—or care. Is she possibly connected to any of this?"

"Not that I could find," he told her. "Look, I know this isn't going to reassure you, but the good news is the FBI is on our side. All jokes aside, of course. We can be pretty sure it isn't some stalker or anyone with ill designs, but I have to admit I don't know what's going on or why. I hate leaving you in the lurch, as it were, but I felt I owed it to you to share what little information I have."

"No. I'm glad you told me, Detective. I guess I should be reassured," she said.

She tried to smile then said, "I'm not but I probably should be."

"Unfortunately, that's all I have, Ms. Davis. If I find anything else out, I'll let you know immediately, and if you see the car again, call me. I can't make the FBI do anything, but perhaps we can at least find out why you're being surveilled."

"That didn't help, Detective," Sutton said still trying to put on a brave face.

"I feel terrible, Ms. Davis. I really do. I know you have a daughter, and I know you want answers."

"That's okay, Detective. Thank you for stopping by. Perhaps there's a drug dealer or an arms dealer living next door and he's watching them," Sutton said.

"Perhaps. But then we have the issue of that car being right across from police headquarters the day you were there."

He shook his head then said, "I know. That didn't help, either."

Sutton forced a laugh then said, "You've done as much as you could, Detective. We'll be fine. Really."

"Yes, ma'am," was all he could think of to say. No, he wanted to say something else, but knew it would be highly unprofessional to tell her she was a very attractive woman and let her know he'd like to get to know her better, so he settled for being formal and left.

Sutton saw him out then went to get Brianna as it was time for dinner.

"I guess it's just the two us, huh, sweetie?" she said as she held her precious baby. "What would you like for dinner tonight? Peas and carrots or mashed potatoes?"

It was hard to believe Brianna had been eating baby food for several months and was ready to beginning to eat real food little more each day. Soon she'd be walking, going to school, and then getting married!

Sutton wasn't sure if she should laugh or cry at the thought of her little girl growing up, but she knew it was inevitable. For now, she vowed to enjoy every day with her, and for the moment, that meant opening another jar of Gerber's best.

Sutton had just finished feeding Brianna some applesauce for dessert when the sound of the doorbell startled her so badly she shrieked causing her daughter to start crying.

"Oh, honey! Mommy's so sorry! Come here," she said as she lifted her out of the highchair and headed for the door.

She looked through the peephole and saw a tall, younger-looking man standing there in a suit. He first thought was a Mormon missionary, but they always traveled in pairs.

Without opening the door, Sutton said, "May I help you?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm FBI Special Agent Brady Thomas."

He held up his gold shield and a chill ran through Sutton.

"Have you been following me?" she asked, her body nearly shaking.

"Yes, ma'am. Well, sort of anyway. If you'll let me in, I'll explain," he told her.

"Um...okay. Hold on a second," she said as she shifted Brianna to her other arm then opened the door.

She was much too concerned to notice just how good-looking this FBI agent was as he stepped inside after thanking her for letting him in.

"Can I get you anything, Agent....?"

"Thomas. And no, thank you," he said with a pleasant smile.

Sutton did notice, however, that he was staring at Brianna in a way that made her very uncomfortable.

"Did Scott hire you?" she asked not realizing the FBI didn't 'get hired.'

"Scott?" he asked.

"My husband. My...ex-husband," she explained.

"No. No one hired me, Ms. Davis," he told her.

"Then...then why have you been watching me?" she asked.

"Could we maybe sit down and talk?" he asked politely.

"Oh. Um...sure. Please follow me."

Sutton led him into the family room and offered him a spot on the love seat while she sat on the couch across from him while holding Brianna on her lap.

"She's a beautiful girl," Agent Thomas said.

"Oh, thank you. Yes, she is," Sutton agreed.

"Ms. Davis, I owe you an apology and an explanation," Agent Thomas said.

Sutton didn't answer. She just sat there waiting and wondering what in God's name was going on.

"I have been...watching you," he began. "But not in my capacity as an FBI agent."

"Oh?" Sutton said not sure what else to say.

"I'm very sorry if it made you uncomfortable."

"Uncomfortable?" she repeated. "You scared me, Agent Thomas. I've barely slept worrying about who was out there and why."

"I'm truly sorry. But perhaps the explanation will help," he said as he leaned over and rested his forearms on his knees.

He paused for a moment then looked right at her and said, "A couple of years ago, I was a starving grad student in need of some money. I uh, I came home for summer break and..."

"O-kaaay," Sutton said waiting for more information.

"I found out that it was possible to make some money by um...you know, becoming a donor."

As he paused again, Sutton felt herself begin to tremble as the light started coming on.

"At the fertility clinic. Here in Cold River."

"Oh...my...God," she said quietly. "Are you...."

"Brianna's father?" he filled in. "I believe I am."

"But why didn't you...how come when I...."

Special Agent Thomas smiled then said, "If you'll allow me to continue."

"Oh. Yes. I'm sorry. Please go on," Sutton said.

"I got a letter from the clinic while I was at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. But at the time, I was so consumed with getting through the course, I just tabled the letter and didn't give it much thought."

As she sat there looking at him, she saw it first in his eyes. Brianna's were the same color. It was too early to tell, but she thought her daughter might also have his high cheekbones and she definitely had his full lips.

"But after I graduated and received my assignment to the Boise Field Office, I began thinking more and more about my having a child. Sorry, she's not my child. I do know that. But well, in a way, I guess she kind of is," he said.