The woman hurried toward a gap between heaps of industrial waste and stopped. She hesitated for a moment, her shoulders trembling, then whispered something Kayla could not hear over the storm. With a sudden motion, she dropped the bundle onto the ground, as if holding it any longer was unbearable. She shoved garbage bags over it, dragged a soggy box on top, then ran back to the car without looking back. The engine roared, tires sprayed mud, and the sedan disappeared into the night.
Silence followed, heavy and unnatural.
Kayla stayed hidden, counting her heartbeats, fear battling curiosity. She had seen people dump stolen goods before, sometimes even animals, but something about the way the woman moved had been different. Desperation won. She crept forward, slipping in the mud, tearing away bags until she reached the box. Beneath it lay a wool blanket, thick and expensive even soaked through.
She touched it. Warm. Moving. Her breath caught as she pulled the fabric aside. A thin cry pierced the storm.
Kayla dropped to her knees. It was a baby. Someone had thrown away a living child like unwanted trash.