Witness in Hiding

by Lisa Phillips

  He’d never had to keep anyone safe except himself, and he’d been fine living in the narrow world a bachelor dealt with. He’d been content, for now, being friends with the youth kids. Mentoring some of them. Jude didn’t even know what it was like to care for someone else that much, but he knew he wanted that in his life.

  Romance wasn’t on his radar, or it hadn’t been until Zoe looked up at him with those big green eyes. That connection was what had been missing from his life so far. Why now, Lord? He hadn’t prayed for a wife, not yet. Was Zoe, and all her accompanying danger, really what God thought he needed?

  Someday, maybe.

  Now Jude was facing the fact that all his plans and intentions to wait until after he was established in his career before starting a family weren’t necessary. If this was God working in his life then Jude had to refocus everything he’d thought was a priority to make room for it.

  Or, maybe it wasn’t that cut-and-dried.

  Right now, he could do his job and protect Zoe. Jude pulled out his phone and called the detective he’d spoken with an hour ago.

  “Kind of busy.”

  Jude didn’t much care. Zoe was in danger, and the longer they stayed in one place the greater the chances were that they would be found. “Are you coming back?”

  “Backup is delayed. We’re taking this.”

  “You know who these guys are?”

  The detective muttered something, then blew out a breath. “Watch it.” A second later he said, “No idea who these guys are—never seen them before.”

  “And they just shot at you, unprovoked?”

  “We have no idea why they decided to do it.”

  Jude looked at the door to the diner. Was this about Zoe? It was possible these guys had been hired to shoot at the two detectives. Hired to stop them from meeting with Zoe. Hired to stop Zoe from telling the cops what she knew.

  The interview was supposed to have been about Moose’s murder, but this was something much bigger. How it tied into his investigation, Jude hadn’t figured out yet. Zoe might have nothing to do with the money. Then again, she might be smack in the middle of it all.

  He needed to keep her close until he figured out which it was.

  “Call me later when you want to give this another try.”

  “Yup.” The detective hung up.

  Jude made his way back over to the diner. He grabbed the door handle and pulled. The attack against the officers might have been an elaborate distraction. But for what? Energy surged through him. Worry for Zoe and whether she was safe.

  She raced out the door he’d just opened and slammed into him. Jude’s arms wrapped around her, a reflexive action. She wound her arms around his waist and clung to him, her breath coming fast. Zoe wasn’t the kind of woman who easily lost her cool.

  “What happened?”

  She looked up at him, those green eyes as big and wide as he’d seen them in the Laundromat. “He was here. The man who killed Moose.”

  She glanced back, inside the restaurant. “I think he’s gone now though. He just stared at me.” She shivered.

  “Tucker Wilson?” That probably wasn’t his name, but Jude didn’t know what else to call him.

  Zoe nodded, her movements frantic. Her whole body shook. He held her tighter and rubbed one hand up and down her back. Only to help her calm down, not because the hug was nice. This didn’t have anything to do with his feelings. It was about helping Zoe.

  “Wait here.” He set her away from him, just to prove he could let go of her with no problem anytime he wanted to. The “something’s missing” feeling hit him square in the chest as the space between them became a void he desperately wanted to eradicate. But he didn’t. “I’ll go look.”

  “Give me your keys.”

  His head jerked in a shake. “For what?” Was she going to drive off and leave him?

  “I’m not going to steal a car with government plates.” She shot him a dark look. “I don’t want to wait out here. I want to wait in the car. Where it’s safe.”

  He pulled out his keys. “Good idea.”

  He watched her cross the lot. It might give Tucker Wilson time to escape, but he wanted to know Zoe was safe in the car before he went inside. He wasn’t about to leave her unprotected again. When she’d gotten in and clicked the locks to secure herself inside, he went in the diner.

  All the patrons stared at him as he walked through the restaurant. The silver shield of the Secret Service wasn’t something their agency displayed, preferring to go for anonymity instead of spectacle. Too many people would video him if they knew he was a federal agent, leaving Jude handicapped in his ability to do his job. He didn’t need that kind of attention until it became necessary.

  He searched for Tucker Wilson, but didn’t find the man even when he headed out the back door. He circled the building back to the parking lot.

  He was halfway across the lot when his phone rang, so he pulled it out. Dad calling. Jude swiped to answer the call. “Dad? Is everything okay? Is Tyler all right?”

  Nothing but static greeted him.

  “Dad?” Jude picked up his pace until he was only a few feet from the car, the engine already running. “Dad, can you hear me?” He looked at the screen to see if he’d been disconnected, but the call was still active.

  The Bluetooth icon was on, which meant the call had connected in the car.

  Jude was running fast now. Concern for the boy rushed through him, a numbing pain he couldn’t think past. If something happened to Tyler, Zoe would be devastated. He didn’t know if his parents could handle that kind of responsibility. Who could? No one wanted an innocent to get hurt while under their protection. Jude didn’t want that for them, and the last thing he wanted was for the boy to become a casualty of whatever was going on. He would do everything in his power to prevent that from happening.

  * * *

  Zoe gripped the edges of the seat, feeling the hum of the car engine. “I’m okay, Andrew. Are you?”

  “We’re all okay,” Andrew answered. “Right now, at least.”

  So why had he phoned? As soon as the call had connected in the car, via the Bluetooth, Zoe had felt the ice-cold shock of fear for her son’s life.

  She’d been on edge since she saw Tucker Wilson inside the diner. His eyes had been as cold as they were in the Laundromat when he’d killed one person and shot another. Had he forced those two detectives away with a diversion in an attempt to kidnap her?

  She hadn’t waited around to find out. Zoe had simply raced to the front and out the door, where she slammed into Jude. That hug had been the best hug of her life. And while she knew she shouldn’t get used to relying on him like that, it had certainly felt good at the time. Better than good, actually.

  “I think someone might be creeping around outside, though. Where’s Jude?”

  Zoe glanced out every window of the SUV. “I see him. He’s coming over.”

  She leaned over and unlocked the doors, then cracked the driver’s door. His vehicle had been her safe haven more than once since they’d met. The fact that Jude would be here with her as well made it all the more secure.

  After weeks of feeling nothing but scared and alone, it was wonderful to know she wasn’t alone even if she was still scared.

  Jude swung the door wide.

  “Your dad is on the phone.” She pointed to the center display.

  He glanced at it. “Everything okay?”

  “He thinks someone is outside their house.”

  Jude got in and shut his door. “We’re on our way.”

  Zoe buckled her seat belt fast and he did the same before he put the SUV in Drive and pulled out of the lot.

  “Tell me what’s happening.”

  “I saw someone outside. A man,” Andrew said.

 
Zoe figured interjecting her own questions wouldn’t be helpful. Still, they raced through her head like rows on a spreadsheet. Where was Tyler? Was he okay? Was Andrew sure he was okay? Where was Jude’s mom? It wouldn’t do any good to ask. Until she saw for herself that they were fine, she wouldn’t trust it.

  That was the reason she had such a hard time with the faith she’d learned about at all those summer camps she’d gone to as a kid. It had been more enjoyable than staying home, where there was no food and nothing on TV. Her mom hadn’t been into games or toys, and she was always at work during those endless summer days Zoe had filled with doing whatever her friends did.

  That meant Vacation Bible School with a girl who’d lived two doors down. Snacks, games and plenty of other kids to play with. Zoe had loved it, and all the talk about God and Jesus had been interesting. The idea of a heavenly Father being there to protect and guide her was tempting enough that she’d been a believer for a while, but she’d also had to learn to stand on her own two feet. Experience had taught her that she could only rely on herself.

  Now Zoe trusted things she could see, things she could prove with evidence. Something she hadn’t taken the time to do with God. There was evidence; she’d just never looked into it for herself because she’d been busy. Then she got married, and Tyler had come. After that she was too busy because everything was falling apart. Now wasn’t exactly the time to do it, either. She could ask Jude about it, though. It was clear he had come from a family where faith was the norm. What made him retain that belief through adulthood—especially given all the evil he had likely seen during his career as a federal agent?

  “We’ll be there in ten minutes.”

  “Okay, I’m looking out the window,” Andrew said. “I can’t see anyone now. It was just for a second, but I didn’t want to take any chances.”

  Zoe heard him moving around on the other end of the line.

  “Leanne went to make sure Tyler was all right.” He paused, then called out, “Honey?”

  Jude gripped the wheel and drove as fast as was safe through the streets back to the church. She wished he could go faster. How could he be so calm, so focused? Her thoughts were all over the place.

  He said, “What’s going on, Dad?”

  “One second.” The phone rustled, then Jude’s mom’s voice came over the line. “Tyler isn’t in his room.”

  Zoe gasped. “What?”

  “Dad!” Panic broke through Jude’s unruffled demeanor.

  The fact that he cared about her son, and his family, so much was some comfort. But it didn’t dispel the terror that moved through her. “It can’t be the same guy. He was here, and he didn’t have enough time to get back to your house, right?”

  Jude nodded, the muscle in his jaw tight. “Dad?”

  “Yeah, son?”

  “Find Tyler. We’ll be there as soon as we can be, okay?”

  “We’re looking.”

  “And have Mom call the police. If there is someone outside, and if Tyler is in danger, then we need the cops there to help.”

  Zoe nodded, pleased he didn’t want to act like some lone cowboy and try to do it all himself. Even though she didn’t trust the police could do anything to help her, she still wanted them there.

  “Good idea, Jude.” Then, speaking to Leanne, Andrew said, “Go look in the sanctuary. I’m going to check the youth and children’s rooms. And be careful.”

  Her son was in good hands—or would be, when they found him. Jude was cut from the same cloth. Which didn’t make her feel good about herself. She didn’t have that kind of role model. Her mom had been self-absorbed at best, and the worse was just that—worse. Zoe had spent years trying to do better, to be a better wife and mom than her own mom had ever been. Her son deserved more than she’d had.

  Zoe looked at Jude’s hands on the wheel. She wanted him to let go and hold hers, but he was concentrating.

  He glanced at her. “We’ll be there in a minute.”

  It would be more like five, but she appreciated his attempt to reassure her. There wasn’t much more he could do. Just drive faster. She wanted them to get there in one piece, so she just let him concentrate without having to deal with her, as well.

  She couldn’t help saying, “Please find him, Andrew.”

  “I’m looking now.” Jude’s father’s voice was soft. That was when Jude reached over and squeezed her hand.

  “Could he have gone outside?”

  She frowned at Jude’s question. “Yes, if he thought it was the right thing to do. He knows that if he thinks he’s in danger, he’s supposed to make himself safe, and then wait for help to come to him.”

  “I can check outside,” Andrew said. “But we’ll finish looking inside first.”

  “Good idea,” Jude told his dad. Then he said, “They have to rule out inside first.”

  She nodded, though the mom in her wanted to panic at the idea that her son was in danger. “Hurry, please.” He couldn’t drive faster, but she needed to say it anyway.

  “Hang on,” Andrew said. “What is it, Leanne?”

  Jude’s mom’s voice came over the line. “I saw the man again, and he has a ski mask on. He’s outside, by the trees. And Tyler isn’t in here.”

  Zoe’s stomach rolled over like she’d eaten bad shrimp. “The tree house.”

  EIGHT

  Zoe was out of the car before he’d even come to a complete stop. Again. Jude shut off the engine and ran after her as she circled the building. He caught up in time to open the gate before she attempted to scale the fence.

  She moved to go first, but Jude held her back with his arm. He palmed his weapon and said, “Stay behind me.”

  The last thing he needed was for her to become a casualty of whatever was happening. Really, he should have made her wait in the car, but having her with him meant he would at least be able to keep an eye on her.

  Jude made his way to the rear of the building. If Tyler had gone to the tree house, he’d have come out the back door. But it wasn’t Tyler he found there.

  “Dad!” Jude rushed to where his father lay on the grass beside the walking path. After he scanned the whole area and saw no one he fell to his knees at his dad’s side. A gash on his forehead trickled blood down his face in a stream. Jude pulled out the handkerchief his dad always kept in his left pocket and balled it up before pressing it to his father’s forehead.

  Zoe set her hand on his shoulder and leaned down to ask his father, “Where’s Tyler?”

  His dad moaned and opened his eyes for a second. His vision was glassy. Was it just a concussion, or something even more serious? “Dad, can you hear me?”

  Jude’s mom raced from the house carrying a first-aid kit. “Your father told me to wait inside. When he came out, someone sneaked up behind him. They must not have seen me—” she wrung her hands together “—when I yelled to your father, he turned and whoever it was clocked him on the head.” Tears rolled down his mother’s face. “It’s all my fault, Jude.”

  Jude pulled out gauze. “Did you see where Tyler went?” Zoe squeezed his shoulder, whether in thanks or for another reason, he didn’t know.

  His mom shook her head. “Andrew was going to search for him. That’s when I saw the person who attacked him.”

  Zoe said, “I’m going to check the tree house.”

  Jude nodded. She would be within view the whole time, which was the only reason he let her go look for Tyler by herself. Jude pulled out his phone and called 9-1-1, explaining who he was. The police were on their way due to his mother’s earlier call. Now they would send an ambulance, as well.

  Jude ended the call and pocketed his phone, but he couldn’t relax. He could barely pull in a full breath as fear over what could’ve happened rolled through him.

  His father could so easily have been killed
. Tyler could still be missing—he might not be in the tree house—and then what would they do? Zoe would be distraught. And Tyler...what would happen to him in these killers’ hands?

  He started to pray.

  Seconds later Zoe emerged from the tree house, followed by Tyler. Jude blew out the breath he’d been holding, then scanned the area again as they climbed down the rungs nailed to the tree trunk.

  “He looks okay.”

  His mom nodded. She settled onto the grass across from him, his father between them. “You care about them.”

  “Of course.”

  “I mean, more than one human being cares simply because another human being is in danger. I mean you care.”

  Jude shrugged. He hadn’t examined his feelings more than that. There had hardly been any time to. “I haven’t known them long enough to know if that’s true. Zoe seems like a nice woman in a seriously tough spot, and Tyler is in danger, as well. Zoe’s sister was nearly killed.” They needed to visit her in the hospital, as they’d told Tyler he could. The boy needed to see for himself that his aunt was mending—assuming she hadn’t taken a turn for the worse.

  “Beyond that?” Jude shrugged. “Why don’t we just worry about what’s happening in the moment instead of what may or may not happen in the future?” After all, he had to find out what Zoe knew about BioWell. Not dig into his feelings.

  Her eyebrows lifted. “You’re thinking about the future?”

  “Mom.”

  “What?” She spread her hands, all innocence, then looked at his father and winced. “Is your father going to be okay?”

  “The ambulance will be here soon.” Jude prayed some more.

  “He hit him so hard.” She swallowed, as though just the memory of it made her sick.

  Zoe and Tyler clung to each other as they walked across the grass. Jude scanned the area looking for his father’s assailant, then let his gaze land on Tyler.