Witness Protection Unraveled (Protected Identities Book 3)

by Maggie K. Black

  For a moment her eyes alighted on the uniformed cop by the door and, to her surprise, he met her gaze. He was in his early fifties, she guessed, with the build of a man who still hit the gym, dark hair that was graying at the temples and eyes that seemed to scowl despite the neutral line of his mouth. A warning shiver brushed her spine. Who was that?

  “There you are,” Travis called. He crossed the floor to her, his arm outstretched.

  “Yup, here I am.” Her smile felt oddly wobbly, but she figured that might be good for her cover.

  A wide and lazy grin crossed Travis’s face, but she could tell it was tight at the corners and more than a little uncomfortable. He reached her side and lightly touched his hand against the small of her back, sending a gentle warmth through her core.

  “Everyone, this is my friend Jess.” He turned toward the room. How many people in this town had heard the rumors about his fictional ex-fiancée? How many would wonder if it was her? “I’m sure she’s looking forward to meeting everyone, but she and her brother drove a long way to get here today, it’s been an exhausting day, and she arrived to the chaos of Patricia’s accident. I’ve got to take Willow and Dominic home. So, I’ve got to kick you all out and lock up. But I promise, I’ll call the community phone tree the moment I hear anything about Patricia.”

  She glanced to his face and met his eyes, and for the first time could see the depth of worry floating there. He knew something—something that was bothering him a whole lot, but which he wasn’t yet ready to tell her. For a moment Jess stood there, waiting for some clue to what her next line should be, when Willow made a beeline for her across the room and launched herself into Jess’s arms even before Jess realized she’d opened her arms to catch her.

  “Where’s Seth?” Willow asked.

  “He’s still upstairs, but you’ll be seeing him later,” Jess said.

  “I told the police about the Shiny Man,” Willow said.

  “And I told them there’d been an intruder in my apartment and we’d scared him off,” Travis added. “You don’t need to make a statement, if you don’t want to.”

  “Actually, I want to,” Jess said. She pulled away from Travis, took Willow’s hand and strode across the room toward the uniformed cop, feeling Willow skip as she walked beside her. “Excuse me, Officer?”

  A polite smile crossed his lips as a neutral and far more professional look filled his eyes. So apparently he knew well enough to hide the previous flicker of hostility.

  “Can I help you?” he asked.

  “I’m Travis’s friend, Jess Amie.” She reached out her right hand to shake his, keeping her left looped through Willow’s.

  “Nice to meet you.” He took her hand and shook it briefly. “Gordon Peters, district chief.”

  “I hear Travis and Willow told you about the intruder—” she said.

  “It wasn’t an int’uder,” Willow interrupted loudly. “It was the Shiny Man!”

  Something flickered briefly in Chief Peters’s eyes. Like he’d been tempted to roll them and caught himself. Okay, so clearly he didn’t believe her.

  “Well, I need to confess that I pulled a gun on him,” Jess said.

  The cop’s eyebrows rose. But it was nothing compared to the sound of Travis’s sharp intake of breath behind her. She reached into her pocket, pulled out the antique weapon from Travis’s study and held it up.

  “It looked like he and Travis were fighting,” she said, “and I guess it was instinct.”

  And I’m not saying this was the gun I pulled. I’m just holding it up.

  She dropped the weapon into the officer’s hand. He turned it over and glanced at the welded muzzle. Then he handed it back.

  “I think I have all the information I need,” he said. “If you think of anything else significant or spot this orange-clad man, call the police immediately.” Chief Peters turned to go then paused. “And please tell Patricia, I hope she feels better soon.”

  Twenty minutes later Jess was sitting in Travis’s red pickup truck as he drove down Main Street and out of town, while Seth trailed behind them in her car. The sun was setting, turning gray clouds dark blue, as she sat in the front passenger seat, with Willow and Dominic in the back. She couldn’t help but notice that car seats for both kids were already in the truck and that when he plugged his phone in, it automatically opened to a playlist of children’s tunes. He turned on the music and set it to play out of the back seat speakers. Then he waited until Willow was distracted by singing to Dominic before saying anything more than small talk.

  “That was a cute trick with the g-u-n,” he said, keeping his voice low and a watchful eye on the kids in the rearview mirror. “What was the point?”

  “Because the intruder knew I pulled a g-u-n,” she said. “I don’t know if the S-h-i-n-y M-a-n was someone in that room or how fast rumors spread in this town, but I didn’t want them thinking I was hiding anything.”

  He nodded thoughtfully. “Smart.”

  She resisted the temptation to point out she was good at her job. Especially since she wasn’t quite sure why she was feeling defensive.

  A blue sign told them they were leaving Kilpatrick and invited them to come back soon. The smattering of buildings faded behind them. For a few minutes they drove through trees, then turned off the rural road onto a narrower unpaved road. Travis slowed the vehicle to a crawl and took one more glance at the rearview mirror.

  “My landlady might be going into surgery,” he said, raising the back seat music even louder and lowering his voice even more to ensure they wouldn’t be overheard. “She has a brain tumor and the fall might’ve aggravated it. Someone will call when they know something. But in the meantime, I’m going to be awake and watching my phone.”

  “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

  “Thanks,” he said.

  The truck slowed and the trees parted. A two-story farmhouse lay ahead. A wide wooden porch swing rocked gently on the long front porch.

  “Is Willow’s room on the second floor?” she asked.

  Travis nodded as he parked the truck. “The kids share a room. It’s around the side.”

  Seth pulled in behind them, turned off the engine and hopped out of her car.

  “I can’t leave the kids,” Travis said before opening his door. “They need me. I’ll do what I can to help you prep for your mission against the Chimera and I’d appreciate your help in turn figuring out who the Shiny Man is. Won’t be the first time we’ve worked two cases at once. But I’m not going anywhere and I’m not leaving Kilpatrick.”

  Something firm and protective rumbled in his voice.

  “Got it,” Jess said.

  Travis plastered a grin on his face and got the kids out of the vehicle in turn, promising them he’d make spaghetti for dinner. They all started toward the house and motion sensor lights clicked on to greet them. But still, Travis’s tone of voice and the look on his face twisted something inside her chest.

  As much as he might need and even appreciate her help, Travis didn’t want her there.

  Her footsteps stopped as they reached the porch.

  “I’m going to join you guys in a minute,” she said. “I need to make a quick phone call to my and Seth’s friend Liam.”

  RCMP detective Liam Bearsmith was steady, level-headed, and the longest serving RCMP officer on her and Seth’s team. He’d seen it all and survived to shrug it off. In her experience, he was the perfect person to talk to when she was rattled.

  “Sounds good,” Travis nodded. “Cell phone reception is better outside the house.”

  Seth’s eyebrows rose. “You want me to join you, Jess?”

  “No, I’m good,” she said.

  Seth’s sense of humor was always good for lightening the mood. But right now she needed something other than that. She waited as they went inside and closed the door. Then she pulled
out her phone, opened the Contacts file and found Liam’s number. Her thumb hovered over it. Then she paused and walked around the side of the house.

  Lord, I need Your guidance. I feel really confused right now. I felt like I was meant to come here, but apparently not for the reasons I thought. Help me know what I’m doing here and what I’m supposed to do.

  The motion sensor lights switched off, plunging the world into darkness before she’d barely taken ten steps. She walked further away from the house and pressed Liam’s number. Thick trees pressed up against the narrow dirt laneway on both sides.

  “Liam Bearsmith,” His stern and professional voice was there in an instant.

  “Hey, Liam, it’s Jess,” she said, even though she knew he had Call Display. “I’m guessing Seth filled you in.”

  “He did,” Liam said. “I heard you left Travis at the altar.”

  Was it her imagination or did a hint of laughter move through his voice?

  “Don’t believe everything you hear.”

  The movement to her right was so sudden she barely had time to try to reach for the gun at her ankle before she felt a sweet-smelling rag clamped down hard over her face. There was a fleeting glimpse of the shiny orange sleeves of a construction jumpsuit. Then her head was yanked back hard and the barrel of a gun pressed into the side of her head.

  “Drop the phone.” The voice behind her was menacing, male and distorted like he was speaking through a voice box. “You and I are going somewhere quiet to talk.”

  FOUR

  Jess would know the sickly sweet smell of chloroform anywhere. But this was the first time she’d felt a rag soaked in it pressed up against her face, filling her lungs and threatening to pull her under. Instinctively she turned her face to the side, creating a tiny bit of distance between her nose and the rag. She forced her brain to overcome her fear, and focus. Chloroform wasn’t instantaneous, she could still breathe and it felt like her attacker’s dosing of the rag was light. For now, her biggest worry was the gun. Her fingers ached for her own concealed weapon. Help me Lord! If only she could reach her gun.

  “I said, drop the phone!” The Shiny Man’s distorted voice rose.

  She let it fall from her hand, praying that Liam would hear what was happening and alert Seth and Travis that she was in danger. The only question was whether they’d reach her in time. She thrashed from side to side, gasping for non-drugged air wherever she could.

  The Shiny Man lifted her up and she felt her feet leave the ground as he tried to drag her backward. She bit his wrist so hard he shouted in pain and dropped her. She hit the ground and barely managed to tuck herself into a roll, as her body tumbled on the rough forest floor. Already she could feel the chloroform coursing through her. How long until she passed out? She didn’t know. Only that her body felt heavy and sluggish. She was growing weaker. But she wouldn’t give up without a fight.

  She forced herself to her feet. But her fingers felt thick and unsteady as she reached for her ankle holster, fumbling in vain as she struggled to remove her weapon. The drowsiness in her head grew heavier. Help me, Lord! I can’t get my gun out! She gritted her teeth. If she managed to pull it, would she be steady enough to make a shot? If they wrestled for the gun, would she kill him or herself? She forced a deep breath into her lungs and reminded herself that if he wanted her dead, he’d have killed her already.

  The Shiny Man charged at her.

  “Stop!” she called. “I have a gun!”

  The figure hesitated.

  “Who are you?” she shouted. “What do you want?”

  He didn’t answer. Instead, he just loomed over her, an indistinct figure clad in orange-reflective gear with a silver buglike respirator mask covering his face. He looked more like a creature than a man.

  Her head swam. Drowsiness beat over her like a wave. Panicked prayers filled her heart. She’d managed to fight through the drug so far. All she had to do was to keep fighting, stay conscious and stop him from taking her long enough for someone to find her. He took an awkward step toward her.

  “You want to talk?” she called, hoping the bravado filling her voice would make him doubt the potency of the chloroform. “Come on then! Let’s talk!”

  “Jess!” Travis’s voice floated toward her, faint and distant in the darkness. “Where are you?”

  “Travis!” she shouted. “I’m here—”

  The blow came hard and fast as the Shiny Man launched himself at her, catching her by the neck and knocking her down onto her back. Her head smacked against the ground. Darkness swam before her eyes.

  “Jess!” Travis called. “Jess, where are you?”

  She couldn’t answer. She could barely even breathe, as the Shiny Man crouched over her, holding her down with a gloved hand at her throat.

  “Who are you?” the Shiny Man demanded. His voice distorted, creepy and unnatural thanks to the voice box hidden inside his insect-like mask.

  Come on, Jess, stay focused! Underneath it all he was just a man, like every other criminal she and Travis had taken down and put behind bars.

  “Who. Are. You?”

  “Jess,” she croaked. Even drugged, scared and caught off guard, she’d let herself die before she blew her cover.

  Travis’s voice faded, taking her hope with it. He was running in the wrong direction. The Shiny Man leaned in closer until she could feel the weight of him against her chest.

  “What are you doing here?” the Shiny Man asked in his odd, mechanically distorted voice.

  She shook her head, like she couldn’t speak, and gasped for breath until he loosened his grip on her throat.

  “Visiting Travis,” she said. She swallowed hard. “We’re...we’re old friends.”

  “You’re lying,” he said.

  She blinked. Why would he possibly say that? “I’m not!”

  “Then why hasn’t he ever mentioned you?”

  What? The question sent shivers of fear coursing over her.

  It was personal. Whatever was going on, and whatever this man wanted, he knew Travis and considered this personal. Travis had told her it was impossible to keep a secret in a town this small, where everybody knew each other’s business. And yet she’d never realized how ominous that could be until now.

  “Who are you?” But even as words slipped her lips, she knew he wasn’t going to answer.

  The sound of Travis’s voice disappeared. The Shiny Man leaned in close. The pressure increased on her throat again as his words came out in a long, electronic drone. “Why. Hasn’t. He. Mentioned. You?”

  God, please help me get my words right.

  “I don’t know, but he drew pictures of me!”

  The Shiny Man recoiled. She gasped, as just as suddenly the intense pressure left her windpipe.

  “He painted and drew pictures of me,” she said, “in his art therapy group. They’re up in his apartment. He didn’t tell anyone my name, but people in town knew we were engaged. I think I broke his heart.”

  She felt ridiculous saying it, blurting out details of some fake romance between her and Travis. But it was the only way to protect Travis’s identity or her cover.

  He swung back, his hand raised, and she’d barely had time to throw her arm up in defense before the light struck her. This time it was a strobe, flickering on and off in a sudden barrage of light. Then he struck, shoving the chloroformed rag back over her face, harder and stronger this time, until it threatened to suffocate the breath from her lungs.

  Help me, Lord, I’m going to pass out!

  “Jess!” Travis’s voice rose again in the distance.

  The Shiny Man grabbed her by the throat and yanked her up.

  “Give Travis a message for me.” The Shiny Man’s voice grew into a high-pitched whine like something out of a nightmare. “Tell no one about this. Don’t do anything out of the ordinary or change you
r daily schedule. Don’t talk to police. Don’t talk to anyone. Otherwise, I will take the children, and then I’ll come kill you.”

  The Shiny Man tossed her backward. Darkness swept over her.

  “Jess!” Travis called. “Shout if you can hear me!”

  But he was too far away. She wasn’t going to make it.

  * * *

  Travis shouted her name into the darkness, prayers filling his heart as he pushed his body through the trees. “Where are you?”

  Moments ago he’d seen a strobe light, disorienting him and flashing somewhere in the trees. Now the night was dark around him.

  Lord, please help me find her.

  “Jess!” He called out to her in the silence and pressed on.

  How had he let her just go out alone like that?

  He hadn’t thought for one moment it would be a problem. He hadn’t thought at all. Despite everything that had happened in the past few hours, he still wasn’t thinking of the world around him as a potential threat or danger zone. Kilpatrick still felt like home and his own backyard. It was like he’d been caught between two ways of thinking, without fully rooting his mind in either.

  And that had shattered the moment Seth’s phone had buzzed. He’d looked up at Travis from across the kitchen where he’d been slathering on butter for garlic bread, and told him, “Jess might be in trouble.”

  Travis tapped the earpiece that Seth had pushed into his hand as he’d rushed for the door. “Seth? Tell me the kids are safe.”

  “They’re absolutely fantastic.” Seth’s voice crackled in his ear. “Also, the doors are still locked and there hasn’t been so much as a rustle in the bushes outside. I’m guessing you haven’t found her yet?”

  “No.” Travis stopped running. “But I will.”

  He held his breath and listened in the darkness as his eyes finally adjusted to the light now that the large flash had faded. As determined as he was to never go back to the man he’d once been, the former detective inside him was exactly who Jess needed now.