by Laura Scott
“Thanks again,” he said as she walked into the house.
“You’re welcome, again,” she said before letting the door close behind her.
He pulled out his phone and checked for a response from Mike.
Nothing.
He stared at the quiet suburban street. Dana’s house was on Cardinal Avenue, and the lots were spacious, easily a half acre or more, providing a nice cushion of space between neighbors. Where was everyone? It was almost eight o’clock in the morning. Either these people had already headed off to work or they were enjoying a leisurely Thursday, sitting indoors. But where were the kids? It was summer, shouldn’t they already be outside playing?
The quiet stillness of the neighborhood was a bit eerie. A little too Stepford-like for his taste. It made him wonder why on earth Dana continued to live here in the house she’d shared with Kent.
Whoa, why did he care? Dana Petrie’s personal life wasn’t his business. His only responsibility was to keep her safe from harm.
He looked at his phone again. Maybe it was time to call Miles. His other brother should be up by now, and he could really use Miles’s advice on how to handle Janice’s murder.
Especially as he had been set up to be the primary suspect. Sure, he had gotten out of there before the police arrived, but thanks to the beam hitting him, he’d left his blood behind at the crime scene.
Possibly fingerprints, too, from when he’d gone over to check on Janice. It was only a matter of time before the cops came looking for him.
The image of his former girlfriend lying in the rubble was burned into his memory. Even though their relationship had ended badly, he’d never wished her any harm. Certainly nothing like a bullet to the chest.
One thing he had learned from Miles was that when a woman was found murdered, the initial suspect was always her boyfriend, fiancé or husband. He wondered if she had still been seeing Simon Wylan, and if so, where he’d been last night. If Simon had killed Janice in a fit of anger, it wasn’t a stretch to figure the best way to push the blame somewhere else was to implicate the former boyfriend.
It was even possible that Simon could have found some excuse to get inside the fire chief’s office. Yep, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense that somehow Wylan was the mastermind behind this.
If only he’d gotten a better look at the guy during the scuffle in the ER. But with the mask hiding the guy’s face and the fog in his brain from being hit on the head, he hadn’t gotten a clear view. There had been something familiar, though, so maybe it had been Simon after all.
His phone rang, jarring him from his thoughts. Mike, finally. He pushed the button and brought the phone to his ear. “Hey, I need a lift.”
“I’m on my way. I just got your message. What’s going on?” Mike demanded.
Mitch winced. “Long story. I’ll work with Miles to get my name cleared, but I also need you to help me keep an eye on Dana Petrie, an ER nurse who helped me escape. I’m worried the guy who attacked me will come after her.”
“I should be there in five to ten minutes tops,” Mike assured him. “And you probably won’t be able to get in touch with Miles—he’s been up all night working the murder scene at the burned warehouse.”
Mitch closed his eyes against a wave of frustration. That wasn’t good news. There was no way he could put his brother in a position of sheltering a suspect.
He needed a plan B. “Okay, I’ll figure something out later. But I still need a ride. And someone to watch over Dana.”
“See you soon,” Mike said.
Mitch counted minutes in his head as he stared out at the road. He straightened when he noticed a large black truck with tinted windows rolling slowly down the street. It stopped at the intersection and then made the right turn onto Cardinal. The tiny hairs on the back of his neck rose in alarm and he quickly hit the button to close the garage door.
The door slowly cranked down. Not good enough. He barreled into the house, startling Dana badly enough that she dropped a plate heaping with scrambled eggs, too many for one person.
In a tiny corner of his mind, he was touched she’d cooked for him, but there wasn’t any time to savor the moment. “We gotta go. Out the back, now!”
“What?”
“Hurry!” He nudged her toward the patio doors, but she resisted, grabbing her purse before going along with him. He unlocked and opened the door that lead into the backyard. He heard the sound of the truck engine abruptly stopping.
“Run!” He pushed her ahead of him so that he could protect her from behind. She had changed clothes and wore a green blouse and faded blue jeans. She took off running through the backyard, her purse bouncing against her shoulder as she dodged between a pair of large trees. He liked the way she was finding cover and followed close on her heels.
Dana zigged right, and he felt something whizz past him. It took a minute for him to see the dart lodged in the side of Dana’s purse.
What in the world was going on? Why was the guy in the black truck shooting at them with a tranquilizer gun? Mitch didn’t like how he’d gotten so close to hitting Dana. He plucked the dart from her bag and slid it into his back pocket. Then he latched onto her arm, making sure to follow her more closely, urging her to continue taking twists and turns.
After several minutes of running through people’s yards, they found a small squat shed. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath, and he used the time to call Mike.
“Change of plans, the bad guy showed up at Dana’s. We’ll meet you at the corner of Robin and Wren, understand?”
“Got it.”
He slid his phone back into his pocket and looked at Dana, whose green eyes were wide with fear. “My brother will meet up with us. I promise we’ll keep you safe.”
She swallowed hard, tears welling in her eyes, wrenching his heart. He silently prayed for God to keep them safe, but for some reason, praying didn’t alleviate his guilt.
He’d done this. He’d put her in danger.
And he had no idea how to fix it.
FOUR
Dana swiped at her eyes, horrified by the fact that Mitch had been right about her being in danger, too. Her obstinate refusal to go along with his plan had almost gotten them both killed.
Why had she been so stubborn?
“I’m sorry, Dana.” Mitch’s low voice was full of regret. “I know this entire situation is because of me, and I promise I’ll find a way to keep you safe from harm.”
She sniffled and tried to smile. “It’s not your fault, Mitch. You told me I was in danger, but I didn’t listen. And without you, I don’t know if I would have been able to escape unharmed.”
He grimaced and shook his head. “You wouldn’t be in danger at all if it wasn’t for me.”
Maybe, but that wasn’t the point. Before she could say anything more, she saw a black SUV turn the corner of Wren Street. She tensed. Had the knife guy found them?
“There’s Mike now. Let’s go.” Mitch put his hand under her elbow and urged her forward. “Heads up, we’re both going into the back seat, okay?”
She thought it was strange, but nodded and crossed the distance as quickly as possible. They made it to the vehicle without incident. Mitch opened the back passenger door and waited until she slid across before joining her. The moment Mitch closed the door, Mike hit the gas.
“Thanks, Mike, I owe you one,” Mitch said.
“Nah, you’d do the same for me. But you both need to stay as low in your seats as possible to minimize the chance of anyone seeing you.”
Understanding that this was why Mitch had decided to sit in the back with her, Dana secured her seat belt and then slouched in the corner between the seat and the door. She wasn’t very tall, so it was easy for her to stay low.
Mitch, on the other hand, wasn’t short. He tried to crouch down in his seat but co
uldn’t get low enough with the seat belt in place. So he unclasped it and knelt on the floor. She could tell the position he was in tugged at the sutures along his neck.
The nursing part of her brain wanted to protest. What if he pulled out the sutures? But that possibility, along with riding in a car without wearing a seat belt, were the least of their worries.
What would have happened if she hadn’t gone over to thank Mitch in the ER? Would the knife guy have caught him unaware and succeeded in silencing him, forever?
Deep down, knowing Mitch was in danger and being framed for murder bothered her immensely. Which was strange, because she hadn’t let herself care about others, outside her patients, of course, for a long time. She had held herself aloof from friendships and relationships. Being civil, but never allowing anyone to get close.
At this moment, she felt closer to Mitch than she’d felt to some of her coworkers in the hospital.
“Mike, this is Dana Petrie. Dana, my private investigator brother, Mike Callahan.”
Mike’s green eyes met hers in the rearview mirror. “Sorry to meet you under these circumstances,” he said in a somber tone.
“Same here. Thanks for coming to our rescue,” she added.
“Have to say, unlike our other brothers, this is the first time Mitch has gotten himself into trouble. He’s normally the good guy.” Mike wore his chocolate-brown hair long, dark strands flopping down over his forehead.
“That’s because I am a good guy,” Mitch said.
“Yeah, well, there’s a dead body at the warehouse that is being tagged with your name as the perp,” Mike pointed out. “Good guy reputation or not, you’re in deep trouble, bro. We need a place for you and Dana to lie low for a while.”
The easy camaraderie between the brothers made her smile in spite of the danger. As an only child, she’d often watched large families with a feeling of envy. In a way, it was surprising that she had married Kent, who also happened to be an only child.
For a moment, the memory of how she’d lost their unborn child crowded into her mind. She pushed the memories away with an effort.
This was not the time to wallow in the past. Not when they were on the run from men who intended them harm.
“What about Valerie’s cabin?” Mitch suggested.
Mike shook his head. “Matt used it not too long ago and the bad guys found him there. The address is on record as part of the crime scene. You need to go somewhere that isn’t connected to any Callahans.” Mike shrugged then added, “Or to anyone Dana knows.”
“I’m not close with anyone anymore except for Kent’s parents,” Dana said. And Kent’s parents were the ones who constantly reached out to her, not the other way around. “My parents are gone and I’m an only child. No worries on my side.”
Mitch surprised her by reaching out to touch her hand. “I’m sorry about the loss of your parents.”
“Thanks.” The warmth of his hands on hers was distracting. “It was a long time ago. I was raised by my grandmother, who died in her sleep right after I graduated from college.”
If anything, Mitch’s expression turned more sorrowful. “You’re not alone anymore, Dana. My brothers and I will protect you.”
“I know.” And she did. For some odd reason, she trusted Mitch. Maybe because she knew that he had done his best to save Kent’s life that fateful night.
Mike cleared his throat to get their attention. “I have a place you’ll be able to use. I occasionally work cases with a guy named Hawk. He owns a cabin on Birch Lake.”
“Hawk sounds like a nickname. What’s his real name?” Mitch asked.
“He legally changed his first name to Hawk, and his last name is Jacobson.”
“Have I ever met the guy?”
“Not that I know of. But trust me, he’s good. And not many people know we’re acquaintances. Hawk keeps a very low profile.”
“Not sure how a guy named Hawk manages that, but a cabin sounds perfect. Have you spoken to Miles?” Mitch asked.
“No. I heard the news of the murder come across the scanner.”
Dana wondered if all private detectives listened in on police scanners. “Who is the murder victim? It must be someone Mitch knows if he’s being framed for the crime.”
A long silence hovered in the car, almost like a living, breathing thing. Dana frowned, trying to figure out why her question would cause this type of reaction.
After almost five full minutes, Mitch finally broke the silence. “The murder victim is a woman by the name of Janice Valencia. And yeah, I know her. We—um—dated for a while last year.”
Oookayyy. The pang of envy was stupid and juvenile, so she ignored it. “Why would that matter?”
Mitch caught her gaze with his. “Because I broke things off after finding her in bed with another man.”
“Oh. I see.” She didn’t think she did a good job of hiding her surprise, but really, why on earth would any woman cheat on a man like Mitch Callahan? He was handsome, sweet, nice, gainfully employed and considerate. And why was she suddenly so aware of his good points anyway? She dragged her attention back to the issue at hand. “I’m sorry to hear that. Was she cheating with someone you knew?”
Mitch grimaced and dropped his gaze. “Yeah, with another firefighter, someone I never got along with. A guy named Simon Wylan.”
She went still, the name hitting her in the chest like a horrible blast from the past.
Simon Wylan had been one of Kent’s best friends, to the point that he’d spent a fair amount of time hanging out with them. Simon had treated her like a younger sister.
Suddenly, for some odd reason, being here with Mitch felt like a betrayal to her husband’s memory.
* * *
Mitch sensed Dana’s withdrawal the moment he said Simon’s name. Not surprising. He knew full well the guy had once been close to Dana’s husband, Kent Petrie. The guys had trained together.
The thought of Dana thinking the worst made him feel sick to his stomach. Logically, it shouldn’t matter, but emotionally, it did.
“I didn’t kill her,” he said, breaking the silent tension that now shimmered between them. “I wasn’t happy to find out that Janice was cheating on me, but not enough to hurt her, much less kill her.”
“How did she die?” Mike asked.
Mitch grimaced at the memory. “Gunshot wound to the chest.”
“You don’t own a gun, do you?”
The topic of fire investigators carrying firearms was often hotly debated. Most cops didn’t think it was necessary, always quick to point out that arson investigators weren’t law enforcement. Which wasn’t exactly true, because Mitch had the authority to arrest a person suspected of arson.
But despite growing up with brothers who went into law enforcement and his own dad, Max Callahan, being the chief of police before he was killed in the line of duty, Mitch had never seen the need to carry a weapon.
The way he had been attacked at the warehouse fire scene proved him wrong. He should have gone along with his brothers’ recommendations. Especially since he’d been recently poking around in his father’s old murder case. He had blueprints of buildings around the scene of his dad’s murder, but hadn’t found anything useful.
Not that he’d gotten very far.
“No.” Mitch wished they could change the subject, but they couldn’t, since the whole point was to figure out who was trying to frame him for Janice’s murder. “But that brings up a good point—we need to check and see if Simon had a permit to carry a weapon, although it seems arrogant and stupid that he’d kill Janice with his own gun.”
“We can do that,” Mike agreed. “But later. I can hear your stomach grumbling from here, so why don’t we find a place to eat breakfast? That will give me a chance to call Hawk about the cabin.”
“That would be great.” He couldn’t help remem
bering the plate of scrambled eggs that he’d caused Dana to drop on the floor. “And I’m going to need the usual supplies, too.”
“Yeah, I know. We’ll pick up what we need after we eat, on the way to the cabin.”
“The usual?” Dana echoed.
“Disposable phones, cash, computer, clothes and toiletries.” Mitch rattled the items off in order of importance.
“We need all that?”
“Yeah. Don’t look so surprised. We’ve had some practice going on the run over the past two years. My siblings are magnets for trouble.”
“And for falling in love,” Mike added in a dour tone.
Since he wasn’t close enough to punch Mike in the arm, Mitch closed his eyes and hung his head with an inward groan. Why couldn’t his brother keep his opinions to himself? The last thing he wanted was for Dana to think he was interested in some sort of romantic entanglement. He’d caused her enough discomfort crossing the line last night.
“Knock it off,” he said in a low growly tone. “You’re scaring Dana. She probably doesn’t understand your warped sense of humor.”
Thankfully Mike dropped the issue and pulled into the parking lot of a family restaurant that advertised serving breakfast all day. Mike swung around the lot, so he could back into a parking spot not far from the front door.
Mitch unfolded himself from his awkward spot on the floor and gratefully stretched, being careful not to apply too much pressure to his stitches. Bad enough he still had bloodstains on his T-shirt. Hopefully they weren’t too obvious against the black cotton.
A server seated them at a table, offering coffee. Both Dana and Mitch simultaneously responded, “Yes, please,” making them both smile.
Mike simply nodded and gestured to his cup.
After they placed their order, Mitch took a sip of his coffee and looked at his brother. “I think we should start with Simon. He’s the most logical suspect for Janice’s murder.”
“Besides you?” Mike asked, his expression deadpan.
He cast a furtive glance toward Dana, wishing Mike would knock it off. “You know I’m innocent. But yeah, basically.”