Key Witness

by Christy Barritt

  The GPS instructed her to turn left. The road was barely visible, just a sliver through the forest. Huge divots sunk on either side of her car, each filled with black water that caught in the headlights.

  Lord, give me strength and wisdom.

  “You have reached your destination ahead.”

  Elle slowed. Chills raced down her spine and then back up again. The woods cleared—just slightly—and on the other side stood a house. The building was white, run-down and rickety. This was where she was supposed to go?

  Something rang in her car. Was that a phone? Whose?

  She reached under the seat, felt beneath the console before finally opening the glove compartment. The screen of a shiny plastic cell phone illuminated the small space. Where...?

  Of course. These men had thought of everything. No aspect of her demise had been forgotten.

  The phone barely stayed in her hands thanks to her shaky, jerking muscles. With a dry throat and a voice that didn’t sound like her own she answered, “Hello?”

  “Good girl, Ellebird. You came this far. There’s a path behind the house. Follow it. We’ll give you more instructions as you go.”

  She sucked in a deep breath, and stepped from the car.

  Here goes nothing.

  Only her life didn’t feel like nothing. These men were sure to treat her like it was, though.

  NINETEEN

  Denton flew down the road, praying no cops tried to pull him over for speeding. The FBI wasn’t far behind. They were going to catch these guys before anything happened to Elle. They had to. There was no other option as far as Denton was concerned.

  The road became narrower, darker and more ominous. Where had they taken her? Just what were they planning?

  He swerved onto a gravel road, quickly slowing in order to not miss the directions on his cell phone screen. The end destination appeared to be in the middle of nowhere.

  His phone rang. Agent Duffield. Maybe he knew something that Denton didn’t. “What’s going on?”

  “Your room and the senator’s bedroom were both wired. The house has been evacuated. We also found a note in Elle’s room.”

  “A note?”

  “It looks like she went on her own.”

  “Why would she do that?”

  “For the greater good, she said. She knew your rooms were wired. Said there’s listening devices all over the house, too.”

  “Sounds like Elle,” he muttered. Elle—risking her own safety for others. He wasn’t surprised. But he couldn’t let things end badly. He had to get to her.

  “Where are you?”

  Denton told Agent Duffield his location.

  “We’re five minutes behind you. Stay safe.”

  He cut his headlights and slowly rolled down the road, trying not to draw attention to himself. Something in the distance caught his eye. A car.

  Elle’s car.

  He braked, threw the car in Park and stepped out. Before taking another step, he scanned the area around him. There was no movement, no sign of life. Had Elle gone into that house? He had to be cautious, to ignore the emotions that told him to rush inside and find the woman he’d fallen in love with.

  He crept around the house, dodging weeds and cinder blocks and burn barrels scattered about the neglected site. No sound came from inside the house. Everything seemed quiet. Too quiet.

  He’d only been ten minutes behind Elle. How far could she have gotten?

  Something in the distance caught his eye. Something metallic caught a ray of moonlight. He rushed toward it and fingered the fabric. Elle’s sweatshirt. The light had caught on its zipper.

  His gaze traveled to the narrow path in front of him.

  Elle had left him a clue.

  He took off down the trail.

  * * *

  Elle shoved a branch out of her way. It felt like the woods were surrounding her, reaching out, desperate to take her prisoner. How far did this trail lead into the depths of the forest?

  Owls hooted, insects hissed, branches snapped.

  And her doubt grew.

  Was it too late to turn around? To run away?

  But what would happen then? Would the bomb detonate in her home?

  But everyone was probably evacuated by now.

  It didn’t matter. These guys would find a way to make everyone suffer unless Elle decided to take their “punishment” upon herself.

  Her cell phone rang, the shrill sound causing her muscles to flinch, her heart to race. She brought the phone to her ear. “Go left. We’ll find you.”

  Her throat tightened, fear getting the best of her. “Isn’t there another way? Anything else we can do?”

  “Either you die or everyone else around you does. What’s it going to be?”

  “Me,” she whispered. Her family would mourn her death, but she couldn’t live with herself if she was the cause of their murders.

  The forest became denser. Water from the murky ground sloshed onto her pant legs, sending a chill through her. Underbrush grabbed at her ankles.

  Where were they? Were they watching her now? How would they find her?

  With a bullet?

  Her anxiety nearly made her double over with apprehension. Her hand scrambled to find something—anything—to help hold her up, to help propel her forward.

  She paused a moment, sagged against a tree.

  Just then a hand clamped over her mouth. “Ellebird. Isn’t that what your grandmother called you? It’s a nice name for such a pretty girl.”

  The man shoved her forward, allowing her to turn around. Her captor didn’t wear a mask, but even in the darkness, his features came into focus.

  He was...the house cleaner?

  * * *

  Voices drifted from the distance.

  Denton veered off the trail, trying to remain hidden, to not make any sudden noises to give away his location.

  Two male voices carried through the darkness.

  Definitely the two men from the bank robbery. Their voices were stained in his memory. He’d bet anything these men were Thomas and Ryan Matthews.

  “I’ll do whatever you ask. Just leave my friends and family alone.” Elle... Denton’s heart twisted at the sound of her voice. He expected her to sound brittle, but instead her words carried a level, even tone.

  One of the men laughed, the sound slow, methodical.

  Evil.

  Denton bristled. Just what were these guys planning? And how was he going to get to Elle and rescue her without hinting to her captors of his presence?

  He peered around the oak tree that offered him cover, and he spotted the three of them maybe ten feet away. They stood in a small clearing in the forest, several tiki torches lit around them and affording Denton a glance at what was going on.

  Sure enough, the two brothers stood there with Elle in their grasps. The tall man was Thomas Matthews, the man who’d just gotten out of prison, who was a bomb expert, and the dominant of the two. Ryan Matthews was a small man who had the look of someone working an office job. Appropriate since he was the computer genius. What a terrible mix when you put the two of these guys together.

  Even worse when Elle was in the middle of them.

  The nighttime seemed to gasp around him, a mix of crickets and owls and the scamper of other nocturnal creatures.

  He looked down just in time to see the glimmer of a line at his feet.

  A trip wire?

  Had these guys wired the woods also?

  The sound of Elle crying out in pain nearly had him rushing to her. He couldn’t. He had to be careful, to be safe. He couldn’t rescue her if he was dead.

  He sidestepped the wire, his gaze roaming the forest floor for any others. They’d be nearly impossibl
e to see. The fact that he’d seen the first one was a gift from God.

  Lord, I could use Your wisdom right now. Your protection. Remind me of Your sovereignty. And keep Elle safe.

  He paced forward and ducked behind another oak tree. He peered around the tree again, trying to find the right angle to take a shot. He flinched when he saw Elle’s head jerked back, Ryan’s hand tangled in her hair. Her eyes were wide with fear. No, not fear. Terror.

  She was sacrificing herself to save everyone else in her life.

  Noble.

  But Denton wasn’t going to let that happen.

  “Why are you doing this?” Elle’s voice trembled now.

  “You really don’t know?” Thomas asked.

  “I really don’t know.”

  Thomas ran the gun down her exposed throat and paused by her heart. “Vengeance, Ellebird.”

  “What did I do to you?” She licked her lips, the white of her eyes still visible in the dark density of the forest. Ryan pinned Elle’s arms behind her back. The man was slight, obviously more skilled in the brains department than the brawn. But hatred could make people act irrationally. It could make their adrenaline pump and give them bursts of strength and energy.

  Thomas shook his head. “You? Nothing. Your father. He let our sister’s killer walk. Said his hands were tied. Today, that smug little criminal is walking free while our sister lays six feet under.”

  “Why not go after the killer? He’s the one who took your sister away. That’s not my father’s fault. The law is the law. You can’t change it. If my dad said there was nothing he could do—”

  “Shut up!” Thomas pulled his gun back and held it in both of his hands, ready to fire. “If you let evil people walk, then you’re evil yourself. There’s no better revenge on someone than to hurt the people they love. Having two of his daughters killed will ruin your father. It would ruin anyone.”

  Denton crept forward. The situation was escalating, and he had to do something. Now. When the men were in range, he drew the gun from his holster, and aimed it right at Thomas.

  Before he could pull the trigger, an explosion rocked the world behind him.

  * * *

  Elle screamed, her gaze darting toward the ball of fire in the distance. What was that? What had just happened?

  “That could have been your boyfriend. We thought he might follow you.” Before the man she still thought of as Ringleader could finish his sentence, something popped. The man clutched his shoulder, let out a curse word. Then he fell backward on the ground.

  “What...?” the IT guy—Shortie—said.

  He jerked Elle in front of him and put the gun to her temple. “If you know what’s best for you, you won’t do that again. Not if you want to see Elle live another day.”

  She wasn’t going to live another day anyway, was she?

  But that didn’t mean she didn’t want to.

  Who had fired that bullet? Was it Denton? Had he followed her?

  If so, where was he now?

  The man behind her trembled. She could hear the catch to his breath, the panic in his voice. His gaze swung wildly as he searched for the source of the gunshot.

  “Come out or the girl dies! I mean it. You’ve got to the count of three.”

  Ringleader moaned on the ground and continued his string of curses. But he wasn’t any threat, not based on the way his face twisted with agony or the way blood stained his clothing.

  “One...”

  Elle’s gaze darted around. She half hoped Denton would step out and half hoped that he wouldn’t. As the gun shook at her temple, she realized how easy it would be for the gunman’s finger to slip. Flashbacks from the bank hit her.

  Lord, help us.

  “No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.”

  God was on her side. No matter how this turned out, she knew she was in her Savior’s care.

  And that gave her the strength to face her fears.

  First, to face these madmen.

  Then to face love...maybe?

  Because the way her heart twisted at the thought of anything happening to Denton made it obvious that she was in love with the man.

  “Two...”

  A stick cracked in the distance.

  What could she do? She reviewed the items she’d brought. Knife. Razors. Perfume.

  She had to do something before the man shot her. She had to fight for her life. And Denton’s life.

  “You’re not a killer,” she said to Shortie. “That’s your brother, you know. A judge will realize that. He’s just playing you in his game of revenge here.”

  “What do you know? The justice system fails people all the time.”

  “I know your brother has always tried to control you, even when you were growing up. He made you feel inferior. He made you do his dirty work. He probably even made you take the blame.” She didn’t know where the thoughts came from exactly, but they made sense. She had to stall for more time.

  “You don’t know anything.”

  The gun still trembled at her temple, ratcheting up her heart rate. “You don’t want to make this any worse than it already is. What happened to your sister was a terrible tragedy. I remember hearing about the case. I remember my father mourning over the outcome and wishing he could change things. But he couldn’t.”

  “Things can’t get much worse. If we’re caught, we’ll go to prison for life. Maybe even face execution. Either way, we’re toast.”

  She couldn’t deny his words. They were in too deep.

  She eased the perfume from beneath her watch. Slowly, she adjusted it in her hands. She could do this. She could do this.

  Even when her mind screamed no. When her will rebelled.

  “When I say three, I’m pulling the trigger.”

  At once, Elle pulled her elbow back and rammed it into the man’s stomach. She twirled, spraying the man’s eyes with her perfume. He screamed as the spray hit his eyes. His grasp around her slipped and she jerked out of his hold.

  As soon as she stepped away another pop came from the woods, hitting the man squarely on the shoulder. He hit the ground, crying out in pain.

  Elle kicked the gun away from his hands.

  She looked up and saw Denton step from the woods.

  Tears welled in her eyes. In two strides, she was in his arms, weeping. “You shouldn’t have come.”

  His breath was hot on her cheek. “No, you shouldn’t have come. It was stupid, foolhardy—”

  “I didn’t know what else to do.” Tears continued to wash down her face.

  Denton pulled back and looked her in the eye. “And it was selfless. I wish you hadn’t done it, but it did prove one thing, Elle. It proved that you don’t let fear hold you back. You would have never come here tonight if you did.”

  “I don’t want my fears to hold me back. Especially not when it comes to...when it comes to you. I’m sorry that I doubted you.”

  “They did a good job with those photos, Elle. They knew how to hit you where it hurt.”

  “Denton, I think I’m falling in love with you.” Even as the words left her mouth, she didn’t feel the race of panic that she’d expected. No, she felt peace.

  Denton’s lips covered hers. Wrapped in his arms, she felt total. Complete. Secure. Loved.

  Just then, a flurry of agents broke through the trees and surrounded them. Agent Duffield took control of the scene.

  Denton pulled back and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Come on. Let’s get you out of here, and put this nightmare behind us.”

  EPILOGUE

  Six months later

  “The paperwork is complete, the website is up, I’ve hi
red two employees and was just approved for a federal grant. Never Forgotten is up and running.”

  She glanced around her parents’ home. Once the home of a senator. Now the home of a professor and his loving wife. Elle had never seen her mom and dad look so happy. Maybe a break from politics was what they all needed.

  Elle’s father had used his connections to organize a fundraiser at his home to celebrate the opening of Never Forgotten, the nonprofit she’d dreamed about for years.

  Elle looked at the crowd milling around and smiled. Not only were friends and family here, but Agent Duffield had come, as well as Jack and Rachel Sergeant. And Denton, of course. Denton was always there, always supportive and always loyal.

  Her eyes scanned the room. Speaking of Denton, where had he gone? Hopefully her dad hadn’t stolen him away to look at the set of golf clubs he’d just purchased. Her mom and dad had decided to take up the sport together, and it was all they wanted to talk about.

  Annabelle Wentworth approached, her eyes sparkling. “Lovely fund-raiser, Elle. I’m so glad to see you doing something that makes you happy. You deserve it.”

  “Thank you, Annabelle.”

  She leaned closer, her expensive perfume nearly taking Elle’s breath away. “You heard about Preston, didn’t you?”

  Elle shook her head.

  “The engagement is off. Makes me glad the two of you didn’t work out. The man has a wandering eye.”

  Just then, someone wrapped their arms around her from behind. “Some men don’t appreciate what they’ve got. I more than appreciate what I’ve got. I treasure it.”

  Elle stepped to the side and grinned. Denton. He was still around, with no signs of leaving. In her heart, she knew he was the kind of man who’d be around for good.

  And she wouldn’t complain about that. Not one bit.

  “You two! You’re so adorable together. Maybe after you get this nonprofit off the ground, you should consider running for office, Elle.”

  Elle laughed, the chuckle starting deep within her and bellowing out long and hard.

  “I’m actually hoping she’ll be busy planning other things.”