Guarding the Witness

by Margaret Daley

  “Me, too,” Brody said, crossing to the refrigerator to look inside. “Ted Banks is good at following directions, but I don’t think he’s a leader. From what I heard around the office, he messed up on a detail when he was the lead. Our chief hasn’t given him one since. I think he realizes where he is will be about it for him, so if he’s got ambitions to make more money, Rainwater might have seemed like his only choice.” He shut the fridge door.

  “Don’t forget Ted has two children starting college.”

  “From what I hear that’ll set him back a pretty penny.” Charlie cleaned up the table. “Any food in the refrigerator?”

  “No, unless you like eating mustard and ketchup.” Brody sighed and leaned against the counter. “Mark Baylor was close to retirement. He was talking about doing it at the first of the year. He was quiet, reserved. By the book. I really hadn’t gotten to know him as well as Ted and Kevin.”

  “Anything that stood out to you, Arianna, while you were at the cabin that first week?” Charlie sat again and opened the laptop.

  “I’m not sure my assessment of Ted is quite the same. I saw a marshal that did well running team one. Efficient. Insisted all the rules were followed. I was impressed with how sharp he was. I tried to sneak outside one morning just to stand on the porch in the crisp, fresh air. Ted was right on it.”

  Arianna waited to hear Brody’s admonishment, and it came on cue. “What if the attackers had been outside then? They would have had a clear shot of you.”

  She lowered her head, her cheeks heated. “I know. It was stupid but I was so tired of the inside of that cabin. It was day six. I thought I could pull it off, have a few minutes outside by myself while the guard made his perimeter round and get back inside unnoticed. Ted opened that door so loud it startled me.”

  “How about your boss?” Charlie asked while opening, skimming and closing files on Dan’s computer.

  “I’d say no, but can’t totally rule out anyone. He’s up for a promotion and I can’t see him throwing that away. But then money is a powerful persuader.”

  “I’ll check on assets and anything that may seem out of the ordinary on the five marshals and your boss. Arianna, I’ll leave Mitchell to last. See if you find anything in this house to help me.”

  “I’m calling my buddy in L.A. then Gus. I need to know what has been discovered. He was going to look into it. He may know something by now.”

  “Like the identity of the sixth victim. We left five behind—if you count Kevin, although we didn’t find him.” Arianna headed for the hallway. “I’ll see if I can find you some paper to use to draw the floor plans of the courthouse.”

  Arianna started with the master bedroom, a large room with massive pieces of oak furniture. She found a printer with paper in it and took a couple of pieces to Brody who was deep in a conversation with the marshal in L.A. Then she headed back to the master bedroom to search it thoroughly.

  In the back of the closet on the top shelf, she discovered a lockbox and carried it into the kitchen. “I need your picking tools.”

  Charlie gave them to her, and Arianna worked on opening the strongbox. She found the Mitchells’ financial papers and other important documents in it. Brody was between calls, so she said, “Come over here. I’ve hit a gold mine.” She passed half the stack to him. “Maybe we can find all the answers in here.”

  Charlie whistled. “You should see the place Dan Mitchell is staying at in Hawaii. A five-star hotel. He spent lots of money on this vacation.”

  “Over ten thousand to be exact.” Brody waved the sheet of paper he held. “This is the bill and that’s not including the food they’ll eat.”

  “How can he afford that on his salary? Federal employees at his level don’t make that kind of money.” Charlie continued checking emails on the computer.

  “You all do realize if Dan is the one none of this can be used against him.” Arianna passed more financial papers to Brody and Charlie.

  “At this moment I need to know who the mole is. That’s more important. Someone can build a case against him later.” Brody shuffled through the stack he had, stopped and tapped his finger on the top one. “I think I know how he got his money. Dan’s great uncle died last year, and he received a hundred thousand from the estate.”

  “He never said anything to you all at the office?” Charlie asked, then closed down the email and began researching Kevin Laird.

  “I remember he went to Oregon for a funeral last year,” Brody said. “That’s all. He got the money two months ago. It looks like that’s when he planned the vacation and bought the cabin.”

  “And had the kitchen remodeled, a widescreen TV delivered and ordered a new vehicle that should be delivered next week. My, he’s been busy going on a shopping spree.” Arianna put back some of the financial sheets into the strongbox. “If I received a hundred K, I have to admit I would plan a dream vacation. But then I’d save the rest since being a bodyguard isn’t a lifelong...” Clearing her throat, she took the rest of the papers from Brody and stacked them back the way she took them out.

  Brody clasped her shoulder, massaging his fingertips into it. “I’m sorry. You’ll do great whatever you decide to do.”

  She refused to lift her head or he’d see the tears in her eyes. Slamming the box closed, she locked it then started for the master bedroom to put it back where it belonged.

  Brody caught up with her in the hallway. “Are you okay?”

  When she kept her face turned away, he moved into her line of vision and cradled her face in his hands. She saw him through a sheen of tears. The look he gave her nearly did her in. All she wanted to do was go into his embrace and have a good cry. She hadn’t since this all started. She needed to, but she wouldn’t allow her emotions to rule right now. They would divert her from what she needed to do: find the mole.

  But his tender touch on her face and his eyes soft with concern made her wish everything was different—that they had met under normal circumstances.

  She inhaled a deep breath and covered his hands with hers. “Yes, just trying to assimilate the fact my life as a bodyguard is over, that I won’t be able to use my skills to protect others. That’s all I’ve known for so long. I’m not used to having to trust others with my safety.”

  “I know what you mean. Trusting comes hard in our line of work. But the more I’ve looked at your situation the more I realize I’m going to have to trust someone in the D.A.’s or the U.S. Marshals’ office or both. Not everyone is on Rainwater’s payroll. I just have to decide who isn’t. A mistake could get you killed.”

  Or him. Her heartbeat thumped, its sound echoing through her mind like a death knell.

  “I know you’ll do the best job possible. There comes a time when I have to put myself in the Lord’s hands. Let’s do what we can and turn the rest over to Him.”

  He smiled, a gleam in his brown eyes that seemed to shine straight through her. “You’re right.”

  Kiss me. She started to lean toward him when she pulled back, finally putting some space between them. “I’d better get back to finishing my search, then I’ll take a look at your floor plans of the courthouse. I still think we need to figure out the most likely places an attack could come from.”

  “I’ll draw them as soon as I call Gus for an update.”

  Arianna strode toward the hallway to the bedrooms, then turned to peer back at Brody. He glanced over his shoulder and their gazes connected. Never in her life had she seen such an all-consuming look. She felt possessed and cherished in that moment. She grasped the corner edge of the wall, willing strength back into her legs, her knees.

  There was no way she wouldn’t end up hurt. She loved Brody Callahan and no amount of berating herself was going to change that fact. And when she had to leave him behind, the hurt would be far worse than when she discovered Dirk had betrayed her.
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  ELEVEN

  “Still no ID on the sixth corpse at the cabin?” Brody asked Gus a few minutes later as he sat across from Charlie at the kitchen table.

  “No, but they were able to ID Mark Baylor and one of the assailants—a Bo Wilson. He was the body outside the cabin along the side, behind some shrubs.”

  “He was my attacker when I was looking for Kevin. So they don’t know who the two men inside were yet? Too bad the camera with photos of those men was ruined when we crossed the river. It might have made the job easier with pictures.”

  “No, and the two bodies in the cabin were badly burned to the point it will be harder to ID them. They’re looking into Kevin’s dental records. He rarely went to the dentist according to his mother. One of the bodies at the edge of the woods had a satellite phone, but they don’t know who it is.”

  Brody drummed his fingers against the tabletop. Gus had proven himself to be trustworthy. He could be Brody’s chance to get Arianna into the courthouse safely. “We’re going to need your help tomorrow morning. I know you don’t live that far from Anchorage. Can you come here?”

  “I’m glad you asked. I want to see this through. Rainwater’s men made a mess for us state troopers to manage today on the roads into Anchorage. He needs to find out the good guys will win every once in a while.”

  “I can’t trust anyone in the Marshals’ office, so it’ll be just us,” Brody said.

  “I know a couple of the security officers at the courthouse. I have one we can trust. He’s my cousin.”

  They just might have a chance. “I’ll be calling the prosecutor first thing tomorrow morning to coordinate getting Arianna there.”

  “So where are you?”

  It was the question Brody had been waiting for. Did he have a choice? Not really, but this felt right. He gave Gus Dan’s address. “Come around back. Although he lives in a fairly isolated place you never know when someone Dan knows could come by and wonder why a state trooper’s car is out front.”

  “Will do. Be there by six tomorrow morning. I’ll be bringing my cousin, Pete Calloway.”

  After hanging up, Brody slid the white, blank sheets toward him and began sketching what he remembered of the courthouse.

  Charlie peered over the top of the computer. “You said something about talking to the prosecutor tomorrow. Is there a chance he’s one of Rainwater’s men?”

  “If he is, he didn’t give the location away because all the man knew was that Arianna was here in a safe house in Alaska. No, leaking the location boils down to the five marshals and my supervisor.”

  “I thought you didn’t think it was your boss.”

  “I hope not, but I can’t be one hundred percent sure.”

  “It isn’t going to be easy tomorrow. There’s only a day or two left for Arianna to testify. That narrows the timeline.”

  Brody tapped the pencil against the paper, staring at what little he’d drawn so far.

  “Nervous?”

  “I’d be stupid if I wasn’t concerned. I’m having to depend on others for her safety.”

  “From what you’ve told me, you’ve always had to—except maybe in the woods when you were running from the assailants and dogs. But even then that couple and their granddaughter helped you two.”

  “You’re right. Rainwater doesn’t own everyone in Alaska.”

  Charlie laughed. “It just might seem like he does with everyone shooting at us. Tell you what, I’m going to wait hidden outside until after Gus comes. Most likely if he’s going to betray us it’ll be then. But honestly I don’t think he will. If he was going to, the best time was when he was driving us away from the wreck.”

  “He’s bringing his cousin who works security at the courthouse.”

  Charlie scowled. “I didn’t know he had a cousin.”

  Brody’s head pounded with tension. “Do you know any of Gus’s family?”

  “Nope. Never needed to. But I’ll run a check and make sure he really has a cousin working at the courthouse.”

  “I’d feel better if you did. He’s Pete Calloway.”

  “What’s wrong?” Arianna asked from the doorway.

  “Nothing really. Gus and his cousin who’s part of the security at the courthouse will be helping us tomorrow. They’ll be here around six.”

  “Then why would you feel better if Charlie does something?”

  Brody hadn’t wanted her to worry. He’d do enough for the both of them. “Charlie’s checking on Gus’s cousin. We like to know what we can about a person we’re working with.”

  “I agree. I always checked out the people I was working for and with as well as anyone associated with them. I don’t like surprises.” Arianna sat at the table. “I didn’t find anything else here that would help us. What did Gus say about the crime scene at the cabin?”

  “They identified Mark Baylor and the assailant I killed at the side of the cabin with dental records. Nothing yet on the other four.”

  “So we don’t know if one of the bodies in the woods was Kevin?”

  “No. It seems Kevin didn’t go to the dentist much. It’s taking a little longer to track his dental records down.” Brody wanted to smooth the tired lines from her face. He remained seated at the table. Everything was too complicated as it was.

  “I’ve been thinking while searching the house. What if Kevin isn’t dead? We never saw his body. The additional bodies in the woods could be the people who started the fire, but instead of getting away, they got caught in it.”

  “So what are you saying?”

  “That Kevin could have been the mole.”

  “What if he’s one of the bodies?”

  She shrugged. “It doesn’t totally clear him if he is. Rainwater has no problem double-crossing his associates.”

  “I’ve got something,” Charlie said in an excited voice. He looked up from the laptop and smiled. “Mark Baylor. I got an email from a techie friend who was running a background check on the names I gave him before we left Fairbanks.”

  “You contacted someone about this without my knowledge?” Brody gritted his teeth, feeling as though he had no control over the case.

  Charlie stared at him. “Yes, and I didn’t tell you because I also had him look into you. I left no one out. I never did when I worked a case. I wanted to know what I was getting into.”

  Brody returned his look for a long moment. If he’d been in Charlie’s place, what would he have done? Probably the same thing. That was why he liked and respected the man. He was thorough and relentless. He relaxed his stiff shoulders. “So tell me a little about this guy. Is he a hacker?”

  “There is very little he can’t get into with time. He doesn’t live in Alaska. He used to work for the FBI and went freelance with his services.”

  “What did he find?” Brody rose and came around to look over Charlie’s shoulder at the same time Arianna did.

  “Mark was in debt up to his eyeballs. Serious debt. He was close to having his house taken by the bank. That’s until last week when he paid off all the back payments.”

  “Did he pay off the house?”

  “No, at least he was smart enough not to do that. My friend is tracking the money trail and will let me know what he finds. I think it will lead to Rainwater.”

  “Why? Look at Dan. He inherited his money.” Brody had to put aside the fact he liked Mark. He had to be impartial.

  “Three reasons. Mark hasn’t inherited any money, when he goes on vacation and sometimes long weekends, he flies to Las Vegas and you could say I have a gut feeling about this.”

  “Has he found anything else about the other marshals?”

  “Carla has expensive taste in clothes.”

  “So if it’s Mark, then they killed their informant. That’ll send a great signal to
future informants.” Arianna covered her mouth to stifle a yawn.

  Brody crossed to the coffeepot and poured a large cup. Lack of sleep was catching up with all of them. “Gus and his cousin will be here around six. We all need some sleep. One person can rest while the other two stay on guard and dig through info. Arianna, do you want to sleep now or later?”

  “I’d rather stay up now.”

  “That’s okay,” Charlie said. “My eyes are tired from looking at the screen for the past couple of hours. I’ll turn it over to you two. See what you can find about Gus’s cousin. Try Facebook. You’ll be surprised what you can discover on social media sites.” Charlie slid the laptop toward Arianna while Brody retook his seat at the table.

  When the former FBI agent left the kitchen, Brody took a long sip of his coffee and stared at Arianna over the rim of his mug. “Pete Calloway shouldn’t be too hard to locate if he has an account on Facebook. There probably aren’t too many with his name living in Alaska.”

  “It may not be a public account.”

  “True, but we can start there and do a Google search.”

  “This world is getting so small. I never had the time to do any of this social media and now that I do, I can’t. I don’t think WitSec would be too happy if I had an account on any of the social media sites under my new name.”

  “Probably not a good thing. Even if Rainwater is put in prison, he’ll be controlling his organization from there.”

  “Sad when we know who the criminals are and can’t do anything.”

  “But you are.” Brody snared her look, his gut twisting at the thought of all Arianna was giving up to make sure justice was done. She would be “punished” along with Rainwater.

  “Brody—” she tore her gaze from his “—thanks for including me in the guard duty.”

  “I know you. You wouldn’t have gone along with it if I didn’t.”

  Her chuckle filled the air. “We’ve gotten a crash course in each other over the past few days.”

  He loved hearing that sound from her. “But I wouldn’t recommend it for ordinary people.”