The Only Witness

by Laura Scott

  Miles muttered something harsh beneath his breath, then he rose to his feet. “I need to figure out our next steps,” he said in an obvious attempt to change the subject. “Jason’s notes aren’t nearly as helpful as I’d hoped.”

  She nodded, reaching up to touch her mouth when he turned away.

  Maybe their brief kiss hadn’t meant anything to him, but it had to her.

  Upsetting to realize she wasn’t as immune to the idea of a relationship as she’d wanted to be.

  * * *

  Miles turned away from Paige, wishing he could leave the motel room to gain more than an arm’s length of distance from Paige and her adorable daughter. But he didn’t dare leave them alone, no matter how much he felt the walls closing in.

  What was wrong with him? Why had he given in to the urge to kiss her? Just because he’d thought about how sweet she’d taste didn’t mean he’d had to act on it.

  Idiot. Now that he’d kissed her, he kept thinking about kissing her again. He could still smell her lemony scent lingering on his clothes. She should have smacked him for taking advantage of her emotional state.

  But she hadn’t.

  He reminded himself he wasn’t interested in a relationship. Losing Dawn had convinced him that serious relationships were not for him. Been there, done that. He wasn’t going to risk falling in love ever again.

  Raking a hand through his hair, he forced himself to concentrate on the investigation. Both Jason and Travis had been murdered, no doubt because of the designs that had been stolen from ACE Intel. But who had stolen them? And why were the gunmen coming after him, Paige and Abby?

  He glanced over at the little girl, his stomach clenching with anxiety. The gunmen wanted to silence Paige and Abby because of whatever the little girl had seen through the ChatTime link.

  And they were after him because of his friendship with Jason. They were afraid he knew too much.

  The black sedan had been registered to Sci-Tech, so that meant that the guy in charge knew that the designs had been stolen from ACE Intel. It was possible they didn’t want anyone else to know.

  Then why be so blatant about the murders? Why not make the deaths look more like an accident? He walked through the timeline in his mind, thinking about the short time frame between whatever Abby had seen via the link and the gunfire at Paige’s house.

  How had the gunmen gotten there so fast? Unless they’d been staked out there, for some reason?

  He blew out a frustrated breath. It didn’t make sense. He was missing something, a key piece of the puzzle.

  But what?

  He turned around, looking back down at the information Jason had mailed to him. Maybe the answer was within ACE Intel. If he called to talk to the owner...what was his name? Aaron Connor Eastham? Would the guy talk to him about the stolen designs?

  It was worth a shot.

  Something clutched his leg, and he looked down in surprise to find Abby clinging to him, her face turned up to his, her smile so bright that he couldn’t help grinning in return.

  “What’s up, little monkey?” he asked, reaching down to ruffle her hair.

  She pointed at the toy he’d given her.

  He frowned. “What happened, did it break?”

  She shook her head, pointed again and smiled.

  “Oh, I see, you’re trying to thank me.”

  This time she nodded, but she still didn’t let go. He hesitated, unsure of what to do next. He threw a helpless glance in Paige’s direction. The bemused expression on her face didn’t help much.

  “Um, you’re welcome.” He patted the little girl’s head again and tried to take a step away. Abby’s grip around his leg tightened so that when he moved his leg, she rode along with the motion.

  “I think she wants you to pick her up,” Paige said with a smile.

  “Oh.” How did mothers know these things? He reached down and gently pried the little girl’s arms away from his leg. She let go and allowed him to lift her up against his chest. Abby wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a fierce hug.

  The gesture was so endearing, he felt his throat grow thick with suppressed emotion. He cherished the moment, thinking that Travis Olson had been a complete idiot for giving up something so precious.

  He inhaled the sweet scent of baby shampoo as Abby rested against him, but then she began to wiggle around, indicating she wanted to be put down. With a strange reluctance, he bent over and set Abby on her feet.

  Humbled by the little girl’s generous trust, he couldn’t think of anything to say to break the silence. He found himself praying that God would enable the child to speak again very soon.

  He wanted the little girl to be able to put the horror behind her, forever.

  “You have a way with kids. You’ll be a good father someday.”

  Paige’s comment snapped him out of his reverie.

  Being a husband or a father wasn’t on his agenda, yet he couldn’t just blurt that out to her. It was tempting to tell her about Dawn, how watching her die of cancer had made him realize that he needed to live life to its fullest. To do all the things he’d ever dreamed of, before it was too late.

  The way Dawn hadn’t been able to do all the things she’d dreamed of doing. Oh, sure, he’d given her some great experiences, like parasailing and taking a hot air balloon ride, but time had run out before he could finish their arrangements to go hang gliding.

  There were other experiences Dawn hadn’t been able to have, either. Traveling abroad and learning to sail...

  “I need to make a few phone calls,” he said, when he realized Paige was waiting for him to say something. “I’ll be right back.”

  Before she could argue, he scooped up his phone and shrugged into his leather jacket. He walked out of the motel room, closing the door quietly behind him. The frigid March air stole his breath, but helped to clear his head.

  He needed to stop thinking about Paige and her daughter as anything other than his job.

  His responsibility.

  The minute he’d arrested the men responsible for killing Jason and Travis, not to mention shooting at them, he wouldn’t see Paige and Abby again. And it was better that way.

  For both of them.

  Shaking off his disconcerting thoughts, he called Mitch.

  “What’s up?” his brother asked.

  “I want to set up a phone call with Aaron Connor Eastham, the owner of ACE Intel, located north of Chicago. But I need some background information on the guy, first. Do you think you can help me?”

  “Yeah, no problem. Give me an hour or so. But what makes you think he’ll talk to you?”

  “In reviewing the information Jason sent to me, it looks as if Sci-Tech might have stolen scientific intelligence from ACE. I think this guy, Eastham, will have an idea who is behind it.”

  “Good idea,” Mitch agreed. “I’ll call you back when I have something.”

  “Thanks.” Miles disconnected from the line just as a light dusting of snow flurries began to fall from the sky.

  He swept a glance around the parking lot and didn’t see anything that appeared out of place. He felt certain that using Mike’s fake ID would help keep them hidden, yet he also knew that there were ways to track someone other than using their vehicle.

  He stared down at his phone for a moment, knowing it was well past the time he was ordered to check in with his captain. Resigned, he pressed the numbers into the phone and waited for his superior to pick up.

  “O’Dell.”

  “Captain? It’s Callahan.”

  “Where are you?” his boss thundered. “I should fire you for insubordination!”

  Miles winced and did his best to smooth things over. “Listen, I’ve been shot at twice now, so no matter what you threaten me with, I’m not coming i
n. Not until I have round-the-clock protection for the woman and her child.”

  “Who shot at you? When?” O’Dell demanded.

  “I don’t have time to get into it now. I heard the body of Travis Olson was pulled out of the river with a bullet hole in his chest. He was killed just like Jason Whitfield, and I know for a fact this is all connected to Sci-Tech. I need you to call the DA’s office to get a warrant to search Olson’s office and his condo.”

  “Why didn’t I think of that?” Heavy sarcasm laced his captain’s voice. “It’s already in the works. Do you want to be there for the search?”

  “Yes.” The answer came instinctively, but then he realized that would be impossible. “But I can’t.”

  “I don’t recall giving you vacation time,” O’Dell said.

  Miles closed his eyes, searching for patience. “I’m working another angle. Sci-Tech’s biggest competitor is ACE Intel... I’m hoping to interview the owner, soon.”

  “ACE Intel?” The news mollified his boss. “Where are they located?”

  “North of Chicago. I’ll let you know what I find out.”

  “Yeah, you do that.” The edge was back in his boss’s tone. “Meanwhile I’ll send Krantz over to do the search on Olson’s office and his condo. Unfortunately the owner of the company is refusing to talk to anyone without his lawyer present.”

  Apparently the owner of Sci-Tech didn’t understand that obstructing an investigation only made him look guilty. “Will you let me know if Detective Krantz finds anything?”

  “Yeah, yeah.” O’Dell sounded resigned. “Keep in contact, Callahan, you hear me?”

  “Loud and clear, Captain.” He ended the call and slipped the phone back into his pocket. The snowflakes were melting against his skin, leaving tiny droplets of water behind.

  Feeling better about the investigation, he turned to head back inside, summoning the strength to resist getting too close to Paige and Abby.

  He needed to bust this case wide open, and soon.

  * * *

  The easy camaraderie that once existed with Miles had been shattered by his kiss.

  Not just the kiss, Paige acknowledged, but also since Abby had clung to Miles as if she might never let go.

  He hadn’t appreciated being told he would be a good father one day, and she didn’t understand why her innocent remark had caused him to withdraw from her so completely.

  But the fact that it had only proved her point. Miles might be a nice guy, but he wasn’t interested in anything more. She’d told herself that before, but now she truly believed it.

  The hours seemed to pass with excruciating slowness. Miles had ordered pizza for dinner, which Abby clearly enjoyed.

  Paige gave Abby a bath, brushed her hair and then used the blow-dryer to take away the dampness. When they emerged from the bathroom, she was surprised to discover Miles was on the phone, speaking in a low voice.

  She couldn’t help being annoyed with him for being so secretive. He hadn’t shared any details with her of what he had or hadn’t learned during his previous phone calls, the ones he’d made while standing out in the cold.

  Here he was, doing it again.

  “Time for bed,” she told Abby. “Ready to say our prayers?”

  Abby crawled into bed, pulled her stuffed elephant close then pressed her hands together.

  Since it was clear Abby wasn’t going to talk, Paige led the prayer. “Dear Lord, we ask for Your blessing as we sleep tonight. Please keep us safe in Your care and continue guiding us on Your chosen path. Amen.”

  “Amen,” a deep male voice echoed from behind her.

  Paige glanced over at Miles, surprised he’d joined in with the bedtime prayer. The same way he’d joined them in prayer, earlier. She turned back to her daughter who hadn’t said anything.

  “Goodnight, Abby,” she said, bending over to give her daughter a hug and a kiss. “Sweet dreams, okay?”

  Abby nodded and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

  When Paige stood, Abby stared at Miles and raised her arms, indicating she wanted to give him a hug and a kiss, too.

  Miles glanced at Paige, as if to ask if it was okay. She nodded, and blinked back a ridiculous urge to cry as he bent over to give Abby a cuddle goodnight.

  Something Travis hadn’t done for a long time. And would never do again.

  Miles turned out the light between the two beds, leaving only a small lamp on in the corner of the room. Paige was about to head into the bathroom to wash up, when Miles gently tugged on her arm.

  “Do you have a minute?” he whispered.

  She nodded and joined him at the small table where he had his laptop computer set up. The papers Jason had mailed to him were scattered around, as if he’d been going over them again.

  “What do you know about Karl Rogers?” he asked quietly.

  She lifted a brow. “He’s the current owner and founder of Sci-Tech.”

  “Do you know a guy by the name of Lance Anderson?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Lance is Karl’s lawyer, and not a very nice man. Why?”

  “Karl is refusing to cooperate with the investigation into your ex-husband’s death.”

  “I’m not surprised. Karl and Lance are tight, and I’m sure Lance is advising him to keep silent.”

  “He does have that right, although remaining silent only makes him look guilty,” Miles muttered. “I’m waiting for Eastham to call me back. Do you know anything about him?”

  She was glad that Miles was including her in the investigation, but unfortunately, she didn’t know anything that might help. “Other than that he’s the owner of ACE Intel, I’m afraid not. Travis once mentioned that Karl and Aaron hated each other, which isn’t that surprising since they’re arch rivals.”

  “Yeah, no kidding.” His dry tone made her smile.

  His phone vibrated and he quickly picked it up. “Hello?”

  She leaned close to hear the other side of the conversation.

  “Thanks for calling me back, Mr. Eastham. I’m hoping you’ll answer a couple of questions for me.”

  “That depends on what they are,” the other man said bluntly.

  “Do you know Jason Whitfield or Travis Olson?”

  “No. Why?”

  Miles looked at her, as if trying to figure out how much to tell him. She nodded, encouraging him to be up front. “Both men used to work at Sci-Tech, but they’ve been murdered.”

  There was a long pause from the owner of ACE Intel, before he asked, “What does that have to do with me?”

  “Isn’t Sci-Tech your biggest competitor?”

  Eastham let out a harsh laugh. “Yeah, but if I was going to go after anyone it would be Karl Rogers, not the people who work for him.”

  Paige’s eyes widened as Miles’s expression turned grim. “And why is that?”

  “Karl used to work for me, and broke his contract by starting his own business in the exact same field.”

  “What kind of contract?”

  “It had a noncompete clause. I filed a lawsuit against him, but the judge threw it out.”

  “Why would the judge do that?” Miles asked.

  “Because Karl’s lawyer convinced them that I fired him, and terminating his employment voided the contract. They showed documentation to prove it, but it was fake.”

  “So you believe Karl stole information from you to start his own business.”

  “Yeah, I do. And trust me, the day I can prove it is the day I haul his backside into court. And, frankly, that’s all I’m willing to say about this issue.” Eastham disconnected, leaving her and Miles staring at each other in shock.

  “Do you think it’s possible Karl is the one behind the murders?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. The one t
hing that doesn’t make sense is that Jason claimed that Travis was making life difficult. If they were both in the dark about the secrets, then why suddenly kill them now? How long did your ex work for Karl?”

  “Since the day the company opened its doors.” Paige swallowed hard, not liking the connection.

  She didn’t want to believe that her ex-husband had been a crook as well as a lousy husband.

  EIGHT

  Miles resisted the urge to take Paige into his arms, although it wasn’t easy. The tears shimmering in her eyes ripped at his heart, he didn’t like to see her upset and longed to offer comfort.

  But he needed to remain professional. No more kissing, no matter how much he wanted to taste her sweetness again.

  “Just because he’s been there since the beginning doesn’t mean Travis knew anything about the stolen ideas. He still could be an innocent victim in all of this,” he pointed out.

  She nibbled her bottom lip. “Maybe. But to be honest, Travis was all about fame and fortune. I wouldn’t be surprised if he took a shortcut to be the first one to bring something like that to market.”

  He reached out and lightly touched her arm. “Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt, okay?”

  Her attempt at a smile made his heart ache. “All right.”

  “Get some sleep,” he encouraged, forcing himself to let go of her arm and sit back in his seat.

  “You need to rest, too.”

  What he needed was to keep them safe, but he nodded. “I’m waiting for a phone call from a colleague.”

  Paige nodded, then rose to her feet. She looked like she wanted to say something more, but didn’t. He watched her disappear into the bathroom and blew out a heavy breath.

  Paige and her daughter were getting to him in a way he’d never experienced before. In all of his let’s-go-out-and-have-fun relationships, he’d avoided becoming too serious. He hadn’t wanted to be overly involved. Obviously being in close proximity to Paige and Abby for the past two days was impacting him more than he’d anticipated.

  Focus, he told himself firmly. On the case, not on Paige.