Trail of Secrets

by Sandra Robbins

  “I’ve prayed a lot about my feelings toward Callie, and God has helped me deal with them.” She reached across the table and covered his hand with hers. “I just don’t want to see you get hurt again.”

  He tried to laugh, but the sound stuck in his throat. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’m not about to put myself in that situation again. Callie may have broken my heart once, but she’s not going to get the chance to do it again.”

  His mother stared at him as if she didn’t believe him. After a moment she shrugged. “If you say so.”

  He picked up his cup and drained the coffee in one gulp before he pushed to his feet. “I’m beat. I’m going to grab a few hours’ sleep before I go back to the station.”

  His mother stood to clear the table. “You go on upstairs. I may not be back from the mall by the time you leave. If not, I’ll see you later tonight.”

  He stopped at the kitchen door and turned to face her. “Won’t you be home for dinner?”

  “No, I’m going out to eat and to a movie with my church circle group, just like I told you yesterday. You and Callie are on your own for dinner.”

  He grinned. “And Callie thought her staying here might be inconvenient for you.”

  She laughed. “Not at all. I figure you two adults can take care of yourselves. I have a life of my own, you know.”

  He smiled. “I’m glad you have a life, Mom. I wouldn’t want you sitting at home all the time.”

  Her features darkened, and she walked over to him, reaching up to stroke his cheek. “That’s what I want for you, son. A life of your own. You’re just beginning to start going out again. I don’t want your being around Callie again to change that.”

  He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “I promise that won’t happen, Mom.”

  She sighed and headed back to the table. “Then go on and get some sleep.”

  He left the room and headed up the stairs. When he arrived at the landing of the second floor, he stopped outside the closed door to the bedroom where Callie was sleeping. He stared at the door for a moment and thought about what his mother had said.

  For some reason his final conversation two years ago with Callie had been running through his mind a lot lately, and he didn’t understand why. The more he’d thought about it, he realized she had never really given him a reason for not marrying him. At the time he’d thought it was because of her policeman father’s death—that she didn’t want to run the risk of losing someone else she loved. Now he wasn’t so sure. Maybe there had been another reason. If so, what could it have been?

  * * *

  Callie awoke with a start and sat up in bed. She’d been dreaming of the fire, and the flames were about to engulf her when she bolted upright. She wiped her hand across her perspiring brow and swung her feet over the side of the bed.

  Her stomach growled, and she glanced at the clock on the bedside table. It was nearly noon, and she realized she hadn’t eaten since lunch yesterday. She glanced around the room and spotted several shopping bags next to the closed bedroom door. Mrs. Dawtry must have made good on her promise to go to the mall for her.

  Callie hurried over and pulled off the note that was stapled to the side of the bag. She smiled as she read Mrs. Dawtry’s message.

  I bought you several pairs of slacks, two tops, some underwear and some flip-flops. Since I had to guess at the sizes, I hope everything fits. Maybe this will tide you over until you can pick out what you’d really like to have.

  —Mona Dawtry

  Thirty minutes later Callie hurried downstairs and into the kitchen. She came to a stop at the sight of Seth sitting at the kitchen table with a sandwich and a glass of iced tea in front of him. His gaze traveled over her.

  “I see you found the clothes Mom bought for you.”

  Callie nodded. “Yes, that was so kind of her. I’ll repay her as soon as I can get to the bank and get some money.”

  He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. You have other things on your mind right now.”

  She slid into the chair across from him. “Have you heard from the hospital?”

  “Yes. There’s no change. The marshals are still guarding him.”

  She crossed her arms on the table and leaned forward. “What are you doing here? I thought you’d be at work.”

  “I went in for a while this morning, but I wanted to be here when you woke up so I could take you to the hospital.” He glanced down at his sandwich. “Can I make you something to eat?”

  She shook her head and stood up. “No, I’ll do it. Then I would like to go to the hospital. Are you planning on working this afternoon?”

  “No. Why?”

  She sighed. “I hate to keep asking you for favors, but I need to see about getting my driver’s license replaced. Could you take me to the testing center to see what I have to do?”

  “I’d be glad to. But you don’t have to worry about driving yourself around. Until we’ve caught whoever tried to kill you and Dan, I’m going to be sticking to you, anyway. I don’t want you going anywhere alone.”

  The memory of everything she’d experienced the night before flooded into her mind, and she swallowed the fear that threatened to engulf her. “Thank you, Seth. I appreciate your doing this for me.”

  He stared at her for a moment before he answered. Then he took a deep breath. “Let’s get one thing straight, Callie. I don’t want you reading anything into this arrangement. I’m doing this because of Dan. I’d do anything for him. That’s all there is to it.”

  She blinked back the tears that threatened to fill her eyes and tried to smile. “I understand, but I still appreciate it.” She pushed to her feet. “Now I think I’ll fix myself one of those sandwiches. Then we can go to the hospital.”

  When she sat back down at the table with her food, the hunger she’d felt when she’d first entered the kitchen had vanished. Seth kept his gaze downcast as he finished his lunch, and Callie tried to force herself to eat. The food tasted like sawdust in her mouth.

  With his last bite swallowed, Seth picked up his iced tea and took a long drink before he directed his attention back to her. “I’ll be in the den. When you’re ready to go, let me know.”

  Before she could reply, he picked up his dishes, deposited them in the sink and walked from the room. Callie took a deep breath and tried to slow her racing heartbeat as she listened to his retreating footsteps.

  She propped her elbows on the table and buried her face in her hands. Seth had been very thoughtful of her feelings last night, but in the light of day his attitude toward her had changed. It didn’t surprise her, but it still hurt.

  Until her uncle’s condition had improved and his attacker was caught, all she could do was endure Seth’s feelings toward her and hope he would never find out the real reason she had refused his proposal.

  * * *

  Seth had dreaded accompanying Callie on her shopping trip. He’d often shaken his head in sympathy at the men he spotted sitting around the mall waiting for their wife or girlfriend to finish. Now he found himself one of those he’d often pitied.

  He tried to slump down on the store’s sofa in the middle of the ladies’ clothes department, but it was impossible to make himself invisible. Until Callie was finished trying on clothes, he was destined to wait and endure the knowing stares from other men who happened to walk by.

  He looked up as Callie emerged from the dressing room and stepped in front of a full-length mirror. She twisted and turned as she examined the outfit she wore. When she saw him watching her, she smiled.

  “I appreciate your taking the time to drive me to the hospital and now to the mall. I know you’d rather be anywhere else but here. I really appreciate you bringing me.”

  “No problem,” he said. “Glad to help.”

  She glanced back at her reflection o
nce more before she disappeared into the fitting room. After a few minutes, he spied the handbags display on several counters against the far wall, and an idea struck him. His sister’s birthday was a week away, and he’d heard her tell their mother she needed a new purse. Maybe he could find one while he waited for Callie.

  Ten minutes later a salesperson finished ringing up his purchase and handed him his change. “I hope your sister enjoys her new purse,” she said.

  “I’m sure she will. She...”

  Before he could finish the sentence, a shrill scream from the direction of the ladies’ changing area pierced the air. Seth whirled, and instinct kicked in. He pulled his gun from its holster on his belt where his badge was displayed. “Call store security and have them lock the building down,” he ordered the cashier. “Then call 911 for backup.”

  Without waiting for an answer, he charged toward the fitting room where he’d left Callie. “Police!” he yelled as he stopped at the doorway.

  “Help!” The frantic cry made his blood run cold. It wasn’t just the fear he could hear in the woman’s voice—it was the fact that it wasn’t Callie’s voice. He couldn’t hear her at all.

  He peered around the door and spotted the salesclerk who’d been helping Callie on the floor with blood trickling down her face. Seth dropped to his knees beside her. “What happened?”

  “A man,” she gasped. “He came in here while I was helping the customer and knocked me down. Then he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out. He had a gun to her head.”

  “Lie still,” Seth ordered. “Help is on the way. I’m going after them.”

  He ran from the dressing room and glanced around. Salespeople and customers huddled in clumps around the room, but Callie and her abductor were nowhere to be seen. Then he spotted the exit sign over a door behind the cash register and ran toward it.

  The door opened into a long hallway, and Seth recognized the direction it led. This was an entrance for employees from the parking garage. Whoever had Callie was trying to get to a car to escape.

  Seth sprinted down the hall toward the far door and exited onto the lower level of the parking garage. Clutching his gun in front of him with both hands, he scanned the area for Callie. He didn’t see her, but then a cry echoed through the garage.

  The sound seemed to come from his right, past the row of parked cars that lined the side of the garage. He charged down the concrete surface toward the end of the row and rounded a curve that led to more parking spaces. Halfway down the parking section, he spotted a van with its side door pushed back. A man inside the van pulled on one of Callie’s arms, and another stood behind her, holding her other arm twisted behind her back.

  “Police!” he yelled. “Let the woman go.”

  The man behind Callie whirled and pointed his gun at Seth. Just as he fired, Callie screamed and shoved against him. Seth heard the bullet whiz by his head.

  Seth lunged behind a parked car for cover and peered around the bumper. Even though Callie appeared to be putting up a good fight, it was evident she couldn’t keep from being pushed into the van much longer. Afraid a bullet might hit her, Seth aimed at the back tire, and it exploded in a rush of air.

  The second bullet ricocheted off the top of the van, and the man inside yelled a curse at him. Seth fired two more shots in rapid succession. The man inside the van released Callie and jumped to the ground. “Let’s go,” he yelled.

  The other assailant knocked Callie to the ground, and the two of them ran to the half wall around the perimeter of the parking area. They jumped the barrier and disappeared.

  Seth sprang to his feet and rushed to Callie. She was just pushing to her knees when he reached her. “Are you all right?”

  She nodded. “Yes. See if you can get them.”

  Seth rushed to the wall and scanned the area outside the parking garage, but the men were nowhere in sight. They had either ducked into another store or an accomplice had been waiting outside with a separate getaway car to make sure they made it out okay.

  He returned to Callie and pulled her to her feet. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  “What happened?”

  “The salesclerk and I had just gone back to the dressing room when a man ran in and grabbed me. When the lady helping me tried to intervene, he hit her in the head with the butt of his gun.”

  “Did you recognize the man?”

  Callie shook her head. “He had a ski mask on. He must have pulled it on right before he entered the fitting room, or someone would have noticed.”

  “Yeah. That would have stood out, all right, especially since it’s summertime.” His gaze raked Callie from head to foot. She had no apparent injuries. Except for being frightened, she appeared to have come through the incident quite well. “If you’re sure you’re up to it, we need to get back to the store. Security and the police should have everything in there under control now, but you’ll need to give your statement.”

  Callie took a step before she stopped, her eyes wide. “I haven’t asked about the clerk yet. Is she all right?”

  “I think so. Let’s go see.”

  As they walked toward the exit, Seth’s heart thudded as guilt washed over him. How could he have been so careless and left Callie like that? It wouldn’t happen again.

  He glanced once more at the barrier the assailants had jumped. Somewhere out there were assassins determined to kill Callie. He didn’t know who they were or why they wanted her dead, but he intended to find out. From now on, he wasn’t going to let her out of his sight.

  * * *

  From her chair at the kitchen table Callie glanced out the window at the gathering night shadows. The memory of what had happened earlier today in the department store returned, and she shivered. She pressed her fingers to her temples and rubbed in small circles to fight off the looming headache. From the minute she’d arrived in Memphis her life had been turned upside down, and she didn’t know how much more she could take.

  Across the table Seth looked up, and their eyes met. He’d said very little while they ate, and she had found it difficult to carry on a conversation, too. “How are you?” he asked.

  “I’m fine, Seth.”

  He raked his hand through his hair. “I’m so sorry for leaving you, Callie. I won’t do that again.”

  “Seth, it wasn’t your fault. If you’d been there, it could have been worse. Either one of us could have been shot. It all worked out in the end, so let’s not talk about it anymore.”

  Instead of replying, he rose to his feet and began to clear away the containers of carry-out Chinese food they’d eaten. When he’d tossed them in the garbage can, he turned back to her and pointed to her uncle’s notebook she’d brought downstairs before they began to eat. “There has to be something in this notebook to give us a clue to what Dan found out before you arrived in Memphis.”

  He sat back down, and Callie pushed the notebook over in front of him. “I’ve looked through it so many times and nothing stands out to me, but I agree. We’re overlooking something.”

  Seth stared at the picture of the woman her uncle had named Hope and smiled. “Every time I look at this picture, I’m struck by how beautiful she was.”

  Callie nodded. “Yes, and I can see some resemblance to my mother in the shape of her mouth, though I think Uncle Dan may have exaggerated their similar features. Probably the locket with the little boy’s picture in it is what touched his heart.”

  “I think you’re right.”

  Callie stared at the picture a moment before she looked up at Seth. “Where is the necklace now?”

  “It’s part of the evidence and is in the box containing everything about this cold case.”

  “Was there anything unusual about it that would enable you to trace where it might have been made or sold?”r />
  Seth shook his head. “No. It’s just an inexpensive gold locket, the kind you see in stores all the time. Dan searched the internet for a long time, trying to find a source for similar ones, but it was no use. He finally decided that would never lead to anything.”

  “I see.” Callie reached across and pulled the notebook in front of her. “There’s something in the back I want to show you.” She flipped through the pages until she found the sheet with the list of names on it. “Have you ever seen this before?”

  Seth nodded as he scanned the page. “I saw it some time ago. This is a list of people who the police use as informants. Dan thought one of them might have heard something on the street that would help him. The last time I talked to him about it, though, it hadn’t led to anything.”

  Callie pursed her lips and pointed to the name she had first noticed when she looked at the page. “What about Melvin Harris? Did Uncle Dan ever say anything about him? His name has a check mark beside it.”

  Seth frowned and stared at the name. “I told Dan that Melvin is an informant I’ve used for years ever since I started on the force. I remember when he wrote the name down, but I have no idea why he would have put a check beside it.”

  “Can you call him and ask him if he talked to Uncle Dan?”

  Seth smiled and shook his head. “It doesn’t work that way, Callie. I can’t just call up an informant. He has to be very careful about making contact with me. It could mean his life if the wrong people thought he talked to the police about them.”

  Callie’s eyebrows arched. “I never thought about that. How do you contact him?”

  “Melvin lives on the south side of town. I drive through his neighborhood, and if he’s on the street, he’ll give me a signal to meet him. Then I wait for him at the spot where we usually meet.”

  Callie looked back at the check mark next to Melvin’s name. “Uncle Dan must have had some reason for making that mark. Maybe we need to talk to Melvin and see if they’d met recently.”

  Seth scooted his chair back from the table and shook his head. “Wait a minute! After what happened today, what makes you think I’d agree to take you with me to talk to a police informant? I’m not letting you put yourself in danger again.”