WITNESS PROTECTION 02: The Baby Rescue

by Margaret Daley

You could have called me, she wanted to say, and realized that would lead to a fight, especially since she’d ignored her mom’s calls in the past. That wasn’t the reason Lisette had phoned her.

  “The last time I saw you, we didn’t part on good terms,” her mom said. “I started to call you many times these past six years, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I was wrong. I left you with the impression I had taken some stolen money my partner and I recovered. I didn’t.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me that? I asked you.”

  “I saw your look. You wouldn’t have believed me. Besides, I had no proof it was my partner, John, until much later. I took the evidence I found to my former boss and let him know.”

  “Why didn’t you let me know?” Her voice rose several levels as she gripped the receiver. Forcing herself to sit in a nearby chair, she drew in fortifying breaths.

  “I thought when you were ready to listen you’d call me.”

  “Then why didn’t someone else tell me?”

  “I asked my boss to keep it quiet. I didn’t want to bring it all up again. Besides, John had a family. They didn’t need to be disgraced. He wasn’t around to answer for what he’d done, and there would have been some who would have still wondered if I hadn’t known what my partner was doing and benefited somehow.”

  When her mom and partner were working their last case, she hadn’t backed up John as she should have—at least, that was what Lisette had been led to believe. “Did you let him be killed?”

  “The guy I was bringing in for questioning was working with John. I’d found out he had betrayed me and the FBI, and when I should have responded, I hesitated. John took the bullet for me. I’ve lived with that for these past years, replaying the shooting in my mind over and over. I suppose that even influenced me to keep quiet about John. Some people would think I was putting the blame on John because I didn’t back him up like I should have.”

  There was a long pause. Lisette couldn’t think what to say to her mother.

  “Is this why you called yesterday?”

  Lisette rubbed her fingers into her forehead. “No. I wanted to tell you that I forgave you for what happened.” It had all been for nothing. With a few words their relationship could have been different.

  “Honey, I made a mess of everything. It’s my pride. I’ve been working on it and still have a ways to go. Please don’t be mad at me. I tried calling you several times and never could work up the courage. I never thought I was afraid of anything until that first time I hung up before putting in the last number. I didn’t want to hear your disappointment in me again. I still feel John wouldn’t have died if I had just moved quicker.”

  Lisette swallowed over and over to coat her parched throat. “There were things I could have done to make the situation better. I jumped to conclusions and then didn’t give you a chance to say much. I’m sorry. I forgive you, Mom, but I hope you can forgive me, too. I hope we can see each other soon.”

  “That’s the best news I’ve heard in a long time. I’ve been following your career and know the mess I caused hurt your chances in the FBI, but I was able to get my former boss to put your name in for the Denver position.”

  Her mother had been there in the background all those years—wasted years because of their pride. Lisette finally released the tears she’d been fighting for the past hour.

  ELEVEN

  Colton greeted Marshal Josh McCall with a handshake. “How was your flight?”

  “Bumpy. Storms between here and St. Louis. I’ve left my return flight open in case you need help. Did you get a chance to read what I sent you on Sam Wilson?”

  Sam Wilson was the guy who worked at the hospital in St. Louis and the driver of the Mustang, the car in front of his SUV when the truck hit him. Colton already knew that Saunders had set up that wreck. So was Wilson here to help Saunders in Denver? “Yes. No one knows where Wilson is going for his two-week vacation?” Colton took a seat at the table in the conference room at the U.S. Marshals Office where the file was open to the end of the papers he’d received from Josh. “Is there any connection between the owner of the white Chevy from Missouri and Wilson?”

  “The Chevy was a stolen car that wasn’t reported until a day ago when its owner returned from being gone for a week. No connection between them that I could find, but then if I was going to steal a car, I would do it from a total stranger.”

  “But whoever did steal it conveniently did it at a time the man was going to be gone so it wouldn’t be reported stolen for a while. Long enough to get out of the state without any problems.”

  “Yeah, I noticed that. Wilson lived about a mile from the guy. If there’s a connection, it could be in a place they frequented. My partner, Serena, is looking further into that. But I think we’re safe to say that Wilson stole the car, drove to Denver and is helping Saunders.”

  “You don’t have to stay. We’ll find him and Saunders.” Colton firmed his mouth, determined that he would rescue Baby C somehow and put Saunders behind bars, this time with no deal with the government.

  “I know, but St. Louis let the man go. I feel I need to be here.” Josh looked at Colton. “If that’s all right with you.”

  “I’d like your input. My concern is getting Saunders any way we can.”

  “Where’s your FBI partner?”

  “She’s undercover at a fertility clinic this week as a temporary nurses’ aide. We suspect Hannah Adams, a nurse there, is an accomplice of Saunders. She may be his connection to a couple who will buy Baby C.”

  “I see you’ve plastered Saunders’s photo all over the place as the kidnapper of a baby.”

  “We had the FBI give that out. We’re working behind the scenes. I hope someone sees Saunders and reports his location. Also, if Hannah is helping Saunders, seeing his photo all over the news may cause her to panic and do something foolish. She’s already taken Monday and Tuesday off, telling them she was sick, but there’s no indication she was. We think she was helping Saunders, especially on Monday, to get away from us.”

  Josh leaned over and opened his briefcase, then plopped a file on the table. “Here is all the background information I could get on Sam Wilson in a couple of days. We interviewed everyone we could at the hospital and where he lived. He’s been in St. Louis for a year, but guess what? He’s from Denver.”

  “Now why am I not surprised by that? Let’s exchange files. You can look over what we’ve come up with so far. Maybe you can find something to help us. Fresh eyes are always welcomed.” Colton took the file on Sam Wilson, praying there was a clue to where Saunders was inside. It had been several days since he’d been forced to move Baby C. He felt the trail had gone cold. Fear for the child mushroomed inside him. What if Saunders has left Denver and Baby C has been sold?

  * * *

  Friday afternoon Lisette had a break for ten minutes before the next patient came. Everyone else was occupied and concentrating on what she was doing, including Hannah. She might not have a better time to slip into the room where the employees’ lockers were and pick the lock on Hannah’s. Time was running out for Baby C. She felt like a razor-sharp pendulum was swinging lower and lower toward her. Any second she would be cut—Baby C gone.

  No one was in the corridor when she hurried inside. She checked the other side of the row of lockers, then rushed to Hannah’s and began working on it. Her heart thumped against her chest at a maddeningly fast pace. Her breathing became shallow, her hands slick with sweat.

  When the lock clicked open, she eased the door wide and began rummaging through what was in the locker. First, she went through her purse but little was in the small bag besides her wallet and checkbook. Then she checked a sweater—nothing in the pockets—a brush and some makeup. At the bottom of the metal cabinet, she grasped an address book and flipped through it. The last page had a phone number jotted down with the initials S.W. She grabbed her pen and wrote it on her palm.

  A noise in the hallway drifted to her. Someone was coming. She
quickly stuffed everything back into the locker and quietly shut it, then started for the door. It opened, and Hannah came into the room.

  She smiled at Lisette. “We only have a couple more hours. That’s the good news. The bad news is that we have an extra patient to fit into a busy schedule. We’ll be staying later this evening in case you have plans.”

  “Thanks. I’ll cancel my plans,” Lisette said to cover her next move, taking her cell phone and texting Colton S.W.’s phone number as she walked out of the room.

  In the hallway she sent the text, then pocketed her cell phone while her pulse rate began to slow down to a normal pace. Through the next hours of work, she heard back from Colton that they thought it might be Sam Wilson’s number and were investigating that possibility.

  When the last patient for Dr. Vincent left, Lisette remained in the exam room to clean. She wiped down the leather bed, then drew up a roll of white paper to cover it. Instead of going home, she would be meeting Colton and Josh at the office.

  “Oh, good, I caught you before you left, Lisa.”

  She pivoted toward Hannah in the entrance. “You mentioned going out after work sometime and since you had to cancel prior plans, I’d love for you to go out with me for dinner and drinks. It’s Friday. Time to let loose. I could use some unwinding tonight. How about it?”

  “Sure. Do you want to give me the address of where you’ll be going?”

  “Nah. We can go in my car and I’ll bring you back to pick up yours afterward. The place is really popular and the parking lot is pretty small. It’s a great spot. There’s even dancing and live music.”

  “You have energy to dance?” Lisette said with a laugh.

  With her coat on and her purse tucked under her armpit, Hannah stepped to the side to allow Lisette out into the hall. “Well, maybe not, but I like to watch others and the band that plays at Charlie’s Roadside Tavern is good.”

  “Sounds nice. Let me get my stuff.” Lisette slid her hand into her jacket pocket and clasped her phone. As she walked back to the locker room, she texted Colton to tell him where she would be and not to wait for her. She’d let him know how it went when she got home.

  With a little alcohol in Hannah, she might let something slip.

  * * *

  Colton came back into the conference after spending all afternoon with Josh, searching various pieces of property that Wilson’s family owned in the area. Saunders and Baby C were nowhere to be seen. “This isn’t a burner phone. They’re working on locating Sam Wilson right now. Let’s hope he leaves his phone on and is with Saunders when we find him.”

  Josh sank into a chair. “There isn’t much else we can go on from the file so this lead may be it for us.”

  The secretary entered with a sheet of paper. “This is the location of the cell phone at this moment. They’ll keep track of it and let you know if there’s a change.”

  Josh rose. “That was the shortest rest on record. Let’s go.”

  “I’m grabbing Quinn, too, before he leaves.” Colton strode to his usual partner’s desk in the office.

  When Quinn hung up, he got Colton up to speed. “Dead end on the employee we were running down from the lodge. There are no other leads to follow up from the moose logo.”

  “That’s okay. We have Sam Wilson’s current location. It’s a motel.”

  “How?”

  “A cell number Lisette got from Hannah’s locker a while ago.”

  Quinn stood. “I’m in.” As the three walked toward the exit, Quinn continued, “Brad and Mark are waiting for the go-ahead to grab the courier. It looks like she is getting ready to leave Denver.”

  Colton withdrew his cell and called Mark. “Pick her up. We can’t risk her getting away. Bring her in and see what you can get from her. If Saunders or anyone else were going to contact her, they would have by now.”

  After slipping into the passenger seat of the Jeep, Josh fastened his seat belt. “I’ve seen how you drive.”

  “Don’t start with me.” Colton threw him a mockingly stern look.

  “I wonder why she’s still hanging around Denver,” Quinn asked as he climbed into the backseat.

  “Good question to ask her when she’s picked up. Maybe she was waiting for the rest of a payment.” Colton drove out of the parking lot.

  Josh glanced at Colton, then Quinn. “Or waiting for another baby to transport somewhere else.”

  “We’ve got to find the middleman and shut down this baby-smuggling ring.” The fervent tone in Quinn’s voice matched the same passion everyone who was on this case had.

  “I still think it’s Saunders. He has a lot of people doing his bidding.” Colton made a turn at the green stoplight and drove east toward the motel along I-70. When he pulled up to the main doors near the reception desk, he stood. “I’ll find out which unit he’s in and get a key to open the door.”

  Colton walked through the automatic sliding glass doors that parted for him and Josh, who accompanied him. Quinn stayed in the car.

  Colton approached the woman behind the counter, showing her his badge. “I need information about one of your guests. What room is Sam Wilson in?”

  She checked the computer. “There isn’t a Sam Wilson here.”

  * * *

  Hannah slanted a look at Lisette. “I hope you don’t mind. I have to swing by my house first.”

  “Your house?” Lisette scanned the crossroad they’d gone through a few seconds ago. She was relatively new to Denver, but she didn’t believe Hannah was going to her home. In fact, she was driving completely in the opposite direction—east instead of west.

  “Yeah, my place is on the way. I’ve got to change these shoes. My feet are killing me.”

  “I should have driven, then. You’ll be going out of your way to bring me back to the medical center.”

  “That’s okay. I might be able to persuade you to stay out all night. Party with me. I haven’t done that in a while.”

  Lisette liked to have a good time, but not the kind Hannah was implying. She had to remind herself she was playing a role—one that wasn’t Lisette Sutton. “If we’re gonna stay out all night, I’d better let my roommate know. She tends to worry when I don’t show up when expected.”

  As Hannah came to a stop at a light, Lisette bent forward and dug around in her purse on the floor for her cell phone. When she leaned back, she started to turn it on.

  “Toss it out the window,” Hannah said in a voice full of steel.

  “Excuse me?” Lisette swung her attention to Hannah.

  She held a gun pointed at Lisette.

  * * *

  “I tracked his phone to this location. Was he staying here?” Colton pocketed his wallet.

  The motel clerk looked up from her computer. “Yes, sir. He checked out ten minutes ago.”

  “Did you see what kind of car he was driving? Do you have its license plate number?”

  The woman examined the registration form and showed Colton. “It was a Honda Accord, red. That’s the number.” She tapped the form.

  “Did he say anything about where he was going? Or did you see which way he turned when he left the parking lot?”

  “I have to admit I was watching him leave.” A blush colored her cheeks. “He was a nice-looking man, and I hated seeing him go. He got into his car and pulled away.” She stared off into space. “He went right when he left here.” Her mouth twisted and her eyes became slits. “You know, he did the strangest thing.”

  Starting to turn toward the exit, Colton stopped. “What?”

  “He threw his cell phone away in the trash by the door.”

  Colton exchanged a glance with Josh.

  Josh walked to the garbage can and peered inside. “Yep, one is here. Let’s put a BOLO out on the car.”

  After copying down the information about the vehicle, Colton thanked the lady, then strode toward the sliding glass doors, withdrawing his cell phone. When he reached a captain of police in Denver he’d worked with on several cases
, he described the Honda Accord and Sam Wilson. “I need the car found and followed but do not apprehend Sam Wilson. Call me and let me know where he is. Once we’re in place, we’ll take over.” Colton gave the address of the motel. “He left twelve minutes ago and turned right out of the parking lot.”

  When he hung up, Colton sighed. “I feel like we’re looking for a red snowflake in an avalanche.”

  “Now the waiting begins.”

  When Colton reached his Jeep, he opened the back door. “Quinn, I want you to process the room Wilson stayed in. If you find anything that might help, let me know. He hasn’t been gone long so the room hasn’t been cleaned yet.”

  After Quinn exited the car, Colton climbed behind the steering wheel and started the car. “I’m going right and I’ll drive in that direction. Maybe we’ll spot Wilson’s car.”

  “Sounds like a plan. I’ve got to do something. Waiting isn’t my favorite part of the job.”

  “It’s possible Wilson is heading to Interstate 70 and going back to St. Louis. His job might be done here.”

  “Then that’s the direction we’ll go.”

  A few minutes later, Colton pulled up behind a long line of cars at a stoplight that was blinking red. As he moved one vehicle at a time toward the intersection, he punched in Lisette’s number to see how the evening was going and to let her know about Wilson. After five rings, it went to voice mail. He gestured to his cell phone hooked into the vehicle’s dashboard. “Lisette probably can’t talk right now, but she’s good about texting me back. Let me know what she says.”

  Once they got through the intersection, the traffic picked up, moving at forty miles an hour. When Colton’s cell phone rang, he quickly punched the on button, thinking it was Lisette calling back. He liked keeping in touch with her while she was undercover.

  “Colton, Wilson’s car was spotted on Interstate 70. He just took Highway 225’s exit and is heading south to Aurora,” the police captain he knew said.

  “Have whoever is following hang back. We’re on the interstate and it’s not that far to that exit. I need to know if he gets off Highway 225.” Colton disconnected with the police captain and accelerated now that he knew where he should go.