The Christmas Rescue

by Laura Scott

The photo album she carried hit the floor and skated across the linoleum, hitting the base of cabinets hard enough to knock several pictures loose.

  “Okay, fine. Bring the album.” Kayla came out behind her, carrying Brianna’s suitcase and wearing a harried expression. Ellen wheeled her suitcase over to place it near the rest of the bags, and Clyde pounced on the scattered photos as if this were some sort of new game. Rafe knelt down to pick up the photos before Clyde could damage them.

  “What in the world?” he muttered, when he picked up the first photograph. It wasn’t a family picture of Brianna, Kayla or Jeremy as he’d expected. Instead this photograph was taken down by the lakefront, but the stranger in the picture was climbing into one of Schroeder’s charter fishing boats.

  With a frown he picked up the rest of the loose photographs, five in all, noting they were all similar, photographs of men near or in the act of climbing aboard one of the boats. When he came to the last photo, he recognized the man near the boat.

  Bruce Pappas. The first criminal suspected of fleeing the country to Canada through one of Schroeder’s boats.

  “What is it?” Kayla asked crossing over to see what he was staring at.

  “Evidence,” Rafe said slowly, his tone full of amazement. He lifted his head to capture Kayla’s gaze. “I think Brianna found the evidence Schroeder hid in your house.”

  TEN

  “What?” Kayla stared at Rafe, her expression appalled. “Bill stashed those photographs in my daughter’s photo album? What was he thinking, putting Brianna in danger like that?”

  Rafe couldn’t disagree with Kayla’s frustration. A deep sense of foreboding cloaked his excitement at finally having a break in the case. The fact that these photographs were still here only meant that Landrum would be coming back to continue his search. And soon. They needed to get out of here now. “I doubt he thought of it like that, Kayla,” he said, trying to soothe her distress. “I’m sure he never realized he was being watched and followed.”

  Kayla scowled darkly. “Well, he should have considered the possibility. The nerve of him. When I think about how sick Brianna was with her asthma in the emergency department because of what he’s done…” She clenched her hands into fists, unable to finish her thought out loud.

  “Mommy? What’s wrong?” Brianna asked, sensing the tension in the room.

  Rafe watched as Kayla forced a smile on her face, relaxed her fists and shoved her anger aside for her daughter’s sake. “Nothing’s wrong, Bree. I’m just a little cranky, that’s all. Get Clyde’s leash, will you?” She turned toward Rafe. “Is there anything else we need or are we ready to go?”

  “We’re ready.” He didn’t want to panic her by mentioning his fears of Landrum returning. The sooner they got out of here, the better. “Give me a minute to get everything packed into the jeep. Ellen, I’m going to leave your suitcase for last, since we’re dropping you off at the airport first.”

  “That’s fine,” Ellen murmured, her expression troubled.

  Rafe took the photographs and slid them into his laptop case before hauling the first load of suitcases out to the jeep. He made two trips, but soon he had everything neatly stored in the back. Brianna took Clyde out one last time while Kayla set the security system on the house. When everyone, including the dog, was safe inside the jeep, they were ready to go.

  Rafe noticed how Kayla twisted in her seat, watching the house fade away behind them as he headed out of her long winding driveway. He wanted to reassure her that with this new lead they’d have the mastermind of the criminal smuggling ring behind bars very soon but at the same time, he couldn’t deny the danger, especially now that they’d found the evidence Schroeder had hidden. Landrum obviously wanted these pictures. No wonder he’d taken all the photographs from the boxes of Jeremy’s things.

  Kayla looked upset, so he reached over and took her hand in his, giving it a small, reassuring squeeze. “Everything is going to be fine,” he told her softly. “God will watch over us.”

  “I know.” Her sincere tone and tremulous smile warmed his heart.

  He kept a keen eye on the road behind him to ensure they weren’t being followed. As he gained distance from Kayla’s bed-and-breakfast, he slowly began to relax. The worst of the danger was over. And he couldn’t ignore the sense of satisfaction, knowing they finally had something to go on.

  Of course, Kayla’s and Brianna’s safety needed to come first. But now that he had the photographs, he couldn’t help but think they could blow the case wide open. Evan was trailing Karl Yancy and if the recluse was the mastermind behind the criminal smuggling ring, they could put the lid on this case very soon.

  Silently, he vowed to do whatever was necessary in order to have Kayla and Brianna home in time for Christmas.

  Kayla took several deep breaths in a vain attempt to relax. The crushing fear she’d experienced when she’d realized Bill had exposed her daughter to danger still weighed heavily on her shoulders. Even with Rafe holding on to her hand, she had trouble relaxing.

  Verse six of the first Psalm flashed in her memory. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. Her fear slipped away and she was finally able to relax.

  Bill was gone and he would answer to God for his sins. Hanging on to her fear and anger was useless. She needed to focus her energies on remaining positive. Brianna was fine now. The crisis of her asthma attack was over. Rafe was right in that God was watching over them.

  She needed to have faith. Practice makes perfect, she thought with a sigh.

  Everyone in the jeep was unusually silent as Rafe sped toward the Green Bay airport. When he pulled up in front of the passenger drop-off gate, Kayla stepped out to give her mother-in-law one last hug while Brianna held on to the dog to prevent him from racing out, too.

  “Oh, Kayla, are you sure you won’t change your mind about coming with me?” Ellen asked fretfully. “I’ll pay for your plane tickets and your hotel.”

  For a brief moment, the idea was tempting. But her mother-in-law lived on a fixed income and even if she had the money, Kayla knew she wouldn’t go.

  She couldn’t leave Rafe. Or the house Jeremy had built for them. “I’m sure,” Kayla whispered. “We’ll be fine, I promise. You concentrate on taking care of Irene, all right?”

  Ellen nodded, but she didn’t look happy as she made her way to the ticket counter. Rafe waited patiently as Kayla got back into the car before he pulled away from the curb.

  “I—uh, thought we’d stop for groceries before heading to the motel,” Rafe said, breaking the silence. “The rooms are equipped with a small refrigerator and a microwave, so we’ll have to keep it simple.”

  Her smile was wry. “I’ve been keeping it simple for a while now, so that’s no problem,” she assured him.

  He cast a sideways glance in her direction, but didn’t say anything more until they pulled into a grocery store near the airport. She was surprised when Rafe pulled some money out of his wallet and handed it to her. “Will you pick up a few things that you know Brianna will like? I’ll come inside with you, but I need to call my commanding officer to let him know about these photographs we found.”

  Taking his money felt wrong, but since her wallet was pretty much empty she shoved her pride aside and reluctantly accepted the money.

  Clyde looked pathetically forlorn when they locked him inside the jeep. Inside the store, Brianna seemed to be back to normal, only a little subdued as Kayla pushed the grocery cart through the store aisles. As they picked out various items, from soup to oatmeal, Kayla listened to Rafe’s side of the conversation with his boss.

  “We found the evidence Schroeder left in Kayla’s B and B,” he said, getting straight to the point. “A half dozen photographs. I recognize Bruce Pappas and I’m sure the other criminals who have escaped are in these other photographs, too. We just need to match them up with their mug shots.”

  There was a short pause, as Rafe listened to whatever Luke was s
aying in response.

  “Yeah, a list of names and dates would have been nice, too bad Schroeder didn’t package everything up in a nice bundle for us. I’m not sure why he hid the photos, unless he’d gotten cold feet and was looking for a way out. Unfortunately, his attempt to get out didn’t work since he ended up in the lake instead. Any word from Evan?”

  It didn’t take long for Kayla to pick up the few items they’d need and as she went through the checkout line, she heard Rafe finish up with his boss.

  “I’ll find Charlie Turkow tomorrow morning, show him the sketch Kayla did of our suspect and see what happens. Maybe I’ll even show him the photographs. I can’t help thinking that old man knows a lot more about what’s going on than he’s been willing to tell us. See you tomorrow.” Another pause, then, “Yes, sir, I will.” Rafe snapped his phone shut as she finished paying the grocery bill.

  “You will what?” she asked curiously as Rafe took their bags and led the way back out to the jeep.

  He glanced at her, his expression serious. “Take care of you and Brianna.”

  She couldn’t hide her surprise. “Your boss asked you to do that? Take care of us?”

  “Of course.” He opened the back if the jeep to set the groceries inside. “The coast guard is all about protecting innocent civilians.”

  His words, innocent civilians, echoed in her mind as she climbed back into the passenger seat. What if that wasn’t entirely true? She and Brianna were innocent of course, but after that, she wasn’t as certain. She’d been so upset with Bill for dragging her into this mess, but maybe, just maybe he’d chosen to hide the evidence in her house because of Jeremy.

  Was it possible her husband was more involved in the criminal smuggling business than she’d realized? Was it possible he wasn’t nearly as innocent as she wanted to believe?

  Kayla gazed at the rather run-down exterior of the Willow Grove Motel while Rafe went inside to book them two rooms. The owner had tried to cheer the place up with holiday lights strung along the outside frame, but from her perspective, the lights only highlighted the neglect. At least from what she could see, the place was fairly clean, and she told herself that was all that mattered.

  They’d stopped for dinner at a local fast-food restaurant on the way. Brianna had kept herself entertained during the ride between playing with Clyde and her small handheld video game.

  “Can we go inside now, Mommy?” Brianna asked for the third time.

  “Not until Mr. Rafe brings us a key, remember?”

  “What’s taking him so long?” Brianna demanded, impatiently. “We’ve been in the car for hours.”

  They’d only been in the car for an hour and ten minutes and that was only because they’d had to backtrack in order to drop Ellen off at the airport. But she didn’t bother to correct Brianna because just then, Rafe came back outside, ducking his head against the wind.

  “Chance of snow tonight,” he said by way of greeting. “Not much, just a dusting but enough to make the roads slick.”

  “Yay,” Brianna cried happily from the backseat. “I was hoping for a white Christmas.”

  Personally, Kayla had been enjoying the unusually warm December weather. Snow was pretty, except when you had to drive around in it.

  Rafe drove around the small building and pulled up to rooms five and six in the row of motel rooms. The overhang of the room offered little protection from the cold as he used the key to open her room first, and then his own.

  Brianna jumped out of the back, holding Clyde’s leash. “Make sure he goes to the bathroom,” Kayla warned.

  “I will.” Brianna didn’t seem nearly as bothered by the cold.

  The small motel room was clean and had a connecting door to Rafe’s room. Brianna brought Clyde inside and then bounced excitedly on one of the two double beds as Rafe hauled in their bags.

  “Brianna, get down,” she warned before looking over at Rafe. “Thanks for your help.”

  “No problem.” He glanced around, gesturing to the door connecting their rooms. “I’m right on the other side if you need anything. I’ll leave my side open, just in case.”

  “I’m sure we’ll be fine,” she said, injecting confidence in her tone. A wide yawn sneaked up on her. “It’s been a long day.”

  “I’ll check in with you in the morning.” Rafe added, “Before I leave to meet Luke, all right?”

  “Sounds good.” She didn’t want to think about how she’d manage to keep Brianna and Clyde entertained during the long day in the confines of the motel. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask if they could come along, but then she remembered he was also going to talk to Charlie Turkow, too.

  She’d manage to keep Brianna and Clyde entertained, somehow.

  “Good night, Kayla,” he murmured in a low husky voice. For a moment she was mesmerized by his intense dark eyes as a subtle awareness shimmered between them. Finally he turned away, breaking the intangible connection. “Good night, mi nina,” he said to Brianna. “Listen to your mother, understand?”

  “Good night, Mr. Rafe,” Brianna said, rushing over to clutch him around the knees. He bent down to smooth a hand over her daughter’s mink-brown hair.

  Kayla watched the obvious closeness that had grown between Brianna and Rafe, but she didn’t voice her concerns. All along, she’d been worried about Brianna being hurt when Rafe went back to his regular coast guard duties. Yet at the same time, she couldn’t imagine being here without him.

  And she knew with soul-wrenching certainty that Brianna wasn’t the only one who would be hurt when Rafe finally left. Despite her efforts to keep her distance, her emotions were already involved. She liked being with Rafe. Not only did he make her feel safe, he brought a spiritual connection as well.

  She cared about him.

  Too much for her own good.

  Rafe did a sweep around the motel on foot, making sure there was nothing suspicious or out of place before using his key to access his room. He crossed over to unlock his side of the connecting door so that Kayla could reach him if needed.

  He quickly set up his computer and began doing some cross-referencing with the photographs he’d found in Brianna’s picture album. Before he met with his boss in the morning, he wanted to have the identities of the men in the photos confirmed.

  His previous searches on Charlie Turkow hadn’t revealed anything that might explain the guy’s bad attitude toward the coast guard. No negative stories or interactions with any crew members that he could find.

  There were a few thumps from the other side of the connecting door as Kayla and Brianna got settled in for the night. He’d gotten choked up when Brianna had clutched him around the knees, especially when he’d caught a glimpse of the longing in Kayla’s eyes and it had taken him several moments to pull himself together.

  It was time to tell Kayla the truth about the circumstances surrounding the deaths of his wife and stillborn son. With a guilty start, he remembered wanting to explain how he’d been responsible for what had happened, but the fire had interrupted them before he could explain.

  And she needed to understand. As much as he cared about Kayla and Brianna, he couldn’t be the husband and father they deserved. She’d realize why once he told her what he’d done.

  The grim realization kept him up until the wee hours of the morning as he worked diligently on the case that would soon bring this forced closeness to an end.

  The next morning, Rafe’s eyes were gritty with lack of sleep, but he ignored the discomfort as he quickly showered and dressed for his upcoming meeting with his boss and hopefully, a face-to-face conversation with Charlie Turkow.

  When a door opened and closed loudly from next door, he rushed over to yank his open, relieved to find Kayla bundled up in her coat taking the dog outside.

  “Everything all right?” he asked when she glanced over at him.

  “Yes, we’re fine,” Kayla said cheerfully. He was amazed and humbled at how she always seemed to take everything he threw at her in
stride without a single complaint. She certainly hadn’t deserved to be dragged into this mess. “I realized this morning that you gave me all the food, so when you’re hungry, let me know.”

  As if on cue his stomach rumbled and he had to laugh. “I will.”

  When he knocked on their connecting door, she opened it up and handed him a steaming plastic bowl of instant oatmeal. “Thanks,” he said, taking the dish gratefully. “I’m going to leave in about ten minutes, is there anything you need me to get while I’m out?”

  “Not that I can think of,” she admitted. “Is it all right if I take Brianna and Clyde out for a short walk? I’m afraid it’s going to be a long day for them.”

  Rafe hesitated, debating. He was sure they hadn’t been followed and Luke was the only other person who knew where he’d taken Kayla. He trusted his boss with his life. “A short walk should be fine,” he agreed. “Keep your cell phone with you so that I can get in touch with you if I need to.”

  “I will. Thanks, Rafe.”

  He nodded and shut the door, quickly wolfing down his oatmeal. He grabbed his laptop, the photographs, and his notes describing each of the criminal’s identities and the dates they’d disappeared.

  The photos confirmed that each of the well-known criminals had taken trips on Schroeder’s charter fishing boats. One piece of the puzzle had been fit into place, but there were more gaping holes that still needed to be filled.

  On the way to the Green Bay substation, he swung past Pelican Point and found Charlie Turkow’s boat moored in the dock. With a glance at his watch, he realized he had plenty of time to meet with Charlie first. Better to bring all the information to Luke at once.

  He took a copy of Kayla’s sketch and the photographs of the criminals who’d all disappeared with him as he approached Charlie’s Charter.

  “Charlie?” he called out, as he stood near the bow. “Come on, Charlie, I need to talk to you. It’s important.”

  For a moment he feared the old man would ignore him, but suddenly the boat rocked as the older gentleman emerged from below deck. “Are you deaf? I told you I have nothing to say.”