Framed for Murder

by Mary Alford

  He prayed the proof Liz so desperately needed was real and not just Michael sending her on a wild-goose chase to cover up his crimes.

  “But we still need to let Jase know what’s happened here. It’s relevant to the case and it could help clear your name. I’ll find a way to loop him in without telling him where we are.”

  She didn’t argue and they went back over to where Rick was.

  “When you spoke to your wife, did she give you any indication how many men are watching them?” When Jase dispatched SWAT to rescue his family, they’d need to know what they were up against.

  Rick hesitated. “I’m not sure. As I said, she couldn’t really talk. I got the impression they were standing right on top of her. But she did keep mentioning our eldest daughter’s sixth birthday party. Do you think she might have been trying to tell me something by that?”

  “It sounds like it,” Aaron said. “You said one of the men had an accent. Could you recognize it again?”

  “Maybe,” Rick said.

  “Do you have any idea where the closest trooper station is?” Aaron asked. They’d need to have troopers pick up these men as soon as possible.

  “Probably Wasilla. They closed the station near Tal keetna a few years back.”

  “That’s a good hour away.” Aaron glanced up at the sky. The snow had begun to fall again. If they stood a chance at getting out, they’d need to be on their way soon. Aaron grabbed his cell and called the state troopers. Once he’d identified himself and explained what had happened, the colonel in charge assured him he would dispatch men right away.

  Rick cast a worried glance at the falling snow. “I’d better check the forecast and see what’s coming this way.” He excused himself and hurried inside. Liz and Aaron followed.

  The restrained men hadn’t moved, but the leader glared at Aaron when he and Liz checked on them.

  Once Aaron closed the door, Liz motioned him to the kitchen area. “There’s no way these men are the ones who killed Michael and Sam and they certainly weren’t the ones who tried to kill us earlier. The real killer is still out there somewhere. Probably this Safar person.”

  He had to agree. “From the amount of weapons we suspect may have gone missing, whoever is behind this has shelled out a lot of money for them and they won’t give up until they have them.”

  Aaron racked his brain trying to come up with a way to let Jase know what had happened without giving away their location.

  He glanced back at the closed bedroom door. “I don’t like leaving Rick here alone with those thugs. If they somehow managed to get free, they’d kill him.”

  Liz touched his arm. “I know, but we may not have a choice. The weather’s building again and we need to get to Black Bear as soon as possible. We don’t have much time. Especially once Jase knows about what happened here.”

  She was right. Still, until they knew for certain who was behind the murders and the attacks, they couldn’t let down their guard. The more time the information Michael left at the cabin was unattended, the bigger the chance someone would stumble on it.

  Rick returned with a grim look on his face. “There’s a bad front moving in behind this last one. You guys need to get out of here while you still can.”

  With no other option, Aaron said, “I’m going to give you a number to call once Liz and I are gone. The man’s name is Jase Bradford. He’s CIA and you can trust him. Tell him everything that happened to your family and here. He can help rescue your wife and children.” He hesitated. “I just need you not to mention ever seeing us.”

  Rick stared at him for the longest time before agreeing. “I understand. You were never here.”

  Aaron glanced Liz’s way. He could see she was relieved with his decision not to call Jase even though it meant they were both, in a sense, fugitives. “We need to hurry. We don’t want to miss our window.”

  “Thank you both so much,” Rick said with heartfelt gratitude. “And I’m sorry for what I put you through. I wish there had been a different way out. I just don’t want to lose my family.”

  Liz took his hand. “If my family had been in the same situation, I would have done what you did. The troopers should be here soon. In the meantime, keep an eye on those guys.”

  Rick nodded. “I will. Take the Cat. It’ll get you there quicker. Do you think they’ll be looking for your plane?”

  Aaron hadn’t thought about it. “It’s a possibility.”

  “Then take my Challenger. It’s fueled and ready and if you run into any bad weather, it’s more stable.”

  Rick was right. The Challenger was bigger and heavier. It could withstand a whole lot more than his plane. “Thanks, Rick. I’ll get it back to you as soon as possible. Take care of yourself.”

  Once they reached the airstrip, he and Liz worked quickly to get the Challenger out of its hangar and ready for flight. Precious time had slipped away and Black Bear was still several hours ahead of them. It would be dark by the time they reached the village.

  “I hope Rick keeps his word and doesn’t mention us to Jase,” Liz said the second the plane was safely in the air.

  Aaron had believed the man had been sincere. “I think he will, but Jase is a smart man. He’ll put two and two together and figure out we were involved. At least we’ve managed to buy ourselves some time. I just hope that evidence is where Michael said it would be, otherwise we’re both in a lot of trouble.”

  She squeezed his arm. “Thank you. I know this isn’t easy for you. I’m so sorry I got you involved.”

  He shook his head. “No, you don’t have any reason to be sorry. You didn’t ask for any of this to happen.” He smiled tenderly at her. “I’d do anything for you, Liz. I...care about you.” He caught himself before he said something more. “You know that, don’t you?”

  “I do. I really do.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek and he could feel his pulse responding to her touch. Everything they’d gone through and whatever they faced in the future would be worth the trust she’d placed in him.

  With hours of travel time still ahead of them, Aaron chewed on what had happened at Rick’s, trying to get it to make sense. One thing in particular gnawed at him.

  How did those men know Rick would be in the area? There was no way it had been an accident that they showed up when Rick was there, or that they knew about his family. The thought played uneasily through his head. They had been to Black Bear. Had they found out Michael’s connection to the village? If so, was the trip to Black Bear a setup?

  “You think they’ll be there waiting for us?” she asked as if reading his thoughts.

  He wished he had a definitive answer, but he had no idea what they’d be facing. Either the real man in charge would be there with more armed men, or the evidence Michael had left there would be long gone along with the men and Liz’s last chance at freedom.

  SEVEN

  The Challenger came to a bone-jarring stop on the tiny landing strip Rick had told them about some distance outside of Black Bear, Alaska.

  Liz glanced uneasily around. Nothing about the place was welcoming. Rick had said it was isolated and that the man on duty was a friend. He assured them the guy could provide them with a snowmobile for the rest of the journey into town. From there, it would be up to them to find Jessie Chena and get to Michael’s cabin.

  She just hoped that she hadn’t put Aaron’s life in danger as well as her own for something that never existed. She had a sinking feeling that Michael may have sent them on a wild-goose chase.

  The desolation of their surroundings did little to settle her nerves. There was nothing but a small metal building serving as an office, and a couple of fuel pumps off to one side...then wilderness.

  Never having been to Alaska before, she thought Michael had painted a far more hospitable picture when he’d spoken fondly of the a
rea. Yet nothing about the ruggedness of the landscape was encouraging. She couldn’t imagine living in such a remote place.

  “We should refuel while we’re here just in case we have to leave quickly,” Aaron said and Liz knew exactly what he meant. They had no idea what they’d be facing.

  She squinted at the building but couldn’t tell if anyone was in the office. “Do you think it’s closed?” she asked after they’d gotten out.

  More than ten hours had passed since they’d left Colorado and night was closing in quickly. They’d be forced to make their way the rest of the distance to the village in darkness. Not knowing the landscape, they could end up running off the side of the mountain or burying the machine.

  Aaron glanced that direction. “I can’t tell, but I sure hope not, because we need a means of traveling cross-country. We have to find Jessie Chena and then get to the cabin, find the box and get back to the plane as fast as possible.”

  Liz stretched the kinks from her back. The pain in her ribs had increased tenfold. And she was pretty sure her wrist was swelling dangerously by the minute. Disarming those men had taken its toll.

  “How are you holding up?” Aaron asked softly and she realized he’d seen the pain she was in.

  “I’m fine,” she forced out and hoped he didn’t see it for the lie it was. Not that it mattered. They were all out of choices. Like it or not, they had to keep pushing on. Without the evidence she couldn’t clear her name. She’d face prison, or worse, die because someone believed she had a part in stealing the weapons.

  Aaron reached for her hand, stopping her before she could head for the office. She turned to him, reading all of his worry in the taut set of his jaw. She shook her head. What good did it do to talk about it? It was what it was.

  “Hey.” He pulled her toward him. “How are you, really?”

  Liz closed her eyes. She wondered how she’d been so blessed to deserve his friendship. Would she feel the same way if the tables were turned? The tenderness in his tone was something she didn’t deserve. He was risking everything to save her. She’d stay strong. Endure the pain to do her part.

  She smiled again and meant it. “I’m holding up.” She stepped closer, inches from him. He was strong and courageous and she could no longer deny she had feelings for him. “We’ll get through this, Aaron.”

  He looked deep into her eyes and slowly returned her smile. “Yes. We will.”

  The promise she saw in him had her looking away. In so many ways, Aaron reminded her of Eric. She’d loved Eric so much. At times, she’d remember something they’d done together and it brought home the loss. She’d almost forgotten how lonely life was without him. But she couldn’t imagine loving another man the way she had Eric. The pain was just too great.

  Aaron’s gaze narrowed as he continued to watch the sadness she couldn’t begin to hide from him.

  “What is it?” he asked and she shook her head when she couldn’t answer.

  With her hand still in his, they headed for the office. As they drew closer, Liz noticed a man watching them through the grimy glass front. “That must be Rick’s friend.” She nodded to the man in the window.

  Aaron’s stride hiccuped. “I hope we can trust Rick’s judgment on this guy.” He shot her a worried look. “I get he was only trying to save his family, but how does the old saying go—once burned twice wary? With the things that have happened so far, I’m beyond wary.”

  Liz squeezed his hand. “I know. I find myself second-guessing it all. Still, I can’t imagine what Rick went through. He was caught in an impossible situation and had to make that choice. Do you think his family will be okay?” She had a feeling Rick’s terror wasn’t anywhere close to being over.

  “I hope so. If Rick loses his family because he helped us...” He didn’t finish, but she understood. It would be unthinkable if more innocent lives were lost to these people.

  “With Jase’s help his family will be okay. He will make sure they’re safe,” she told him and then prayed it would be true.

  “We’d better go inside before this old guy gets any more suspicious. I doubt that he sees a lot of new people around these parts.”

  Liz smiled at Aaron’s attempt to lighten the tension.

  “Evening, folks. Can I help you with something?” the old man asked when they stepped inside. While he appeared innocent enough, the past few days had taught her that bad people sometimes came in innocent packages.

  The man was midsixties and rail thin. His hair was thinning on top and he peered at them over thick Coke-bottle glasses.

  “Rick Evans told us that you might be able to help us with some transportation,” Aaron said and waited for the man to blink.

  The man stared at them suspiciously for an uncomfortable length of time. “That so? You two friends of Rick, you say? I thought that looked like his Challenger.”

  Aaron nodded. “That’s right. Rick let us borrow it for this trip. We were just at his place.”

  The man glanced from Aaron to Liz then relaxed visibly. “Name’s Everett Sanford,” he said and held out his hand for Aaron to shake. “Rick’s a good man. He stops by from time to time to bring me some special coffee they make in Seattle.”

  Aaron smiled in agreement. “That sounds like Rick.”

  “Well, I rent out snowmobiles on occasion to hunters. You two know how to use a snowmobile?” he asked curiously.

  “We do,” Liz assured him.

  “You guys coming to Black Bear for the hunting?”

  The man was full of questions, she thought. But then again, he probably didn’t see a lot of people.

  Liz reined in her frustration and nodded. “Rick told us this is a good place for it.”

  “Oh my, yes. It’s world famous so you’ve come to the right place.” He scratched his head. “But I only have one machine left. Rented the others out a few days earlier. Will that work?”

  Liz glanced at Aaron. “There are other hunters in the area?”

  “Yep, a bunch of city slickers from the lower forty-eight came in a few days ago in some choppers. They said they were heading to Black Bear.” The elder man glanced out the window at the fading light. “You guys had better hurry if you want to reach Black Bear tonight. It’ll be dark soon and the temperature here gets pretty ugly.” The man opened a drawer and brought out a set of keys.

  Liz couldn’t afford to ask more questions. If the man was working for the enemy she couldn’t risk alarming him.

  Aaron took the keys. “Thanks. How much do we owe you?” He clasped her uninjured hand as if signaling to tread carefully.

  “We’ll settle up when you return,” the man volunteered. In their line of work it was hard to trust anyone. Was this man simply being kind or did he have ulterior motives?

  “Is it okay if I leave the plane here until we get back?” Aaron asked and the man nodded his head. “I’ll need to refuel it before we go.”

  “I can do that for you. It’s usually pretty quiet around here. It’ll give me something to do. How long you folks going to be in Black Bear?”

  Liz had no idea what they’d be facing once they reached the village. What if Jessie wasn’t around anymore? The thought was terrifying.

  “Probably only a few days, if that’s okay?” Aaron asked.

  The elder man nodded. “That’s no problem. I’ll take care of refueling your plane. The snowmobile’s around back. You two be careful now.”

  Once they were outside and out of earshot, Liz voiced her concerns. “Do you think the men he was talking about are the same ones looking for the weapons?”

  She could see that Aaron had come to the same conclusion. “I’d say it’s a good possibility. We have to try to stay off their radar until we find out for sure.” He crooked his thumb toward the office. “This guy seems harmless enough, but he sure likes to talk,
which isn’t a good thing should the wrong people stop by and ask questions.”

  “I was afraid he might be working for those men,” she said and suppressed shudder.

  Aaron stopped. “Me too. It’s sad when kindness draws suspicion, isn’t it.”

  He was right. “Maybe we’ve been at this too long. We’re becoming jaded.”

  He looked deep into her eyes and her breath hung in her chest. “I’ve forgotten what it’s like to live like normal people without having to look over your shoulder or worry that everyone you meet might be the enemy.”

  Liz couldn’t imagine a time when she wouldn’t have to be suspicious of everything. She’d been with the CIA since she’d graduated from Langley Flying School. At one time it was all she thought about. She ate, slept and breathed the job. But when she’d lost Eric, the bottom had fallen out of her world. She realized how precious life was and how quickly happiness could fade. She’d thought she and Eric would grow old together. They’d made plans to one day buy a ranch with lots of land to spread out. They’d talked about it right before Eric left on his final mission, never realizing it would be their last time together.

  If she were being honest, the danger they faced on a regular basis had begun to take its toll.

  Aaron cupped her shoulders. She’d never seen him look so serious before. “We just have to hang on a little longer. We’ll figure this out...together.”

  She stared deep into his eyes and smiled. “We will.”

  It hurt to think about starting over, but she couldn’t deny that she was attracted to Aaron. He was strong and courageous and handsome. Someone who would never let you down. Aaron was risking his life and his career for her.

  “Thank you, Aaron. I can’t imagine facing this without you. I’m so grateful,” she said in earnest and his eyes softened as he looked at her and she lost herself in him for the moment.