Christmas Witness Conspiracy

by Maggie K. Black

  “Believe me,” Kelly said, “I argued against Hannah and Renner’s plan until I was blue in the face. But at the end of the day, my options were to let her go alone or agree to go with her. I figured at least if I went with her I could keep Pip safe and try to talk some sense into them. Despite what you might think, Renner and Hannah aren’t criminals. Renner was working as a military contractor, decoded a terrorist’s online code and stopped a major bombing—”

  “And within hours the internet was reporting he’d done so by creating a master-key decryption device,” Liam added. “One which by rights would’ve belonged to the Canadian government.”

  And which, to be fair, was one that a lot of terrorist groups were suddenly ready to kidnap and kill Renner’s young family to get their hands on. Liam could give Renner that much.

  “Yup,” she agreed, “and then he nearly died in a targeted bomb strike. So he went underground until he could find a way to reunite safely with his secretly pregnant wife. Are you saying that’s any different than what you would’ve done?”

  Liam gritted his teeth. Maybe not, but he wasn’t twenty-two anymore.

  “It’s not illegal to walk out of witness protection,” Kelly said. “I get you had the right to detain Hannah for questioning. But how exactly is it a crime to steal a decryption key that doesn’t exist? Or to aid and abet someone accused of stealing a nonexistent thing?”

  “How did a low-level engineer in Afghanistan decode a code that complex without the assistance of a decryption key?” Liam asked, and he’d keep on asking until he got an answer.

  “How does my witness-protection file say I married a man named Robbie, had four sons and died?” she challenged. “How did the Imposters track us to the boat?”

  “Obviously they had a tail on you or Hannah,” Liam said.

  “Or they had a tail on you,” she countered, “and it was a fluke they saw Hannah. Or maybe Seth is an Imposter.”

  “That’s not possible.” He could feel the scowl on his face. “We’re wasting time and you’re being just as foolish as Hannah and Renner. I need to call my team, get them to relocate you and Pip somewhere safe and ensure they’re focusing the full might of law enforcement on finding Hannah.”

  “So you’re just going to ignore the fact that a cop tried to arrest you for murder,” she said. “He had one handcuff on you and a knee in your back before I rescued you.”

  The memory of the zapping sound and flash of light filled his mind. Zapping a police officer with a mini–stun gun and then running off with his suspect was most definitely a crime.

  “I didn’t want or need to be rescued,” he said.

  “He called you a liar,” she said. “Look, I don’t know who he thinks you killed. If only we could get online, we could figure that out. But he was really steamed up about it.”

  “He was just a bad cop!” Liam’s voice rose. “There are a few bad cops out there. But a whole lot more who are good ones.”

  “My gut says he was looking for any excuse to shoot you for resisting arrest.”

  “Your gut is wrong.”

  Pip whimpered. He glanced down. The baby’s chin was quivering.

  “She can tell you’re angry,” Kelly said.

  “I’m not angry,” Liam said. He scooped up Pip onto his lap, turned her to face him and made himself smile. “See, Pip?” His voice rose an octave. “It’s all good. Nothing to cry about. I’m not angry. I just think your grandma did something very silly.”

  Pip stopped crying but she didn’t smile. Instead she looked at him skeptically, as if to say “yeah, sure.” He hadn’t known someone so tiny could call him out so thoroughly.

  Kelly chuckled softly under her breath. And suddenly it hit him: she could’ve just taken off with the baby and left him behind to be arrested. Probably would’ve made her life a whole lot simpler.

  “Look,” he said, trying another tack. “I get that I was practically unconscious, that cop’s behavior was bizarre, it probably seemed safer to make a quick escape and that considering the freezing temperatures, taking shelter indoors made sense.” He bounced the baby and kept his voice upbeat and cheerful. Pip latched her tiny fingers around his. “But I fundamentally disagree with every call you’ve made.”

  And yet defiance still filled her eyes. She was just so convinced that she was right and he was wrong. In a world full of people, how was this woman the only one he’d ever thought himself in love with? Two of his teammates were getting married in the next forty-eight hours and a third was getting married on New Year’s Eve. Somehow those couplings had always made sense. His gut told him that Mack the detective and Iris the social worker just belonged together, as did Detective Jess with former detective Travis and Detective Noah with Corporal Holly. So how was it the only woman for him had been someone this obstinate, difficult, challenging and impossible?

  Kelly shrugged. “All I can do is tell you what happened,” she said. “If I made the wrong call, I’m sorry. But at least I made it trying to save your life.”

  She stretched her hand out toward him. For a moment his eyes lingered on her face, then he looked down at her hand. She was offering him her burner phone.

  “It’s secure,” she said, “according to Hannah. But it’s also down to less than five percent battery power. It could die at any moment. It was only supposed to be used to send encrypted messages to Renner. But he’s not responding. You might not trust me, but I still trust you.”

  She placed the phone into his palm and their fingers brushed. Then she stood up, walked over to the small stove and pulled the pot of water off the heat. She put the pot in the sink and set a bottle of formula inside it to warm up.

  Liam dialed Seth’s number.

  “Hello, you’ve reached Seth Miles...” The hacker’s voice was oddly formal. Despite the fact it was the middle of the night, he’d answered on the first ring. “How can I help you?”

  “Hey, it’s me,” he said. “It’s Liam. Good news—I’m still alive. I can’t tell you how thankful I am to hear your voice—”

  “Sorry, sir,” Seth interrupted quickly. “I think you got the wrong number.”

  Liam’s eyes rolled. Did Seth think he was being funny?

  “Seth, don’t start with me,” Liam said. “I’ve been through way too much in one night for jokes right now.”

  “And I’m saying, you dialed the wrong number,” Seth said.

  The phone went dead. Liam blinked. Seth had hung up on him.

  He looked at Kelly. She’d barely let the bottle sit in the water a few moments and already she was tapping out a few drops of formula milk on the inside of her elbow. She frowned and set the bottle back in the water.

  “Why did he just hang up on me?” he asked. “What do I need to know about this number?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “All I know is it’s encrypted. Should be impossible to trace. Of course, that doesn’t mean someone isn’t tracing Seth’s phone from the other end.”

  The phone began to ring in his hand. Call display said the line was blocked. Was it Renner for her? Was it Seth for him? He hesitated, then offered her the phone.

  She leaned over and pushed the button for the speakerphone.

  He answered the call. “Hello?”

  “Don’t talk—just listen.” It was Seth. “This call is probably being traced. I mean it’s as hidden as I can make it. But we’re up against a couple hundred hackers here. Strength in numbers and all that. And I don’t have much time before they figure it out—”

  Liam’s heart rate rose. “Hannah Phillips was kidnapped by Imposters—”

  “I know and I told you not to talk.” Seth’s voice grew urgent. “Go dark. Okay? Really, really dark. No internet. No phones. No people. Definitely no cops. They might shoot you on sight. Assume you’re putting anyone you contact in mortal danger just by talking to them. Also, don’t
let yourself get arrested. I’ve got no time to explain and don’t even know how I would, honestly. Just stay where you are until we figure this out. You’re wanted for murder.”

  * * *

  The phone went dead. The sound of a dial tone filled the tiny cabin. Kelly watched as the color drained from Liam’s face. He stood slowly, still holding Pip. And despite everything that had happened between them, suddenly all she wanted to do was wrap her arms around him and hug him tightly. Instead, she checked the bottle’s temperature again and found it was still too cold.

  All sorts of words filled her mind, most of which—well, maybe all of which—she knew would be unhelpful. In all the time she’d spent with Liam, she’d almost never seen him thrown off balance or at a loss for words, let alone like things were out of his control. But if she’d remembered anything it was that he needed to be alone inside his own brain to think. For a long moment, neither of them said anything as the wind howled, snow buffeted against the window and Liam jiggled baby Pip in his arms.

  “I’ll give Pip her bottle,” he said. “You lie down and try to get some sleep. I promise I’ll wake you up the instant Renner calls or anything happens.”

  “So we’re just going to ignore what Seth said about going dark?” she asked.

  “I’m going to take it under advisement,” Liam said and his jaw set. “But Seth’s not a cop and tends toward exaggeration.”

  In other words, Liam thought he knew better.

  “Now please, get some rest while you can,” he said. “You’ll need your energy for whatever happens next. You also haven’t slept all night and you probably let yourself freeze piloting a speedboat through subzero temperatures, while keeping me and Pip covered by blankets. You apparently kept letting me fall back asleep—”

  “You said you needed to sleep it off—” she began.

  “You took care of me,” Liam said. “Please, let me take care of you and Pip. I promise I won’t ditch the phone.”

  And even as she felt the temptation to be independent and not accept his help, she saw something else in his eyes. He needed this. He needed to take care of her. He needed to do something useful and productive.

  Lord, help Liam right now. He looks even more lost than I feel.

  “Okay,” she said softly. She walked over to him and brushed a kiss over Pip’s head, then her hand lingered on his arm. “You’ll know the formula is at the right temperature when you don’t feel it inside your elbow. She’ll complain if it’s too cold. I’m pretty sure I won’t fall asleep, but I appreciate the chance to lie down.”

  “Thank you.” He nodded. “I’ve never been the best at knowing the right words to say. But maybe you did make the right call when you took me off that boat. I don’t know. But thank you for trying to have my back.” Then he broke her gaze and looked down at the baby, but somehow the fingers of Liam’s other hand found Kelly’s and held them. “And thank you for trusting me with Pip.”

  She swallowed hard. Her fingers lingered on his for a moment. Then she pulled away and walked over to the couch. It wasn’t until she lay down that she realized just how much her entire body ached. She curled onto her side and watched as Liam paced, bouncing Pip gently in his arm and singing something to her softly under his breath. It reminded her of an athlete trying to psych himself up to run onto the field or leap into the ring. For a long moment she just lay there and prayed, not even knowing how to put words to what she was thinking.

  To her surprise, sleep swept over her. It was fitful at first, as she went in and out of consciousness like waves lapping on the shore. She was vaguely aware of Pip crying softly and then stopping as Liam fed her. There was the muted sound of Liam’s voice as he talked to Pip, to someone on the phone and then to Pip some more, but she couldn’t make out the words. Then she heard the sound of Liam singing, his voice a deep and raspy baritone rumble, as he sang a couple of Christmas carols and classic rock-and-roll tunes. It was somewhere during his rendition of “Let Me Call You Sweetheart,” mingled with “Baby Love,” that she finally fell into a peaceful sleep.

  She awoke when she felt the couch shift and opened her eyes to see Liam sitting beside her. The cold blanket that he’d been sleeping under in the boat was now toasty warm, as if he’d laid it over the heater, and was wrapped around her shoulders. The snow had stopped and the sky was dark gray outside the window.

  “Hey.” His voice was a husky whisper. “Sorry to wake you.”

  “It’s okay.” She pulled herself up to sitting. He sat back, but they were so close on the couch their arms brushed and it would’ve taken nothing for her to lean right into his chest. “Where’s Pip?”

  “Playing on the floor,” he said. She turned. Pip was lying on her back with a pacifier in both hands. “She drank her whole bottle, and I changed her. But she didn’t seem to want to go back to sleep.”

  “She’s an incredibly deep sleeper,” Kelly said. “Hannah says she can sleep through anything. But on the flip side, when Pip’s awake she’s wide-awake for a long while. It’s like she has an on-off switch.” Kelly’s arms wrapped around her body and her fingertips brushed his arm. She looked at where her hand sat, barley an inch away from his. “How long was I asleep?”

  “Couple of hours,” Liam said. “A little less.”

  “Did Renner call?” she asked.

  “No.” Liam shook his head. Worry darkened his eyes. “Nor my team. We’re no closer to getting any answers and I’m sorry but the phone’s battery died.” He pressed his hands onto his knees and stood. “It’s time we move on. There’s no food for us here, we need a phone charger, we’ll run out of gas soon and I don’t want us to freeze in a shack on an island.”

  “Me, neither.” She also needed more diapers and formula for Pip.

  “Thankfully, I was able to get through to a contact of mine before the battery died,” Liam went on. “He owns a waterside BBQ restaurant, gas station and motel about half an hour by boat from here. Nothing fancy, but we’ll be able to warm up, eat something and charge the phone. Trust me, nobody will find us there. I’m not trying to trap you. I’m just trying to keep you and the baby safe until we sort this out.”

  She swung her legs over the edge of the couch and ran her fingers through her hair.

  “I thought Seth warned you to stay off-the-grid and away from cops,” she said.

  “He did,” Liam said. “My contact isn’t a cop. He’s a criminal. In a career as long as mine you meet a whole lot of people and sometimes they owe you a favor.”

  “You’re joking,” she said.

  He wasn’t—in fact, he was incredibly serious. His jaw was set, and he was in that focused mode now where he was convinced he’d made the right decision and arguing with him about it wasn’t going to work. Her mind might’ve conveniently edited out those memories about just how big and stubborn a pain in her neck Liam could be, but they were returning to her now.

  But you still said yes when he asked you to marry him.

  How had she handled this side of him when they were young and in love? She’d let him be focused and do his thing, and then try to talk to him. He’d always listened once he’d completed whatever task was at the top of his mind, and more than half the time he’d agreed with her. And besides, they were short on options. They needed heat, they needed food and she needed to charge her phone. She could always take Pip and go it alone once they got to shore if she didn’t like how things were playing out.

  But just because something wasn’t the worst possible option didn’t make it a good one.

  They cleaned the cottage, left some money under one of the candles and changed Pip one last time before they left. Both the snow and wind had died down. The sky was a lighter shade of gray now, with just the smallest wisps of pink brushing the very edges. She wrapped Pip up in a cocoon-type sleeping bag that all but engulfed her and buckled her into her car seat.

  It took them ov
er half an hour to slowly maneuver the motorboat down the St. Lawrence River, traveling east. The river was so deep and wide it usually didn’t freeze over until the very end of January, and even then icebreakers were usually deployed to keep parts of it open. Still, the air was so cold it seemed to nip at her skin and thick ice was already building around the island shorelines. Between the intense cold, the sound of the motor and the rushing wind, she gave up trying to discuss Liam’s plan further until he pulled the boat to a stop in a small marina on the Canadian mainland.

  She looked around. A sprawling waterside restaurant stretched along the shoreline with a huge snow-covered deck overhanging the water. There were four docks, with space for twenty-five to thirty motorboats, a gas station for both vehicles and boats and a small convenience store that advertised ice, Popsicles and worms. According to a sign, there were motel rooms over the restaurant as well as cabins and camping space. Several signs that read Sorry, Closed for the Season dotted the windows. According to huge red-and-blue lettering, the whole place was straightforwardly named Bill’s BBQ, Motel and Gas.

  Liam docked the boat, climbed out and reached back for her. She slung the diaper bag over her shoulder, took hold of the car seat and climbed out onto the dock. Pip had just fallen asleep in the last fifteen minutes and hopefully she’d sleep for a while. The wood was slippery. Dark water rushed beneath them.

  “So I take it your contact’s name is Bill?” she asked.

  “That’s one of his names, yeah,” Liam said. “Bill Leckie is what I think he’s going by now. Before that it was William Hancock, Stephen Griggs, Harlow Daly and Gilbert Petticrew, among others.” Liam shrugged. “He’s been around a long time.”

  None of this was filling her with confidence. He turned slightly, like he was ready to head to the restaurant. But when she instead stood there on the dock and stretched, he stayed put.

  “You said he was a criminal?” she asked. “What kind of criminal?”

  “He...moves things,” Liam said. “Or at least he used to. He acquires things and transports them, often across borders.”