Protective Custody

by Lynette Eason

“Fine. I just need to get into my office.”

  Another car pulled into the spot beside Carly’s, and Mason climbed out.

  “This shouldn’t take long.”

  Mason nodded. “You two go ahead. I’ll bring up the rear.”

  With Carly in the front, Nick behind her and Mason keeping watch behind him, the three made their way into the building and down the hall.

  A lone janitor ran a mop across the floor. Two security guards patrolled inside.

  Carly took in the details, registering them in her mind even as her eyes swept side halls and closed doors.

  Finally, they came to the door that opened into his secretary’s area. Stepping inside, led the way past the empty desk. Then stopped. “Where’s your secretary?”

  A frown furrowed his brow. “I don’t know. She’s usually here by the time I get here—and that’s when I’m on time. Today I’m unusually late.”

  Carly looked at Mason, and he said, “I’ll find her.” Before he could get on the phone, a figure entered and came to an abrupt halt.

  “Oh, Judge Floyd, there you are.” The slender, fifty-something woman looked at each person invading her space. Then she said, “Is something wrong?”

  Nick took the lead. “I’m going to be out of the office for a while, Jean. I just need to get some files, and then I’ll be out of your hair.”

  She blinked at him, clearly dumbfounded. “Out of the office? When the de Lugo case is coming up? Are you out of your mind?”

  Carly bit her lip in amusement at Nick’s consternation and waited for him to explain. He blew out a breath and said, “I need to take my family somewhere safe until the trial….”

  Realization dawned on her features. “You’re going into hiding because of the threats.”

  She was sharp. Of course, she’d been questioned about the letter he’d received yesterday. Was it just yesterday? It felt like a lifetime.

  Nick nodded. “Yes.” He waved toward Carly and Mason. “These are two U.S. Marshals assigned to keep me safe until the trial.” He made the introductions, and Jean smiled and shook their hands. “They want me in a safer place than this.” He paused and shrugged. “And because of the kids, I’m taking the advice of the professionals.”

  His secretary nodded, her salt-and-pepper bun bobbing. “Good. What files do you need? I’ll be glad to get them for you.”

  Nick held up a hand. “No, I know exactly where everything is. I’ll get them. And I’ll be accessible.” He looked at Mason. “Can you give Jean a number to call in case she needs to get in touch with me?”

  Mason hesitated. “It might be better if you just call from my encrypted cell phone on a regular basis to check in. That way if someone questions her, she can honestly say she can’t get in touch with you.”

  Nick said, “But if you’re pushed or feel threatened in any way, you let them know that I’ll be calling in, all right?”

  Her eyes narrowed, and she waved a hand. “All right, then. Now, if you don’t need me, I’m going to get some coffee. After my wild-goose chase this morning, I need some caffeine.”

  Carly perked up. “Wild-goose chase?”

  “Someone from security called and told me I needed to sign some papers. When I got down there, no one seemed to know what I was talking about—said they must have dialed the wrong extension.” She rolled her eyes. “Like I have time for that kind of thing.”

  Carly looked at the closed door straight ahead. Nick’s office. And his secretary had been called away from her desk on a wild-goose chase.

  Leaving the office available for entry by anyone who walked by.

  And decided to lie in wait?

  She shot a look at Mason and held out a hand to Nick. “Key?”

  With a sigh, Nick handed the ring over, separating one key and letting the rest dangle from the key chain.

  Eyeing him, she said, “Will you please stay out here? You’re the target. Let’s not give them something to aim at.”

  She could tell he didn’t like it, the conflicted look in his eyes a clear indication that he wanted to rush in and confront whatever danger might be in there.

  But he wouldn’t.

  And she appreciated that.

  Pulse pounding, Carly took the key from him with one hand and inserted the key into the lock. She pulled her weapon with the other hand. Nothing had set off her internal alarm, but it never hurt to be prepared. She noticed Mason had his gun ready, too.

  A quick twist opened the door, and she stepped inside, eyes scanning the room.

  Empty.

  “Clear,” she called. Then the heat hit her. “Why is it so hot in here?”

  Nick and Mason followed her through the door. Before she could say anything, Mason pointed for Nick to stay back against the wall. Mason shut the door behind him. “Stay there while I check the bathroom.”

  Nick grunted. “Is the air-conditioning working?”

  Mason crossed the room to the bathroom, looked in and said, “Clear.”

  Nick immediately headed to check the thermostat on the wall. “It’s been cranked up to eighty-five degrees.” He readjusted it. “Remind me to ask Jean what that was all about.” He switched to business mode. “I’ll need that laptop,” he said, pointing to his desk.

  “Uh, not clear,” Mason called in quiet voice. “I’ve got a snake in here.”

  “A snake? Are you sure?” She walked to the desk to get the laptop. “Do you need help?”

  “Probably. It’s a rattler. Be on the lookout out there in case he’s got company.”

  In the process of powering down the computer, Carly froze as she heard a slight hiss by her foot. She almost jerked away before she saw movement on the floor in front of the desk. Then she went still.

  Very, very still.

  Nick reached for the file cabinet. “Nick.” She kept her voice soft, low. He turned at the intensity, his hand hovering above the handle to the first drawer.

  His eyes narrowed as he took in her completely still state. “What is it?”

  “There’s one under the desk.” She felt the movement of the air near her calf. It was that close. She couldn’t help the slight tremor that shuddered through her. At any moment she expected to feel sharp fangs sink into her leg. “It could strike at any moment if I move. Get out of here, Nick.”

  Nick blanched. “Not a chance. I’m not leaving you guys to face this alone.”

  Mason looked over his shoulder as he backed from the entrance to the bathroom. “I think there’s more than one in here, too. I see a tail behind the toilet. Another one is on the light fixture up above.”

  In seconds Nick was on the phone with security explaining the situation—and the need for Animal Control—or an exterminator. And he needed it now. Within minutes or heads would roll. He never took his eyes from Carly.

  Carly felt the reptile’s tongue flick in and out by her ankle. Wishing she had boots on, she didn’t dare look down. Would the pounding of her heart cause the snake to strike? Could it feel the blood surging through her veins? Then she spotted the one in front of the desk moving across the floor toward Nicholas.

  “Nick,” she whispered, desperate to warn him but not do anything to set off the snake by her leg, “over there. Watch out.”

  Mason had grabbed a towel from the rack and closed the bathroom door. He stuffed the towel into the crack at the bottom of the door while Nick moved toward Carly, a respectful eye on the snake headed toward the file cabinet.

  “Stay away,” she whispered. “Don’t get any closer to it. They’re attracted to movement.” With willpower she didn’t realize she possessed, she ignored the fear cramping her stomach and reasoned that if she was bitten, she was only a few blocks from the hospital, where a few vials of antivenom would fix her right up.

  A rattle sounded, and Carly sucked in a deep breath. Something had triggered the alarm of the one across the floor. Probably the vibrations of Nick’s footsteps. It now lay coiled and ready to strike.

  The one cozying up to
her foot was still there. She closed her eyes. Don’t look, don’t look.

  “I’m here. I’m not going to let him bite you.”

  “Nick, these were meant for you. Get away.” She kept her voice low, barely pushing the words past lips that didn’t want to move.

  “Not a chance.”

  A knock sounded on the door. “Animal Control.”

  The coiled snake in the middle of the floor twitched and curled tighter, its tail shaking ferociously.

  Nick grabbed the nearest trash can and moved toward the snake on the floor. “Everyone just stay still.” Carly watched him focus on the snake, knowing his timing had to be perfect. She looked at the snake’s eyes. For some reason she remembered that science lesson on how to tell a poisonous snake from a nonpoisonous.

  By their eyes. Round equaled nonpoisonous. Slanted equaled poisonous.

  This snake definitely had slanted eyes. It was poisonous. Of course, the rattle had been the big clue.

  Nick moved closer.

  “Be careful, Nick,” Carly whispered to his back.

  Closer.

  The snake reared its head back, and Nick dropped the trash can. The sound of its head striking the metal reverberated through the room. On silent feet, he moved to the door and opened it.

  Two men in protective gear entered. Nick said, “Get the one away from her first.”

  They took in the scenario, and the one on the right said, “So this is the emergency. Wow.” Sucking in a deep breath, he said, “I’m Brad. This is Joe. How many?”

  Nick exchanged a look with Mason, who whispered, “Two in the bathroom. Two—that we know of—out here. One of the two is under the trash can. The other is right by her leg.”

  Joe approached Carly. He held a tool in his right hand. “Ma’am, just keep still.”

  She flashed him a just-shut-up-and-hurry look. He got the message and held the tool out in front of him. In a soft voice, he explained, “These are snake tongs, ma’am. Basically, I’m going to use the clamp on the end to grab him, all right?”

  “Fine,” she whispered. “Just do it.”

  “Just stay still. If you move…”

  Carly glared at him and sucked in a breath. “Right.”

  The tongs reached out toward the head of the snake as it bobbed. The tongue flickered as the man made a gentle motion away from Carly’s leg and the snake turned its attention toward the tongs.

  Everyone stood statue still.

  The tongs opened, operated by the squeeze handle. Then Joe pulled back. “I…I’m sorry. I can’t do it. I’m new, and I’m afraid…” Sweat poured down his face and into his eyes as he licked his lips, gaze darting between Carly and the snake.

  “Give me the tongs.” Brad snatched them from his partner and turned to Carly. “You ready?”

  “Just get this thing away from me. Now!” she hissed.

  Brad nodded and copied Joe’s earlier move, holding the tongs over the head of the snake. Once again, the reptile bobbed close, tongue flicking at the motion.

  Then in one lightning-fast move, Brad clamped the tongs around the base of the snake’s head. She felt it try to lunge briefly toward her leg, but before she could even think about reacting, he had the reptile in the bag he’d brought with him.

  Carly’s knees weakened, but she couldn’t collapse yet.

  There might be more where those came from.

  Fortunately, there weren’t.

  Thirty minutes later, the office was declared reptile-free. Now came the process of figuring out who had placed them there—and how.

  Nicholas watched the surveillance video from the safety of the security room located in the back of the courthouse. “A lot of activity. A lot of security. How did he get in with a bag of snakes?”

  Anger burned inside of him. Carly had almost been bitten. Granted, she might not have died, but she would have been dreadfully sick. Out of commission for a while. Because of him. Because of his job.

  Just like his wife and sister. Possibly dead because of his job. At least, that was what he told himself. Because in spite of the fact that the police investigator had ruled it an accident, Nick had never been completely convinced.

  He recalled the facts. A one-car accident on a rainy night. No evidence of foul play. The only skid marks had belonged to the Honda Pilot Miriam had been driving with his sister in the passenger seat.

  The car Nick usually drove.

  But why had she been going so fast, only to slam on the brakes and hydroplane off the road, colliding viciously with a telephone pole?

  Miriam hated to speed. He used to tease her about being a “grandma” driver.

  For her to have been going that fast… The only explanation he could come up with was that she was running from someone. She’d been scared. As a result, she’d wrecked and the two women had died.

  That was no accident in Nick’s book. That was murder.

  But he had no proof, just a gut feeling. That hadn’t been enough to convince the authorities. If he were honest, he couldn’t blame them.

  Finally, he’d called in a favor from a detective on the force. The man looked into it and declared he couldn’t find any evidence that indicated it was anything but an accident.

  “Of course, the physical evidence of the accident is gone, but after examining the photos and written reports… I’m sorry, Nick. It really looks like an accident.”

  But Nick knew in his gut it wasn’t.

  Just like the snakes in his office weren’t an accident. No, they were a message. One he got loud and clear. He shuddered. What if he’d had the kids with him? Or what if his secretary had entered for some reason?

  These people were ruthless.

  And it made him that much more determined to put them away for as long as possible.

  Quitting wasn’t in his vocabulary, and the sooner they realized that, the faster this would all be over.

  He prayed that was the case, anyway.

  A phone rang. The officer next to Nicholas snatched his cell phone from the clip on his belt. He listened. Then his face went pale. “We’ll be right there.”

  He hung up, his fingers fumbling with the device as he placed it back in the clip. “I think I know how the snakes got in.”

  SIX

  Carly stared down at the body of the security guard. Anger filled her at the senseless killing. He’d been shot in the head, stripped of his uniform and tossed into the bathroom stall like yesterday’s garbage. Again, the thought crossed her mind. Why kill him and not leave something like a bomb in Nick’s office, since they had access to it? Why snakes? The snakes must have been more of a warning than an attempt to kill.

  So, what was the attack on the house? Another message? A true try at killing him? Or something else? Carly’s brain processed these thoughts as Nick slammed a fist against the wall and muttered something she couldn’t hear. If he was praying, she hoped somebody was listening.

  “Another example of complete and utter disregard for human life,” she muttered. Nicholas looked like granite. Trying to read his expression was like staring at a blank page. “Nick? What are you thinking?”

  “That I want these people stopped, and I want them stopped yesterday.”

  “We’re working on that.”

  His face softened slightly. “I know.”

  The crime-scene unit arrived, and Carly stepped back. Mason pulled out his phone and started barking orders.

  Nick placed a hand on her arm, and she looked up at him. His touch sent a shiver up her shoulder. Clearing her throat, she asked, “Are you ready to head to the safe house now?”

  He blew out a sigh and transferred the hand on her arm to grasp the bridge of his nose with two fingers. “Yes, I think we’re going to have to drop out of sight in order to keep people alive. I don’t like it. I don’t like being forced into—” He broke off and shook his head. “Well, no sense grumbling about it. We’ll do what we’ve got to do, and that’s that.”

  She was quiet for a moment. “
They had this planned.”

  “What?”

  “This was all planned. It had to be. How did they know you were going to be here today?”

  He shot her a wry look. “I’m always here, Carly. Unfortunately, my schedule isn’t one that I can alter very much. I might drive a different route to work or come in a little early on Monday, leave late on Tuesday, and so on, but for the most part, I’m here at this time of day. Anyone who knows me…or has been watching me…wouldn’t have much trouble figuring that out.”

  She frowned. “Okay. Point taken. But to be ready to act so fast.”

  Mason walked up in time to hear her comment, and all three headed back to the security room. “They must have had someone watching the courthouse. Waiting for the judge to arrive. All it takes is a phone call. Then the guy pops the first security guard that comes his way, and the game is on.”

  “And with all of the hoopla it took to get in and park…”

  “By the time we got in the building, the person had plenty of time to get the message and let the snakes in.”

  Nick’s fingers curled into a fist. She watched his jaw clench, causing a muscle to jump. As he opened his mouth to say something, his cell phone rang.

  Carly turned to Mason to suggest he check out the secretary’s wild-goose chase while she and Nick finished the surveillance tapes.

  “Excuse me?” Nick’s deadly quiet question pulled her attention back to him.

  He pressed a button on the iPhone screen to engage the speakerphone, and a mechanically disguised voice said, “You heard me, Judge. I have one of my men at your children’s school. Watching them even as we speak. You think those two incompetent marshals can keep me from them if I want them?”

  Mason grabbed his phone and stepped from the room. Carly knew he was calling Maria or Grady to alert them of the new developments.

  Nick already had a trace on his phone. Every incoming and outgoing call would be recorded.

  “You leave those kids out of this.” Nick’s face had gone pale even as stark determination stamped his features. “They’ve got nothing to do with any of this.”

  “Their mother and aunt didn’t have anything to do with one of your cases, either, did they? And yet look where they ended up. You’re messing with the same people, Judge, so you know how we work. Still want to take us on?”