Christmas Conspiracy

by Susan Sleeman

  If he’d been at the embassy instead of slipping out to hang with friends his parents didn’t approve of, he could have helped. Sure, he was only a teenager, but he lived every day with the certainty that he could have done something to save their lives. At the funeral, he’d promised his parents that he’d make up for not being there for them, and he’d devoted his life to helping others in need.

  An ache in his chest caught his attention. The deputy-inflicted bullets bruised his flesh, but the loss of his family overtook the pain. He’d managed to keep the familiar ache at bay for many years. Today, though, the sting raked through his body as intensely as the day they’d died.

  “Why you, Rachael Long?” he whispered. “Why, after all these years, are you bringing out feelings I thought were long gone?”

  “Did you say something?” Skyler asked, stepping up behind him.

  “No!” Rachael suddenly cried out and jerked awake. Terror darkened her eyes as she shot a panicked look around the room. She’d probably relived the kidnapping attempt in her sleep.

  Jake knew all about bad dreams. The bomb had rumbled through his sleep for years. He wanted to take her hand, but after his talk with Skyler, he shoved both of them in his pockets instead. At that moment, he hated his job.

  Rachael would remain on Skyler’s suspect list, and after he’d gone, she’d question Rachael until she felt confident she’d gotten complete answers. Then she’d tear into Rachael’s background, dig deep and ferret out any secrets or past indiscretions that hinted at her involvement. Many of those would then be reviewed with Rachael so she could offer an explanation.

  Not that Skyler would focus solely on Rachael. As a good detective, she would look for other leads and keep Rachael’s role in perspective. He could count on Skyler to be impartial, but he didn’t care about the other suspects at this point.

  Rachael remained his focus. His only focus right now.

  * * *

  Sitting in a wheelchair held firmly by a hospital staff member, Rachael gazed out the window to avoid the odd looks cast her way by people stepping through the lobby entrance. Detective Hunter had ordered Rachael to surrender her clothing for the forensic staff to process in hopes of finding the intruder’s DNA. The hospital had given her two gowns to wear back-to-back to cover herself, and a lightweight robe for warmth. Though fully covered, she was essentially wearing pajamas in public.

  “Joy to the World” played on the speakers above, and the woman holding on to her chair hummed along in a sharp pitch. If that wasn’t enough to remind Rachael Christmas was just a week away, large trees trimmed in reds and golds perfumed the air with a thick pine scent, and snow that was unusual for Portland dusted the ground outside.

  A battered white truck pulled into the patient pickup area, and Jake jumped down from the vehicle. Before he’d left her hospital room, he’d told her he would use Detective Hunter’s car to go to the center for the iPad, and during that time, he would have someone retrieve his pickup from home and drop it at the hospital.

  As he approached, she wanted to leap from the chair and take refuge from prying eyes inside his truck, but the bruises circling her body ensured she wouldn’t be leaping in her near future.

  He opened the passenger door and gazed down on her, his tender expression one she’d seen several times today. He offered his hand—another kind gesture from this man she found so intriguing.

  After what happened the last time they’d touched, she didn’t want any physical contact, but dizziness continued to plague her, and she also didn’t want to do a face-plant in the snow. And if she stumbled, the hospital employee might drag her back inside for another examination. Rachael wouldn’t stay at the hospital any longer. Not for any reason.

  She placed her hand in his, letting the long fingers wrap around hers and gently move her into the pickup that looked like it had seen better days. She willed her mind not to dwell on the warmth and strength of his hand and to pay attention to getting into the truck without hitting the concrete.

  Once she settled back, Jake started to close the door, but she stopped him and leaned out.

  “Thank you,” she called to the woman who’d wheeled her outside.

  “Yes, thank you,” Jake added and closed the door with a solid thump.

  He said something else to the transport woman that elicited a broad smile on her chubby face. Maybe he was just a big flirt, and this connection between them was a common occurrence in his life. Even more reason to ignore her unwanted interest in him.

  When he settled behind the wheel, his presence seemed to take up the entire space, and she wedged herself closer to the door, tugging her robe tighter around her. He’d set the heat on high, and the air rushing from the vents warmed her bare legs.

  As he pointed the truck down the driveway, a hand-beaded ornament swung from his rearview mirror. The delicate star boasting golden points and a bright blue interior seemed in direct contrast to his tough exterior and the manly truck. Obviously a vintage item, she suspected he had a story behind the ornament, and she didn’t know what to make of it, of him. He was such an enigma. One minute kind and protective, the next all business. She hadn’t a clue which guy was the real Jake Marsh.

  It didn’t much matter, though. Even if he’d struck some cord in her that had been dormant since Eli died, she’d fight the feelings. She would never expose herself to the searing loss that opening her heart again could bring.

  Trouble was, when Jake had first taken the chair across from her and looked into her eyes, she’d seen something that resonated deep inside, like maybe he understood the pain and guilt that plagued her. Like maybe he would understand if she mentioned that after her husband died, grief consumed her and she hadn’t properly cared for herself. When she reached her fifth month of pregnancy, she’d miscarried. Maybe he’d even hold her and try to convince her that she shouldn’t blame herself.

  Right, and people had wings and could fly, too.

  Point-blank, her husband and child were gone, and this man could do nothing to assuage her guilt. After all, God hadn’t been able to erase it, so why would she think a man could?

  She’d learned that nothing good came from brooding over the past, so she trained her gaze out the window until they turned onto her street.

  “Almost there,” he said.

  A sigh slipped out before she could stop it.

  “If this is about all the questions we had to ask,” he said, “I’m sorry, but you fit the profile for an infant abductor.”

  Surprised at his announcement, she swiveled. “What exactly is that profile?”

  “Female. In your childbearing years. Same race as the child abducted. An overwhelming loss in your past. Your husband, I mean.”

  “A zillion other women fit that description, too,” she responded, thinking it was only a matter of time before they learned of her miscarriage. Then her suspect potential would grow exponentially.

  “But these other women didn’t have access to Kelly, nor were they her caregiver.”

  She crossed her arms. “I’m not the only woman who has access to Kelly. Besides, what do you think I would do with her if I arranged the kidnapping? It’s not like I can show up to work holding a baby that everyone would recognize.”

  “But you could close down the center and move out of town.”

  “I’d never close my center. These parents need the service I provide, and it’s my way of...” She wouldn’t tell him her service helped her atone for her role in Eli’s and the baby’s deaths. “Never mind. If Detective Hunter keeps digging into my life, she’ll soon know I’m not behind this.”

  He eyed her for a moment. “What about parents or staff members who might have recently lost a child? Like a miscarriage or a child dying. Has that happened to any of them?”

  He’d clearly described her, sending her heart plummeting. �
��Why is that a concern?”

  “Losing a child is one of the biggest reasons women abduct other children.”

  So she’d been right on track thinking if she admitted her own miscarriage, that, along with the other items he mentioned earlier, would move her from suspect to prime suspect. Then the investigative focus would fall solely on her, which would not help them find the kidnapper.

  “None of my staff or parents have lost a child,” she said without elaborating.

  He nodded. “Then we’ll expand beyond the center to other people in Pam Baldwin’s life. Do you know if she has friends or any female family members who might fit this description?”

  “In an effort to stay clean, she left all the people she did drugs with in the past, and I don’t think she’s had the time to make new friends. I suppose one of her coworkers could have lost a child. All I know about her family is that she’s not close to her parents.”

  “Does she have a boyfriend?”

  Rachael shook her head. “Not that I know of.”

  “Okay, then our focus will likely remain on you and your staff members for the time being.”

  “My staff members?”

  He nodded. “They have access to Kelly, so Detective Hunter will be interviewing them, and they’ll remain under suspicion until we can rule them out.”

  Great. Now they were going to grill her teachers, too. All of the caring, compassionate women who’d worked beside her for three years. Women who’d no sooner hurt Kelly than she would.

  “They didn’t do this,” she said. “Pick on me all you want, but please don’t harass them.”

  “We’re harassing you? Is that what you think?”

  “What else can I think? I was attacked this morning, which should prove my innocence, but you don’t seem to care.” Her voice wobbled, and she hated that she came across as weak and whiny.

  He slowed at a stop sign and fixed a steady gaze on her. “I care, Rachael, but our mission is to find this guy as quickly as possible before he hurts anyone else. If that means we have to keep you on our suspect list no matter what we think about your innocence, then that’s what we’ll do.”

  She studied him carefully, looking for any hint of his real opinion of her. “So you don’t think I’m involved?”

  He turned back to his driving and didn’t answer, which, she supposed, was an answer in itself and the end to their conversation. She peered out the window. The clouds had broken, and one of Oregon’s famous rainbows hung in the sky, the muted colors giving her hope that God had something good planned for her future.

  She recommitted herself to staying strong, not for herself, but for the center’s parents and staff. She used her pain to make a difference in others’ lives, and that had been the only thing that had taken her out of her grief and allowed her to live again. She just needed to keep that in mind and be thankful for her opportunities.

  She closed her eyes.

  Thank you, Lord, for keeping Kelly safe. For Jake and his team. Continue to watch over her. Over all of us. And help them find the intruder.

  She kept her eyes closed until she felt the car bump into the driveway of the house she’d purchased when she’d opened the center. Living in the home she and Eli had shared had been too painful, and when God finally showed her how to move on in life, she knew she couldn’t continue to live in the home that held so many memories.

  “Deputy Keith Hill.” Jake nodded at the patrol car sitting in front of her bungalow. “He’s got this shift.”

  “Thanks again for arranging for his protection. I feel much safer.”

  Jake reached behind the seat and lifted out her iPad. “I found it in the drawer right where you said it would be.”

  He handed it to her, and she clutched it to her chest like a lifeline. She might not be allowed back into the center where she’d pinned all of her hopes and dreams the last few years, but she had her connection to the families through this device.

  He reached behind the seat again. “I also grabbed your purse. I figured you’d need keys and such.”

  “Right, my keys. I didn’t even think of that.” She smiled at him. “Thank you.”

  He gave a quick, almost uncomfortable nod as though he didn’t like to have any attention drawn to his helpfulness. He’d acted the same way when she’d thanked him at the hospital, claiming his team had done all the work.

  “We should get you inside.” He opened his door, the hinge groaning in protest. His vehicle had to be ten-plus years old, and it looked well used. Still, it seemed like the kind of vehicle he would own. Something serviceable, but not showy or pretentious.

  After he came around the front of the truck, he opened her door and offered his hand again. She accepted his help, and once she’d found solid footing, his hand moved to the small of her back and urged her toward the home she’d painted a crisp white with blue trim.

  She fished out her keys and unlocked the bright blue door, pushing it open before turning to bid Jake goodbye.

  She suddenly wished he didn’t have to leave, and at the same time hoped he would. “Thank you for the ride. For everything, actually.”

  “I’d like to have a look around your house just to be safe.”

  Her heart fluttered. “You don’t think the intruder has come here, do you?”

  “I doubt it,” he said, sounding sure of his opinion. “But I don’t want to take any chances.”

  “I don’t, either.” Though she didn’t like the thought of being alone with him when she was emotional and vulnerable to his kindness, she stepped back.

  “I’ll make it quick.” He brushed past her, and his sure steps took him straight into her house.

  She closed and locked the door, then trailed him as he went through the main living areas of her house. At the back door, he rested his hand on his weapon, and it remained in place as he peered out the kitchen window into her backyard.

  He spun. “If you’ll give me the key, I’ll check your garage.”

  She lifted a key from a peg on the wall and handed it to him.

  “It’s not a good idea to keep your keys hanging in plain sight,” he said. “There are bad people in this world. You experienced that today, and you don’t want to make things easier for them. If someone did break into your house, they’d have keys to your car and any other keys you keep hanging here.” He didn’t wait for a response from her but stepped out the door. She watched him cross her small backyard to the single-car garage.

  She’d never really given a lot of thought to personal safety. At least not beyond knowing full well that people died in car crashes and that she should be extra-vigilant while driving, plus avoiding dangerous situations. She paid attention to her surroundings, but such things were probably on Jake’s mind most of the time.

  How difficult it would be to live under those terms. She wished no one had to be constantly on guard. She was even more thankful for men and women like Jake and his team, who dedicated their lives to protecting people.

  He secured the garage door, and when he returned, he put the keys in her hand instead of hanging them on the peg.

  They toured the remainder of the house where he paid special attention to the closets and the space under the beds. She appreciated his thoroughness but hoped he didn’t find too many dust bunnies.

  Back at the front door, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. “My cell is on here. Call me if you need anything. No matter what. No matter the time.” He kept his gaze glued to hers and looked torn about leaving, but stepped outside.

  At the stairs, he paused to look back. His gaze connected with hers and held. He hid his emotions, but she could tell he wanted to stay.

  “Thank you for everything,” she said to get him moving.

  He gave a sharp nod then jogged down to the sidewalk. She watched h
im climb into his truck and back out of the driveway before she closed and locked the door. She set her purse on the hall table and added her iPad, too. The center parents and staff needed to hear from her, but she simply had to change out of the hospital gowns and shower off the creepy-crawly feeling from the intruder’s touch.

  In her bathroom, she gingerly removed the gowns and looked at her stomach in the mirror. Two-inch-wide bruises already circled her body, the deep purple attesting to her struggle against the intruder’s iron grip. No wonder her pain had continued to grow after the ketamine had worn off.

  She turned on the shower, cranked the knob to steaming hot and climbed under the spray. The water cascaded over her back and circled the drain. She grabbed a bar of soap. The slippery slice shot from her hands and pinged around the tile walls until it landed at her feet. Bending to retrieve it, dizziness assaulted her again. She planted her hands on her knees and held her position to let it clear. Thankfully, most of the drug had left her system and she could function, but she wished it would dissipate even faster.

  Maybe then she wouldn’t be so emotional and weepy around Detective Hunter and Jake. She just couldn’t imagine that either of them truly believed she had participated in Kelly’s attempted kidnapping. Waking up at the center came to mind, the sight of Jake’s caring face, his smile and concern. Then he’d held Kelly out so she could see the baby was fine. Joy had nearly burst her heart and she’d thought him to be an ally.

  And now?

  Until the detective proved Rachael had no part in the attempted kidnapping, she would be alone in her defense—much like she was alone in life. For the first time since she’d come to grips with losing Eli and the baby, the loneliness nearly bothered her more than she could bear.

  Tears threatened again, burning at the back of her eyes for release.