The Only Witness

by Laura Scott

  She took his outstretched hand, and a jolt of awareness tingled up his arm. He scowled, not liking his inadvertent response to her. Paige was the type of woman who had serious relationship written all over her.

  Besides, he was responsible for her safety.

  “Thanks,” she whispered, releasing his hand once she was out of the car and steady on her feet. Abby was still draped over her mother, but her limbs were lax as she slept.

  He was glad the child was able to get some rest, and hoped she’d feel better in the morning.

  After unlocking the door, he held it open so Paige could go through first. He turned on one lamp, casting a warm glow over the interior of the room.

  Choosing the bed closest to the bathroom, Paige bent down and awkwardly pulled the polyester bedspread and blanket out of the way with one hand, so she could set Abby down on the mattress. The child squirmed a bit, before relaxing against the pillows.

  Paige stared down at her daughter for a long moment before turning toward him. “I’ll share this bed with Abby, I want to be close by in case she has nightmares.”

  “Understood.” Exhaustion weighed him down, but he shoved it away, trying to focus on what still needed to be done. After setting one of the room key cards on the table between the double beds, he tucked the other one into his pocket. “I’m going outside for a couple minutes to make a quick call. You’ll be okay?”

  Paige nodded, then slipped out of his jacket. “Here you can have this back.”

  He wanted to tell her to keep it, but since he had no idea how long he’d be outside, he decided he might need it to stay warm. However, it wasn’t easy to ignore her lemony scent clinging to the fabric as he drew on the jacket.

  When he turned toward the door, she called out to him. “Miles?”

  He glanced over his shoulder. “Yeah?”

  “I accidentally left Abby’s stuffed elephant in the backseat. Will you bring it in with you?”

  He hadn’t even noticed the child clutching a toy, but for some reason, the idea that she had something from her home to comfort her made him smile. “Sure, no problem.”

  “Thanks.” The expression on her lovely face was strained, as if she was hanging on by a thread. Understandable, since it wasn’t every day that a woman was forced to flee from a gunman with her young daughter in tow.

  The air outside seemed colder after the warm interior of the motel room. Hunching his shoulders against the brisk wind, he opened the back door and found the pink elephant. He took it around to the front seat so he wouldn’t forget to take it back inside with him.

  Miles dialed his brother Mitch, who thankfully answered on the second ring. “Miles? What’s up?”

  “Someone trashed my place.” Remembering the mess ticked him off all over again. “Do you have time to head over there, make sure things are locked up once they’re finished processing the evidence?”

  Mitch whistled beneath his breath. “Is the break-in related to something you’re currently working on?”

  “Maybe.” Either his current case, or a cold one. Miles didn’t want to mention the fact that he’d also been working on his father’s murder investigation in his spare time. Nine months ago, Max Callahan had been the Milwaukee chief of police. He’d gone out to the scene of an officer-involved shooting as a sign of support for his colleagues, when someone had gunned him down. The entire Callahan clan still mourned his passing, and Miles wanted nothing more than to find the perpetrator who’d killed their father.

  He’d discovered that the bullet responsible for his father’s death had been retained in the evidence room, but now it was missing, which made him suspicious about what was going on related to his dad’s case.

  But right now, he had more urgent issues to worry about. “I’d join you, but I need to keep watch over a victim and her daughter.”

  “Yeah, okay. Anything else?”

  Miles was grateful that he had his family to fall back on. He was the second oldest, behind Marc. Mitch was born two years after him. Michael was fourth in line and the twins, Matthew and Madison, Maddy for short, were the youngest.

  “Nothing right now, but I’ll be in touch.”

  “Keep your head down, bro, you hear?”

  Miles placed a second call to the dispatch center, asking for the officers who’d been sent to the Olson residence. He was given the name and number of Bernie Nowak. Nowak picked up after several rings and sounded grumpy about it.

  “What? I’m busy.”

  “Hey, Bernie, this is Miles Callahan. What did you find so far?”

  “Where are you?” Bernie demanded. He’d been on the force for twenty-four years and was literally counting the days till he could retire. “You weren’t supposed to leave the scene.”

  “The shooter kept coming, even managed to nick my car with a bullet, so I decided saving lives was more important than waiting for you guys.”

  Bernie grunted. “Yeah, well, we found two slugs, both from a twenty-two-caliber rifle. Not the weapon of choice for your average punk crook.”

  Maybe not, but it was the same caliber bullet found at the scene of Jason’s murder. “Anything else?”

  “Got several broken windows and a busted-up tablet in the kid’s room, but that’s about it. We won’t know if anything is missing until the owner comes in and does a walk-through.”

  “I’ll pass that along, thanks.” Miles disconnected and stared thoughtfully out the window.

  Robbery was not the motive here. The reason the shooter used a twenty-two rifle was so they could stay several yards back, shooting at Paige from a distance. Easier to kill people that way, than getting up close and personal with a handgun.

  More accurate, too.

  The twenty-two caliber bullet was one link between the two crimes, not counting the break-in at his place. But he still had more questions than answers. What did it all mean? Miles was glad he had his laptop with him, or the guys who’d tossed his house would have taken it. At least he could still work Jason’s case.

  With a flick of his wrist, he started the car and drove away from their room, choosing to park around the corner of the building. With the stuffed elephant under his arm, he slid out from behind the wheel, then grabbed the computer case and his duffel out of the trunk.

  After entering the motel room as quietly as possible, he wasn’t surprised to find that Paige was still awake, watching the doorway with wide eyes. She was stretched out beside her daughter, but didn’t look at all relaxed, her expression troubled.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, closing the door softly behind him.

  “I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep.”

  “I know it’s not easy, but you need to try and get some rest.” He was a fine one to talk, since he’d been up for eighteen hours straight. He set the computer and duffel bag down, then took the stuffed elephant over to her. “Here.”

  “Thanks.” Paige tucked the elephant next to Abby, keeping the toy close at hand for when she woke up.

  The little girl’s brow was furrowed, as if she was remembering bad things even in sleep. He stood for a moment, wishing there was something he could do to ease the child’s burden. It wasn’t right that an innocent little girl had to be caught in the middle of this mess.

  “Every time I close my eyes, I hear gunshots.”

  He slid his hands into his pockets, to prevent himself from offering comfort. “Try to think of something nice and soothing, like lying in a hammock or listening to the ocean.”

  “Good advice. I’ll try praying.”

  Miles lifted a brow, but didn’t comment. He and his siblings had been raised to have faith in God, but watching Dawn get sicker and sicker until she was nothing more than skin and bones had put a severe dent in his faith. Their church pastor had said it was part of God’s plan, but he didn’t
understand that at all. Dawn was barely twenty-five years old, what was so important in God’s plan that she had to die? To never fall in love, get married, have children...

  He abruptly pulled himself back from that train of thought and took a step back. Watching Paige interact with her daughter was bringing back memories better left buried. “Good idea.”

  Miles stripped off his jacket and washed up in the bathroom. When he emerged, Paige’s eyes were closed, although he sensed she wasn’t asleep.

  He left the light on in the bathroom for the child’s sake, but closed the door so it wouldn’t disturb them. Crossing over to the desk, he booted up the computer.

  The sooner he found Travis Olson, the better. The man was either part of the reason Jason had died, or he was a target, as well.

  So far Miles hadn’t found much to go on, but he was determined to keep trying. He wished he’d asked Jason more about what was bothering him at work, but then again, he hadn’t counted on his friend being murdered.

  Miles had barely started his search when he heard the covers rustling on the bed.

  Abby? Or Paige? He turned in his seat and saw that Abby was sitting bolt upright, staring at him as if he were some sort of monster.

  Then she let out a shrill scream.

  THREE

  “Abby, I’m right here. Mommy is right here.” Paige cradled her daughter in her arms, trying to cut through the haze of Abby’s nightmare. “It’s okay, we’re safe. Shh...everything is okay.”

  “Am I scaring her?” Miles asked softly. He shut the laptop and turned on the lamp so that Abby could see him more clearly.

  Paige wasn’t sure what had set her daughter off, but Abby’s screaming abruptly stopped and she turned, burrowing her face against Paige’s chest, tears soaking through her shirt.

  “It’s okay,” Paige repeated, feeling helpless as she stroked her hand down the child’s back. “We’re safe here. Miles will protect us from harm.”

  “Maybe the glow of the computer made me look scary,” Miles offered in an apologetic tone.

  “It was more likely a nightmare,” Paige whispered with a wan smile.

  Abby abruptly shook her head, causing Paige to frown and look down at her.

  “No? It wasn’t a nightmare?” she asked.

  Head shake. No.

  “Did you think Miles was a bad guy?” Paige asked, trying to understand what was going on in her daughter’s tortured mind.

  Another head shake.

  “What frightened you?” Paige looked around the room in confusion. It was your average motel room, nothing unique or strange about it.

  “Was it the computer?” Miles asked. “Did the computer screen frighten you, Abby?”

  Head nod.

  Paige blinked, and lifted her gaze to meet his. “How did you know?”

  “The tablet.”

  Before Paige could say anything, Abby nodded again, then turned her head so that she could see Miles. Paige had the impression her daughter wanted Miles to figure out what was bothering her, that she was looking to him for help. But why wouldn’t Abby just tell them?

  “You saw something scary on the tablet, didn’t you, Abby?” Miles’s voice was gentle. “That’s why you dropped it.”

  Head nod, up and down.

  “Oh, no,” Paige whispered. “Was it your daddy?”

  Abby nodded, her face scrunching up as if she didn’t want to remember.

  Paige’s stomach clenched with fear. “Why won’t you talk to me, Abby? Will you please tell us what you saw?”

  Her daughter shook her head as two fat tears rolled down her cheeks.

  “It’s all right, Abby,” Miles said in a soft, reassuring voice. “You’ve been a big help already. Don’t be scared. I’ll keep you and your mom safe.”

  Paige swallowed past the hard lump in her throat, trying to imagine what her daughter might have seen. Obviously something through the ChatTime link that she’d had with her father, but what?

  Or who?

  A shiver ran down Paige’s spine, an icy coldness pooling in the small of her back. Was it possible Abby had seen something she shouldn’t have? Was that the reason gunmen had come to the house?

  No, the timing between Abby dropping the tablet and the gunfire seemed too close for that.

  “Paige? Are you sure you don’t have any idea where your ex-husband is? It’s really important that I find him.”

  “The only places I know that he goes to are either work or his condo.” She lifted one shoulder, feeling helpless. “Did you check?”

  “I couldn’t get past the front desk at Sci-Tech, but I did go to his condo. He didn’t answer the door and the neighbors claimed they hadn’t seen him in the past day or so.” Miles glanced at her hopefully. “Do you have a key to his place?”

  She grimaced. Having a key meant risking walking in on Travis with one of his lady friends. No, thank you. “Never wanted one.”

  “I’ll see if we can’t get a search warrant to get inside.” Miles’s gaze was thoughtful. “Although without much to go on, I’m not sure the judge will grant it.”

  Paige didn’t say anything, sensing that Abby was still listening to their conversation. The last thing she wanted to do was to scare her little girl any more than she clearly already was. Yet she didn’t think they’d find Travis in his condo. For one thing, there were people living on either side of him who would have called the police if they’d heard any kind of commotion going on.

  Plus, if there was any connection between Travis being on ChatTime with Abby and the subsequent shooting, there hadn’t been enough time for anyone to get from Travis’s condo to her house. His condo was located a good thirty minutes away.

  But what if Travis had been closer? Like, almost to her house when he’d connected with Abby? It didn’t seem likely that he’d bother talking with his daughter from his car, unless... A stab of fear hit hard.

  Unless connecting to ChatTime had been an accident?

  “There must be somewhere else that Travis might go,” Miles persisted, interrupting her thoughts. “He must have some sort of hobby.”

  “Women.”

  Miles blinked. “Excuse me?”

  She pressed her lips together in a firm line. “The only hobby Travis has is going out with women. Fidelity isn’t his strong suit.”

  Miles winced as he realized that explained their divorce. Paige deserved so much better than a man who would cheat on her. “Do you know who he’s seeing now?”

  Paige let out a harsh laugh. “I caught a glimpse of a tall blonde the last time I saw him, but the way he goes through women, I wouldn’t bank on the possibility she’s still in the picture. He likes them pretty and brainless.”

  “Abby?” Miles gave her daughter a gentle smile. “Do you know the name of your daddy’s girlfriend?”

  The little girl shook her head and Paige let out a sigh of relief. She’d encouraged Travis not to introduce a string of women to Abby and it seemed like he might have actually honored her request for once.

  Then again, he hadn’t been alone with Abby for the past six weeks. She frowned, thinking back to when she’d last seen Travis. Maybe three weeks ago? Yeah, that was it. She’d driven to Sci-Tech because his child support check had been late. Travis had come out to meet her in the parking lot to give her the payment and the tall, beautiful blonde had accompanied him. As soon as he’d given her the check, the two of them had headed to his car, obviously going out on a date.

  Had he introduced them? She never paid much attention, unsure why Travis felt the need to show off his latest girlfriend. Each time he did that, she was reminded about how glad she was that he was no longer her husband. Yet he was still Abby’s father...

  Then it came to her. “Sasha.” At the surprise in Miles’s eyes, she
clarified, “The blonde’s name was Sasha. Sorry, but I don’t think he gave me a last name. Or if he did, I didn’t pay any attention.”

  “Great. At least it gives us someplace to start.”

  She brushed strands of damp hair away from Abby’s face, grateful to note that the little girl’s body had relaxed, the earlier fear of the computer seeming to have vanished. “Let’s get some sleep first, okay?”

  Abby lifted her head and gestured to the bathroom. Paige understood and helped Abby down from the bed. Taking her hand, Paige helped her to use the bathroom then wash up. Abby drank a full cup of water before she turned and opened the bathroom door.

  The lamp was still on in the corner, but Miles’s computer wasn’t anywhere to be found. He was sitting on the side of the bed, finishing up a phone call, as they emerged.

  “Learn something new?” she asked when he glanced over at them.

  “Not yet.”

  She couldn’t help wondering if he’d tell her, even if he had a lead. From what she saw on TV, the police never wanted to talk much about their investigations. She tucked Abby into bed and sat down beside her.

  “Let’s say our prayers, okay?”

  Abby looked up at her and placed her hands together. But she didn’t speak, so Paige recited the bedtime prayer in a low voice. When she finished, Paige leaned over and pressed a tender kiss to Abby’s cheek.

  “I love you.”

  Abby didn’t say the words back, the way she normally would, but she did kiss her cheek. Paige’s eyes went misty as Abby grabbed Ellie beneath her arm and snuggled into the covers.

  “Sweet dreams,” Paige murmured.

  A faint smile flickered on her daughter’s face as her eyes drifted closed. Paige gazed at Abby’s face for several long minutes, amazed at the change in her demeanor since Miles had partially figured out what had frightened her so badly.

  Maybe now that at least part of the secret was out, her little girl would be able to find a sense of peace.