His To Protect

by Patricia Werner

  She stepped out when Matt said her name. “Special Agent John Metcalf. He’s investigating the bank robbery and has some questions.”

  She sighed, but walked into the living room, offering the agent a seat. Matt looked on warily.

  John Metcalf was an average-looking man with light brown hair. He was the kind of man who easily blended with any background. He showed her his badge and then flipped his wallet shut and took out a pad of paper.

  “Sorry to bother you, Mrs. Meyer. We’re still looking for Carrie Lamb, and we thought you might be able to help us.”

  “I don’t know where she is.”

  “How well did you know her, Mrs. Meyer?”

  Tracy exhaled a breath. “She tutored my stepdaughter, Jennifer. We were friends. I can’t believe she’s done anything wrong.”

  The agent nodded sympathetically, but persisted in his questioning like a hound hunting for a fox. “Did she ever say anything about her past to you?”

  Tracy shrugged. “She was from Chicago. She told me she’d been a teacher there.”

  The agent frowned. “And yet she didn’t take up that profession here. Did she ever say why?”

  Tracy shook her head. “Amanda Fielding gave her the job at the bank. Maybe there weren’t any openings in elementary schools. I really don’t know.”

  “Did you ever check her references?”

  Tracy’s heart thudded, but she tried not to show her irritation. “I felt a personal recommendation from my bank’s president was enough. And I am a good judge of character.”

  “I’m not saying you’re not, Mrs. Meyer. It’s just that we need to follow up on any leads to find her. I understand she telephoned you when you weren’t at home.”

  Tracy swallowed. A sudden suspicion burned in her mind, and she didn’t answer the agent’s question. Rather, she asked one of her own. “How did you know where to find me?”

  He smiled, but she didn’t like the thinness of the smile. It said they knew everything. That there was no such thing as privacy.

  “Your neighbor told us you’d left with Lieutenant Forrest and I tracked you from there.” Though he didn’t make it sound snide, Tracy felt her privacy intruded upon.

  “What neighbor?”

  “Mrs. Gaffney.”

  She blinked, then remembered that Dolores Gaffney had been working in her flower beds when they’d left the house this afternoon. The tightness in her stomach frightened her, but she was determined to remain calm.

  “I see.”

  The FBI agent tried to soothe her ruffled feathers. “You might let us know if you plan to go anywhere else.”

  “Why? I’m not under investigation for anything, am I?”

  “No, of course not. You’re free to move about. But we would like to know if Carrie Lamb attempts to contact you again.”

  Tracy thrust her jaw forward. “I don’t see why she should.”

  “She’s under investigation for being an accomplice in the bank robbery.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  “I understand your feelings, Mrs. Meyer. She was your friend. But the very fact that she didn’t speak to you of her background makes it appear she had something to hide.”

  The niggling truth that Carrie might have had something to hide bothered Tracy. Ever since the hostage crisis, she’d begun to wonder about that. But they’d had too much else to deal with to worry about Carrie. What happened to Scott a year ago, Matt’s suspicions about police corruption and Carrie’s part in Wednesday’s bank robbery had nothing to do with each other.

  Or had they?

  Chapter Eleven

  As she promised Special Agent Metcalf that she would stay in touch, she felt Matt’s gaze burn into her. He seemed just as glad as she was to see the agent’s back when he walked away from the house.

  And she held her breath as the black limo turned the corner and pulled into the driveway just as Metcalf drove away. Then she stepped out onto the porch to watch Jennifer tumble from the car, followed by Rene and Andrew Leigh.

  “Tracy, Uncle Matt!” squealed Jennifer while she raced across the lawn. “We had tea at the Brown Palace. I had scones and strawberries and clotty cream. The waiter had on a white suit, and I sat on a queen chair. We had chocolate and short cookies, but Rene said they were made out of bread.”

  Rene smiled. “Shortbread,” she explained to Tracy.

  Jennifer continued to bubble on about her day. “Grandy Leigh has three big rooms at the hotel, all to himself. I took a nap on a big bed.”

  She bumped against Tracy’s legs, and Tracy gave her a squeeze. “I’m glad you had a good time.”

  Andrew Leigh crossed the grass while his bodyguard closed all the limo doors and stood behind the car, arms crossed, scanning the neighborhood. She met Andrew’s eyes across Jennifer’s head, realizing how relieved she was to see all of them return safely.

  “Come into the house,” she offered after having introduced Matt to Andrew. “You all must be tired.”

  Rene assumed the duties of hostess. “If you don’t mind a home-cooked dinner, I’ll put on the pot for spaghetti. Roland will be home soon, and there’ll be plenty for everyone.” She tipped her head in the direction of the bodyguard. “Him, too.”

  “Thank you,” said Andrew. “I won’t inconvenience you. I’ll just step in for a word with Mrs. Meyer, and then I’ll be on my way.”

  “Whatever you say.” Rene lifted eyebrows at Tracy and then went into the house. Matt didn’t seem inclined to leave Tracy with Andrew Leigh, and so followed them in.

  “Thank you for entertaining Jennifer,” said Tracy when the three of them were in the living room.

  Andrew mopped his brow with a monogrammed handkerchief and then sat down on the couch. Tracy followed suit, but sat erect, on the edge of the sofa facing him. Matt stood, arms crossed, in front of the bay window behind her.

  “We had a pleasant time,” said Andrew. “Jennifer is a very intelligent child.”

  Tracy confronted him directly. “Indeed, she is. I’m glad you noticed.”

  The lines in his face cramped as if he knew she would always misunderstand him. “I’m sorry we are at odds, Mrs. Meyer. Do you mind if I call you Tracy? After all, you were married to my son-in-law.”

  “A son-in-law, I gather, of whom you didn’t approve.”

  He moved his head from side to side. “I didn’t want Jennifer’s mother to marry a policeman, it’s true.”

  He leaned back against the sofa, and she read the regret in his light green eyes. “I failed with my children. I don’t mind saying it. Now I’ve lost them.”

  Tracy blinked. Had seeing Jennifer aroused his innermost guilt and nostalgia? Was he going to try to use sentimentality to win his arguments about having Jennifer? In trying to secure her own defenses, she wasn’t listening carefully to what he was saying.

  “We all make mistakes,” she said by way of sympathy.

  “I know you think I’m a selfish man. Used to getting my way.”

  “Well, aren’t you?”

  He looked at her with obvious sadness in his eyes. “If I had my way, I wouldn’t have lost two daughters.”

  Tracy felt confused. “Two daughters? I didn’t realize....”

  “Neither did I, until day before yesterday.”

  “I’m sorry, I don’t follow you.”

  He leaned forward, elbows on thighs, hands dangling between his knees. But his sharp gaze held her eyes. “Perhaps you didn’t know that Carrie Lamb is Jennifer’s aunt.”

  Astonishment nearly slammed Tracy off the edge of her seat. All she could do was stare at him openmouthed. She glanced toward the stairs, not wanting Jennifer to come into the room right now while her mind struggled with this new fact. Was he serious?

  She swallowed and found her voice. “Carrie Lamb is your daughter? Jennifer’s mother’s sister?” Her voice rose in disbelief.

  He nodded slowly, frowning seriously. “I assure you, what I say is true.”

  Tracy jumped
up from the couch and paced toward the fireplace. “Why didn’t anyone tell me this before? I can’t believe it.”

  “Nor could I, until I saw her picture on television night before last. Odd coincidence that she was in a hostage situation with her niece’s stepmother.”

  Tracy’s hand pressed against her heart. “Odd isn’t the word for it. Why didn’t she tell me?”

  “Because she wasn’t telling anyone. She disappeared two years ago. Lamb is a false name. I assure you I did everything I could to locate her then. But it became evident to me that she didn’t want to be found.”

  He shook his head. “When I understood that she wanted to be left alone, I let it go, hoping she’d contact me when she was ready. I prayed that she wasn’t in any trouble.”

  Tracy was still in shock, but she breathed out a realization of her own. “Then she came here to be close to Jennifer. I didn’t know. Oh, my heavens, Carrie...”

  “I’m sorry to startle you, but it’s true. I’m acquainted with Amanda Fielding’s parents through the country club. Miss Fielding must have known her identity and provided her with a job. Unfortunately, Miss Fielding’s doctors will release no information unless I have a court order, and she has not been staying at her home since she was released from the hospital.”

  Tracy focused on him again. “Then you came to Denver to find Carrie.”

  “I did. And, of course, to see Jennifer, as well.”

  She slumped back to lean on the hard edge of the mantel. “When you said you didn’t have any family left, I didn’t know....”

  “Nor did I know that Jennifer’s aunt was her tutor until today.”

  “I’m sorry. I would have told you if I’d known.”

  “I’m not blaming you. I just want to find my daughter.”

  Now images of Carrie being yanked across the grass by the bank robber began to replay in Tracy’s mind. Her last sight of Carrie was on the motorcycle as the robber drove away.

  “They haven’t found her, then,” she murmured to herself.

  Matt finally broke into the conversation, stepping farther into the room. “Mr. Leigh, you realize that your daughter is suspected of being an accomplice in the attempted bank robbery.”

  Tracy looked at Andrew in time to see the pain that statement caused him.

  “I’d not like to think she’s part of any such crime,” said Andrew gruffly.

  “I hope she’s innocent,” added Matt. “But until she’s found, we can’t prove that.”

  “I’m going to try to assist in that endeavor,” said Andrew. “Believe me, I’m putting all my resources toward finding her.”

  Tracy moved back to the sofa and took a seat. She leaned forward. “Mr. Leigh, do you have any idea why she ran away? Why she didn’t want to be found?”

  The sorrow welled out from behind Andrew Leigh’s carefully constructed armor. Even so, he did a fair job of hiding it

  “If I knew that, I’d be able to sleep nights.”

  Tracy’s compassion flowed toward him. How awful to suffer the death of one daughter only to lose the second one for some unexplainable reason. She choked on her pity. But she didn’t know what else to say. Should they tell Andrew about the obsessed caller looking for Carrie? Something made her hold back until she could discuss this with Matt. This information was too new. And she didn’t know Andrew Leigh very well. Better to proceed cautiously. It also explained why he so desperately wanted Jennifer with him.

  “I’m going to be occupied until I find my daughter,” said Andrew. He cleared his throat. “I’m glad I had today with my granddaughter.”

  “Of course,” said Tracy absently.

  “Business demands that I return to Chicago Monday. But I swear to you, I will not leave until I know something about my daughter’s whereabouts.”

  She nodded. “I hope you can find her.”

  Present realities began to spring back into her mind now that some of the facts were coming to light. “Special Agent John Metcalf was just here asking questions about the hostage situation we were in.”

  “I’ve already talked to the FBL” His look seemed to say he preferred to do things his own way.

  He got up and exchanged a swift glance with Matt, who continued to ponder the situation seriously. Then, refusing further offers of refreshment, Andrew went to the front door. Outside, his bodyguard still leaned on the limo.

  “I’ll certainly call you if I hear anything,” Tracy said weakly.

  Andrew gave both Matt and Tracy a brief, sharp glance, nodded his head and walked outside. Paolo barked and leaped up to the fence as Andrew crossed the lawn, until Domenico went to the fence and calmed the dog, speaking in a Latin language Tracy didn’t recognize.

  As soon as Andrew was gone, Tracy turned to Matt. “Do you think we should have told him about the man who’s looking for Carrie?”

  “Not yet. Not until we know why Carrie doesn’t want to be found.”

  Tracy shivered and hugged herself. “If she’s hiding from a pursuer, maybe her father could help her.”

  “If she thought that, she would have gone to him two years ago.”

  “I suppose.”

  Rene came to announce dinner and, to Tracy’s surprise, Matt said he wasn’t staying. He squeezed her shoulder and kissed her on the forehead as if the gesture were one he performed every day.

  “Stay here and don’t go outside. I have something to take care of.”

  Suddenly, Tracy didn’t want to see him leave her sight. “Where are you going?”

  “I’ll tell you about it when I get back.”

  “Then you will be back?”

  He met her gaze seriously, and Rene slipped back into the kitchen, leaving them alone. Tracy felt a huge need well up in her. She didn’t want him to go yet. They had so much to talk about with this new twist in their lives. Or her life, she corrected herself.

  “Don’t worry,” he said in a sensual hush, pulling her into his arms. “I promise you I’ll be back tonight. This should take no more than a couple of hours. Three at most.”

  She closed her eyes and let him pull her into his embrace. If he didn’t want to tell her where he was going, she wasn’t going to force him. Swallowing her arguments, she knew she had to trust him. Matt knew his business. Let him go, she willed herself. But the old unpredictability of seeing a peace officer she cared about walk out the door sank to wrestle with her heart.

  MATT KNEW he’d never get an official wiretap on Captain Brad McAllister’s phone line. The red tape alone would put the police captain on the scent, and he’d then simply prevent any calls that might reveal what Matt was after. If he were caught performing an illegal wiretap, he could go to jail. His job was on the line. He questioned himself as to why he was determined to risk so much.

  The answer was that he was angry. Even though he had questioned his late partner’s ethics earlier, in his gut he couldn’t believe that Scott had been dirty. As a trained cop, Matt had to consider all the possibilities. But deep down, he couldn’t accept that one. His buddy had accidentally found out something dirty on one or a bunch of cops and gotten shot for his trouble. Scott had most likely tried to play by the rules and lost. Now the rules were for breaking.

  Matt waited until the evening shift was on duty at the central office where McAllister’s phone line was routed. It was an easy matter to pass all the security requirements using the forms he’d filled out so he could bluff his way through. The technician was a man he’d met, and he thanked his good fortune that Charley was the sort that wouldn’t talk.

  There was nothing unusual about leasing a line to carry the signals from McAllister’s phone to the location of Matt’s choice for monitoring. The fact that the police department would be billed for the leased lines wouldn’t become evident for weeks.

  After leaving the central office premises, Matt stopped by an electronics store to pick up the rest of the equipment he needed.

  As he drove through the darkened residential streets returning to the Ba
kers’ house, he slowed warily. He could see the house in the next block. Lights in most of the windows gave the impression that everyone was home. Paolo barked in answer to the yips and yaps of the neighborhood dogs. Matt double-checked his auto pistol, then left the Blazer and crept along the shadowed sidewalk, keeping next to the line of trees by the curb. Crickets chirped loudly in the summer night.

  A dark Ford sedan was parked facing the house half a block away. Two figures sat in the darkened vehicle, and one of them looked to be a woman. Since the two weren’t entwined in each other’s arms, Matt’s internal warning system told him they were trouble. They were watching the Bakers’ house. He waited until he was sure they didn’t have any other friends in the vicinity.

  They didn’t even hear him until he’d slid into the back seat. The 9 mm handgun rested on the skull of the woman in the front seat.

  “Freeze,” he said quietly. “And lift your hands up slow where I can see them.”

  He felt their surprise. The woman lifted her hands steadily and didn’t move, but the round-shouldered man on the driver’s side started to growl and turn around. Matt saw the silencer end of the gun in his lap, and shifted his gun to the man’s sleazy face.

  “If you want to keep your eyes in the front of your face, don’t move. I don’t have a problem with mixing your eyeballs with your brains and leaving the whole mess here in the car.”

  “Do what he says.” The woman’s voice was brash and hostile. But at least she had some sense.

  Her partner grimaced, showing missing teeth, but he stuck his hands up beside his ears.

  From his position in the back seat, Matt couldn’t reach for the gun in the man’s lap without risking the couple grabbing him. He had to remain in the back seat with his gun out of their reach.

  “Who sent you?”

  The tough guy grunted. “We don’t know things like that.”

  “I see,” said Matt. “So your boss doesn’t have a name.”