When She Wasn't Looking (8 page)

Chapter Nine

Cade walked down the hospital hallway toward room two-fifteen. He didn’t look at the numbers as he passed. Didn’t need to. The guard standing watch in front of the door at the end of the hall guided the way.

Cade stopped in front of a young officer. The guy looked all of twenty, even with the military haircut and gun within inches of his hand. The name tag said Stimpson. The flat line of his mouth said business.

Stimpson held up one hand while the other went to the top of his weapon. “This is a restricted area.”

“I’m here to see Paul Eckert.”

“No one goes in or out. Deputy Porter’s orders.”

Jonas Porter again. The guy caused trouble without even being there. “I have something that trumps your deputy.”

Stimpson snorted. “I doubt that.”

The challenge intrigued Cade. He held his shiny badge, ready to go, and flipped it open. “FBI. Now, step aside.”

Stimpson’s scowl faltered. “I was told—”

“Call your deputy. In the meantime, I’m going in that room.” This time when Cade stepped forward, Stimpson shifted to the side.

But he caught the door before Cade could shut it. “This stays open until I get confirmation.”

Good for Stimpson.
“Agreed.”

Cade took it all in—the heart-rate monitor, the bandage on Paul’s head and around his hand. Dressed in a hospital gown with the covers pulled up to his chest, he looked less like the ace Academy grad who now specialized in white-collar crime and more like an actual patient.

“You owe me.” Paul’s eyes opened the second after he made his comment.

“You heard my talk with Stimpson?”

“Way I figure it, you have about five minutes before that Porter guy comes rushing through the door.”

“I’ll be out in four.” Cade nodded in the direction of the beeping monitor. “You okay?”

“Waiting for the scan to come back, but the brain appears to be working. Ducking police questions has been tougher. They’re persistent out here.” Paul lowered his voice. “Man, what did you get me into? You know they’re calling the office and checking my credentials?”

Cade regretted getting his friend involved. Cade had called in a favor and made up a story. “Since you actually are an agent, you’ll be fine.”

“But we both know this isn’t a real assignment.”

Cade blocked out that part. He’d do everything he could to make sure Paul didn’t get in trouble. The fake backstory was in place and ready to go. Signed documents and the right computer trail waited in case anyone went snooping.

But that left the bigger question. The one Cade could not kick out of his head. “You were supposed to talk with her, not get into a fight and land here.”

“Thanks for caring about my future with the Bureau.”

Cade put a hand on the back of the bed above Paul’s pillow and leaned in. “I’ll handle it.”

And Cade could. He’d gone from newbie to supervisor in record time. Flew up the rigid promotion system and passed men with years more experience. That rapid rise gave him power. A few forms and rerouted calls, and everything would work out.

If Porter backed off, it would all go away immediately. Cade guessed he wasn’t going to be that lucky.

Paul nodded but didn’t look convinced. “When I saw her getting loaded into the ambulance, I wanted to make sure she was okay. Also figured I’d follow her here and make a move. Even had the help of the local sheriff.”

“Porter?”

“He’s town police. This is another guy. Walt something.”

“And?”

“Porter tried to sneak her out of the hospital. I knew it was going to happen, sensed the guy had a personal stake in her, and held back. When he took her out, I followed to keep track for you and, well, hell, the guy saw me and went ballistic.”

The more Cade heard about Porter, the harder Cade’s headache hammered. So many years, so much planning. Having it ruined by a cop with a hard case of lust made Cade want to punch something.

“Tell me about Courtney Allen,” Cade said.

“It’s her. Different name but definitely a match to the woman you’ve been hunting.”

Cade hadn’t known he was holding his breath until it rushed out of him. “Good.”

“But something else is going on.”

Cade didn’t move. There was no way Paul could know every detail. “Meaning?”

“She got into trouble out in the forest. Before that, I heard him at her front door, talking about some other woman.”

Cade’s world shifted back into place. Paul didn’t know. He hadn’t figured out every detail.

Paul snapped his fingers. “Maggie or Margaret. Something like that.”

The headache thundered until Cade could barely hear anything else. “Taynor. The name is Margaret Taynor.”

“That’s it. The name sounds familiar, but I couldn’t place it. Who is she?”

“A lawyer.”

Paul held up his hands. “That narrows it down. We only know about ten thousand of them in D.C.”

“A dead one.”

All amusement left Paul’s face. His anger highlighted the bruise around his eye. “Look, Cade. I said I’d take a few days off and help you out, play a part, so you could reel this witness in, but—”

“She’s not a witness.”

Paul’s mouth dropped open. “You mean she’s really wanted on something?”

“Yes.”

“What the…” His bed whirred as he hit the button and struggled to sit up. “Why didn’t you do this job by the rules? This isn’t like you.”

“We don’t have time for explanations. Suffice to say I haven’t told you everything, but I will.”

“I don’t like it. You’re messing with my life here, Cade.”

He glanced over his shoulder and saw the officer talking on the phone. “I’m going to see about getting you out of here and erasing any record of your time here except the official record, which I’ll write.”

“How are you going to get all of the people here to stay quiet? I’ve had law enforcement crawling all over me since I arrived.”

“Let me worry about that. Your job is to get dressed. When the nurse comes in, I want you to be ready to go.”

“To where?”

“Home, and don’t talk to anyone. Keep with the same story. Flash the badge and refuse to comment on a pending investigation.” Cade thought about the file in his car. “I’ll handle Courtney from here.”

* * *

S
EEING
C
OURTNEY FIGHT ALL DAY
, watching the fear fall over her and her push it back, made Jonas view her in a certain way. Tough, determined, not afraid to break the rules.

He’d prepared his mind for a criminal past even as the rest of him rebelled at that thought. He expected talk about some minor crimes in her past that didn’t matter. He preferred that to an ex who hurt her and had her on the run.

But the gem about her name being new threw him. Even with every ounce of energy drained from his broken body, he’d fidgeted in that chair for hours the night before thinking about what she didn’t say.

Nothing readied him for news of a mass murder.

Standing next to her now, seeing the energy bounce off her as she gripped the folder as if it were the only thing holding her upright, showed him another side. Vulnerable. This wasn’t about her refusing to own up to something. This was about her wading right into the middle of a disaster.

A dead body in the forest. A rogue FBI agent. And now a tossed house.

He could forget about sleep for at least another day. No way was he leaving her alone or with anyone else. Jonas trusted Walt and Rich with his life, but that didn’t mean he could walk away.

Not from this. Not from her.

“When and where?” he asked.

Courtney’s throat bobbled. “Maryland, ten years ago.”

“I don’t understand. Why didn’t you ever say anything?” Ellie stood there with her feet rooted to the floor and her breaths coming in hard puffs.

Courtney shook her head. “I never talk about…”

“You don’t want to relive it,” he said.

“People called my dad a family annihilator, a guy who wipes out his wife and kids.” She gulped in a huge breath. “I still can’t believe it happens often enough for there to be a term for it.”

Jonas knew all about the definition and the type of man who would commit such a heinous crime. On the outside, he appeared dedicated to his family but doubts and frustrations festered. Possessive, controlling and narcissistic. The idea of Courtney being a victim of such a man, even a dead one, made Jonas want to punch something.

Despite his rising anger over the situation, Jonas had to tread carefully. One wrong word and Courtney would get it into her head he didn’t believe her and close down.

“Your father was found guilty?” Jonas knew with enough time and a little information he could find the answer, but he wanted to hear it from her. He sensed she needed to say it, to let some of the poison out.

Her fingers curled tighter on the folder. “He was found dead at the scene. Gunshot wound to the head.”

“I’m so sorry.” Ellie reached out a hand but stopped short of touching Courtney.

“Where were you when it happened?” Jonas asked, trying to stay all business so she could get the information out without crumbling, though she didn’t strike him as the crumbling type.

Ellie put her body in front of her friend’s. “What are you saying?”

He shifted until he faced Courtney head-on again. “Courtney?”

She didn’t need sympathy now. Determination radiated off of her. What she needed, what he read from the tone of her voice and the sadness in her eyes, was to be heard.

He’d been trained to listen, no matter how painful the facts. Usually he had the small comfort of distance. He didn’t know the victims and could build an emotional barrier. After only a few hours, he felt an attachment to Courtney. That would make everything harder.

“I’d snuck out to be with my boyfriend.” The words sounded as if they were ripped out of her one by one.

The pieces shifted and fell together for Jonas. A young girl having fun and missing a massacre. Many would term it as fate, but he suspected there was something deeper going on—survivor’s guilt.

“So, you lived,” he said in the softest voice he could manage.

She never broke eye contact. “Yes.”

Her answers brought more questions, but Jonas knew one thing for certain. He had to get her out of there. He didn’t know how what was happening now was related to the killings then, but the invisible ties existed. He’d bet everything he had on it.

“It’s time to move.” He glanced around the room. “Gather everything you need—”

Courtney lifted the folder to just under her chin. “This is it.”

“Wrong. Get some clothes and your glasses. Enough with the vanity. You need to see what’s going on.”

“What are you two talking about?” Ellie asked. Her gaze shifted between Courtney and Jonas.

“I’m taking her somewhere safe until I know who broke in here and why.” A memory hit him. “If you each had to use a key to open a door, how did the person get in?”

Ellie hitched a thumb over her shoulder. “There’s a window open in the bedroom.”

“No.” Courtney shook her head. “I never leave anything open or unlocked when I leave.”

He knew that before she said it. Someone with her past would guard her safety. “You’ll pack a bag and come with me. We’ll close up and Ellie will go home.”

“How does any of that help Courtney?” Ellie asked.

“I’m going to be by her side until we figure this out.”

Courtney’s head tilted to the side as she shot him an unreadable expression. “And if you don’t?”

“I will.”

Chapter Ten

No one stood at the door. As promised, the guard had disappeared at the right moment.

With help from his inside contact, Kurt had disabled the security cameras. They had switched to a blank screen exactly one minute ago, allowing him time to slip in and out undetected.

He had the hospital pass clipped to his borrowed scrubs to help him blend. In the time it took to walk back and forth, he would wrap Cade Willis up in a tight knot that had him answering questions and fighting off murder allegations for months.

Like father, like son.

The best part: nothing would trace back to anyone other than Cade. An alibi, complete with video footage placing Kurt back in Washington, D.C., had been set up and readied. No record of him leaving the metro area existed. If anyone asked, he’d never been to Oregon.

But first, Kurt had to see if he could get any information out of Paul Eckert. Confirmation of his connection to Cade Willis would do. If the men were working together, Kurt still could close the loop. If the investigation had widened or become official, things could get messy.

Kurt eased open the door to room two-fifteen. The agent wasn’t in the bed, but the light in the bathroom burned in a thin line under the door.

Kurt loved when a plan came together. If only everything related to his dealings with Courtney had run this smoothly.

Putting on his black gloves, he moved to the bathroom. When the door opened, he shoved it back, slamming it into the agent’s head. The man lifted his hands to his nose as he groaned. Kurt didn’t wait. He pushed the agent against the sink and pressed the knife to his throat.

“Who are you working for?” Kurt asked.

The agent gasped as blood ran down his face. “Who the hell are you?”

“Wrong answer.” The tip of the knife pricked skin. “Who?”

“I’m FBI. Agent Paul Eckert.”

“I don’t care.” Kurt didn’t have this kind of time. He’d been promised a few minutes alone and nothing more. As those ticked by, the chance of detection grew. And he could not allow that. “Are you in town on Cade Willis’s orders or someone else’s?”

The agent’s confusion slipped for just a second before snapping back into place.

“I don’t know who Cade Willis is. Never heard of him at all.” Paul’s voice sounded stronger, more sure.

He broke a very easy rule—using six words when one would do. The slip didn’t get by Kurt. Sure, this guy played a role, trying not to give Cade away. Kurt admired the loyalty but didn’t let it sidetrack him. Now that the agent regained his wits, puffing up his chest, making a move couldn’t be far behind.

“You’ve been very helpful.” Kurt sliced the knife deep into the agent’s neck and stepped back.