Sheltered by the Soldier, page 5
We know where you are.
Stop asking questions.
Don’t go to the police.
You will regret it.
It was going to be a long time before she could forget the threats. A long time before she didn’t see Casada’s lifeless face staring up at her. All she cared about right now was protecting her child, and if it meant not telling the police everything, then it would have to be that way. Because she wasn’t taking any chances.
* * *
Liam hesitated as he tried to form a response. While he understood her fears, figuring all this out on their own was no longer an option in his opinion. “I don’t think we have a choice, Gabby. We need help to figure out what’s going on. The authorities have the resources—”
“You’re wrong. They threatened me again. In the house. Threatened Mia. I can’t let them hurt her. Please. They said no cops, and if we go in there and tell those officers what happened I have no doubt that they’ll follow through. The only reason we’re alive right now is because a neighbor called 911 and spooked them, but this is far from over.”
Which was exactly what had him worried.
“Then what are we supposed to tell the police?” he asked.
“Only what we have to. Casada was a friend of yours. We came by to visit him. That’s all they need to know at this point. I want to keep Will out of this.”
“And the fact that Casada’s lying in the house with a gunshot wound to his head? How do we explain that? They’re not going to just believe that our showing up when we did was a coincidence any more than I do.”
“We came here to visit him, and he was already dead. Which they know. We were just paying an old friend a visit. There doesn’t have to be anything more to our story.”
Liam stared at his phone. “We need to find out the truth, Gabby, and I’m pretty sure that withholding evidence isn’t the right way. How are we supposed to do this on our own? We don’t even know what those men are looking for. And until we figure things out, you and Mia won’t be safe.”
“These people don’t play games. We’ve both seen that firsthand now.”
“All the more reason to tell the police what’s going on. They need to know you’ve been threatened. You don’t have to tell them everything, but we need to let them help us figure out what’s going on.”
She shook her head. “The men were searching the house.”
“I know.”
“They won’t stop until they have what they want. Until they ensure there is no one left to spill their secrets.”
“I’ll make a deal with you. We leave out Will’s connection, for now, but you let me keep Griffin in the loop and see what he can find out. Quietly.”
She hesitated before giving him an answer. “I’m not sure we should. Not yet.”
“If you change your mind?”
“I’ll tell you.”
An hour later, they finished talking with the police. Gabby was exhausted. He could tell by the look in her eyes. He needed to get her back to the ranch where she could take a nap.
“We appreciate your cooperation in this matter,” the lieutenant said. “We have your contact information and we will be in touch in case we end up with any more questions. All we need now is a signature on your statements and for you to double check that your contact information is correct.”
Liam signed his name, then slid the paper back across the table to the officer. He hadn’t lied. The only thing he hadn’t mentioned was the threats Gabby had received and the possible connection to Will’s death. He led Gabby outside to where his truck was parked, staying silent until they got into the vehicle.
She slid on her seat belt. “Thank you.”
“I’m still not sure we did the right thing.”
“They know enough. But there’s something else I’m worried about. I’ve tried calling your mother three times now and no one answers. What about Griffin?”
He hesitated, knowing she wasn’t going to like his answer. “I haven’t got ahold of him yet, but I reached out to the Timber Falls sheriff’s office. They said he was out on a call, and they’d have him get back to me as soon as possible.”
He was positive it was nothing, but he wasn’t sure she’d believe the same. She was scared and had every right to feel that way.
She was quiet as they took the highway south and headed out of Denver. He tried asking a few questions but finally gave up, realizing she wasn’t in the mood for small talk. Instead, he used the scenic drive to come up with his own plan. He understood her fear of telling the authorities what was going on, but they needed help. Griffin could discreetly use his resources and try to find out about the men who’d attacked them, as well as James Casada.
“How’s your headache?” she asked, breaking the silence between them.
“Better, thanks. Pretty much gone, in fact.”
“I’m glad.”
“Me, too.” He glanced at her profile, wishing he could fix everything for her. “Gabby, what happened this morning was traumatic, and it’s okay to feel scared.”
“I know. I guess... I’m just more worried about Mia right now. She’s totally dependent on me and yet I feel so helpless. Like there’s nothing I can do to stop this. And that’s what I’m supposed to do.”
He knew that what had happened today had to have brought up a surge of emotions about losing Will. She was strong, but everyone had a breaking point. A place where they needed someone else to step in and help pick up the slack. But she also had a stubborn streak. Maybe that was a part of being a single mom when everything automatically fell on her. It had been a long time since she’d had someone to care for her and protect her. Which was exactly what he intended to do.
“I’d still like to read Griffin in on what’s going on. Let him discreetly use the department’s resources to see if he can find out who’s behind this and keep us updated on the police investigation into Casada’s murder.”
He glanced at her, trying to gauge her reaction, but he couldn’t tell what she was thinking. “Gabby?”
She nodded. “Okay. But only him for the moment.”
“Agreed.”
Liam’s phone rang, and he pushed the answer button on the steering wheel.
“Mom?”
“I saw I missed a couple calls from you and Gabby.”
“Yeah. We’ve been trying to get ahold of you.”
“I’m sorry. We’re fine. Your father needed to check on a couple fences, so we decided to take Mia with us. She loves the truck. I hope the two of you weren’t worried.”
“As long as you’re all okay, that’s all that matters. We’re headed back to the ranch now, actually. I’ve got the call on Speaker.”
“I just listened to your voice message, Gabby. What’s going on?”
“We’ll fill you in on everything once we get back to the ranch, but we’re okay.”
His mother had come to terms over the years with the fact that she had four adult sons who all had dangerous jobs. But he knew for a fact, as much as she tried to hide it, that it didn’t mean she didn’t worry. And she spent a lot of time on her knees in prayer.
“What about Griffin?” Liam asked. “Have you seen him? I’ve been trying to get ahold of him as well.”
“He was out at the ranch with us until about an hour ago. He had to go out on a call.”
“Okay. We’ll meet you at the house shortly.”
He hung up the call, then reached out and squeezed Gabby’s hand. “Relieved?”
“Very.”
“But?”
She let out a low laugh. “How did you know there was going to be a but?”
“Just a guess.”
“I know I shouldn’t let my mind automatically go to the worst-case scenario, but it’s hard not to worry and question. Especially after all that’s happened. I feel like I’m waiting for the next catastrophe to hit, and then praying I can deal with it.” She stared out the window at the mountains in the distance. “Do you believe in prayer?”
“I do. I’ve seen enough horror in my life to know that without my faith I couldn’t go on. But I’ve also learned that there are times when we feel like we’re in the wilderness. When God’s presence seems far away.”
“And what happens when you can’t find your way back? I believe God is out there. Know He still cares, but I’ve had a hard time praying these past few months.”
“I’ve been exactly where you are and still too many times find myself there again. But Gabby, He’s not out there, watching down on you from above. He wants His presence to be in you. Constantly with you. Even when things hurt the most. Maybe especially when things hurt the most.”
The phone rang again, interrupting their conversation as Griffin’s name showed up on the caller ID.
“It’s my brother, but I’d like to continue this conversation.”
She nodded as he picked up the call.
“Griffin? What’s going on?”
“Sorry I missed you. Where are you?”
“Almost to Timber Falls, headed back to the ranch,” Liam said, quickly filling him in on what had just happened.
“I hate to throw another wrench into the works,” Griffin said, “but I need you to stop by town on your way. I’ve got some new information you’re going to want to hear.”
FIVE
Gabby stared across the sleepy diner on the outskirts of Timber Falls. At almost half past one, the lunch crowd had already headed back to work, leaving half a dozen empty tables.
Liam had tried to get her to order something, but she knew she couldn’t eat despite the menu boasting comfort food. Her stomach was still tied up in knots, her adrenaline still racing. Even knowing that Mia was safe, and that Liam was determined not to let anything happen to either of them, she couldn’t shake the lingering terror. It was the unknown that scared her the most. Not knowing who was behind this. Not knowing when or if they were going to strike, and how far they were willing to go. Becoming a single mom had changed the way she looked at everything. And it made it hard to let someone else in.
“Are you still okay with meeting with my brother?” He picked up one of the cheese sticks he’d ordered.
She glanced at the door. “I want to get back to Mia as soon as possible, but I’m just as anxious as you are to find out what he knows.”
“You can trust him.”
“I know. I just...” She took a sip of the hot tea she’d ordered, hoping the drink would calm her nerves. “There is something that’s bothering me.”
“What’s that?”
“Why didn’t they just shoot us like they did Casada? They had every advantage. We were unarmed and they both had guns. And they certainly had the opportunity.”
“To be honest, I thought the same thing, but I don’t know.”
“I get that they were spooked, but why run knowing we were probably going to end up talking to the police. Aren’t we a liability?”
“They were masked, so they knew we couldn’t identify them, and I’m also guessing they could be working for someone else. And here’s another thing to throw into the mix.” Liam wrapped his hands around his coffee mug. “I’m not a police detective, but what if they hadn’t intended to kill Casada.”
“What do you mean?”
“It seems to fit with their behavior. There was an unopened box of donuts on the counter next to a set of car keys. They would have known Casada was home. Maybe their plan was to scare him into not talking to you, but then things went south when Casada fought back.”
“That makes sense. I thought they could only track my location, but they had to know I was going to be there this morning.”
“It’s possible they were able to monitor your conversation and knew you were coming,” Liam said.
She worked to put the pieces of the puzzle together in her own mind. “What about Will’s death? How does it fit in then?”
“We still can’t be sure at this point if his death was planned or simply an accident.”
She jumped as the bell on the front door rang and a couple walked in. She shook her head. “Sorry.”
He smiled at her. “For what?”
She held out her hands above the table. “I’m still shaking and jumping at every noise. My heart is racing and I... I just want this to be over.”
“I know.” He reached out and took her hands. “You’re not the only one caught off balance. I might be military trained, but that doesn’t mean this situation doesn’t rattle me, too. The only thing I could think about was getting you out of there alive.”
“I did. We both did.”
The door jingled again, and this time she managed not to jump. Griffin stepped into the diner, but today he wasn’t wearing his uniform. Instead, he had on jeans, a plaid shirt, and a tan jacket and boots, looking almost as handsome as Liam. And making her wonder why none of the O’Callaghan brothers had married. It was something she just might have to ask Liam if the subject ever came up.
Griffin slid into the booth where they sat in the back of the diner. “Are you two okay?”
“We are. And thanks for meeting us here and not at the station,” Liam said.
“No problem.” He glanced at Liam’s appetizer plate.
Liam nodded at his brother. “Help yourself.”
“Thanks, but I think I’ll order something as well. I was planning to eat lunch at the ranch, but I got called out.” He signaled the waitress and asked for a burger and fries.
Gabby just wanted to get to the point. “I’m assuming you found out something about my accident.”
“I did, actually. But I’m not sure what to make of it.”
“What do you mean?”
Griffin pulled a small plastic bag out of his pocket and laid it on the table.
“What is it?” Liam asked.
“It’s a tracking device.”
“Wait a minute... Where did you find it?” Gabby asked.
“On your car. I’m actually surprised we found it—it’s so small—but the problem is this isn’t some run-of-the-mill tracker you can buy off the internet. This one is military grade.”
“They bugged my phone and my car?”
“I had our IT guy disable it, but yes.” Griffin leaned forward. “You know I want to help, but I’m going to need to make sure I know everything that’s going on.”
Gabby glanced at Liam who nodded at her. He’d been right about one thing. She had to trust someone. “Besides the accident on the road coming here, there have been threats, both toward me and my daughter. I’ve been told not to go to the authorities.”
“What do they want?”
“It started with a threatening text, then I showed up at my house yesterday and it had been trashed.”
“What do you think they were looking for?”
“Evidence. Will had been following a paper trail of some contractors he believed were defrauding the government.”
“Have you seen the evidence?”
“No. Which is part of the problem. If Will did have evidence, I have no idea where it is.”
“And yet someone believes she has it,” Liam said.
“So, yesterday they run you off the road, because they were trying to scare you into giving it to them?” Griffin asked.
“That’s my best guess.”
“Tell me more about what happened in Denver?” Griffin asked, salting his fries. “How does your visit play into all of this?”
“We went to see a man by the name of James Casada,” Liam said. “He worked with Will, and we believe he was someone Will trusted. His name was mentioned in one of Will’s letters to Gabby. We were hoping he might have some information that would help.”
“Did he?”
“When we got there, he’d been shot and the two men who killed him were in the house.”
“I guess that would explain the knot on your head?”
Liam nodded. “You should see the other guy. He’s got quite a shiner.”
Griffin grabbed for a fry, then stopped. “If they were armed, how did you get away?”
“A neighbor called 911 after the first shots. The two guys ran as soon as they heard the sirens.”
“Can you identify the men?”
“They were both wearing ski masks, so not their faces. I did give a description of their clothes to the officers, but that’s all we’ve got.”
“It’s a start. What about you, Gabby? Did you notice anything?”
She waited to answer until after their waitress set down Griffin’s burger and fries, and they reassured the woman they didn’t need anything else.
“I wish I could remember something, but everything happened so fast.”
“That’s okay. You’d be surprised how many witnesses don’t remember details after a trauma like that,” Griffin said. “The only other new information I’ve got right now is the statement of a couple who saw the accident and called it in. While they didn’t get a good look at the man in the vehicle, they did manage to get the model and color, along with a partial license plate, which we were able to track down.”
“Did you identify the driver?” Liam asked.
“The car was stolen two nights ago.”
“So another dead end.”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“There’s something else. It’s just a theory, but what if their intentions weren’t to kill Casada,” Liam said, “but just to scare him, ensuring he didn’t talk to Gabby?”
“And things got out of hand.”
“Exactly,” Liam said. “Their plan has definitely been to scare Gabby.”
“And if they’re convinced you have it, then they’re going to want to make sure you are alive.”
“I want to speak to the sheriff and get his opinion,” Griffin said. “We’ll keep this quiet, and I’ll leave out the connection with your husband’s death for now, but at some point it’s going to come up.”
