Witness on the Run

“Making sure you stay put until I can get answers.” He stalked around to the other side of the bed and poured her water. “Maybe this will help.”

“I can’t remember! Let me go!” She pulled on the handcuffs.

Caught. Snared. Stalked. About to be…killed?

She repeatedly pushed the nurse call button.

He closed in on her. No matter how far she leaned away, she couldn’t escape his stale coffee breath or the look of hatred in his eyes. “Cut the nonsense, lady.”

“Get away from her!”

Jake grabbed Detective Monroe’s arm and yanked him away from Robin. Anger arced through Jake’s chest at the look in her eyes. Terror didn’t begin to describe what he saw there.

Monroe glared at Jake. “You’re interfering with an ongoing investigation.”

“And you’re bullying a witness. This woman is a victim, not your perp.”

“I’m not so sure.” He eyed Robin.

She pulled on the handcuffs.

“She nearly died in the E.R.,” Jake said. “Uncuff her and get out.”

“Not until she answers some questions,” Monroe said.

“I don’t know anything!” she cried.

A young nurse rushed into the room. “What’s going on in here?”

“Police, ma’am.” Monroe flashed his badge. “I’ve been ordered to ask Miss Strand questions.”

“She’s not ready to answer your questions,” Jake said.

Monroe glared at him. “You’re a doctor now, Walters?”

“Stop it,” the nurse ordered. “She’s not up for visitors or interrogation. Now remove these cuffs and leave. Both of you.”

Monroe fisted his hand, and Jake realized the guy was dangerously close to doing something he’d regret. There were few things worse than losing a brother in blue. Jake understood the man’s emotional state but didn’t condone it.

“Let’s call Detective Beck,” Jake said.

“You do that.” But he didn’t move to uncuff Robin.

“And I’m calling security,” the nurse threatened.

Monroe snapped his glare from Jake and went around to release Robin. She turned away, her eyes connecting with Jake’s. He offered a slight smile, wanting to let her know it would be okay. He wasn’t going to let anything happen to her.

“We’re not done,” Monroe shot at Robin.

The nurse motioned for him to leave. “You, too,” the nurse said to Jake.

“No. Can he stay?” Robin asked.

The nurse frowned. “For a few minutes.”

Monroe stormed out with the nurse on his heels.

“You okay?” Jake asked.

“I’ve been better.”

She had a resilience about her that fascinated him. A cop, one of the good guys, had threatened her. but she hadn’t backed down.

“They think I was involved in the shooting?” she asked.

“They think you might have witnessed something. A police officer was killed tonight.”

Her eyes widened. “And that cop thinks I shot him?”

“I doubt it, but cops get crazy when a fellow officer is killed.”

“Yeah, he’s crazy and wants answers.” She sighed. “And my mind is a complete blank.”

“It will come back to you, in time.”

“I get the impression I don’t have time.”

Jake shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. He couldn’t argue with her.

“Someone’s after me,” she said in a soft voice.

“We don’t know that.”

“But if I saw something…”

“You need to focus on healing. You’re safe here.”

“You’re kidding, right? I almost died in the E.R., then a crazy cop handcuffs and interrogates me.”

Jake took a step closer. “It won’t happen again. I’m sorry I let Monroe question you.”

“He’s a cop. It’s not like you could have stopped him.”

“It doesn’t matter who it is. You asked me for help. I’ll make sure no one gets that close again.”

She leaned back against the pillow but didn’t look convinced. A distant memory flashed to the surface to taunt Jake. I won’t let him hurt you again, Mommy. But Jake had failed to keep that promise.

“You know the doctor in the E.R., the one who probably put something in my IV?” she said.

“Yeah?”

“I’ve seen him before.”

“You recognized him?”

“Just his eyes.” She hesitated. “Death Eyes.”

The nurse came into the room and checked Robin’s blood pressure. “Your few minutes is up,” she said, not looking at Jake.

“How are her vitals?” Jake asked.

“Everything looks good.” The nurse smiled at Robin.

With a nod, Jake started for the door.

“Wait, Jake?”

He turned to her.

“Thanks, for coming to the rescue.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“Do you…?” She hesitated. “Would you want to sit in here?”

Robin glanced at the nurse.

“If it would make you feel better,” the nurse said.

“It would.” Robin motioned to a chair.

It hit a little too close to home, having recently spent months sitting beside Mom, but Jake read panic in Robin’s eyes. She would feel better if he stayed close.

“Sure.” With a nod, Jake collapsed in a corner chair where he had a clear view of the door.

The nurse finished up and left Robin and Jake alone.

Robin leaned against the pillow and eyed him. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Why are you here?”

“Excuse me?” He sat up straight. Had she forgotten asking him to protect her?

“Don’t look so worried. I remember asking you to stay,” she said as if she’d read his mind. “I’m wondering why you came to the hospital with me in the first place.”

Crossing his arms over his chest, he said, “I guess I feel responsible. It’s my fault you ran into the street.”

“You weren’t trying to shoot me.”

“No, but I frightened you, and you tore off to get away from me.”

“I wish I could remember.” She closed her eyes and pulled the blankets up to her chin.

The woman was a mess. Who wouldn’t be? The hospital should be a safe place, a healing place. Instead, it had turned into a war zone where enemies hid in every corner from the E.R. to her hospital room.

Detective Monroe. A complete jerk. Jake couldn’t believe the guy had gone after her like that, handcuffed her to the bed. What on earth was he thinking?

“I wish you could remember, too,” Jake said.

With a sigh, she rolled onto her side, facing him. Wrapped in blankets, she looked childlike and fragile.

“I’m afraid of what comes next,” she said in a soft voice.

“Don’t be. Just rest. That’s the best thing you can do for yourself.”

She nodded and closed her eyes. He folded his hands behind his head and leaned back. This woman tapped into all his protective instincts from his mom, to his ex-girlfriend, to innocents in Iraq. He was overthinking again.

He glanced at the door as someone passed. That’s what he should be focused on, not the tender beauty wrapped in white.

He suddenly wondered if this was his chance at redemption, his chance to make it right. He’d see Robin through to the end and make sure she wasn’t another innocent victim of violence.

Robin awakened with a start, terrified all over again. She glanced around to get her bearings and spotted Jake in the corner of the dark room, asleep in the chair.

She hadn’t slept well, tossing and turning, her thoughts driving her into a deeper sense of foreboding. She’d seen something she shouldn’t have, and couldn’t remember anything clearly enough to help the police find the killer.

Those buried memories were going to get her killed.

She didn’t want to die. She had a lot to do, things to accomplish. Too bad she couldn’t remember what they were.

A creaking sound from the doorway made her jackknife in bed. She squinted through the dark room toward the light in the hallway, but no one was there.

She was tempted to ask for a sleep aid, but didn’t like taking drugs of any kind, even an over-the-counter pain reliever, although she’d accepted a few of those earlier to ease her pounding head.

Placing a hand to her heart to calm herself, she flopped back against the bed and eyed Jake, her self-proclaimed bodyguard. His arms were folded across his chest, his head tipped forward. Guilt snagged her insides. He looked so uncomfortable. She shouldn’t have asked him to stay, but she didn’t know who else to turn to. She needed someone’s help, and so far Jake had been the only person in her life who seemed to be more concerned about Robin than the murder case.

The shrill sound of the phone made her jump. She grabbed it, not wanting it to awaken Jake. “Hello?” she whispered.

“Death Eyes is coming for you,” a gravelly voice whispered.

She slammed the receiver, ripped out her IV and jumped out of bed, backing up against the wall.

“Robin?” Jake said, clearing his throat and sitting up. “What’s wrong?”

“Phone,” was all she could say.

The walls closed in. She wasn’t even safe in the hospital. The cops considered her a suspect, the killer had spiked her IV, and although Jake was here, he didn’t owe her anything. He could abandon her at any time.

She felt like a revolving duck at a carnival shooting gallery, ready to be picked off as she made the next turn.

Although much of her memory was lost, she knew she was a strong and determined woman. She was not going to be terrorized by a phantom and lie in bed waiting for him to finish the job.

“It’s okay,” Jake said, edging toward her. “Why don’t you get back into bed?”

“And wait to be killed or arrested? No, thanks. I’ve got to get out of here.”

She hobbled to the closet, her sore knee giving her a little trouble.

“Robin, be reasonable.” Jake blocked her.

“Please get out of my way.” She planted her hands on her hips.

He stepped aside. She grabbed the bag with her clothes and went into the bathroom. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Who was that woman?

“Very funny,” she muttered. She recognized herself, she just didn’t like what she saw staring back at her: a bruised and pathetic-looking woman.

“You are not pathetic. You’re just hurt. And scared.” She searched her briefcase and found her wallet. “Awesome.” She had forty bucks and a few credit cards plus her driver’s license with her address.

The cash was enough for a cab. She remembered what Jenn had written on the slip of paper: Call me anytime!

But it was the middle of the night, really not a good time to call a friend and ask for a ride. Robin could take a cab to Jenn’s place, at least that way her friend wouldn’t have to get dressed and drive to the hospital to get her.

Robin slipped on her pants and buttoned her dirt-smudged, cream-colored blouse. Her head was still foggy, but she was okay, surprisingly okay. She slung her briefcase over her shoulder and opened the bathroom door.

Her gaze locked on Jake’s amazing blue-green eyes.

“Don’t argue with me.” Robin went to the bed and searched the table for Jenn’s note.

“Why are you leaving?” he challenged.

“I can’t sleep.”

“Who was on the phone?”

She snatched Jenn’s note off the floor and shoved it into her pocket. “It doesn’t matter.”

Robin stepped around Jake, marched to the door and glanced down the hall toward the nurse’s station. A nurse sat at a desk with her back to Robin.

He stepped in front of her. “I wish you’d reconsider.”

“Please get out of my way.”

“A doctor should release you.”

“I can’t wait for a doctor.” She walked around him and opened the stairwell door.

“It’s not safe to go home,” he said, following close behind her.

She gripped the railing as she climbed down the stairs, slowly, favoring her right leg. “It isn’t safe here, either.”

He stepped in front of her and blocked the door to the ground level. “What happened?” He narrowed his eyes as if trying to read her mind.

She gripped the strap of her briefcase. Besides Jenn, this stranger was the only person she could trust. “He called my hospital room.”

“Who?”

“Death Eyes.”

“How do you know it was him?”

“He identified himself.”

“How did he know you called him that?”

“I think I whispered it before I passed out. What does it matter? He’s coming for me, and I’m not waiting around to be killed!” She closed her eyes, embarrassed by her outburst.

Jake’s warm, solid hand brushed against her sleeve. “It’s okay. Take a deep breath. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you, remember?”

With a sigh, she opened her eyes. “I’d like to believe you, I really would. But let’s be real. I don’t know you. Why should you help me?”

“I’ve given you my word.” He opened the door. “My car’s in the garage.”

Great, now she was going off with a strange man?

“You can drop me at Jenn’s.”

“Please stay close,” Jake said, his hand on something inside his jacket. A gun? Did he expect Death Eyes to pop out from behind a car?

She hoped by morning the fog would lift from her brain, and she’d recall exactly what happened. At this point all she could remember were flashes of memory, frightening flashes.

She glanced at her briefcase and rubbed her fingers against the smooth leather. She remembered doing this before, brushing her hand across it while holding her cell phone to her ear.

Memories echoed in her brain.

I’m ordering you a longhorn burger as we speak.

Walking toward the elevators…noticing a light from an office spilling out into the hallway…she glanced right—

“Stop!” she gasped.

“Robin?”

She struggled to breathe, gripping Jake’s jacket with trembling fingers. “I saw the light from the office. Someone was there.”

“In the Chambers Building?”

She nodded, but words couldn’t make it past her throat.

“It’s okay.” He glanced across the half-empty garage. “Let’s get you out of here.” He put his arm protectively around her shoulder and led her to a small pickup truck.

Robin couldn’t stop trembling as the memory clawed at the edge of her mind, taunting her, terrorizing her with the unknown.

A bang made her shriek.

“Shh, it’s okay. Someone just slammed a car door,” Jake said, squeezing her shoulder.

As they approached the pickup, a security officer stepped in front of them. “Ma’am, are you okay?”

“I’m…I’m, no,” she said wanting to destroy the memories circling her brain like crows over a dead animal.

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to step away from the woman,” the security guard ordered.

“You don’t understand—”

“The woman obviously feels threatened by you.”

Jake released her and Robin felt utterly vulnerable all over again.

“Robin, stay close,” Jake said.

The security guard stepped between them. “Sir, please keep your distance.”

“She’s suffering from a head injury.”

“Hands on the car.”

Jake turned and placed his hands to the roof of his truck. “Robin, it’s okay.”

He was being patted down and was still trying to take care of her.

“What’s this?” The guard pulled a gun from inside Jake’s jacket and waved it in his face.

She shivered at the sight of the black steel. A chill started deep in her bones and permeated her entire body to her fingertips.

“I’m a private investigator. I have a permit for that.”

Robin had seen one of those before, black steel aimed at her…

She backed a few steps away from Jake and the guard as she fought back the memories.

A red stain spreading across the carpet…

Saturating a man’s crisp, white shirt.

Her pulse raced as she turned away from the sight of the gun. She looked up just as blinding headlights pinned her in place.

The squeal of tires pierced her eardrums.

She couldn’t move, couldn’t cry out.

“Robin!” Jake shouted.

FOUR

Jake lunged at Robin and yanked her out of the way of the moving car. Blood pounding in his ears, he turned his back and held his breath.

The roar of the engine bounced off the low ceiling as the car clipped another car, then sped away. Jake glanced up to catch what he could of the plate number. The guard chased after the car, probably with the same idea.

The feel of Robin clinging to his shirt snapped Jake’s attention back to the trembling woman in his arms.

“It’s okay. Shh.” He stroked her hair, held her against his chest. He couldn’t remember ever comforting a woman like this. Was he doing it right?

“He tried to hit her,” the guard said, marching up to them. “What was that about?”

“Call Detective Ethan Beck. He’ll explain it.”

Jake gave the guard Ethan’s number. While the guard made the call, Jake opened the passenger door to the truck and placed his hands on Robin’s shoulders.

“Why don’t you get in the truck?” he said.

She nodded with a look of utter devastation. Her beautiful eyes were clouded with fear.

“Hey.” He tipped her chin up with his forefinger. “You’re okay. He’s gone.”

She absently shifted into the front seat. He started to shut the door.

“Wait,” she said. “Can you…leave it open?”

“Sure, no problem.”

The guard walked around the truck to Jake and held out his cell phone. “He wants to talk to you.”

“Are we good?” Jake asked the guy.

“Yes.”

“My gun?”

The guard slipped it from his belt and handed it to him.

Jake took the phone and stepped away from the truck. “Ethan, someone just tried to—”

“I know. Listen, I’m going to text you the address of a safe house. Get her there, ASAP. My guys are waiting.”

“Are you sure you can trust them?”

“Yes. Just go with me on this, okay? I’ll fill you in later.”

“I got a partial plate on the vehicle that tried to run her down. Washington plate, starts with one-six-four. Honda Civic probably seven, eight years old.”

“Thanks. I’m depending on you, buddy,” Ethan said.

“So is Robin. She’s asked me to stay close.”

“Robin might be involved in something pretty nasty. Drop her off and drive away.”

“You keep asking me to do that, but you know I won’t.”

“Jake—”

“Talk to you later.” He ended the call and handed the phone to the security guard. “I’ve got to get her to a safe house.”

“Right. Sorry about before.”

“You were doing your job.”

Jake went to the passenger side of his truck. Robin’s eyes were closed. She leaned back against the headrest.

“Robin?”

She looked up, fear tinting her chocolate-brown eyes, and something pinched Jake’s chest.

“I’m taking you to a safe house, okay?”

She nodded, clinging to her leather briefcase.

Jake shut the door and glanced across the parking garage. The guard was halfway to the elevator, but otherwise there was no movement. His shoulders knotted with tension. He got behind the wheel of his pickup and took a deep breath.

“It’s going to be okay.” He kept saying that and yet it never was okay. Everywhere Robin went it seemed like danger was lurking in the shadows, ready to jump out and attack her.

Kill her.

He shoved the car in gear and pulled out of the garage, gripping the steering wheel with more force than necessary. Would her attacker be waiting on a nearby side street? Tail them and make another attempt on her life?

“Can you talk to me?” she said.

“About what?”

“I don’t care, you know, small talk? I’m spinning again and need to stop it.”

“Spinning?” He headed north on State Route 99 and kept a keen eye on the rearview mirror.

“I get stuck in a bad head space and spin like a top. I’m afraid I’m going to have a full-blown anxiety attack.”

“Don’t beat yourself up for that. You’ve had more threats against your life in the last thirty hours than the average person has in two lifetimes.”

She sighed and glanced out the window. Light rain tapped against the glass.

“Sorry, that didn’t make you feel better, did it?” he said. “Okay, small talk.” He searched his mind. “The Mariners look good this year.”

She tipped her face to study him. “Tell me something about yourself.”

He redirected his focus to the traffic ahead of them. “What do you know so far?”

“You’re a war veteran and federal agent.”

“Was a federal agent.”

“You’re too young to have retired.”

“I took personal leave to help out my mom.”

“So, now I know you’re a good son.”

He shrugged. If he’d really been good, he would have defended her long before the cancer took hold. He would have stood up for her instead of hiding when the old man swung his way through the house.

“You have brothers and sisters?” she asked.

“One sister. Older.” Always absent. Jake understood. Amy had to take care of herself. She’d done pretty well in life, earned her degree, married a decent man and had kids. She’d settled in eastern Washington, far enough away to be safe from the old man.

“Your parents?” Robin asked.

“Old man’s been gone for five years, and Mom passed in January. Cancer.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. She’s in a better place.”

“That expression never makes me feel better.”

“You remember hearing it before?” He winked, trying to lighten the moment.

“Yeah, I guess I have.”

A minute passed. She fidgeted next to him, and he guessed the silence made her uncomfortable.

“So,” she started up again. “You took a leave of absence from…”

“Homeland Security.”

“Do you intend to go back?”

“Probably not. I’m doing pretty well as a P.I. and private security.”

“You mean, for me?”

“I’ve done private security for other people.”

“How much do you charge?”

“Depends on the case.”

“What about my case?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Jake—”

“Really. Don’t. I figured pro bono work into my operating costs. I won’t starve by helping you out.”

“Are you…?” Robin hesitated.

“What?”

“Never mind.”

“Aw, don’t tease me like that.”

“I was going to ask if your family will be upset with you for spending so much time protecting me.”

“Nope.”

“Your wife and children?”

“No wife. No children. Why did you think I was married?”

“You just seem the type.”

“Yeah? What type is that?”

“The settling-down type.”

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my thirty-one years, it’s never to assume you know someone.”

He thought he knew Mom, but some days she was a mystery. After all, why would the woman stay with an abuser?

Cassandra, his near-fiancée, wasn’t any easier to understand. She’d said she’d wait for him to return from his tour of duty. She’d said a lot of things that had turned out to be lies, but not everything. Like her accusation that he had violent tendencies. She’d hit the mark with that one.

“Why did you join the military?” Robin pushed.

He understood her need to keep talking, even if he was uncomfortable answering her questions.

“Couldn’t afford college,” he lied. He was offered a few scholarships, but he carried so much anger inside of him he figured he’d put his violent tendencies to good use and fight for his country, maybe exorcise some of his angst.

“Your turn,” he said.

“I can’t remember anything, remember?” She shook her head. “That sounded dumb.”

He wanted to remind her she remembered something about last night, but the goal was to keep her calm, not upset her again by stirring up the memory of the man she called Death Eyes. He’d bring that up later, after she calmed down.

“I think you remember more than you think.” He smiled, hoping to ease her anxiety. Maybe this was a bad idea, but he had to try. For her sake. “What’s your favorite color?”

“Blue,” she said, raising her eyebrows in shock. “How did I know that?”

“See, you do remember some things. How old are you?”

“Twenty-nine.”