Chapter 8 #2
Maybe he’d arrange for Bryn to speak to someone within the federal government. The feds were tasked with dealing with police corruption.
Too bad he didn’t have any evidence of that. Only his paranoid suspicions.
Micah focused on the address of the rental property.
Without his phone, he couldn’t use the GPS system, but he typed the address into the center console to get an idea of the location.
He would have preferred to go around Madison, but with the capital being flanked by lakes, he was forced to go through the heart of the city.
It was slow going, but at least they weren’t being followed. Even if the steel-gray SUV had called for backup, there was no way the bad guys could track them now.
Once he reached the south side of the city, he was disappointed to see the homes were even closer together in this neighborhood. He frowned and considered driving straight through the state of Wisconsin until he reached the Illinois border.
If they were found again at this rental house, their escape would be hampered by their close neighbors. He remembered how Grady had used log cabin rentals when he’d gone on the run with his wife, Lauren, and her daughter, Lucy.
Maybe that was a better plan. He ended the map application on the GPS and turned to get on the freeway to head north.
“Where are we going?” Bryn sounded worried. “I thought you knew the address and the access code to the rental house.”
“Another change in plan.” He offered her a reassuring smile. “I have a better location in mind.”
She looked as if she wanted to argue but didn’t. After a few minutes, she asked, “Is this your way of protecting Rex?”
“That’s part of it. This way he can honestly tell Lieutenant Krogan that he has no idea where we are.
But the bigger issue is that I don’t want to be holed up in another neighborhood with innocent people on all sides.
It was nothing short of a miracle that we got away cleanly the last time.
I don’t want to take the chance that some nosy neighbor will stop us if we end up in a similar situation. ”
“Okay.” She still looked concerned. “I’m happy to know we can protect Rex from aiding and abetting a criminal. Bad enough that you’re helping me.”
“You’re not under arrest,” he protested. “It’s an interview. And maybe we can find a way to provide our statements without showing up at the police station.”
“Doubt they’ll let me do that over the phone.
” She sighed and tucked a strand of her red hair behind her ear.
“I don’t think the police are involved. It’s more likely the steel-gray SUV guessed we’d head to the police station.
It’s logical to assume we’d report these incidents of gunfire in person. ”
“Maybe.” He hated to admit she was right. Yet he wasn’t turning around to go back to Madison either. “We’ll figure something out.”
She blew out a frustrated breath but didn’t say anything more. He thought back to the conversations he’d had with Mac. The guy had mentioned two different cabin rentals they’d used, the second being near a large farm. He continued heading north, wishing he could call Mac to learn more.
After a brief internal debate, he decided against pulling over to deal with the new phones now. How many cabin rentals were there around here anyway? Probably not a lot. And if he found one that was different from the one Mac had used, that was fine too.
Being off-grid was all that mattered.
Twelve minutes later, he saw a sign for cabin rentals. These were closer than he’d anticipated, and he guessed they were not the same ones Mac had found. But these would work too. As long as there was a cabin available.
And the owner allowed him to use cash. It was Saturday, so he knew they could be booked for the weekend.
Exiting the freeway, he followed the signs to the cabin rental. They weren’t too far from the city known as Wisconsin Dells. It was a recreational place full of indoor water parks and arcades that drew families from as far away as Chicago. He had no intention of putting young kids in harm’s way.
But the cabin rentals he found were far enough away that he thought they might work.
“This looks like a nice place.” Bryn leaned forward to get a better view of the cabins.
“Yeah. There’s a vacancy sign, which is good news for us.” He stopped at the main cabin and shifted into park. “Stay here, I’ll see what they have available.”
“Okay.” She sat back, looking exhausted as she shook her head. “I can’t believe it’s just past eleven o’clock in the morning. Feels like we’ve been on the road forever.”
“I hear you.” His stomach was rumbling for lunch, but he ignored it. “I’ll be back soon.”
He slid out and closed the door behind him.
After mounting the stairs, he opened the door, glancing around curiously.
As expected, the place sported a rustic cabin motif.
Very common in this part of the state, or so he assumed.
There were a couple of deer heads mounted on the walls, and he wondered if the grizzled-looking guy behind the counter was the hunter who’d shot them.
“Hi. Do you have a cabin available?” He smiled at the guy and offered his hand. “I’m Mick Newhouse. My wife and I are passing through.”
“Nice to meet ya.” The old man shook his hand in a strong grip. “I have a cabin available. Do you want one night or two?”
“Just one for now, if that’s okay.” Micah pulled out his wallet. “I hope you don’t mind if I pay in cash. Our credit card was declined at the store, and I haven’t had time to call the credit card company to find out what’s going on.”
“Credit cards.” The old man sneered. “Hate those things, the fees are atrocious. I prefer cash.” Then he narrowed his gaze. “Just don’t wreck the place, understand?”
“No, sir, we won’t.” Micah tried not to think about the gunfire that had erupted outside their last rental property. “Thank you very much. My wife will be thrilled.”
“Any time.” The old man named his price, and Micah gratefully paid.
“Thanks again.” He took the keys to cabin number five back out to the SUV and slid in behind the wheel. “We’re set. The owner is a nice guy.”
“Most people are.” Her brow furrowed. “Hard to remember that at times like this, though.”
He nodded in understanding. The cabins were far enough apart to provide some privacy. When he saw a couple leave with two kids tucked into the back seat, he winced.
So much for not putting kids in harm’s way.
He didn’t see how the gunman could find them way out here. Not while using disposable phones. Yet he remembered how Mac had thought he was safe only to realize he wasn’t.
We only need one day, he thought grimly, stopping outside cabin number five. They should be safe there until the morning.
“Wow, this is nice,” Bryn said when he unlocked the door and pushed it open. “I like it.”
“It’ll do.” He dropped the computer and bag of items from the store on the table. Rummaging in the bag, he removed the disposable phones, then pushed the rest toward Bryn. “This is all yours. I need to get these up and running to call Rex and Alex. My buddy at the DMV,” he reminded her.
“Yeah, okay.” She picked up the bag of clothes and toiletries. “I’m going to wash up.”
She disappeared into the bedroom. There were two of them, but he figured he’d sleep on the sofa like he had last night.
If he slept at all.
He called Alex first but was forced to leave a message. He gave Alex the information on the steel-gray SUV and license plate number, asking for a call back as soon as possible.
Then he stared at the phone, dreading the call to Rex. His boss would not be happy that they’d left Madison without talking to the police.
With a sigh, he made the call. Because the number was unknown, Rex didn’t pick up. Micah left a message and ended the call. His new phone rang less than ten seconds later.
“What happened?” Rex demanded. “I’m being hounded by Lieutenant Krogan because you and Bryn haven’t shown up to provide your statements.”
“I know, sorry about that.” He debated how much to tell his boss.
“The steel-gray SUV I noticed outside the rental property shortly before bullets started flying was parked at the side of the street leading to the police station. I crept closer to try getting a better look at the driver, but the angle was bad. But I was able to verify that it had the same license plate number.”
“How is that possible?” Rex sounded confused. “Are you insinuating the local police are in on this?”
“I didn’t say that,” he protested. “Bryn seems to think the gunman knew we’d have to go to the police station and was there waiting for us.”
“That’s possible,” Rex agreed. “But you could have gone around the block to approach the police station from another angle.”
He tamped down a flash of anger. “The driver saw me and tried to follow. I didn’t have many options, other than to get Bryn out of there. Especially when the driver of the SUV followed us. I was able to disable the vehicle with gunfire, and we barely escaped without being hurt.”
There was a long pause as Rex digested that bit of information. “The police really need to talk to you and Bryn.”
“Yeah, well, Bryn really needs to be safe,” Micah shot back. “That doesn’t seem like too much to ask.”
“Okay, but just because the car was nearby doesn’t mean you should drop the idea of talking to the police.” Rex’s tone was tense. “Where are you now? We’ll arrange for Lieutenant Krogan to meet you at the south district.”
“Not gonna happen.” He eyed the bedroom door, hoping Bryn didn’t come in and overhear their argument. “We’re not at the rental property. We’re somewhere else.”
There was another long pause. Then Rex sighed loudly. “Okay, look, there’s some information you need to know.”
“I’m listening.” He stood and walked to the other side of the room. The wooded landscape around them made it look peaceful when he felt anything but. The resigned tone of Rex’s voice made him tense. “What happened?”
“I learned the autopsy report on the man we presume to be Damien Rochester indicates the guy was dead before the fire started.”
“Yeah, we already knew that,” Micah said.
“What we didn’t know was that it appears that someone shorter in stature killed him. The angle of the bullet piercing the skull went in at the base of his head and exited through the top of his forehead.”
He frowned. “Maybe the shooter came up on Damien from a crouch.”
“No, the ME believes the shot was fired at close range,” Rex said grimly. “He’s convinced Damien was killed by someone short who pressed the gun against the back of his head, aiming upward.”
Short like Bryn, Micah thought. That’s what his boss was trying to say.
“Look, Rex, there’s no way Bryn did this. I was with her the entire time.”
“Micah, you weren’t with her until the two of you met up in Beloit,” Rex argued.
“Just hear me out. It’s possible she killed Damien before running out of the house to call you.
That would explain the gunshot the neighbors heard.
She even could have started a small fire that took a while to burn out of control before leaving.
And if I’m being honest, the local police are going to assume you would lie to protect her.
You are her dead brother’s best friend.”
“I’m not lying.” He battled the urge to shout the words. “Don’t you see? The guys in the steel-gray SUV are framing her for this crime.”
“I hear you, and I believe you, but you need to understand why it’s important to get her side of the story on record with Lieutenant Krogan.” Rex didn’t back down. “The sooner the better.”
That still wasn’t happening, but Micah was smart enough not voice his thoughts. It was bad enough that Rex was pointing out the way Bryn could be considered guilty of this crime. “I appreciate the intel.”
“There’s more,” his boss warned. “I shouldn’t be sharing this with you, but I will.
Several large sums of money were transferred from the company to Bryn’s personal bank account, then out to another account that belongs to an offshore bank.
They’re running down the account numbers now, but they believe the bank is in the Cayman Islands. ”
Stunned, Micah sank down onto the edge of the sofa. No way. He knew there was no way in the world Bryn would take money from the company for her own personal use. “You’re kidding.”
“I’m not. And while I’m inclined to believe your theory that Bryn is being set up to take the fall, the evidence is rather compelling.” Rex paused, then added, “If you don’t bring her in soon, there likely will be a warrant issued for her arrest.”
Warrant for her arrest. The words ricocheted through his mind. All this time, he’d assumed that his being her alibi would keep her safe from being thrown in jail.
Yet now he realized the cops would likely toss her behind bars regardless of his statement.
And he had no idea how they’d manage to clear her name before that happened.