Chapter 10 #2
Fighting tears, she sat on the commode and silently prayed. Please, Lord Jesus, save me! Help me uncover the truth before it’s too late!
Micah stood outside the closed bathroom door, battling helplessness.
He felt awful for what Bryn was going through and wished there was something more he could do for her.
He listened but didn’t hear anything that sounded like crying.
After a long moment, he turned away and went back to the computer.
He was convinced Richard Freeman and his wife, Kim, were involved in this conspiracy to frame Bryn for Damien’s murder. Normally, he would be out knocking on neighbors’ doors to learn more. Sometimes the smallest bit of information could break a case wide open.
It was getting too late to do that now. People weren’t as likely to answer questions after dark. He made a mental note to head back to Madison in the morning. As much as he wanted to keep Bryn safe, they needed answers.
And soon.
He glanced over when the bathroom door finally opened. Bryn emerged, avoiding his gaze. “I’m going to get some sleep.”
“Sure.” He stood and approached. “Please don’t lose faith. We’ll figure out a way to get through this.”
“I won’t.” Her smile didn’t reach her dark eyes. “I want you to promise me something, though.”
His gut clenched, but he kept his expression impassive. “What’s that?”
“That if I’m arrested, you’ll do everything possible to save yourself.” She finally met his gaze head-on. “I mean it, Micah. It’s bad enough that I’m being framed for murder, but I can’t bear the thought of taking you down with me.”
He didn’t want to agree but sensed this was important to her.
He drew in a slow, deep breath. “Here’s what I’ll promise you, Bryn.
I promise that if you get arrested, I’ll cooperate fully with the police investigation.
But you need to know that I will also never stop digging for the truth to secure your freedom. ”
She sighed. “That will only put you in danger.”
“I don’t care.” He narrowed his gaze. “I won’t rest until the person who actually murdered Damien is behind bars.”
They stood facing off for a long moment, then she sighed again. “Micah, sooner or later you’ll need to move on with your life.”
In that moment, he realized that she was the only one he wanted to move on with his life with. And that took him right back to the possibility of moving away from the United States, forever.
When she started to turn away, he snagged her hand. “Wait. There’s one more option. We can get fake identities and disappear.”
“I can’t let you do that.” She shook her head emphatically. “I can’t let you throw your life away by hiding a fugitive.”
“I prefer that option to watching you get thrown behind bars.”
She looked away, gnawing on her lower lip in a worried gesture that made him think she was seriously considering his suggestion. Micah didn’t have any family he cared to stay in touch with, and he knew Bryn was alone in the world now too.
Why not start over someplace new? The only downside was that he knew the police and the FBI would never rest until they were found.
And while they might be able to avoid being located for a while, he wasn’t sure they’d be able to evade capture forever.
“I need to get some sleep.” She tugged at her hand. He forced himself to release it. “Let’s talk more tomorrow. I still think we should head back to Madison to talk to my colleagues. It’s Sunday, so they should be home for the most part.”
“Okay, that’s a good plan. Sleep well, Bryn.” Tucking his hands into the front pockets of his jeans, he watched her go.
When he was alone in the kitchen, he used his phone to call Di. She answered on the first ring. “Mick? What’s wrong?”
“Hey, I need a favor.” He moved from one window to the next, looking outside as he talked. “Do you know who I can talk to about obtaining a couple of fake passports?”
There was a long pause, before she said, “You’re not joking.”
“Nope.” Dina Milbrath was one of two female soldiers who’d survived the exfil that fateful day.
She grew up on the streets of Brooklyn and had run with a rough crowd prior to joining the army.
“Tommy’s little sister, Bryn Sinclair, is being framed for murder.
If we can’t find the evidence we need to clear her name, we may have no choice but to disappear. ”
“I should be insulted that you called me for something illegal,” Di said with a hint of humor in her tone. “But as it happens, I do know of a guy who used to do fake IDs. If he’s not in jail, he may be able to help.”
“Great.” Everything was quiet around the cabin, so he returned to the kitchen table. “I appreciate it.”
“Do you need more backup?” Di asked.
He wouldn’t have minded but knew it would take too long for her to get here. “No thanks. But I’ll let you know if that changes.”
“Okay. I can hop on a plane if needed. Stay safe, Mick.”
“You too.” He ended the call and then turned to his computer.
For the next couple of hours, he searched for every morsel of information he could get from the web.
When the screen went blurry, he closed the laptop and stretched out on the sofa to get some sleep.
When he jolted awake at the sound of water running, he lifted his head and realized it was morning.
He felt bad for sleeping deeper than he’d intended, but it was nice to feel human.
The sound of water was coming from the bathroom, so he swung up into a sitting position on the edge of the sofa.
He desperately wanted coffee but knew they’d have to wait to grab something along the way back toward Madison.
He splashed water on his face in the kitchen, then waited for Bryn to emerge from the bathroom. She looked beautiful, even with her red hair still damp from the shower.
“I feel much better.” She glanced at the empty coffee maker. “Although I wouldn’t mind a jolt of caffeine.”
“Give me a few minutes to wash up and I’ll be ready to roll. We’ll pick something up on the way into Madison.” He was glad she’d gotten some sleep.
Fifteen minutes later, he found her at the computer. When he came to look over her shoulder, he noticed she had a map of Madison up on the screen.
“I was thinking we should stop and see Gwen first, she lives here.” Bryn tapped the screen. “From there, we can head to Sam’s, then to Deon’s, and finally to see Tabitha.”
“Fine with me.” The hour was still early, not even seven in the morning, but they were an hour away from Madison. “We’ll grab breakfast on the way.”
“I hope they’ll talk to us.” Bryn looked at the map for a moment longer before closing the laptop screen with a click. “If this doesn’t work, we should go to the Madison South Police Station. That should be safe enough. There’s no way the gunmen can cover all four police stations in town.”
He had no intention of allowing her to turn herself in to the police, but he decided against arguing about it now. After they visited her four colleagues, he wanted to check the data center construction site.
If none of their trips revealed anything to go on, he’d call Di back to request the fake IDs. He could take Bryn to New York if necessary.
Leaving the cabin filled him with a sense of unease. They’d been safe there, and heading into Madison was risky. Yet he knew Bryn wouldn’t agree to fly across the country to disappear without at least trying to find some answers.
Even then, he’d have to find a way to convince her this was for the best. Despite his promise to keep searching for a way to clear her name, he refused to visit her behind bars.
They picked up coffee and a breakfast sandwich from a fast-food restaurant. The coffee helped clear his mind, and he brought the map of Madison up on the car’s center console screen.
“I hope Gwen is home.” Bryn glanced at him, then back at the map. “And that she agrees to talk to me.”
“We’ll find out soon enough.” There wasn’t much traffic on Sunday mornings, which worked in their favor. He didn’t notice a steel-gray SUV following them, which was reassuring.
Then again, he’d damaged the last one, so for all he knew, the gunmen were behind the wheel of a different-colored vehicle.
And if so, he wouldn’t know about the possible threat until it was too late.
It wouldn’t help to dwell on that now. He’d be on high alert for any car that appeared to be following them regardless of make and model.
The hour was half-past eight by the time they reached Madison. He drove past Gwen’s house without stopping, just to check the place out. He took it as a good sign that nobody tried to shoot at them.
“Looks like Gwen is home,” Bryn said. “Her car is in the driveway.”
He nodded. “We’ll park a block away and go through the backyards, the same way we did at Lori Eastman’s.”
She grimaced but nodded. “Okay.”
They approached Gwen’s door cautiously. Bryn took the lead again and knocked at the door. He scanned their surroundings as they waited for Gwen to respond.
“Bryn!” Gwen looked shocked to see them. “What are you doing here?”
“I was hoping we could talk about what’s going on.” When Gwen hesitated, Bryn pressed, “Please? I swear I didn’t take any money or hurt anyone.”
Gwen didn’t invite them in. “Look, Bryn, normally I’d be willing to help you out, but Richard is really upset with you, and I can’t risk losing my job.” She glanced over her shoulder, as if expecting Richard to show up. “He believes you’re guilty.”
“But you know I’d never steal or hurt anyone, don’t you?
” When Gwen bit her lip, Bryn frowned. “Come on, Gwen, you know me. You know that though Damien and I broke up, I never hated him. And why would I steal? Don’t you see?
Someone else is doing this, not me. I’ve even wondered if Richard might be the one doing this. ”
“Richard.” Gwen’s eyes rounded. “No way. That’s completely out of line.
And while I never would have expected you to steal from the company or kill Damien, I’m afraid I can’t do anything to help you.
I’m sorry, but I need my job.” Without giving Bryn a chance to stay anything more, Gwen stepped back and closed the door.
“Well, so much for being close friends.” Bryn looked dejected. “I should have anticipated she’d side with Richard.”
“Yeah.” Micah glanced at his watch. If the other employees had a similar mindset as Gwen, they’d be done in an hour. He forced a smile. “The good news is that nobody was waiting here with a gun. Let’s move on to the next employee.”
They retraced their steps, ducking through backyards to reach the car. They went to Deon’s next, but nobody was home.
“Maybe he’s driving around with Richard in a new SUV,” Bryn groused as they headed to Sam’s apartment.
“Innocent until proven guilty,” he said lightly.
“Yeah, except when you’ve been framed to look guilty,” she shot back.
He grimaced, wishing he’d kept his mouth shut. For all he knew, Deon was driving around with Richard looking for them. At this point, everyone was a suspect.
Including Gwen. Her staunch support of Richard could be related to her not wanting to lose her job. Or it could be that she’s involved in this too.
Next, they swung past Tabitha’s home. She didn’t answer the door, but she did speak through an intercom. “Go away, Bryn. I can’t help you.”
“Tabitha, please. I’m not a criminal!” Bryn pressed the doorbell again.
“I’m sorry, but if you don’t leave right now, I’m calling the police.”
Micah drew Bryn from the doorway. “Let’s go. She’s obviously not going to help.”
“It’s horrible to know everyone believes the worst of me.” Bryn looked sick as they made their way back to his SUV. “Nobody will even give me the benefit of the doubt.”
Sam lived in a high-rise apartment, and the closest parking was two blocks down anyway, so there was no point in hiding. Still, Micah swept his gaze over the area as they waited to be buzzed in.
“Bryn, I can’t believe you’re here. Come on up.” Oddly, Sam seemed happy to hear from her as he released the door lock. They entered the building, found his apartment, number 312 on the third floor, and took the stairs up three flights. When they reached the landing, Micah caught Bryn’s arm.
“Stay behind me,” he warned. “And be prepared to run if this is a trap.”
She paled but nodded. “I understand.”
The apartment door was open as they approached. Micah led the way, his hand resting on the butt of his weapon. “Sam, I’m Micah Newton, a friend of Bryn’s. Thanks for agreeing to talk to us.”
“I’m glad Bryn has help.” Sam’s Chinese heritage was etched into his features with his slanted dark eyes and jet-black hair, although he was taller than most Asian men.
“Bryn, Richard has it out for you big time. Did you see the press conference?” Sam waved a hand at the television in the living room behind him. “He’s begging you to turn yourself in.”
Micah looked over Sam’s shoulder to see a tall man in a suit standing beside the Madison chief of police saying something to the crowd of reporters surrounding them.
Not good. Things were escalating. They needed to get out of town ASAP!