Buch lesen: «The Baby Protectors»

ONE

“You need to protect little Eli.”

Jenna North studied her friend. “What’s this about, Chloe?”

Chloe gazed at her eighteen-month-old son as he clutched a small white polar bear in one hand and ran a wooden train across a coffee table with the other.

Paperwork had kept Jenna late at the Broadlake Foundation, where she worked as development manager, when she received Chloe’s frantic call. Jenna offered to stop by Chloe’s house on the way home, but Chloe rejected the idea. Instead, she came straight over to the school-turned-community-center where the foundation leased space. Jenna hadn’t expected Chloe to bring Eli with her, not at this hour.

“I’ve made some bad choices,” Chloe suddenly confessed.

Haven’t we all? Jenna thought. “God forgives, remember?” The words tasted bitter rolling off her tongue. “Chloe, what’s going on?”

The young mother shook her head.

“Come on. I can’t help unless—”

“I’m scared!”

Eli looked up at his mom with rounded eyes. She pulled him into her arms and rocked slightly. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I’m sorry.” She eyed Jenna. “Promise me you’ll protect him.”

A chill ran down Jenna’s spine. Could she truly make that promise considering she’d been unable to protect her own son?

And even herself?

“Please,” Chloe begged.

Jenna nodded. “I promise.”

Chloe sat back down, clinging to her son. Eli had other ideas. He squirmed against her, so Chloe put him down and he squatted to dig for another toy in his diaper bag. He pulled out a second train and waddled back to the coffee table. Tears formed in Chloe’s eyes as she watched him.

Frustrated, Jenna wondered whom to call for help. Perhaps Chloe’s counselor? Chloe had admitted to struggling with depression in the past.

“Have you called Rosalie?” Jenna asked.

“Why, you think I’m crazy?” Chloe snapped.

“No, I’m just not sure how to help you.”

“You already have.”

“Are you sure there isn’t someone else?”

“Yes.”

A few moments of silence passed between them.

“As long as he has Bubba, his bear, he’ll be fine.” Chloe handed Jenna a piece of paper. “If anything happens to me, keep Eli safe and find this man.”

Jenna glanced at the note and slipped it into her pocket. “Who is it?”

“My cousin Marcus Garcia. He lives north of Missoula, in the mountains. Don’t trust anyone else with Eli, okay?”

Jenna nodded. That wouldn’t be a problem since trusting people was a skill she’d lost years ago.

“Marcus is the only family I’ve got,” Chloe said, wistful.

“What about Gary?”

Chloe sighed. “I was so naive when I married him. I thought he was my Prince Charming.”

Jenna knew that princes only existed in fairy tales.

“But he is Eli’s father,” Jenna said.

“Gary is a selfish man,” Chloe said in a firm tone. “He doesn’t care about us.”

“Chloe—”

“He’s dangerous.” She pinned Jenna with intense eyes. “Gary is a monster.”

Prickles skittered across Jenna’s nerve endings.

Keep it together, Jenna.

“Dangerous how?” Jenna pressed.

Chloe stood suddenly. “I’m going to be sick. Watch Eli.” She rushed across the office and disappeared into the hallway.

“Chloe!” Jenna wanted to go after her, but couldn’t leave Eli alone.

“Mama?” he said.

“She’ll be right back, buddy.”

He clung tighter to his bear. Jenna kneeled beside the table and struggled to smile at Eli. Her own son would have been a little older than Eli now.

I’m sorry, baby Joey.

“Stop,” she whispered and turned her attention to the toddler. “Choo-choo, choo-choo,” she said, running a small wooden train across the table. Eli grabbed another train and mimicked her action.

As she watched him intently move his train back and forth, she couldn’t help but smile. There was something so pure about a child. Most of the time, when she was around kids, she was able to revel in that innocence instead of being pulled down by sadness. Sometimes it allowed a slight ray of hope to pierce through the darkness of her own grief, grief that drove her to start a new life in Cedar River, Montana.

The sound of shattering glass echoed down the hall. Jenna sat straight up.

“Let me go!” Chloe’s voice echoed.

Jenna automatically rushed across the room and snatched the canister of pepper spray out of her bag. She peeked into the hallway...

Two men were escorting Chloe to the exit: an unusually tall man wearing a knit ski cap, and a husky, broad-shouldered guy in a leather jacket.

Heart pounding, Jenna pulled out her phone to call for help. Her petite stature was no match for two thugs, even with her self-defense training and the pepper spray clutched in her hand.

“I won’t let you hurt him!” Chloe shouted.

As Jenna’s trembling finger pressed the 9-1-1 buttons, a male voice said, “What’s going on?”

She peeked around the corner and spotted Police Chief Billings.

For once she was relieved the cops had arrived.

“Stop it!” Chloe squirmed against the tall man’s grip.

“Release her,” the chief said.

Jenna was about to announce her presence when the chief grabbed Chloe, spun her around and put her in a choke hold.

Paralyzed with fear, Jenna watched as Chloe struggled against his firm grip, kicking and thrashing.

The thrashing slowed.

Chloe’s body went limp.

She fell to the ground.

Jenna darted out of sight. The floor seemed to tip sideways beneath her feet.

“Put her in the trunk,” Chief Billings said.

No, this can’t be happening. Please, God, help me.

He’d never listened before. Why should He start now?

“And find her son,” he said.

“You think he’s here?” one of the men asked.

“It’s worth checking. Go room by room,” he ordered.

Jenna’s mind struggled to come up with an explanation for what she’d just witnessed, but there was none. Her fight-or-flight response kicked in.

Use it to your advantage, she’d been taught after leaving Anthony three years ago.

Doors opened and closed down the hall. She had seconds to figure this out.

She softly locked her office door. Adrenaline rushing through her body, she considered her options. If only she could make it to the north lot where she’d parked her car.

Eli waved a wooden train. “Choo-choo!”

She snapped her attention to the little boy. As the men got closer, they’d surely hear the child’s enthusiastic voice. She dashed through the adjoining closet into the classroom next door and yanked the fire alarm. The sharp squealing sound pierced through the air. She rushed back to her office and quickly but gently tucked Eli into his snowsuit. The wail of the alarm drowned out his wails of confusion and fear.

Focus. It’s all about focus.

Is this why Chloe chose Jenna to protect Eli, because she sensed Jenna’s dark past, her determination never to be a victim again? The word victim sent a surge of panic through her body.

Stay calm, she coached herself.

She couldn’t wait for the fire department. She’d be dead before they got here.

You need to protect Eli.

She set the toddler down and put on her jacket, tucking the pepper spray in her pocket for easy access. Eli stumbled a few feet away, arms flailing, trying to get away from the shrill alarm.

Across the room, the doorknob twisted right and left.

In an almost disassociated state, Jenna unlocked her desk drawer, removed the false bottom and grabbed her stash of emergency money.

One at home, one at work. Be ready for anything.

Money tucked safely into her pocket, she shouldered the diaper bag, picked up Eli and handed him the polar bear. Clutching the bear, he continued to cry, so she unclipped a pacifier from a strap on the diaper bag and offered it to the little boy. He took it and instantly quieted, his eyes rounding like saucers.

Flinging her messenger bag over her other shoulder, she headed again for the storage room. Since the building had once been a school, it had connecting classrooms that would give her access to the north exit, closer to her car.

As she passed through the storage room, she noticed a few car seats they used when taking children on field trips in the van. She grabbed one and forged ahead.

She was a woman on a mission, a warrior who was not going to lose this battle. Not this time.

The wail of sirens echoed from outside. Good. That should chase the intruders away. Violent men connected to local law enforcement—not a surprise to Jenna.

She finally made it to the north end of the school. This was it. She actually might get away safely.

There was no might about it. She’d made a promise to protect Chloe’s child.

Jenna would not fail.

Clinging to Eli, she pushed open the door to the outside. Floodlights designed to discourage trespassers lit the playground all the way to the secondary parking lot. A strong gust of wind slapped her cheeks as she headed for her car.

What if the men were right behind her?

Traumatic flashbacks replayed in her mind like a video on accelerated speed. She quickened her pace, as if running could get her away from the images.

He can’t hurt you if he can’t find you.

She approached the corner of the building.

Only a few hundred feet from the parking lot.

Her car.

Freedom.

* * *

Matt Weller had been on a break, eating a sandwich in the custodian’s office and listening to the hockey game on the radio, when he’d heard a woman scream. He thought he’d imagined it at first and checked the closed-circuit video feed. Two men were dragging Mrs. McFadden to the exit. Just as Matt got up to help her, Chief Billings entered the building.

And strangled Mrs. McFadden.

Matt’s first reaction was to get his weapon.

As he sprinted across the playground, the fire alarm rang from the building. Why would the perps lure the fire department to the scene? That made no sense whatsoever.

He approached the truck and considered his next move. They would have surely taken Mrs. McFadden’s body away by now, removing the evidence.

But Matt knew there had been more than one woman in the building tonight. The lovely Jenna North had been at the center working late, as she often did.

The building was so peaceful when she was there, one of the reasons he liked the night shift.

Until tonight.

Matt climbed into the front seat and took a calming breath. He needed to be smart about this, needed to protect his cover and Miss North at the same time.

Something caught his eye across the lot—Jenna North carrying a child and a car seat. Hang on—he knew she wasn’t married and didn’t have kids.

Then Matt saw them—the two perps heading straight for her on the other side of the building.

The woman was going to get herself killed.

Matt shoved his truck into gear and drove slowly toward the building where the innocent Miss North was about to walk straight into trouble.

He couldn’t let that happen, no matter the risk.

As Jenna approached the corner of the building, Matt sped up. All it would take was an effective block. Yes, he’d innocently pull up between her and the men and play out his role of night janitor by warning them to leave the premises due to the fire alarm.

He stopped the truck, got out and motioned for Jenna to get down.

Instead, she whipped out a canister of pepper spray.

Matt put out one hand in surrender and pointed around the corner with his other hand.

Her green eyes widened.

He motioned for her to stay low, and then went around the back of his truck to confront the men.

But there was only one guy. Not good. Where was the other perp?

“Get away from the building!” Matt shouted. He had to play his part, although his navy blue custodian’s uniform should make it clear who he was.

“My wife is in there!” the guy, midforties, wearing a knit ski cap, shouted.

Yeah, his wife.

“Have to wait for the all clear from the fire department!” Matt shouted.

The man nodded and turned away. Good, an easy fix.

Then Knit Cap Guy snapped around and took a swing at Matt. He dodged the blow and slugged the man in the stomach. He doubled over, coughing. With fisted hands, Matt readied himself for another assault.

The wail of sirens grew louder. The perp jumped to his feet and took off. Matt the FBI agent would chase after him; Matt the janitor would not.

He went back to the other side of the truck to help Jenna.

But she was gone.

He scanned the playground, the surrounding woods, the nearby parking lot. Knit Cap Guy’s partner couldn’t have gotten to her in the thirty seconds that Matt had been engaged in a fistfight.

Matt needed to find her, protect her.

He climbed into his truck to get his weapon and slammed the door.

A squeak echoed from the back seat.

He froze as he reached for the glove box and spun around. The little boy was sucking on a pacifier, eyes wide and curious, clutching a white stuffed animal.

“Are they gone?” Jenna said from the seat directly behind Matt.

He glanced in the rearview mirror. It seemed like her eyes had grown a brighter shade of green since he’d seen her earlier this evening.

“I think so,” he said. “The little boy, is he Mrs. McFadden’s?”

“Yes. I promised to protect him.”

She studied Matt as if trying to make out his character, figure out whether he was good or bad. A little of both, he mused.

She needed good right now, very good, and committed. Which wasn’t Matt. He wished it could be different. There was something about Jenna North that always made him smile. It was her way with staff members—with everyone, come to think of it. She was gentle and kind, yet persuasive enough to get the job done. The Broadlake Foundation thrived in part because of her fund-raising efforts that supported the operating budget.

He hoped she knew nothing about the cartel’s money-laundering scheme, that she was only an innocent bystander.

“My friend, Mrs. McFadden, she...” Jenna’s voice trailed off.

He waited.

“She’s dead.”

Yes, Matt knew because he’d seen it happen.

And now, because she’d also witnessed the homicide, Miss North’s life was in danger, as was the child’s. Anger simmered in his chest. This couldn’t be his problem, not today. He’d get Miss North and the child to safety and get back to his assignment.

Acting like the innocent bystander she assumed he was, Matt said, “We should report this.”

“To whom? The police? They’re involved.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Chief Billings killed Chloe.”

Great, not only had she been asked to protect the child, but she knew of the chief’s involvement. This put her life at an even higher risk.

“Matthew, may I ask a favor?”

“Sure.”

“Can you keep this between us, that you helped me, that I have Eli?”

“Only if you’ll do me a favor in return.”

“What?”

He had no choice but to protect her. She was in too deep. “Stay here until I deal with the fire department. Once they’re gone, I’ll come back and give you a ride to wherever you want to go. Okay?”

“Thank you, but my car isn’t far.”

“They’ll probably be watching your car, right?”

She nibbled her lower lip for a second, an adorable gesture. He snapped his attention out the front window of his truck to the parking lot in the distance.

“I guess you’re right,” she said. “But...you should know that helping me could get you into trouble.”

“I’m okay with that.” Matt offered her the truck keys. “If I’m not back in twenty, take off.”

He flung open the door and headed for the front of the building. He half expected to encounter the two perps, maybe even the chief, but they were nowhere in sight.

The glass windows on one of the community center doors had been shattered, which must be how the men had gained access to the building.

Motioning to the fire response crew, Matt led them inside. They spread out, looking for smoke. A fireman turned off the alarm and nodded at Matt. “Are you the night custodian?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Please wait outside until we clear the building.”

Matt did as he was ordered and called the police. He had to. It would look suspicious if he didn’t alert the authorities to the break-in. As he was making the call, a squad car and the chief’s car pulled into the lot.

A patrolman Matt recognized as Kyle Armstrong exited his squad car. Chief Billings and Kyle approached Matt.

You’re only the janitor, he reminded himself.

“I was just calling you guys,” Matt said.

“Hey, Matt,” Kyle greeted him.

“You two know each other?” Billings asked.

“We attend the same church,” Kyle said by way of explanation.

Church was no doubt a foreign concept to a guy like Billings. A dirty cop. A killer.

“This is Matt Weller, the night custodian,” Kyle introduced.

Billings extended his hand. “Nice to meet you, Matt. Have any idea who pulled the alarm?”

“No, sir. Apparently some guy broke in.” He pointed toward the broken window.

“Some guy? Not mischievous teens?” Billings asked.

Matt opted for sticking to the truth as much as possible. “No, it was a man, sir.” He looked directly at Billings, whose eye twitched ever so slightly.

“Can you describe him?” Kyle asked, pulling out a small notebook.

“About five-ten, a hundred and eighty pounds.” He directed the rest of his answer to Kyle. “He wore a black leather jacket and knit cap. I’m thinking he was pushing forty?”

“Wow, how close did you get to this guy?” Kyle asked.

“Pretty close. He took a swing at me.”

“Are you injured?” Billings said with mock concern.

“No, sir. I grew up the youngest of five boys so I’m pretty good at defending myself.”

“The knit cap perp was inside the building?” Kyle pushed.

“Actually we got into it outside, back by the playground.”

Kyle looked up in question.

“I went out to my truck to get something, and that’s when I encountered the man,” Matt said. “The alarm had gone off—not sure what that was about. He claimed his wife was in the building.”

“His wife?” Kyle said. “But the center was closed.”

“That is correct,” Matt said. “I thought I convinced him to leave, but then he went all Rocky on me.”

The fire crew exited the building. “It’s clear,” the shift captain said.

“Thanks.” Billings turned to Matt. “I’d like you to walk me through what happened tonight. Step by step.”

Of course he did. He wanted to figure out if Matt was telling the truth or creating a story to protect himself, Jenna and the little boy.

“Sure, this way.” He led Kyle and the chief into the community center. By the end of this story, they’d be at Matt’s truck. He hoped they wouldn’t decide to search it, but why would they? Matt wasn’t a suspect. If Jenna stayed down and the little boy didn’t cry, Billings wouldn’t find her.

She’d be hiding right under his nose.

“I was in the back office on break, listening to the hockey game,” Matt said.

They got to his office and the cops poked their heads inside.

“Closed circuit?” Kyle asked, eyeing the monitor.

“Yep. For security.” Matt curled his fingers into his palm to keep calm. “It gives me a view of the main hallway.”

“You didn’t see the suspect break in?”

“No, he probably accessed the building while I was at my truck.” He feigned panic and looked at Kyle. “Man, I hope I don’t lose my job over this—I mean for not preventing the break-in.”

“If he was determined to get in, nothing would have stopped him,” Billings said.

Matt nodded. Was that subtext? A subtle warning?

“Continue,” Chief Billings said.

“So about ten thirty I went out to the truck.” He led them to the back door and swung it open. The three men ambled outside. “It wasn’t parked this close originally, but kids were finishing up basketball when I arrived at six. I figured as long as I was out here I’d repark closer to the building.”

“Besides the basketball league, who else was here tonight, Mr. Weller?” the chief asked.

“A yoga class, line dancing for seniors and the knitting club. They were all gone by nine.”

“Anyone else, perhaps employees working late?” Billings pushed.

Matt wondered if he’d seen Jenna North’s little blue car parked in the overflow lot. He had to play this just right, be as truthful as possible.

“I might have seen Jenna North earlier. She works for a foundation that leases space here.”

“I’ll look into it,” Kyle said.

Chief Billings eyed Matt speculatively, and he broke eye contact in his effort to act submissive and nonthreatening.

Innocent.

That’s when Matt noticed the back window of his truck was cracked open. Matt needed a quick redirect to get them away from Jenna and the child.

“We got into a fistfight over here.” Matt led them to the other side of the truck. “Actually, there was one other thing about the knit cap guy.”

Billings’s eyes flared.

“He had a scar above his eyebrow here.” Matt pointed to his own forehead.

“That could help,” Kyle said.

“I yelled at him to stay away from the building. He yelled back that his wife was inside, which made no sense. Then he threw a punch. That’s about it.”

“That’s a lot,” Kyle said, jotting notes furiously.

The chief kneeled, analyzing something on the ground.

“What is it, sir?” Kyle asked.

“Found a cigarette butt. I’ll bag it.”

Except Knit Cap Guy hadn’t been smoking, which meant Billings was trying to throw the investigation off course.

“Can you tell us anything else, Matt?” Kyle said.

“No, sorry. I’d better go fix the front door, and I should probably call Mrs. Harris, my boss.”

“If anything else does come to mind, please call me directly.” Billings handed him a business card.

“Will do. Thanks.”

Matt led the cops back to the front of the building, and the knot in his gut uncoiled as they got farther away from the truck, from Jenna and the little boy.

He called Lucinda Harris and explained the situation as he watched the fire trucks pull away. She was worried about Matt and told him to finish cleaning up the mess and leave early. A good thing, since he was desperate to check on Jenna and the child.

The chief and Kyle were still out front, assessing and speculating.

Matt went inside and found a piece of wood from the storage area to cover the broken window. He secured it in place and swept up the mess. He wanted to play the role of night custodian a little longer, until the cops left the premises.