Caitlyn glanced at the digital red glow of the motel clock as it switched to 11:45. Last night she thought she’d gotten through to Josh. But now it was clear. He wasn’t calling. Which had her terrified.
She sat at the end of the bed. Her bag was packed, and she’d pulled out enough cash for at least a week or two. Disappearing might sound simple, but she knew she was fooling herself. Besides, she had no desire to spend the rest of her life running. She’d made a life here, and for the first time in as long as she could remember, she’d finally found a place where she felt like she belonged. She hadn’t felt that way since her grandmother had been alive. If she had any choice left in the situation at all, she had no desire to throw all of that away. Or for that matter, put any of her friends’ lives at risk.
Which meant she needed Josh’s help.
And as far as she was concerned, he needed hers as well.
She fought to push away the panic swirling around her. Josh was a detective. If anyone could be discreet he could. On top of that, she knew enough about Josh to know he was a man of integrity. The few times they’d met, he’d always impressed her.
She’d wait another fifteen minutes. If he didn’t call, she’d leave the city but still follow through with her own investigation. She’d checked the bus schedule and decided on three possible routes. All led to small towns, but they were big enough that she should be able to disappear. When someone was on the run, she knew they tended to go somewhere familiar. So that was exactly what she wouldn’t do. She’d chosen places where she had no ties. Places where whoever was after her would never think to look. But it also meant she’d be completely on her own.
She pulled back the worn curtain that matched the bedspread just enough to see out into the parking area. A vehicle was pulling in three spaces down from her room.
Her heart pounded. If they’d found her . . .
A man climbed out of the vehicle. Her pulse quickened, then began to calm as he headed away from her room. She dropped the curtain and let out a sharp sigh of relief, then jumped when her phone rang. It was almost noon. It had to be Josh, but why hadn’t she asked for his number so she’d be sure?
She took the call but remained silent.
“Caitlyn? . . . Caitlyn?”
“Josh!” She gasped with relief again. “I didn’t think you’d call. And I wasn’t sure it was you.”
He asked for her location so they could meet. She was grateful that, by the time they finished the call, he was only a couple minutes away.
At the knock, she checked the peephole, quickly undid the locks, then opened the door just enough for him to slip inside the room before shutting it behind him. She was acting paranoid, and she knew it. But she had reason to.
She turned around to face him, gasping when she noticed the dark bruise under his eye. “What happened?”
“I had a run-in with a couple guys who broke into my house.”
“What were they after?”
“I’m not completely sure, but they had my case notes on Olivia’s death.”
Her eyes widened. “Why would anyone want to steal your files?”
“That’s exactly what I want to find out. Let’s assume for a moment that everything you’ve told me is true. Three people were murdered to cover up something going on in your lab. We’re also going to assume there’s enough money and motivation in the scenario so that whoever’s behind this is in deep and isn’t going to simply walk away.”
“They’re going to take down whoever gets in their way.”
“Exactly.”
She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and tried to force back the tears. She’d decided to take a risk and contact Josh because she thought he’d be able to help reopen Olivia’s case. But not this. Not someone else getting hurt.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yes, but I never meant for anything like this to happen.”
“I don’t need an apology. Clearly you were right about all of this.”
Caitlyn felt an unexpected wave of relief sweep over her. So he did believe her. Or at least he believed that what she’d told him deserved further investigation. For the moment that was enough.
“I handed over the information that you gave me to my captain,” Josh said.
“Okay.” That was fine with her. She knew if she could get the authorities on her side, then she might have a chance. “What did he say?”
“He told me to take two weeks off and come back with my head on straight.”
“Wait a minute, so he doesn’t believe any of this is connected to your wife’s case?”
Josh shook his head.
“Then why are you here?”
“Because in the end, I knew I couldn’t just walk away. Especially after what happened this morning. Someone clearly doesn’t want this case reopened.” His gaze shifted momentarily to the floor before he continued. “But before I agree to look into this with you, there are a couple things he brought up that I need to ask you about.”
“Of course. Anything.”
“Apparently the captain took the time to look you up. He informed me of a couple red flags in your background.”
“Red flags?”
“Whistleblower allegations you were involved with at your last job and—”
“My juvenile record.” She bit her lip, not liking the shift in the conversation, but she knew she couldn’t be defensive. He deserved to know the truth. “How did he get his hands on that information so quickly?”
“I don’t know.”
“Both were a long time ago, and they have nothing to do with this situation.”
“Maybe not, but I need to know the truth.”
She sat down on the edge of the bed and glanced at the gray wall behind him, wishing she could escape the place she’d been running from her entire life. Memories pressed in around her, threatening to drag her back. But she wasn’t going there. If she’d learned anything from her counseling sessions, it was that she didn’t have to let him win. He’d tried to make her believe she was crazy, and for years she’d believed it. But not anymore.
God hasn’t given me a spirit of fear, but of power. And of love. And a sound mind.
That was the truth she was working to convince herself of.
“The allegations against my last employer were actually brought up by six employees—including me—who had evidence of a kickback scheme where federal programs were billed for lab procedures that were unnecessary. In the end the laboratory was forced to pay a settlement that also put four managers in prison. The six of us who brought the allegations forward were, by law, protected, but that didn’t mean we didn’t pay for speaking up. Six months later, I walked away from my job after prolonged harassment from upper management. And I wasn’t the only one. If you want proof, I can get you whatever you want—”
“That’s okay. I believe you.”
Caitlyn fiddled with the hem of her shirt, feeling the weight of once again having to explain her actions. She’d done it dozens of times, and it always brought unwelcome feelings of shame, even if she wasn’t guilty.
He sat down on the chair across from her with a look of interest in what she had to say. She hoped she was reading him right. Because if she couldn’t convince him, this was over.
“As for my juvenile record . . . that’s true as well.” She hated that she was having to explain herself to him, but neither could she blame him. He deserved to hear the truth, whether he chose to believe it or not. “I grew up in an abusive home. My father was drunk most of the time. That is, when he was home, which he usually wasn’t. We got pulled over one time by the police. My father was drunk and had made me drive him home, even though I was only fourteen, so I was caught driving without a license, and there were drugs in my pocket that he’d made me put there. He knew if the drugs were found on him, he’d end up doing time, but I’d probably just get a slap on the hand.”
She took in a deep breath, trying to find that emotional balance between bringing up her past and the knowledge that it was a past she was free from.
“I’d already run away from home twice, which in South Carolina is against the law because I was under eighteen. I ended up in a secured detention facility for a couple months.”
“Wow . . . I’m sorry.”
“I don’t need you to feel sorry for me. I just need you to understand.”
“Okay. Thank you. I know that can’t be easy to talk about, but I needed to know. If we start digging, I’m not just putting my career, but possibly my life, on the line. We both would be.”
“But if your boss told you to stay away from the case—”
“He can tell me to take a couple weeks off, but he can’t tell me what to do with my free time. Anyway, we have another problem.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m pretty sure someone knew we met last night.”
“I turned off my phone’s GPS and Wi-Fi—”
“Hopefully that’s enough, but someone must have followed you. We’re going to have to be extra careful.”
A shiver slid through her. She knew it was possible. Whoever hit her car could have waited to see what happened to her, then followed her to the hospital. Had they then followed her to the diner? She thought she’d been careful, but she was no expert at this, and it clearly hadn’t been enough.
“So where do you suggest we start?”
“The authorities have never looked at these deaths as being connected, so that’s the logical starting point.” Josh tapped the file. “In addition to that, I spent a lot of time last night, going over the file you gave me, as well as Olivia’s case file, and there are three things I want to look into further. Rudolph Beckmann’s alibi—or the lack of it—Helen’s suicide, and Dr. Abbott’s death.”
“I agree.”
“You said you spoke with Helen’s daughter-in-law. Have you spoken to anyone else in her family to see what they think about the medical examiner’s conclusion?”
“Not yet. Her funeral was only yesterday. I’ve met her son a couple times and know that they were close.”
“You said she hinted at problems at work, and that she specifically mentioned the Starlighter project. Maybe she told him something she didn’t tell you.”
“I think it’s worth looking into,” she said.
“Agreed. I’d also like to speak with Dr. Abbott’s wife. See if she knows anything.”
Caitlyn glanced around the room. “What about the motel? I paid cash and didn’t give them my real name, but if you think someone is following us . . .”
“I think it might be wise to move to a different motel. If we’re going to dig into this, we’re going to need to stay off the grid and keep as low a profile as possible.”
She nodded, but she was afraid that if she was next on the killer’s list, keeping a low profile wasn’t going to be enough.