The Only Witness Read online

“Are you in danger because of me?” she asked point-blank.

  “No, none of this is your fault,” he said gently, pulling the packet out from under his jacket. “Jason sent me this. I assume it’s what they were looking for when they broke into my home.”

  “The man who was murdered sent that to you?” she echoed in shocked surprise.

  “Yeah, on the same day he died.”

  “What’s in there?” Paige’s eyes were wide with curiosity.

  “I don’t know yet.” Miles tucked the envelope inside his jacket. “We need to get someplace safe before I go through whatever is in here. But hopefully it will give us some sort of clue as to what’s going on at Sci-Tech.”

  Paige rubbed her hands over her arms, as if she were cold. She didn’t say anything more, simply opened the door and climbed into the seat beside her daughter.

  Once Mike moved everything from one vehicle to the other, Miles slapped his brother on the back. “Thanks again.”

  “Sure, no problem.” Mike turned away, then glanced over his shoulder. “Try not to wreck this one, okay?”

  Miles let out a sigh. “Yeah, I’ll do my best.” As he drove away from the rental car agency, Miles wondered yet again what Jason had sent that was important enough to kill for.

  * * *

  Paige was irritated with Miles. This mess was hardly his fault, but the fact that he’d left her and Abby alone with his brother, then had been shot at, was unacceptable.

  For the first time since Miles had come to her rescue, Paige was forced to admit how much she’d come to lean on him. How much she counted on Miles being there for her and Abby.

  What if he’d been killed today?

  She stared down at her hands, frowning when she realized they were trembling. Twisting them together helped steady her frayed nerves, at least for the moment.

  Miles’s voice cut into her troubled thoughts. “Do you want to pick up a booster seat for Abby?”

  Paige blinked and looked down at her daughter. The little girl was clutching Ellie under one arm, and one of the dollies that Michael had brought from her house beneath the other. “Yes, that would be nice.”

  “There’s a store up ahead, let me know if you need anything else.”

  She needed him.

  No, wait, she didn’t need Miles, not as a potential boyfriend or anything like that. She simply needed him to keep her and Abby safe.

  “Nothing I can think of offhand,” she managed, hoping her voice sounded normal. She glanced at her watch, keeping an eye on the time. She wanted to try calling Ralph Gerlach again, since he hadn’t answered earlier.

  “Are you warm enough in that jacket?”

  What brought that on? She met his gaze in the rearview mirror. The lightweight jacket wasn’t exactly the one she’d wanted Michael to bring from her house, but she wasn’t going to complain since the toiletries were more important. Everything else on her list had been for Abby. “It’s warm enough. I’ll be fine.”

  Miles frowned, but turned his attention back to the road. Going to the store seemed a bit surreal, as if they were living a normal life, when in fact, nothing was further from the truth.

  They all went inside together, Paige holding Abby’s hand and Miles opening doors for them. She wondered if other shoppers believed them to be a family. Paige lifted Abby up so she could ride in the front of the cart. Miles hovered close as they went over to the section of the store that displayed car seats.

  She picked the same booster seat she had in her car, placing it in the cart.

  “Is there anything you want, Abby?” Miles asked.

  Abby nodded and pointed, but Paige couldn’t figure out what she wanted. “Can you tell me what you want, honey?”

  Her daughter scowled and pointed again, more vigorously. As much as Paige wanted Abby to talk, she was hesitant to push too hard, worried she’d end up adding to her daughter’s emotional scars. The child still hadn’t said a word and Paige was beginning to wonder if she ever would.

  “This?” Paige steered the cart toward a display of toys featuring a horse and princess.

  Abby nodded her head, reaching out for the toy. The princess was astride the horse, and there weren’t a lot of small parts to keep track of, making it the perfect item to keep Abby occupied in the car. Unfortunately, the price seemed a bit steep.

  “It’s too much. We’ll find something cheaper, okay?”

  “Don’t worry about the price,” Miles said in a gruff tone. “I’ll take care of it.”

  “She can’t have everything she wants,” Paige protested.

  “After everything she’s been through, I doubt this one item will spoil her. Consider it a gift from me to her.”

  Paige thought about the fact that Abby’s birthday had come and gone a month ago without any acknowledgment from Travis other than a Happy Birthday, Sweetie over the ChatTime link, then acquiesced. “All right, but that’s all, understand?”

  Abby nodded and hugged the box to her chest, smiling up at Miles in thanks.

  “You’re welcome,” Miles said with a wink, as if she’d thanked him verbally.

  Paige suppressed a sigh when Miles stopped at a sale rack full of winter coats and began rummaging through them. “I told you, I’m fine,” she insisted.

  “They’re predicting snow,” he said, without looking at her. “How about this one?” He drew out a forest green jacket with a furry hood. “It matches your eyes.”

  Travis used to call her eyes Irish mud because they were green-gold with streaks of brown. “You’re not wearing a blue one,” she pointed out, referencing his crystal clear blue gaze.

  “No, because black leather is more manly.” His eyes crinkled at the corners and she was caught off guard by his teasing.

  “If I agree to this, can we check out now?” she asked.

  “Of course.”

  She threw up her hands. “Okay, I’ll take it.”

  Thirty minutes later, they were on their way in the rented car, with Abby safely tucked into her booster seat, playing with the horse/princess toy Miles had purchased for her.

  “Are you hungry for lunch?” Miles asked. “We can pick something up and eat at the motel.”

  “Sure. Abby, are you hungry?”

  The little girl nodded.

  “What would you like?”

  Abby didn’t answer and the forlorn expression in the little girl’s eyes ripped at her heart.

  “Chicken bites?” Paige offered.

  Abby perked up and nodded.

  She gave Miles their order—Abby’s chicken bites and chocolate milk, and a grilled chicken sandwich. He asked for a double bacon cheeseburger, making her smile. Typical man.

  The interior of the car smelled like French fries, making her mouth water. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was. When Miles pulled up in front of the motel, he glanced over at her.

  “Stay here, I’ll get our room.”

  “All right.” It wasn’t until he was inside the lobby that she remembered her plan to call Ralph Gerlach again. She quickly pulled out her phone and dialed his home number.

  After two rings, he picked up. “Hello?”

  “Ralph? It’s Paige. Paige Olson.” She cleared her throat. “I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time?”

  “Ah, no, of course not. How are you?” Ralph’s voice sounded still and unsure.

  “Listen, Ralph, I’m sorry to bother you at home, but I’m worried about Travis. Have you seen him? Has he been at work?”

  There was a long pause and Paige gripped the phone tightly, hoping he’d talk to her.

  “Mr. Olson hasn’t been at work in two days now,” Ralph said in a hushed voice, as if he didn’t want anyone to overhear. Which was strange, because she’d caught him at home.

 
“That’s odd, are people talking about it?” She pressed. “What are they saying?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t paid any attention.”

  She didn’t believe him. “Ralph, please. He’s Abby’s father. I’m worried about him. Tell me what you know.”

  “I don’t know anything,” Ralph protested. Then she heard him sigh. “The only rumor I’ve heard is that the old man fired him.”

  “Fired him?” Paige repeated with a frown. She hadn’t expected that. “For what?”

  “I don’t know, and I haven’t asked,” Ralph said. “I’m sorry, Paige, I know you count on his supporting your little girl, but from what I can tell, they’ve already cleared out his office.”

  Cleared out his office? She found that odd for some reason. “Yeah, okay. Thanks, Ralph. I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me.”

  “Take care of yourself and your daughter, Paige.”

  She disconnected from the line as Miles came out of the lobby. Tucking the phone back into her pocket, she tried to make sense of what Ralph had told her.

  If Travis had been fired from his job a few years ago, she wouldn’t have been that surprised. It was no secret that his team didn’t like him as a leader. But to fire him now, right after Jason was found dead and it appeared Travis had gone missing? The timing was downright suspicious.

  Maybe Miles’s distrustful nature was rubbing off on her, because she didn’t believe it was a coincidence.

  Travis may have been fired. Or he may have disappeared, making the owner of the company mad enough to tell everyone he’d been fired.

  Travis, where are you?

  * * *

  Had Paige been on the phone? Miles slid behind the wheel, handed her one of the plastic keys, then drove around to the south side of the building where their room was located. He’d asked for something on the first floor in the back, in case they needed to leave in a hurry.

  Who would Paige call? No one. He must have imagined it.

  After parking the car, he went around to the back to grab the suitcase Mike had brought from their previous motel room. He set the suitcase down, then pulled out his duffel and the laptop computer. The wind was sharp and cold, making him believe the weatherman’s forecast of snow might be accurate for once.

  After they were settled inside, Miles pulled out the envelope that he’d been dying to look at ever since the moment he pulled it out of his PO box. He barely listened as Paige set Abby up with her food, encouraging her to lean over so she wouldn’t spill.

  His burger grew cold as he pulled out the thick packet of paper that had been folded in half. He began reading the documents, but it was a bit like attempting to read a foreign language.

  Understanding the scientific jargon was nearly impossible, yet he soon figured out that the paperwork outlined a detailed plan that would enable those suffering from spinal cord injuries to walk again.

  Wow. Talk about a huge scientific breakthrough.

  He glanced up when Paige set his burger in front of him. It took him a moment to realize she and Abby were finished eating and that Abby was once again watching a children’s movie. “What did you find out?”

  “It’s incredible, if it really works.” He took a bite of his burger and gestured toward the papers. “I think I figured out what the highly confidential project is that both Jason and Travis were working on.”

  “Really?” Paige leaned forward, trying to read the small text, her citrus scent permeating his senses.

  He filled her in on the gist of what he’d found, wishing she’d sit back and give him some space. Her lemony scent was distracting.

  “Amazing,” she murmured, her wide green eyes meeting his. “Do you think it’s really possible?”

  “I have to think it is possible, maybe even probable, since Jason took the time to mail it to me.” He took another bite of his food and then flipped through several more pages.

  The words ACE Intel stopped him cold.

  He pushed the burger aside and went back to see what he’d missed. The truth of what he was reading made him sick to his stomach.

  “What is it?” Paige reached out and put her hand on his arm. “What’s wrong?”

  He’d tried to keep his expression neutral, but had obviously failed. “I think—they stole these designs from ACE Intel.”

  “What?” Paige’s voice was a horrified whisper. “No, that can’t be right. Travis wouldn’t...” Her voice trailed off, her expression turning guilty.

  “I think we both know he would.” Miles took the papers again, rereading the section. It was clear that they were trying to fix whatever glitch ACE Intel had been unable to work through, in an effort to be the first to bring the technology to market.

  “This is why your friend was killed?” she asked. “Money? Fame?”

  Miles nodded slowly. “Money is usually the primary reason for all crime. But I’m sure, in this case, fame goes along with it. I wonder how they managed to get the information away from ACE?”

  “It had to be someone inside the company.” She nibbled her lower lip again, and Miles realized she did that a lot when she was nervous. “I spoke to my friend, Ralph...you know, the security guard I mentioned?”

  His gut clenched and he knew he hadn’t imagined seeing her on the phone. “You called the company? What if they try to trace the call?”

  “No, I called his house. Ralph still has a landline.” She grimaced. “Ralph said the rumor going around is that Travis was fired. He claims they’ve already cleaned out his office.”

  “Fired?” Call him crazy, but Miles didn’t believe it. “Look at these documents. This has clearly been in the works for several years. Why would they suddenly fire him now?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe they just realized that the idea was stolen.”

  Miles thought it was more likely that Jason wanted to come clean, the secret eating him alive, and Travis had killed him in order to shut him up.

  But, of course, he didn’t mention that to Paige. He supposed she could be right, that maybe Travis didn’t realize the plans had been stolen, either.

  His phone rang, and he recognized Mitch’s number. “Hey, Mitch, is something wrong?”

  “Yeah. I hate to tell you this, but a body was found in the Milwaukee River and has been identified as Travis Olson. He was murdered, shot in the chest with a small-caliber bullet, just like your buddy, Jason.”

  When Paige gasped, he realized that she’d overheard Mitch’s statement. “Thanks for telling me.” He disconnected from the call, dropped his phone and reached out to Paige, taking her into his arms, knowing her worst fears had been realized.

  Abby’s father—her ex-husband—was dead.

  SEVEN

  Paige ripped off her glasses, letting them fall to the carpeted floor, and buried her face against Miles’s chest, unwilling to let Abby see how upset she was.

  Dead. Travis was dead.

  Deep down, she’d suspected as much, ever since she’d heard that her ex-husband was missing. Yet, as horrible as it was that Travis was gone, she was even more concerned about what on earth Abby must have seen through the ChatTime link.

  Her poor, traumatized little girl. Had she witnessed an attack on her father? Had she seen the face of Travis’s killer?

  Please, Lord, please help heal Abby!

  Miles wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. For the first time in what seemed like forever, she allowed herself to lean on a man, absorbing his strength. Somehow, his musky scent calmed her in a way nothing else could.

  She wasn’t alone. At least, not today, or tomorrow. Miles would stay nearby until they were safe from harm.

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” he whispered soothingly, his mouth near her ear.

  She swallowed hard past the lump in her
throat. “How am I going to tell her?” she sobbed. “I don’t even know what she saw that night.”

  Miles’s chest rose and dropped with a deep sigh. “Maybe it’s best not to tell her just yet.”

  Hearing him say the words she’d been thinking made her feel better. “It can’t hurt to wait a few days, right?”

  “Right.” His hand softly caressed her hair and it occurred to her that it had been years since she’d been held by a man. After her disaster of a marriage, she’d avoided any and all relationships.

  Trusting a man didn’t come easy.

  She closed her eyes and tried to gather the willpower to move away from Miles, knowing she shouldn’t take advantage of his kindness.

  Having her cry all over him wasn’t what he’d signed up for when he’d promised to keep them safe.

  “Sorry about this. I hope I didn’t ruin your shirt,” she said, reluctantly pulling away from him. She sniffled loudly and swiped at her face. He was still wearing the dress shirt and slacks from the night he’d rescued her from the gunmen.

  Miles tipped her face up, forcing her to meet his gaze. “You have nothing to apologize for, understand? None of this is your fault, Paige. You and Abby don’t deserve this.”

  She tried to smile, but figured it was a weak attempt at best. “You’re a nice man, Miles Callahan.”

  His gaze dropped to her mouth and he grimaced. “Not that nice,” he muttered before leaning over to capture her lips with his.

  His kiss caught her off guard, but half a second later, she found herself kissing him back, reveling in the warmth and closeness of his embrace.

  Until she remembered Abby.

  Breaking away from Miles wasn’t easy, and she quickly glanced over to make sure Abby hadn’t witnessed their kiss. Thankfully, her daughter was still engrossed in her movie, clutching the new horse/princess toy Miles had purchased for her beneath her left arm.

  “Yes, you are,” she said, as if the kiss hadn’t happened. When she noticed the puzzled expression on his face, she clarified, “A nice man. Everything you’ve done for me, for us, well, let’s just say you’ve treated us better than...” Her voice trailed off as she remembered that Travis would never treat her or Abby poorly ever again.