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“Three years.” He caught a glimpse of her pale hand as she smoothed her palm over her daughter’s back.
“A lot can change in three years. Do you think his work is still considered highly confidential?”
She nodded, her lips pressing together in a thin line. “The last time we spoke, he said things were stressful at work because they were trying to solve a technical glitch in some sort of software that could revolutionize the artificial intelligence used to create artificial limbs and other medically necessary devices.”
Interesting. So, what had gone wrong? Why had Jason been murdered? His friend had mentioned stress at work, too, but Miles thought he was speaking about his issues with his boss, not the actual work itself. Miles needed more information on Sci-Tech, but so far all his efforts to glean more had been in vain. He’d spent hours calling around the company, asking to speak to various team leaders, only to be completely stonewalled.
So far, Travis Olson and Sci-Tech were the only two links between Jason’s murder and the gunshots at Paige’s house.
“Why do you keep asking about my ex-husband?”
He swallowed hard, trying to think of how much to tell her. “Have you heard the name Jason Whitfield?”
Paige frowned. “It sounds familiar, but I can’t be sure.”
He wasn’t surprised. Since she’d been divorced from Travis for three years, he doubted they spoke about things related to his job anymore. “He worked for your ex-husband at Sci-Tech.”
“Worked?” She’d picked up on his use of past tense. “Did he quit?”
“Jason was found shot to death early this morning. I’m a homicide detective investigating his murder.”
She sucked in a harsh breath. “And you think the same gunman came to my house looking for Travis?”
He didn’t answer right away, because she had a point. Just because Travis and Jason hadn’t gotten along didn’t mean that Olson killed his buddy. Paige could have nailed the truth that someone else was after both Jason and Travis. Either way, something strange was obviously going on.
“I’m not sure,” he answered truthfully. “I was hoping your ex-husband would be able to give me more information. How’s Abby?” he asked, changing the subject. He turned right and caught a glimpse of the sign for the Ravenswood Motel.
“Sleeping.” Her brow furrowed. “I’m worried about her, though.”
He didn’t know anything about kids, had avoided serious entanglements after watching his girlfriend, Dawn Ebbe, die of leukemia right after college. She’d suffered for a long time, dying far too young. His heart had ached for her, wishing there was more he could do to help, but she’d slipped away in her sleep, leaving him feeling sad, frustrated, angry and alone.
From that moment on, he’d decided to live his life to the fullest, the way Dawn had tried to do before she became so sick and weak she couldn’t move around on her own. His goal was to enjoy life, without getting seriously involved.
His phone rang, and he used the hands-free function to answer it. “Callahan.”
“Miles? This is Detective Lisa Krantz.”
He tried to place her in his memory. Oh, yeah, he remembered now, she was a tall blonde, with a brand-new gold shield. “Detective, what’s up?”
“There’s been a break-in at your house. The place has been tossed, as if someone was looking for something.”
“When?”
“One of the neighbors called it in about fifteen minutes ago, and there happened to be a uniform in the area. I stopped by to take a look, but I have another call so I’m heading across town now. I figured you’d want to know.”
“I do, thanks. I’ll head over there now to see for myself.” He disconnected, his thoughts whirling.
Was this break-in related to Jason’s murder? Had the killer discovered they were friends? That Jason had called Miles several times in the past few weeks?
Or was the break-in related to something else entirely?
* * *
Paige frowned when Miles executed a sharp U-turn, heading back the way they’d come. “Do you think it’s smart to go there? What if there’s a gunman waiting for you, too?”
“There are officers on the scene, and I’ll protect you. Besides, we won’t stay long.”
She didn’t like being dependent on Miles, but what other choice did she have? Being left at a motel room with Abby and no vehicle to get away if needed didn’t sound like a good option, either.
It didn’t take Miles long to pull into the driveway of a small red-brick house with black shutters and white trim. Abby curled against her, still clinging to her neck as if she’d never let go.
“Sit tight. I’ll be right back.” Miles pushed open the driver’s door as a short, stocky uniformed officer came out to meet him.
The car seemed empty without his reassuring presence. She listened as the two of them spoke.
“Fair amount of damage,” the cop said. “Everything’s a mess. It’s obvious they were looking for something.”
“Check for fingerprints, maybe we’ll get a hit,” Miles told him. “I want to take a look. Will you stay out here and keep an eye on my passengers?”
The uniformed officer nodded. “Sure. No problem.”
“Hey, Abby,” Paige said in an effort to reassure her daughter. “There’s another policeman here, do you see him?” She wanted the little girl to know they were safe, but Abby didn’t lift her head to look around.
The sick feeling crept over her again, warning her that something was seriously wrong. Paige continued talking to Abby in soft, gentle tones, telling her that the policemen would put the bad men with guns away and keep them safe.
When that didn’t work, she offered a quick prayer.
“Dear Lord, please keep us safe and help Abby feel better, Amen.”
Normally her daughter would join in to say Amen, but not this time. Paige knew she couldn’t push, that Abby would speak when she was ready.
But the continued silence bothered her. A lot.
Miles returned a few minutes later, his expression grim. He carried a small duffel bag that he tossed into the trunk.
“Call me if you get a hit from any fingerprints,” he said to the officer.
“Will do.”
He slid behind the wheel and backed out of the driveway. He didn’t speak until they were back on the highway headed to the motel.
“Do you think the officer is right? That someone was looking for something inside your home?”
“Yeah, that’s the only thing that makes sense,” he said in a clipped tone.
“Something related to your case?”
“That’s exactly what I need to figure out.” He used his hands-free function to make another phone call. “Captain?” he said when a gruff voice answered. “This is Callahan.”
“I can’t believe you left the scene of the crime!” Captain O’Dell’s tone was hoarse, as if he’d been yelling all day long and was losing his voice.
“I need 24/7 protection for Paige Olson and her daughter. Will you free up a couple of uniforms?”
“With our budget cuts? No way. We’re already short-handed as it is. Find a safe place to stash her, then report in, understand?”
“Yeah. Got it.”
Paige swallowed hard and tried not to let her fear show. “Thanks for trying. I’m sure we’ll be fine at the motel. I’d just—feel better if I had a car, or a way to get to safety in case something happens.” She didn’t love Travis anymore, but he was still her daughter’s father and she was worried about him, as well.
Miles let out a heavy sigh. “Don’t worry, I’m not leaving you at the motel alone.”
He wasn’t? “But your boss, your captain said...”
“I know what he said, but I’m not abandoning you. I’ll check in with him tomorrow.”
The wave of relief caught her off guard. Since when did she trust a man? Never in the years since her divorce.
Logically, she knew this was different. Miles wasn’t interested in her on a personal level. He was just being kind. And protective.
She told herself she was glad there was only a professional courtesy between them. Sure, he was handsome with his dark brown hair, chiseled features and big, muscular physique. And yes, maybe he smelled good, too. But after spending the last three years piecing her life back together, taking on an accounting job at a firm that allowed her to work at home so she could remain independent yet support her daughter, she finally felt as if she had her life back on track.
No way was she willing to risk changing anything now.
* * *
“Number twelve is our room.” Miles wasn’t happy that there hadn’t been connecting rooms available, but at least this one had two double beds.
Paige pursed her lips, but didn’t argue. “Okay.”
He parked the car in front of their Ravenswood Motel room and shut off the engine. “Do you need help with Abby?”
“No, I have her.” He came around to open her passenger-side door, grimacing at the bullet hole he found in the back fender. Any closer and the gunman might have taken out a tire, making escape impossible.
She took his outstretched hand, and a jolt of awareness tingled up his arm. He scowled, not liking his inadvertent response to her. Paige was the type of woman who had serious relationship written all over her.
Besides, he was responsible for her safety.
“Thanks,” she whispered, releasing his hand once she was out of the car and steady on her feet. Abby was still draped over her mother, but her limbs were lax as she slept.
He was glad the child was able to get some rest, and hoped she’d feel better in the morning.
After unlocking the door, he held it open so Paige could go through first. He turned on one lamp, casting a warm glow over the interior of the room.
Choosing the bed closest to the bathroom, Paige bent down and awkwardly pulled the polyester bedspread and blanket out of the way with one hand, so she could set Abby down on the mattress. The child squirmed a bit, before relaxing against the pillows.
Paige stared down at her daughter for a long moment before turning toward him. “I’ll share this bed with Abby, I want to be close by in case she has nightmares.”
“Understood.” Exhaustion weighed him down, but he shoved it away, trying to focus on what still needed to be done. After setting one of the room key cards on the table between the double beds, he tucked the other one into his pocket. “I’m going outside for a couple minutes to make a quick call. You’ll be okay?”
Paige nodded, then slipped out of his jacket. “Here you can have this back.”
He wanted to tell her to keep it, but since he had no idea how long he’d be outside, he decided he might need it to stay warm. However, it wasn’t easy to ignore her lemony scent clinging to the fabric as he drew on the jacket.
When he turned toward the door, she called out to him. “Miles?”
He glanced over his shoulder. “Yeah?”
“I accidentally left Abby’s stuffed elephant in the backseat. Will you bring it in with you?”
He hadn’t even noticed the child clutching a toy, but for some reason, the idea that she had something from her home to comfort her made him smile. “Sure, no problem.”
“Thanks.” The expression on her lovely face was strained, as if she was hanging on by a thread. Understandable, since it wasn’t every day that a woman was forced to flee from a gunman with her young daughter in tow.
The air outside seemed colder after the warm interior of the motel room. Hunching his shoulders against the brisk wind, he opened the back door and found the pink elephant. He took it around to the front seat so he wouldn’t forget to take it back inside with him.
Miles dialed his brother Mitch, who thankfully answered on the second ring. “Miles? What’s up?”
“Someone trashed my place.” Remembering the mess ticked him off all over again. “Do you have time to head over there, make sure things are locked up once they’re finished processing the evidence?”
Mitch whistled beneath his breath. “Is the break-in related to something you’re currently working on?”
“Maybe.” Either his current case, or a cold one. Miles didn’t want to mention the fact that he’d also been working on his father’s murder investigation in his spare time. Nine months ago, Max Callahan had been the Milwaukee chief of police. He’d gone out to the scene of an officer-involved shooting as a sign of support for his colleagues, when someone had gunned him down. The entire Callahan clan still mourned his passing, and Miles wanted nothing more than to find the perpetrator who’d killed their father.
He’d discovered that the bullet responsible for his father’s death had been retained in the evidence room, but now it was missing, which made him suspicious about what was going on related to his dad’s case.
But right now, he had more urgent issues to worry about. “I’d join you, but I need to keep watch over a victim and her daughter.”
“Yeah, okay. Anything else?”
Miles was grateful that he had his family to fall back on. He was the second oldest, behind Marc. Mitch was born two years after him. Michael was fourth in line and the twins, Matthew and Madison, Maddy for short, were the youngest.
“Nothing right now, but I’ll be in touch.”
“Keep your head down, bro, you hear?”
Miles placed a second call to the dispatch center, asking for the officers who’d been sent to the Olson residence. He was given the name and number of Bernie Nowak. Nowak picked up after several rings and sounded grumpy about it.
“What? I’m busy.”
“Hey, Bernie, this is Miles Callahan. What did you find so far?”
“Where are you?” Bernie demanded. He’d been on the force for twenty-four years and was literally counting the days till he could retire. “You weren’t supposed to leave the scene.”
“The shooter kept coming, even managed to nick my car with a bullet, so I decided saving lives was more important than waiting for you guys.”
Bernie grunted. “Yeah, well, we found two slugs, both from a twenty-two-caliber rifle. Not the weapon of choice for your average punk crook.”
Maybe not, but it was the same caliber bullet found at the scene of Jason’s murder. “Anything else?”
