The Only Witness

“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.”