Page 20 of Safeguarding the Witness

“No way.” She bolted upright in the passenger seat.

“And her daughter is with her.”

“I know Erin has a rep for being a troublemaker, but she’d never put her child in danger by driving too fast.”

They didn’t actually know how fast Erin was going. He had punched up the speed on his own, expecting the person following would keep up.

Why was Erin following them? Spence had to consider her a person of interest in their investigation. Or a witness. A suspect.

Mollie glared at him. “I’m sure she has a reasonable explanation.”

Or not.

Chapter Seven

Mollie could hardly believe that Erin had followed them from the airport. Her cousin, Erin. A woman she’d grown up with. A shoulder she’d cried on when they mourned Madison’s death.

Mollie reached across the center console of the Escalade and held out her hand. “Give me your phone, Spence. I want to talk to her.”

“Not yet.” He continued his one-sided communication with Rossi while circling the cul-de-sac where they’d been hiding, then made a left turn at River Road.

She opened her fingers and closed them a couple of times in a gimme-gimme gesture. In an assertive voice, she said, “The phone, please.”

While driving in a perfectly safe manner, he shot a glance in her direction. “Here’s the new plan. We’ll meet Erin and her daughter at the cabin. Before we get there, we need to talk. Just you and me.”

“There’s no need for us to be guarded. I don’t keep secrets from Erin. She’s a friend, one of my only true friends. I want to see her, to hear her voice.”

“You asked me to find out who was after you. Remember?”

“Yes.”

“I never answered.”

“I noticed,” she said.

“Do you still want me to investigate?”

“You have the qualifications as a security expert, you know my family and, most importantly, I can afford your services. Will you, please, figure out who is trying to chase me down and why?”

“Here are my conditions. First, I have your full agreement to pursue whatever direction seems warranted. Second, I call the shots, which means I’m in charge. Third, no secrets. Fourth, you will not tell anybody about our arrangement.”

His demands didn’t sound unreasonable, but she hesitated, fearful that she’d find a catch she couldn’t live with. “That’s sort of vague.”

“If you want details, I’m happy to draft a twenty-seven-clause contract,” he said. “And sign in triplicate.”

“This is the first time I’ve seen you act like a lawyer.” She glared. “I can’t say that I like it very much.”

“Do we have an agreement?”

“It’s a deal.” As she reached over and shook his hand, she thought of the letter in her pocket. A secret, but she’d found it before they made their contract. “Starting now.”

Though she had a decent sense of direction, the twists and turns through an area of Salem she didn’t know confused her. At least these streets were civilized. The Escalade wasn’t plunging up and down hills like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. Soon, this would be over. Very soon, she’d be with Erin and could slide back into her Oregon life…or not. She was afraid to look ahead.

“Erin doesn’t seem like a threat,” he said, “and she probably isn’t. But we have to investigate everybody who steps into your orbit. Somebody told your old friend how to find us, but she didn’t make a simple approach. Why not?”

“I can think of several reasons. She’s concerned, doesn’t want to rock the boat and cause problems. Or maybe she didn’t enter the airport because she didn’t want to bring her child into a pitched battle between a sniper and Salem SWAT.”

“Or maybe she has information that leads to the person who’s tracking you,” he said. “I want to talk to her alone. See if she has a hidden agenda.”