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“The FBI agent assigned to keep me safe.”
“Fat lot of good he did,” I muttered, taking in her physical condition.
“I was only a protected witness, not part of witness protection in the true sense,” she clarified.
“It appears you should have been,” I said, motioning at her face and hand. “When you went down, I would have died right on the spot if it meant you lived,” I whispered, caressing her temple. “I don’t know if the high blood pressure was from my injury or because I was so worried that you’d been shot.”
“I had been,” she said with a rueful smile. “Thankfully, Marissa had terrible aim and just grazed me. Unfortunately, her punch left me dizzy and off-balance, so the impact of the bullet spun me. I fell, but not before I took out this hand on the ladder.”
“It’s broken again?”
“The pinkie was,” she explained. “The doctors said if they had to fix the pinkie, they may as well do the ring finger simultaneously. It made sense, so I agreed. Now I’m in this for another six weeks.”
“We’ll get through it,” I promised, kissing her forehead. “You were saying about why you were a protected witness.”
She blinked a couple of times but then nodded. “Right. I was protected because I hadn’t testified yet. Dr. Felding was in custody and a nonviolent offender, so moving me out of Florida should have been enough to keep me safe. Even Cliff didn’t know someone else was involved, though they started to suspect it when Felding didn’t know key things about the case.”
“Dr. Felding is the person you reported?” My question held confusion, and she nodded.
“He was a doctor I worked with in Florida. I started to suspect he was committing Medicare fraud by filing false claims for tests and procedures my clients weren’t having done. Once I had proof of it, I took it to the police, who got the FBI involved. Felding was arrested, and his records seized. They moved me out of Florida to keep me safe until the trial started.”
“The whole story about volunteering across the country was another lie?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “The only thing I lied about was why I was in Bells Pass, Irving. You can be assured of that. Everything else—every emotion, how much I love you, why I love who we are together, every life event and family situation I ever shared, and my love of candy canes—was real.”
I couldn’t help but smile at that comment. “I never doubted your love for candy canes.”
“Did you doubt my love for you?” she asked so quietly I barely heard her.
I tipped my head to the side. “I didn’t want to—”
“But you did, and that’s my fault too,” she said, finally making eye contact again. “I love you, Irving. I don’t deserve to say those words now, but it’s true. I came to Bells Pass for a fresh start and a new life. I was searching for a place to start over and find joy in my work again. A place that welcomed me into the community and wanted me to stay, contribute, and make it my home. I didn’t come to Bells Pass to fall in love, but the moment I met you, I knew I was never leaving this little town unless you were by my side.”
“You had to go back to Florida, though,” I said, burying my hand in my hair. “I’m confused because Gabe told me you have to go back to Florida.”
“I do, but only to testify. I repeat—I’m not in witness protection, though they could have done a better job of keeping me safe. I must return to Florida long enough to testify, but I don’t have to stay there.”
“Why is your car half-packed then?”
She motioned at the door with her hand while her lips trembled. “I couldn’t stay here if I couldn’t be part of your life, Irving. You wouldn’t talk to me when I knocked. You wouldn’t answer my calls either. I knew I’d hurt you. I’m scared.”
Those last two words broke me. I motioned her to me, and she draped herself across my lap. I rolled the chair forward and managed to get us out of the apartment and into mine with the help of Star. Once I had her situated in bed, I transferred into bed and pulled her into me so I could rock her. I don’t know how long we sat locked together, but as I stared at the Christmas tree in the corner, little parts of my soul tugged at me. Each tug reminded me of a stitch this woman had placed in my soul to hold me together.
“It was wrong of me to deceive you,” she whispered, her left hand hanging in the air and shaking as though she didn’t know what to do with it. I grabbed a pillow and placed it between us, then encouraged her to rest the splint on it. In a few minutes, I’d have to return to her apartment and see if she had pain medication. She was going to be in agony without it. “I planned to tell you the day Marissa showed up. I was going to tell you after work so we could discuss it without interruption. I knew I could trust you and that you wouldn’t tell anyone, but you had to know in case I disappeared one day.”
“Did Cliff say it was okay to tell me?” I asked, stroking her upper arm in hopes of calming the spasming muscles a bit.
“No, but I was past caring what he said. You’re the most important person in my life, and needed to know what was happening. That was only fair. I should have told you sooner. I know that now, but I can’t go back and change what happened.”
“No, you can’t, but we can move forward, right? We’re never truly stuck in one spot. Tell me what happened in Florida.”
I listened as she told me everything, including how she had helped Marissa get off the streets and find a job in Dr. Felding’s office. Eventually, Marissa worked her way up to be his assistant.
“Marissa said I treated her as though she was beneath me,” she said, her voice breaking on the words. “I tried to treat her as an equal, Irving. This whole thing is my fault. I brought her into the organization and gave her a chance because I knew she could do great things. How could I have been so wrong? Not only did I ruin my life, but I ruined Dr. Felding’s!”
“Hey,” I whispered, kissing the top of her head. “That’s not on you. That’s on Marissa. She’s the one who broke the law, not you. As for Dr. Felding, the courts would exonerate him if he had no part in this. At least we know Marissa wasn’t behind the accident at the park. Gabe told me he believes it was a random and unfortunate accident for you.”
“I don’t look at it that way,” she whispered. “It sucks that my hand is all messed up, but I got you out of the deal and for that I’m eternally grateful.”
