Pieces of the Past (Witness Security Book 1) (21 page)

Her mother was doing a crossword puzzle in an old magazine. “Do you know a seven letter word for ‘thankless person’?”

She shook her head. “No. I’m concerned about Ethan learning everything that Larry did. Do you think that’s a good idea?”

Her mother exchanged glances with her dad. “I don’t know, Chrissy. He’s a smart boy. Maybe he deserves to know.”

“But why? Why shatter the image he has of his father? Once we do that, we’ll never be able to repair the damage.”

Her dad leaned forward. “Think about this. Say Larry serves a year in prison, then gets released and tries to get visitation rights. Peyton will be eighteen by then and old enough to decide for herself. But you’ll have to go along with whatever the judge decides, and if Ethan doesn’t know any better, he may really want to see his father.”

She bit her lip. “I wouldn’t like that. Do you really think that could happen?”

He shrugged. “It all depends on what happens. If you’re still in Witsec, maybe not. But if you aren’t—who knows?”

“Damn it!” She stood and paced. “Just when I think things are getting easier.”

“There’s nothing easy about this situation, honey. We’ll just have to see how everything unfolds. In the meantime, I don’t think it would hurt for Ethan to hear the truth.”

She nodded. “Doug was right,” she murmured.

Her mother smiled. “Don’t you just hate it when that happens?”

Christine chuckled. “Yeah, I do.”

“He seems like a pretty smart guy,” her dad remarked offhandedly.

“Chrissy.” Her mother caught her eye. “Don’t get distracted from what we’re doing here.”

She didn’t follow. “Which is—?”

“I’m just saying, we’ve seen the looks you two have exchanged. Yes, he’s handsome, and yes, he’s protecting you right now. But this will be over soon. He’ll go back to Kansas and you and the kids can come home.”

“I’m not so sure about that, Mom. If Larry never comes clean, we may be in Witsec for the rest of our lives. We
all
may be, you guys too.”

She shook her head. “That’s not going to happen.”

“I don’t know.” Christine rubbed her upper arms nervously.

Her dad added, “Just keep a clear head. That’s all we’re asking.”

Whatever
. Slightly irritated, she returned to the kitchen.

Doug was leaning against the doorframe. “Ingrate.”

She blinked. “Excuse me?”

He smiled. “A seven letter word for ‘thankless person’.”

Christine laughed and turned around. “Ingrate!” she yelled at her mother.

“Excuse me?” Lillian blinked.

The FBI agent and the prosecutor arrived shortly before eleven. She ushered them in and watched Ben and Joe bring out kitchen chairs so everyone had a seat.
Christine sat on the sofa with her arms around her kids.

Doug knelt in front of Ethan. “If at any point you decide you don’t want to hear any more, speak up, okay buddy?”

Ethan nodded and clung to her hand.

Even though there was a chair for him, Doug sat on the arm of the sofa next to Ethan. She bit back a smile, but the gesture warmed her heart.

Agent Gilford made introductions and got right to business. “First of all, we’re sorry about the tactics used in our attempt to trip Larry up. The Justice Department knew it was a long shot, but we did acquire some useful information. As helpful as that was, we’d like to apologize for the methods employed in the process. When things have settled, we’d like to give you a check for twenty-five thousand dollars from the victim’s assistance fund. We can make it payable to one person for the family, or five thousand each, whatever you prefer.”

Christine looked at each of her parents then finally at Doug. He raised his brows and she knew he’d had no knowledge of the offer. He was obviously pleased by it. She was stunned, and knew it would take some time to process. “Thank you,” she said simply.

Her parents and kids murmured their own thanks.

“Now,” McGuire took over. “Our search of Larry’s prison cell yielded a disposable phone hidden in a phony can of shaving cream. From that phone we were able to pull off dozens of text messages, voicemails, and phone numbers.
While we were originally led to believe Martin Newsome was behind the drug money laundering at Valcor, Larry’s phone tells a different story. It seems he’d been dealing with noted mob boss Sal Russo personally. While Newsome was still in charge at Valcor, Larry, by his actions, became a more powerful player and essentially forced Newsome to go along.”

Christine had heard tidbits of this, but still found it hard to digest. “Are you sure? Or is Newsome saying all this to turn the investigation off himself?”

“We’re sure,” McGuire confirmed. “We’ve got the evidence in black and white. And when questioned independently, Newsome’s story backs it up. Those people involved called Larry ‘boss’.”

She shook her head. “I’m simply stunned. How could I not know about this? We were married, for Pete’s sake!”

“Your ex-husband was a fairly accomplished liar. By your own account, he spent more time at work than at home. Everyone thought he was grieving the loss of your firstborn son. When he was home, he interacted with the children and not you. That’s what you originally told us, right?”

She nodded sadly. “Right.”

Doug’s hand squeezed her shoulder.

She didn’t look at him, but drew from his substantial strength.

“Larry hired a man named Roberto Blevins to track you down. Blevins was the hired gun of Sal Russo, and he was apparently reporting back to both men independently. Blevins drove a white sedan, was balding with brown hair on the sides of his head.”

“The man at the swimming pool!” Ethan exclaimed.

“And the pizza parlor,” Peyton added.

McGuire nodded. “Larry instructed Blevins to send the flowers on your anniversary. He also arranged for the items sent or left for the children. ‘Pieces of the past’, he called them.
But please don’t in any way think the gestures were sentimental. Larry was a bitter man, angry that you were living a normal life while he was tucked away in the pen. He spoke of that often.”

“His choice!” Doug erupted. “Nobody coerced him to do what he did, least of all Christi and the kids. They’re innocent victims.”

“Not according to Larry.” McGuire looked at his notes. “He indicated his wife was an unappreciative, faultfinding shrew who nagged him practically to death.”

“You’re got to be kidding me!” Doug jumped up this time.

Ben moved to his side and tried to calm him.

Christine shook her head. She’d known Larry had problems, but this proved he was truly a piece of work. And the fact that it bothered Doug more than it did her spoke volumes. “Yep, that’s me. I’m a real ingrate.”

He glanced at her, a smile threatening. Her shot at humor seemed to ease the tension.

Her parents chuckled as they shook their heads.

“Dad said that?” Ethan asked timidly.

McGuire nodded. “Sorry, son.”

Peyton frowned. “Do you think he could have been sick? I read once about a mental illness that caused people to say and do things they never would have done before.”

“It’s possible, but unlikely. If things go badly at his trial, his lawyer may attempt to claim that. Lots of people do. It’s called the ‘not guilty by reason of insanity’ defense.”

“He is not insane,” Lillian spoke up. “He knew exactly what he was doing.”

“We think so, too.” McGuire looked at Christine. “However, if at some point in the trial, sympathy for him seems to be flowing in that direction, we may decide to put you on the stand to refute it.”

She nodded. “Whatever I can do to help.”

“There’s one more thing,”
Gilford added. “We’d like you to make a last ditch attempt to talk to him Monday before the trial starts.”

Doug shook his head. “Please don’t put her through th
at again.”

The agent held up one hand. “
Ms. Stewart, I know, it’s tough. But consider the alternative. If Larry won’t disclose where the money is, you and the kids will remain in Witsec indefinitely. Think about something else. Your parents are in this now, too. They aren’t safe to return home. Understand that the Columbian cartel won’t be as gentle as the Justice Department if they were to snatch any of you. They are still very interested in finding their ten million dollars.”

Her head was spinning. “Damn it! I’ll talk to him, but after last time, I doubt he’ll tell me anything.”

“All you can do is try.”

She nodded. “I will. Of course.”

They asked a few more questions and when McGuire and Gilford left, sat around looking at each other. “This is insane,” she muttered.

Her father said, “We could be in Witsec indefinitely.”

Lillian gazed at him. “Stan, what can we do?”

“I don’t see that we have any options. We’ll do what the Marshal’s Service says we do.”

Joe offered, “At least you’ll be together. Small comfort, I’m sure.”

“No, it’s something.” Stan glanced at her and the kids. “It was so hard living without you. Your mother and I would rather be with you in a new location than without you at home.”

Christine thought she might cry, until her mother added, “But not in Kansas, right? Can we go someplace better?”

Ben guffawed. “What could be better? But yeah, you’ll have some input into your new home. And your new names.”

Peyton groaned. “I just got used to the last one! What will we call ourselves now? Something that starts with an ‘S’.”

Ethan smiled. “Snuffleupagus.”

Smiling, Doug leaned down to him. “Stegosaurus.”

Christine rolled her eyes. “You’re a huge help.”

Turning to his grandparents, Ethan said, “You get to choose something that starts with ‘W’. I like Whoville.”

Lillian joined in the banter. “I prefer something more upscale. How about Walstonburg?”

Stan suggested, “Warrenpfelzer.”

“A kid in my class was named Wakabayashi,” Ethan said.

Peyton reached over and poked him. “He was Japanese, dummy.”

Ben shook his head. “First rule of Witsec. Common, low-key names. Nothing outrageous or upscale. Or Japanese.”

Peyton told her grandparents, “Oh, get ready for this. Witsec has a ton of rules. A thicker book than War and Peace.”

“It’s true.” Joe nodded.

Christine rose and made her way into the kitchen.

Doug followed. “You okay?”

She stared at the refrigerator door. “No. I can’t go through this again. Even if my parents are with us, we’ll still be in hiding, and there won’t be—” Tears choked out the words and she stopped talking.

He moved behind her. “Won’t be what, honey?”

Christine turned to face him. “There won’t be you.”

“You sure about that?” He used both thumbs to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

She sniffed. “How could there be? You said we can’t go back to Topeka.”

“No,” he said thoughtfully. “But maybe I’ll go where you are.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “Could you do that? Would they transfer you?”

Doug shook his head. “No. But maybe I need you in my life more than I need Witsec.”

Her eyes widened. “I couldn’t ask you to do that. It wouldn’t be right, and it’d be an awful way to start a relationship.”

“You let me worry about that. You need to think about what you can say to Larry to make him give up the money. Play on his sympathies for the kids, that kind of thing. It’s our last chance.”

Christine placed her palm on his cheek. “I love it when you say ‘our’.”

He grinned, glanced over his shoulder, then stole a quick kiss. “I love a few things you do, too. I’ll tell you all about it tonight, after everyone’s in bed.”

“Everyone?” She batted her lashes.

“Oh, I wish!” He rolled his eyes.

Christine laughed.

Over dinner Christine realized that she didn’t have any clothes nice enough to wear to the trial. Her mother offered to let her look through her things, and between the two of them they could probably put something together. Christine sighed at what her life had become.

The atmosphere after dinner was less jovial than the night before, far less celebratory. It was barely nine p.m. when everyone started filtering off to their rooms. Joe slept on first watch, and Ben held down the fort from the kitchen.

Christine tucked in the kids then joined Doug on the sofa.

“Everyone hunkered down?”

“Yeah.” She laid her head on his shoulder.

“They’re tired tonight.”

“Nervous, I think.” She sighed. “This talk of ‘Witsec indefinitely’ has them on edge. We’d always imagined it’d just be until the trial. None of us ever dreamed…” She glanced up at him. “Well, a lot of things.”

He smiled. “I know, right? Me too.”