The Reluctant Witness. Kathleen Tailer

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СКАЧАТЬ style="font-size:15px;">      “Four days. You’ve been drifting in and out of consciousness, which is to be expected.”

      He looked around at his makeshift bed. They had given him a pillow and blankets, and he was lying on a green braided carpet. “Why am I on the floor?” he asked.

      “Because you weigh a ton!” Chloe blurted, then shyly shrank back. The two women shared a laugh, and Casey tugged on Chloe’s braid affectionately and received a smile for her efforts. Casey’s expression seemed somewhat relieved that the conversation had shifted and Jack noticed that her posture seemed tense. Yes, something definitely wasn’t right here, but he didn’t get the sense that he was in any danger with them. On the contrary, they had saved his life.

      “We tried to get you to the couch, but you passed out and we just couldn’t manage to get you up there,” Casey said. “You’re a pretty big guy, Agent Mitchell. You’re lucky we got you in as far as we did.”

      “Jack,” he corrected. “Please. Call me Jack.”

      “Well, Jack, now that you’re awake, do you want us to help you up to the couch? It might be more comfortable.”

      “No, not right now. I’m okay right here.” Just that small bit of conversation had tired him out and he felt himself becoming drowsy.

      Casey noticed and felt his forehead again, then picked up the cup he had used and leaned back. “Okay. Chloe, let’s let our friend get some more rest. Can you throw another log on the fire? I’m going to go back outside and chop the rest of that wood.”

      Jack felt a little strange to be lying on a floor out of commission while a woman was outside chopping wood, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. This whole scenario seemed strange and out of place, and he couldn’t seem to make sense of any of it. A host of questions floated around in his mind, but for now, he let sleep consume him.

      The next time he awoke Casey was sitting by his side and gently changing his bandages. It was obviously later in the day and the evening sunlight was barely coming through the windows. The pain was a little less severe, but still throbbed at even the smallest movement. At least his head seemed clear and he was able to think straight for a change.

      “Aspirin. Do you have any aspirin?”

      Casey nodded. “Sure thing, Agent Mitchell...ah, Jack.” She reached for a bottle that was on the end table, took out two tablets and helped him hold his head up enough to take them with water from a straw. “They’re actually a little stronger than aspirin and might make you a little drowsy.” Jack raised an eyebrow but didn’t question her about the pills. He had so many questions at this point that what type of pain medicine she was giving him was pretty far down the list.

      “So you’re the one who stitched me up, right?”

      “That’s right.”

      “What was the damage?”

      “You got shot four times. Your leg injury missed the bone and is just a flesh wound. With some physical therapy you should heal up quite nicely. The gash on your forehead is the same. There was a lot of blood, but no bone damage. The one on the side there is a testament to God’s grace—it just missed your vital organs by a hair. Your shoulder wound also missed the bone, but I had to dig out the bullet.” She held up a little bag that was sitting on the end table. “I saved it for you as a souvenir.” She gave him a soft smile. “All in all, it’s amazing that you weren’t hurt any worse. I was really worried that you’d go into shock because of all of the blood loss or that you’d have internal bleeding, but you’ve pulled through amazingly well.”

      He wrinkled his brow. “Are you a doctor?”

      Casey shook her head. “No, but I’ve had some medical training.”

      “Enough to operate on my shoulder and take out the bullet?”

      “Apparently.” She put the bag back on the table and moved as if she were going to get up, but he grabbed her arm and stopped her escape. Her expression was guarded.

      “Do you have my gun?”

      “I do, but I unloaded it and put it away. I didn’t want Chloe to get curious.”

      He loosened his grip. That made sense. Children and guns didn’t mix. “What about my satchel? It was black leather with a silver buckle. Do you have it?” He tried to remember what had happened to it. Had Stevens taken it? A foggy memory seemed to suggest that, but he couldn’t be sure. All he could really remember was the fire in Stevens’s eyes right before he had pulled the trigger.

      Casey shook her head again. “No. I didn’t see a satchel anywhere around when I found you.”

      That was disappointing. No, it was devastating. The laptop and papers he’d discovered were the only lead he’d found. He’d been desperately hoping that they held evidence that would actually support his theories. Now he was virtually back to square one in his investigation. No, worse than square one, because this time he didn’t even have a partner to watch his back—or shove a knife in it.

      He grimaced as he remembered Stevens’s betrayal. His partner’s reprehensible acts caused a wave of anger to surge within him, and he fisted his hands and tried to sit up. Casey reached over and gently pushed him back down. “I don’t think moving around right now is a really great idea.”

      “I need to get that bag,” he said roughly.

      Casey nodded. “Okay. I can go look for it later, but right now you need to rest. You can’t go gallivanting around the countryside until you’ve healed up. If it’s still there now, it will still be there in an hour or so. Right? I promise I’ll go look for it when I go out in a few minutes.”

      Jack groaned as pain shot through his wounds, and he quit moving. He closed his eyes for a moment while he regrouped, then opened them again and glanced at the way he was dressed. “Where did these clothes come from?” He was clad in gray shorts and a navy T-shirt—neither of which he recognized.

      “This cabin belongs to a friend of mine, and you two are about the same size. He had some spare clothes in a drawer, so I borrowed them for you. I know he won’t mind.”

      Jack took the information in. He knew he was asking a lot of questions all at once, but he just couldn’t help himself. “You said I’ve been here four days, right?”

      “Yes,” she agreed.

      “Four days, and you still didn’t want to call an ambulance?” He paused, but didn’t get a reply. “Does anyone else know I’m here?”

      Jack could see the hesitance in her eyes. When she answered, her voice was shaking. “No. We don’t have a phone and we live in a very remote area.”

      He raised an eyebrow at her and she rushed on with her explanation. “Don’t get the wrong idea. You’re not a prisoner. Whenever you’re ready, I’ll drive you down the mountain and take you to a hospital or wherever you want to go.”

      He reached over and grabbed her arm. “What if I said I was ready now?” He wasn’t really. He still needed to discover the extent of his partner’s betrayal and talk to his unit chief before he showed his face in public. Jack also knew he was in no condition to travel anywhere, yet he wanted to know her response just the same.

      She СКАЧАТЬ