Guarding the Witness Read online

  “Oh, sorry. I’ll pay for the gas then come back.”

  Arianna went to the door and listened for the crunch of the pebbles layering the ground outside that indicated the woman walked away. When she heard it, she relaxed her tense shoulders. Waiting ten more seconds, she eased the door open and peeked out. Clear.

  She rushed toward the horse van at the same time a man came around the end of the trailer. She halted as though caught doing something wrong. Making sure her gun wasn’t visible, she pulled her jacket around, crossing her arms at her waist.

  “Beautiful day,” she murmured and continued her trek toward the pickup as though she was getting into the cab.

  When the man entered the restroom, she rushed to the side door of the trailer and inched it open slowly, hoping the hinges didn’t squeak too loud. The noise of the men’s restroom door being unlocked spurred her to move faster. She clambered into the horse trailer, shutting herself inside and ducking down at the back. She prayed the man didn’t check out the horses by looking into any of the windows. But the sound of his footsteps faded around the back of the trailer. She slumped against the side.

  Where’s Brody? If the restroom was free for the stranger, then he should have been in here. The urge to search for him tested her. She shouldn’t. Not yet. But she didn’t want anything to happen to him because of her. That she couldn’t deal with—not with all the deaths so far associated with Rainwater murdering Thomas Perkins.

  The side door open. Arianna drew her gun and brought it up as Brody said, “It’s me.”

  She sighed and laid her hand holding the gun in her lap. A tiny voice in her head told her to wait to put it back in her holster. What if someone was with him, forcing him to reveal her?

  But when he appeared in the entrance, he was alone. His gaze lit upon her Glock. “Were there any problems?” He shut the door.

  “Where were you?”

  “I went to the restroom.”

  “After that. A man came around to go in there and it was free. I thought you would be in the trailer. You weren’t.” Her voice rose with frustration and strain. I want my life back.

  “Did he say anything to you or indicate he knew you?” Brody sat next to her, his left side touching her right one.

  “No. His body language seemed okay, too. Nothing to alarm me. So where were you?”

  “I saw a black SUV similar to the one that dropped Carla off yesterday. It stopped at the pump and the driver got some gas. He wasn’t familiar, but I couldn’t see if there was anyone else inside the car. I sneaked around the other side to get a better look. Once the SUV left, I hightailed it back here.”

  “So nothing suspicious?” Arianna whispered, aware their normal voices could carry beyond the back of the trailer.

  “I didn’t say that.” Brody leaned close to her and lowered his voice even more. “I got the gut feeling there was someone else in the car. He kept looking at the passenger side when he was checking out the area around him. There was nothing casual about him. Vigilant. On edge.”

  “When he looked over here, did he react differently?”

  “I couldn’t tell. He was turned from me.”

  “I hope—” The sound of someone outside the horse trailer made her swallow the rest of her words.

  “It’s me,” Charlie said before opening the side door. “Got you each a turkey and Swiss sandwich, a bag of chips and because I’m so nice a chocolate chip cookie.” He glanced from side to side then continued. “There’s talk of a roadblock on Glenn Allen Highway so we’re going to Valdez and taking the ferry to Anchorage. We’ll get into Anchorage after dark. That might not be so bad.”

  A few minutes later, Charlie had them back on the highway heading south.

  Being so close to Brody wasn’t safe for her peace of mind. She wanted to know everything about him and that was dangerous. The more she discovered the more she liked him. “I’m getting sore sitting on this hard surface. I wonder if I can do some yoga stretches, maybe work some of the stiffness out of my body.” She scooted a few feet from him.

  “Are you one of those people who can’t rest even when you get the chance?”

  “That about sums me up. I need to be kept busy but occasionally I do stop to play Scrabble or read a good book.” She snapped her fingers. “I don’t seem to have one with me.”

  “I should have had Charlie stop at the library on the way out of Fairbanks. Oh, yeah. He couldn’t since we left before any library would be open.”

  “It wouldn’t be a bad idea for you to do some of these exercises with me. Nothing where we stand up and balance ourselves. I don’t think going sixty miles an hour is conducive to that.”

  He twisted around and sank down, laying his head on the backpack. “Wake me if we’re in trouble.”

  “I doubt seriously you’ll be able to sleep through it. The sound of my gun going off in here will probably start a two horse stampede.”

  “So long as they go out the door and not back here.” Brody closed his eyes.

  Arianna sat cross-legged with her spine straight and the back of her hands lying on her knees. Washing her mind of all concerns, she let a calmness flow through her. From there she moved into a core pose, then a back bend followed by an inversion, throwing her legs over her head. The stretches felt great, removing her from all that had happened to her.

  The cell rang. Brody popped up, digging for it in his pocket. “Yes?”

  He listened, a frown curving deep lines into his face. When he hung up he said, “That black SUV is stalled up ahead. A woman, not Carla according to Charlie’s description, is waving us down. He’s going to blow by them.”

  The speed of the horse trailer picked up. Charlie swerved into the other lane and increased their pace even more. Brody knelt on the side they would pass the SUV and peeked out the window. He dropped down and went for his gun. “Two more men are getting out, both with big guns.”

  NINE

  “Get back against the wall.” Brody cocooned Arianna’s body between him and the aluminum wall.

  “Don’t. Flatten yourself next to me.” She tried to push him away.

  “No.” He poured all the authority he could into that one word. She was not going to die here on the road.

  Shots blasted the air. Suddenly the trailer swerved toward the side of the highway where the SUV probably was. The speed of the trailer decreased. He dragged Arianna to the floor and covered her again.

  “What’s—”

  The loud sounds of the crash reverberated through the trailer. The hard impact of it crashing into the SUV jolted him, and although he knew what Charlie had decided to do, he wasn’t able to keep himself from being thrown off Arianna, sliding toward the back door. All around him, he could hear the hooves of the panicked horses as they stamped the floor and tried to stay on their feet.

  When he looked back toward Arianna to make sure she was okay, her body rammed against his at the same time the mare brought a hoof down toward her head.

  Arianna saw the hoof coming toward her and flinched away from it so that it only clipped her left shoulder. Pain bolted through her.

  She looked toward Brody. The other mare crashed to the floor, not able to remain standing. Her eyes wide, the horse tried to get up, but the trailer was swinging around toward the truck. Coming to a stop, the trailer tilted at an angle as though hanging over a cliff. The area they’d been driving through was relatively flat. A ditch?

  A woman’s scream pierced the air. Shots sounded again, this time from a different gun.

  Charlie’s? Arianna got up on her knees and hands. “Okay?”

  “Yes.” Brody’s gaze was riveted to the mare still on her feet, dancing about and tugging on her tethers. He rose, searching for his gun that had been knocked from his hand. “Calm her if you can.”

  As he s
truggled up the inclined floor toward the front of the trailer, Arianna gripped one of the mare’s ropes and yanked her as far away as she could from the horse still lying on its side, her legs flailing. The downed animal’s body banged against the side of the trailer, her head whipped back and forth against her restraints. The panicked horses’ guttural cries ripped at Arianna’s heart.

  She looked out the window near her. They were teetering over a drop-off along the side of the road. The mare she held would counter the other’s weight and help keep them from sliding down into the ditch. She stretched to see the bottom of the gully. She could see it, maybe eight feet down. She pulled even more to coax the mare the few remaining feet to the tack area at the front.

  She would secure the mare to a bar, then follow Brody outside. She wouldn’t stay in the trailer while there were at least three assailants. She hated leaving the frightened horses in the trailer but the only way out for them was through the back doors, which opened into the ditch.

  Another round of gunfire pushed her faster. Charlie could really be hurt. The front of the truck he was driving took most of the impact with the SUV. As Arianna made her way to the small side door, the mare yanked on the rope. Her last glance back at the horse showed an animal with wide eyes, trying desperately to get loose. The one in the back of the trailer struggled to her feet, the rope tied to her halter still connected to the trailer.

  Lord, watch over them. Us.

  Arianna eased the side door open, her gun drawn, a bullet in the chamber.

  On the ground lay one assailant, not moving, a bullet hole in his chest.

  She checked his pulse then sneaked forward toward the cab of the truck. Where was Brody?

  A noise on the other side drew her full attention. Glancing over the hitch that connected the horse trailer to the truck, she spied Brody struggling with another man. To the side of her, she heard a door creaking open. She turned toward that nearer and more immediate threat as Charlie tumbled out of the cab, blood running down his face.

  * * *

  Brody’s attacker broke free of him and tried to run toward the SUV. Brody leaped forward and drove the man to the ground inches from the drop-off. The guy heaved up and rolled over, sending Brody and him into the gully. Rocks and vegetation stabbed him on his trek down. He landed in a couple of inches of runoff with his assailant on top of him, the air swooshing from his lungs, his face pressed into the water.

  He had to take care of his assailant and protect Arianna.

  With his face still in the few inches of water, Brody struggled to turn his head so he could breathe. His thoughts clouded from lack of oxygen. He felt his attacker’s hot breath on his neck. Through the haze in his mind an idea came to him. With all his energy he used his head as a sledgehammer striking the man on him in the face. Momentarily his assailant let up, drawing back slightly. A howl of rage pierced the air.

  Adrenaline zipped through Brody. Putting all his energy into hoisting himself up and throwing off his opponent, he thought of Arianna alone in an unfamiliar place with no way to get to Anchorage. He would not let that happen, which meant he couldn’t die here today. He tossed the man off him and turned around, scrambling to his feet at the same time his attacker did. The man drew a knife, flicking it open. The eyes of the man were full of determination to kill him. Brody moved in a slow circle, scouring the area for any kind of weapon. There was none.

  * * *

  As Charlie sank to his knees, Arianna rushed to him. “Are you hit?”

  He shook his head, drops of blood spattering onto the side of the road. “The windshield is shattered from the bullets. Probably a few fragments cut my face. It happened so fast. I’m fine.” He started to stand but collapsed back down.

  Arianna examined him. “I think you were grazed by a bullet.”

  “Could be. I aimed the truck at the SUV and the gunmen. I ducked as they sprayed the pickup.”

  “Stay put.” She went to the opened door of the truck and searched for Charlie’s gun. When she found it, she took it to him and put it in his hand. “I’m checking the area. Brody was wrestling one on the other side. One is on the ground. Where’s the woman?”

  “Don’t know. I tried to return fire, but I must have lost consciousness briefly.”

  Arianna slowly rotated in a circle to check around her. Other than the dead body a few yards away, she didn’t see anyone else on this side. With her gun in hand, she crept forward to round the front of the SUV. The truck had smashed into its side, T-boning it. That was when she saw another man pinned between the pickup and the SUV. His assault rifle was still clutched in his hand but there was no life in his shocked eyes. Arianna felt for a pulse just in case but found none. So at least three men and a woman.

  Rainwater has to be stopped. Death follows him around.

  Anger surged to the foreground, firming her resolve to make it alive to the trial to testify. No man should be above the law.

  When she rounded the SUV, a woman flew at her, tackling Arianna to the hard ground.

  * * *

  Poised on the balls of his feet, Brody was ready to dodge the medium-built man. Every nerve alert, he tingled with anticipation of the attack to come. He smelled of mud, brackish water and sweat. The sun beat down on Brody, but a chill gripped him.

  His gaze glued on his attacker, he waited for the move. Speed would be paramount. The man charged him, the knife pointed at Brody’s heart. With his booted feet, he lashed out at the assailant’s legs at the same time he grabbed for the guy’s wrist. The assailant twisted his arm away. Brody pounded his right fist into the man’s jaw while kicking him again.

  The attacker fell to his knees, the knife dropping from his hand. Brody moved in and hit him in the face several times until the man crashed forward into the water. Gasping for air, Brody snatched up the knife, then rolled the assailant over. The man was out cold.

  Brody removed the guy’s belt and secured his hands behind him. He had to make sure there weren’t any others on Rainwater’s payroll around. He clambered up the incline to clear the scene and to find his gun and something better to tie up his assailant.

  * * *

  As her attacker went for Arianna’s neck, choking her, she looked into the woman’s crazed eyes.

  “You killed him,” the lady shouted over and over.

  Gripping her wrists to pry her hands from around her neck, Arianna twisted and bucked, trying to knock the woman off her. Her oxygen-starved lungs screamed for air. A haze descended over her mind.

  Suddenly her assailant was lifted from Arianna, and she gulped in precious breaths until the feeling of light-headedness faded.

  Brody held the kicking and screeching woman against him. “Okay?”

  Arianna nodded, grabbed her gun from the ground a couple of feet away and rose, her legs shaky for a few seconds. “I’ll take care of her. Secure the crime scene. Charlie is—”

  “Right here. I’ve called a highway patrol officer I’m good friends with. We can trust him. Someone will have to clean up this mess. A trucker is coming. We’re going to have to do some fast-talking if we intend to get away before this place is mobbed. I figure we’ll need to use your badge.”

  Brody looked toward the road. “Take care of the guy in the ditch. I’ll take care of the people who want to help until your friend gets here. Arianna, get some rope from the trailer to tie up both of our attackers. Make sure the horses are still okay.”

  Images of this incident on Richardson Highway being splashed all over the news spurred her to move as fast as her sore body allowed. They had to contain this until they could get away or Rainwater’s men would know exactly where she was.

  * * *

  “The trooper I left at the wreck owes me. He’ll process the scene as slowly as he can, especially when it comes to notifying people about what happened on Richardson Highway
. The two dead men will be picked up and the other two will end up going to headquarters since their injuries are minor. Johnson will tell the commander to check with the U.S. Marshals Service, but he’ll delay that as long as possible.”

  “Thanks, Gus,” Charlie said in the front seat of the state trooper’s car, speeding back toward Fairbanks. “We need to be as far away from this as possible before Rainwater’s men discover the way we’re heading to get to Anchorage. They’ll have those routes locked up tighter than an oil drum.”

  Gus chuckled. “Won’t they be surprised when you aren’t going that way.”

  Brody glanced toward Arianna sitting across from him in the rear seat in the vehicle. Her head rested on the back cushion, her eyes closed. “Who’s this pilot that can fly us to Seward?”

  “A childhood friend. He had a run-in with Rainwater’s smuggling operations once when he was flying up north to St. Lawrence Island. He barely made it out alive. Believe me there was no love lost between them, but I didn’t tell him who you are. Just to keep this quiet. There’ll be a car waiting for you at the airstrip in Seward. Another trooper who I know isn’t on anyone’s payroll other than the state’s arranged it. He doesn’t know why I asked.”

  Brody had known from the beginning when they were running away from the cabin that he’d have to trust a few people to help him and Arianna get to the courthouse in Anchorage. But the more people they brought into the circle the more the chances increased that Rainwater’s men could discover their whereabouts. That was not an option. At least he was the only one who knew where they would stay in Anchorage—if they could get there.

  “While you were securing the two prisoners in the back of the trooper’s car, I placed a call to Willow. She’s heading toward the wreck site to pick up her horses. I was so glad I could reassure her that neither one was injured badly—just shook up and with a few minor cuts. I’m really going to have to make this up to her.”

  “Was she mad at you?” Brody asked, remembering leading the horses out of the trailer right before the second state trooper showed up. One limped from a cut on her leg, but otherwise the mare appeared all right and calm once out of the trailer. He sure hoped there were no lasting effects to the animals.