Page 93 of Proof

“It’s possible. But the fact he was run off the road right after she left the farm is suspicious.”

“Does anyone know her current location?” Chris asked.

“Not yet. We’re checking security camera footage at the main intersections. Should have that by the a.m.”

A chill went up Chris’s spine. It wouldn’t take long before they found out where she was. He had to get to her before anyone else did. But he still needed more information.

“What about our witness? How is he doing?” Chris queried.

“He got a little banged up. Bruised ribs. Nothing major. But he’s definitely rattled.”

“Do you think he’ll renege?” Chris asked.

“Good question. We’ll have to relocate him pronto,” Legend said. “The guys in the Phoenix office are working on that now. They’re going to transport him tomorrow.”

“What about the guy you have in custody?” asked Chris.

“He ain’t talkin’,” Buck explained. “And he’s here illegally, so we’re trying to cut a deal with him.”

“Where is he from?” Chris asked.

“Romania,” Legend supplied.

“He’s a tad far from home,” Chris said.

“Yeah, but the Russian mob has tentacles everywhere now, between drugs, guns, and human trafficking.”

“The witness. Why is he in the program to begin with?” Chris asked. There had been no time earlier for him to be briefed. All he knew was that someone had tried to kill one of their witnesses.

“He and his wife were in the Caribbean. They rented a skiff. Out for a leisurely ride around the island. They saw something going on with another boat. One guy leaned over, and bam! Shot dead. The wife got a good look at the shooter. They skedaddled and notified the authorities, who were nonchalant. Evidently, this sort of thing goes on all the time. They went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who put them on a plane back to Miami, where they were picked up by the U.S. Marshal Services. The wife was able to identify one of the mob’s lieutenants, who was apprehended off the coast of St. Lucia. He was turned over to the FBI, where he was arraigned and faced criminal charges. With her IDing him, they were able to put him away. We, the United States Government, promised the couple they would not be in harm’s way.”

“Where is the wife now?” Chris asked.

“She hated the heat here and asked to be relocated to someplace where she could go snowshoeing. So we sent her to Vermont.”

The waitress came over and took their order. All three ordered BLT club sandwiches. When the food arrived, Chris thought he was going to gag. He picked at his food. “Guess I wasn’t as hungry as I thought. Must be jet lag.” He’d blame anything at this point. Anything but Luna. At least not yet.

Chris faked another yawn and stretched his neck. “I think I need some shut eye. What time do you want to meet in the morning?”

“Eight?” suggested Legend.

“Sounds good. Room next to yours?”

“Yep. I’ll order breakfast to be sent to my room. We’re going to have to dig in as soon as we get the camera footage. Until we can eliminate this mystery woman, she is a prime suspect.”

Chris tried to stand, but his legs were like jelly. He leaned on the table. “Long day.”

“I hear ya,” Legend said. “See you in the morning.”

Chris managed to pull himself together before he staggered out of the restaurant. When he got to his room, he leaned against the door and slid down to the floor. He had to do something right away. He phoned Luna again.

She was half asleep. “Chris? Everything okay?”

“No. Nothing is okay. Where are you?” His voice was stern.

“I’m at Gail’s. Where else would I be?” She was confounded.

“Give me the address. Please.” Still stern.

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