Page 28 of Question Everything

“Okay. Here we go,” he said, dumping the contents on the table in front of him. He spread the items out, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. Her wallet, passport holder, some tissues. A small bag filled with lipstick, a tiny mirror, and a travel-sized mascara. A ring of rubber toy keys for the baby. Not a clue to her identity or why she was being followed. The fabric on the inside of the soft leather purse had not been tampered with, the seams were tightly sewn. He sat back with a sigh. Then he looked over at the stroller. “Hold on,” he said, walking over to it. He untangled the straps pulled out the liner, and there it was. A small, black tracking device. This was no Apple air tag. This was professional grade, placed by someone who knew what they were doing. He felt a shiver run up his spine.Whoever was after her meant business. Whoever was after her sent those armed goons to hunt her down.

“Here’s the culprit. It’s how they found you.”

He watched as Mia’s eyes widened. “But how did it get there?”

“Either the luggage handlers on your flight were in on this, or someone slipped it into the stroller while you weren’t looking.”

“I wish I could remember what happened, Kyle. I’m of no help at all, am I?”

He moved closer. “Listen, Mia. It doesn’t matter. When your memory returns, you’ll have more answers. For right now, we just have to keep you and the baby safe. Tomorrow, pack all your warm clothing. It will be colder at the Cape than it is here. We’ll go to the grocery store and stock up on what we need. Once it’s dark, we’ll hit the road. It’s not that long of a trip at this time of year, especially at night.” He turned the tracker over in his hands. “And I have an idea of what to do with this.”

He walked into his office and returned with a padded envelope. He slipped the offensive black box inside and sealed it, writing an address on the front. “I have a good buddy in Nova Scotia. I go fishing up there every summer. I’m going to mail this to him and hopefully, send those goons on a wild goose chase. It should buy us some time.”

She just nodded. They sat silently for a moment and then she said, “I’m so sorry, Kyle. I feel like such a burden. I’m upending your life.”

“Listen to me, Mia. I’m in this with you now. Until the end. Whatever happens.”

He leaned in and gave her a quick hug, not wanting to go further for fear of not being able to stop. It was not the time to take this relationship to the next level, no matter how much he wanted to do just that. “Go to sleep. It’s been a long day and tomorrow will be even longer.”

She smiled. “Okay. And Kyle…thank you for everything. For sharing your family and for taking such good care of us. Please know how much it all means to me.” Then she stood and hurried into the bedroom, leaving him wondering if she had the same thought as him.This was not the time to take this relationship to the next level.

The next day,he drove to Sibby’s to drop Mia and Sarah off where he knew they’d be safe while he took his car over to Conor’s house. They had planned to switch vehicles with one another; his brother owned an SUV which would be better for use at the Cape. Plus, Conor was thrilled to have a small sports car to drive around for the next month.

“If we get a snowstorm,” Kyle began, “this car will be useless. Sorry about that.” He removed the baby seat from his car and moved it into his brother’s, securing it with the belt.

“Let’s hope we don’t, then. I’ll be fine. If need be, I’ll take dad’s truck.”

“Oh, and sometimes the shifter sticks. Be gentle with her.”

“Kyle. It’s a car, not a woman. I know what to do…”

“Right,” Kyle said, reluctantly handing over the keys. “I appreciate the loaner,” he added.

“We’ll all be there at Thanksgiving. Just lay low. Don’t do anything crazy.”

“Is that a reference to my incident at work? Because…”

“No, brother, no. I meant don’t get involved with Mia. Or at least, don’t get involved in something you can’t get out of. You don’t need your heart broken again on top of everything else going on in your life. Still no official word on when you’re going back to work, I assume?”

“Not yet,” Kyle said. “But I guess that fits into my current plan. I’ll check in with the captain often, though. Plus, I’ll fill him in on what’s happening and update him with the number of the burner phone I’m going to pick up on the way home. He can reach me up there.”

“Sure, just as long as you connect to the Wi-Fi.”

Kyle let out a long sigh. “I know what to do, brother. Why is everyone so concerned?”

“Are you bringing your gun?”

Kyle realized that his family was still concerned for his emotional well-being. They knew that he’d locked his personal weapon away after the night he shot his service revolver unnecessarily, that he hadn’t looked at it since.

He sighed. “Yes. I’m taking it out of the safe and I’ll bring it with me. If I need to use it, I will.”

Conor nodded. “Good. I feel better knowing that you’re bringing protection.” He paused. “At least one kind of protection. I don’t need to ask you about where you plan on sleeping once you get there, right?”

“Leave it alone, Conor,” Kyle said as he shot his brother a look that indicated he was in no mood for this line of questioning. “I’m going now.” He got into the truck and drove off the driveway, leaving his brother standing there, shaking his head.

On the ride back to his house, Kyle couldn’t help but wonder what he would do if the need arose to use his weapon. He hadn’t looked at it after that fateful night and he didn’t feel as confident around the thought of having to use it as he had presented himself to his brother. He used to go to the range with Conor and Tim all the time, but he hadn’t been there in months now, apart from the range test.Was shooting a gun like riding a bicycle, like his brother had said? Would he react quickly if necessary? What if it all comes down to that? Then what? Would those goons show up in Wellfleet?It was a lot to consider.

Kyle knew that he shouldn’t grapple with the “what-ifs” of this situation, it wouldn’t help. He drove onto Commonwealth Avenue and parked near the Target. He went inside and used cash to buy a pre-paid cellphone, then went back to the truck and drove to Sibby’s to pick up Mia and Sarah. The entire transaction took less than ten minutes, but the entire time in the massive store, he had his eyes open, scanning the other customers to be sure that they didn’t look like they were paying any attention to him. He knew he was being paranoid, that no one was looking for him. Whoever was searching for Mia should already be heading downtown where he dropped the tracker into a mailbox on Boylston Street. He smiled to himself.Have fun with that, boys,he thought. Then he continued back to Sibby’s. He had so much nervous energy running through his veins and it he knew that it would be there until he pulled up to the house on the Cape. Once over the Bourne bridge, he hoped to be able to take a deep breath once more.

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