Page 97 of Countdown

“No. My job has been just to keep an eye on her all these years.”

They stepped out of the command center, and the wind gusted down the back of Vince’s jacket. He could see the benefit of a turtleneck. Turning up his collar, he kept his gaze on Tate. “How do you mean?”

“Brianne’s father, sorry, Raina’s father, hired me away from the marshal service years ago. He and Raina’s mother were terrified Kevin would find her and she’d be on her own against him.”

“You kept him updated on Raina, didn’t you?”

“On most things. I never told him exactly where she was, but he could find out easy enough if he wanted to”—he shrugged—“if something had happened to me...” He waved a hand. “Anyway, he wanted me to be there should Kevin show up.”

“Well, according to Raina, the guy who attacked her in her house wasn’t Kevin. We assumed the guy who drugged her at the hospital was Freddy Harper, but it wasn’t. So, my guess is, Kevin has someone working for him, and when that guy failed to kill Raina, he came to finish the job himself. Where were you for all of that?”

The man nodded. “I confess, when I noticed your attentiveness to her, I backed off a lot. I let her parents know that you were watching out for her.”

Fat lot of good he’d done with that. “And now she’s in that maniac’s hands.” Vince studied him for a brief second. “You know about Michael.”

“I do. But I wasn’t worried about him until Trent Carter was killed, his office ransacked, and his laptop stolen. He handled Michael’s adoption. I just learned about the threats Trent was dealing with, but I should have guessed. I knew the man was wound tighter than a spring, but I honestly had no idea he was being threatened. I thought it was just Raina’s family.”

“You didn’t get threats?”

“No.”

“Probably didn’t want to mess with law enforcement. So, this guy was threatening her parents?”

“Yep. Two or three times a year. Her father always called me to handle it, and every threat has been documented, just waiting for the time we can use them in court against the sender. But, as long as the threats kept coming, he knew Raina wasn’t safe from this Kevin character.”

“Right.” Another short pause. “You’re not a marshal anymore.”

“I’m not. I couldn’t do this for Tyler and still work for the marshals full time. I talked to my supervisor and told him that I wanted to do this for my friend. And”—he smiled—“it was a pay raise.”

“I’m surprised Kevin didn’t come after you. He had to know you were the one who helped Raina.”

He shrugged. “Again, his distance could have something to do with the badge.”

“True. But you’ve been waiting for him to show up, haven’t you?”

“Every day.” He pursed his lips. “And the fact is, I never would have known the man was in her house that night. I’m really glad you were there.”

“Well, that answers a few questions, but right now, we have to figure out where he would take her.”

Joseph stepped out of the command center. “We got a hit on a facial from a street camera. Looks like the guy’s name is Keith Baldridge and he landed in Colorado yesterday. Rented a car and drove here.”

“Can we track the rental?” Vince asked.

“First thing I checked. It’s parked at the lodge right where he left it when he drove up. Crime scene unit is going over that too. Rental agreement is in the name of Kevin Anderson.”

The breath whooshed from his lungs. “So Kevin Anderson is really Keith Baldridge?”

“Looks like it.”

“He thinks he’s unstoppable. Why would he use a name that he has to know everyone is looking for?” It didn’t take a psychiatrist to answer that one. Kevin Anderson was Raina’s boyfriend. He couldn’t use another name or it wouldn’t be “right” for him.

“Hopefully his arrogance will help lead to his downfall,” John said. “Wouldn’t be the first one to happen to.”

Vince googled Keith Baldridge. Surprisingly very little came up. There was one family picture of him at his brother’s wedding.He studied the face of the man and his family, then tapped the screen shut.

Sweat dripped into his eyes in spite of the outdoor temperature, and he needed to think. “I’m going to the restroom. I’ll be right back.”

Vince stepped into the men’s room, grateful to find it empty. He went to the sink and splashed water on his face, his mind racing.

---