Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

W hen they returned to his condo later that evening, Kyle waited for Sarah to fall asleep and went into his office to call the Chief. He had the older man's cell phone number and dialed it. Once it connected, he said, "Walsh here, sir. How are you?"

"I'm good. The question is how are you holding up since we last spoke?"

"I'm hoping you can tell me. Do I have a reinstatement date yet?"

"I was going to get in touch. The unofficial date is December first. I'm just waiting on…"

Kyle interrupted his boss. "The paperwork, right?"

"Yeah. You know how this goes. That email should arrive any minute. But don't worry about it. I have it on good authority that you're good to go. You passed the range test and the psych eval. You'll get your gun back and we'll all be happy to put this whole incident behind us."

Kyle felt as if the weight he'd been carrying around on his shoulders had been lifted. He was going back to work! "Thank you, sir. I appreciate having you in my corner."

"Of course, Walsh. You're one of my best detectives. We need you back."

"Speaking of detective work, I've been trying to uncover the identity of a Jane Doe who had a car crash near Fenway a couple of weeks ago."

"Yeah, Kelly and McCormick filled me in. She's still with you?"

"Yes, sir. She has no recall as to who she is."

"That's awfully charitable of you, son. But knowing your family as well as I do, I'm sure you have extra hands around to help."

"You know it, sir. But I do have a favor. There were a couple of guys in a car stalking her. They looked like pros. Investigators. And they were armed."

"Plate number?"

Kyle smiled to himself. The chief knew him well. He repeated the numerals from memory, and he could hear his boss scratching his pen across the ever-present pad on his desk, noting them.

"I'll see what we can find," he said in the gruff tone of voice that Kyle knew meant business.

"Thank you, sir."

"And Walsh. Nine am sharp on the first of December. Don't be late."

Kyle hung up the phone and let out the breath he'd been holding for months. He was finally going back to work. He couldn't wait.

Kyle gave himself a few minutes to revel in the good news, then realized that they had a lot to accomplish before they could leave for the Cape the next night, so he did his best to put all his concentration into that project. Once he took Mia's luggage out of the bedroom so that she could repack what she needed to bring, she went inside to feed the baby one more time and settle her into the pack and play, which he'd moved in there days ago. He wanted to take a good look at her bags anyway. Maybe somehow, they'd been compromised and had a tracker somewhere within. Not wanting to violate her privacy, he waited for Mia to come back into the living room before getting started.

She was buttoning her blouse when she tiptoed out and joined him on the couch. "I'll empty these and repack them," she said, pointing to her luggage.

"Hang on. I want to check them over once they're empty. If someone slipped something in here without your knowledge, it would explain how those goons found you."

Wide-eyed, she nodded and leaned over to unzip the first bag. She had put most of her belongings into the dresser in the bedroom. He had cleared out two drawers for her when she first arrived. Aside from some warmer clothing for Sarah, there was nothing of note still inside the luggage. She grabbed the small pile and placed it on the couch. Then he lifted the bag, turned it upside down and inspected the seams, which were all intact and untampered, the pockets on the inside all empty.

"Nothing?" she asked.

He just shook his head. "Can I see the diaper bag and your purse, please?"

"Of course," she replied, standing, and then bringing both back to where he sat on the couch.

Kyle opened the diaper bag first. It held what one would think belonged inside, spare diapers, ointment, some toys, and board books. He dumped everything out on the coffee table and checked the lining. It was factory fresh. Then he pointed to her handbag. "Is there anything in there you don't want me to see? Anything personal? I know that Sibby guards her purse with her life. You could lose a hand if you open it without permission."

She smiled at him. "Not that I'm aware of. I mean, I don't know who I am, so if there's anything in there to give it away, I haven't found it yet."

"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.

After picking up Mia and Sarah and humoring Sibby as she gave him all sorts of directions on opening the family's house on the Cape, he put them on the road toward the grocery store. After stocking up with more food than they needed, they headed back to the condo to rest before the trip that night.

"There seems to be a lot to know about your family's house on the Cape. Did you understand everything Sibby said?" Mia asked as he made his way through the building rush hour traffic.

"My family has owned that house since before I was born. I know exactly what to do. Sibby just feels better if she thinks she's in charge. We all let her have that, you know. But honestly, if I was heading off to war, I'd take my sister as my commander in chief anytime. She always has a plan."

"Is the Cape like Boston?" Mia asked, looking out the window at the bustling streets.

"No. It's the opposite. It's magical," he said. It's on the National Seashore, the beaches are federally protected. The sand is fine and white, and the ocean is the deepest blue you've ever seen. We spent our summers there as kids. It was so great. No rules other than be home for dinner. We would swim and surf and ride our bikes all over town. It was such a feeling of freedom, you know? Now we make it a point to take two weeks each summer and congregate there. Sibby takes the kids up for the entire summer, just like my mom did. Geoff comes up on weekends."

"The house must be big if you all stay there at once," she remarked.

"It is, but it didn't start out that way. My grandfather bought an old fishing shack after he got back from fighting in Vietnam. I think he was looking for some peace and quiet. Anyway, he put his kids to work with him. My dad and his brothers built additions onto the original one-bedroom structure. The place has evolved since my grandfather's time though. We all chipped in for a major kitchen renovation last year. It's top of the line now."

"How many bedrooms does it have?"

"If you count the office, seven. Lots of rooms with bunk beds. We all seem to find a place to crash. It's a lot of togetherness, but it's a lot of fun, too."

"Hmm," she replied as she turned her head away from him.

"What? You don't think my big, loud, messy family could be fun?"

"I didn't say that."

He watched her as she looked out the window and it dawned on him that she was probably wondering about her own family, if she had one, and if they were looking for her. Her next words made him wonder if she was able to read his thoughts.

"I don't know why, but I just feel like there is someone out there, someone looking for me. Not a husband, not a boyfriend, but someone. A brother, maybe?"

"We'll find them, Mia. We'll find your people. I promise."