CHAPTER FIFTEEN
We watched through the window as Daisy and Dolores drove away. As soon as they were out of sight, Liam picked his cell phone back up. “I’m going to get this authorized by McIntyre before we make any other calls,” Liam said, dialing the phone.
I nodded. Liam walked in circles as he waited for someone to pick up. "Sir! Yes, I know it's only been an hour since we last talked. No, nothing is wrong here. No, there's no threat to the witness. Sorry to worry you, sir. I do have a person of interest that I'd like to track down though. He doesn't have any connection to Jack Nelson, but I have reason to believe that he would harm Kelsey if given a chance. I'd like permission to track this guy down using the GPS on his phone and hand him over to the police. I would stay completely down low on this mission and ensure the silence of the police. This person recently fled the village, which makes this a time sensitive matter." Liam stopped his rambling, listening intently to whatever McIntyre was saying. "No sir, I'm not going off half-cocked anywhere. I'm fully objective and have this situation completely under control. My witness is my top priority, and I believe this will help to keep her safe.” I cocked my head. That was fudging it a little, wasn't it? Liam shook his head at me and listened more. “I'll update you on my progress during every step of the way. Thank you, sir.”
I looked at Liam with anticipation as he hung up the phone and turned back to me. “Well? Are we doing this or what?”
Liam nodded. "We are doing this. But we need to lay down a couple of ground rules first. One- you stay either glued to my side or locked in the truck at all times." Reasonable. I nodded. "Two- you must do precisely what I say, how I say it, when I say it. No arguments. I need to focus on catching Anthony, and I can't do that if I'm worried that you're going to be off doing your own thing. All that sound good to you?" I nodded, though I was a little offended at the implication that I would jeopardize our mission. When had I ever gone off on my own against Liam's advice? “Anthony Jackson is unstable and therefore unpredictable. I don't like taking you into a situation like this- I would leave you here if I didn’t think you were safest by my side. But I can’t just stand by and do nothing while a dirtbag gets away with ripping off an innocent woman.”
“I think it’s very noble of you,” I said, giving him a peck on the cheek and beaming. “Are you ready to go on an adventure?”
“This isn't a happy adventure, Kelsey, this is a serious situation that isn't to be taken lightly," Liam warned.
“Oh please," I scoffed. "Tell me something, Liam. If you weren't going stir-crazy here from boredom, would you be so eager to go after Anthony? No, you wouldn't. You would've called the police and let them deal with this. I mean, is this even legal? Do you have a warrant for his arrest?"
“I am calling the police once I've captured Anthony, and McIntyre just issued a warrant for him. I'm in the clear legally, and besides, I'm a U.S. Marshal. This is what we do- we capture fugitives. I'm not doing this just for some adventure or because I felt cooped up and bored," Liam insisted.
“Okay, sure. What should I do to get ready?” I asked, dropping the subject.
“I've still got to call and get his phone trace up on my laptop. Get dressed. You're going to navigate for me while I drive." I nodded and got dressed while Liam called the tech team back in D.C. I rifled through my trunk, pulling out black tights, a black turtleneck, and black boots. I pulled my shoulder-length hair into a sleek chignon at the base of my neck, then stepped back to admire my look in the floor-length mirror. I looked like a spy, and I kind of liked it.
Pleased with myself, I walked back out to where Liam was packing his laptop into its heavy-duty travel case. "Hey there, 007," he said. "You know it's the middle of the day. Anthony is more likely to see you in that outfit than if you hadn't dressed like Catwoman."
I blushed, sheepishly wiping my hands down the front of my shirt. "I don't know what you're talking about. These were just the clothes that were lying on the top of my laundry pile." Liam looked unconvinced. "Should I change?"
Liam shook his head. "We should get a move on if we want to catch him. Besides, you look adorable." I furrowed my brows. I didn't want to look adorable. I wanted to look intimidating. Liam ignored my obvious displeasure and went to the front door to grab his gun. "Let’s go.”
I followed him out to the truck and settled into my seat with the computer in my lap. Liam turned the engine on, then pulled the laptop from me and started typing. After a moment, he smiled and said, "Got him. He's in Nashua. Navigate us there and let me know if that dot moves at all."
“Okay," I said, pulling up the map application on my phone. "You're going to hop on 101. Then you're going to get off on Daniel Webster Highway. After that, you'll follow some back roads to get to a casino, where this red dot is standing still."
“Of course he’d be at a casino. Let’s just hope he hasn’t already spent all of the money he stole from Daisy,” Liam said grimly. “What’s the traffic situation like?”
“Clear. We should get there in an hour, give or take,” I said, looking up from my phone. “According to its website, the casino doesn’t even open until seven. Unless he’s drinking away Daisy’s money at a bar, he can’t be spending it. We may be able to recover all or most of it.”
Liam nodded and started driving. He put his right hand on the center console, palm up, and I placed my left hand in his. He intertwined our fingers, and I looked out the window, smiling wordlessly. We sat in comfortable silence together, only speaking when I needed to let him know which exit to take. The drive to the casino was quiet, and traffic was light, as predicted. Once Liam took the final exit on the highway, we pulled off the main street and onto a back road. "Has that red dot moved?"
I shook my head. “Same spot as an hour ago. What can he be doing at noon for an hour?”
“Nothing good.” Liam turned left, then right, then down a side street, then right again. He stopped the truck. “Okay, this is a good place to park.”
“We're still two blocks away," I said. "Yeah, but I don't want him to see the truck, or you. This should be quick and painless. What are our ground rules?"
“Stay put, follow directions, blah, blah blah," I said. Liam scowled at me, and I smiled brilliantly at him. "I'll be safe, Liam."
Liam nodded tersely, chucking me on the chin before getting out of the truck. “Be right back.”
As Liam walked away, fear crept in. I had been all smiles and jokes when we'd decided to come here, but now that we were here, the reality of the situation was hitting me. What if Anthony was feeling confrontational and didn't come in smoothly? What if he had a weapon and overpowered Liam somehow? Why had we not thought this through before coming here? I frowned and turned the dial on the radio to distract my mind from the wild thoughts racing through it.
After twenty-five minutes of waiting and no sign of Liam, I was really starting to get nervous. I kept repeating the one rule Liam had been most adamant about- stay put- but I couldn't wait here in the truck any longer while Liam could be lying in the streets bleeding out from a stab wound. I turned the truck off and zipped my jacket up, making up my mind to find Liam and assist him. Just as I was jumping down into the street, I heard a shout.
“Get back in the truck!” Liam barked, coming towards me with an unconscious Anthony slung over his shoulder. I stood frozen, gawking at the sight of them.
“Liam, you’re all right! Why is he unconscious?” I asked. “Did he become combative and you had to use a chokehold?”
“First off, chokeholds are illegal. Second, why were you leaving the safety of the vehicle I explicitly told you not to leave? Lastly, I found him like this. He's strung out on something, and I don't think it's just liquor. He's in for quite a shock when he wakes up in a jail cell," Liam said, plopping Anthony into the backseat.
“I was worried that Anthony had attacked you after I didn’t hear from you after a while. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t dying in the street. Sorry for caring.” I pouted in the hopes of making him feel bad, but Liam didn’t fall for it.
“You're going to give me gray hair, Kelsey, and you're going to get yourself killed." Liam shook his head. "Keep an eye on the junkie back here. If he so much as twitches, let me know so I can pull the truck over." He cinched Anthony's wrists with a large zip tie, securing them behind his back. Anthony didn't budge through any of this. For a crazy second, I wondered if he was dead. I dismissed this- Liam had checked his pulse, no doubt. I was leery of getting into an enclosed space with an unconscious someone who could wake up and attack us, but I didn't voice my apprehension. Instead, I got into the truck, gently closing the door so as not to wake Anthony.
Liam got in the driver’s seat, closing the door with a loud slam that made me cringe. He pulled his sunglasses from the visor and turned to me with a grin. “We got him. Now to hand him off to the appropriate authorities.”
“Are we going to the Langdon Falls police or the Nashua police?” I hoped it was Nashua- I had a vested interest in getting Anthony out of this truck as soon as possible. I didn’t want to spend an hour-long ride on edge while I watched a passed-out drunk junkie.
“Langdon Falls. He stole from a resident there, so this is their jurisdiction. You know that," Liam said, pulling out onto the main street. I nodded weakly, watching Anthony like a hawk and willing myself to relax.
Unlike me, Liam was in a great mood. He hummed along to the pop music on the radio, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel and grinning at me. Weirdo. He could deny it all he wanted, he was an adrenaline junkie, and catching Anthony had scratched his itch. Me? I had just learned that I probably could do without the excitement of a real-life fugitive capture.
Anthony never stirred during the truck ride, to my immense relief. We pulled into the back parking lot of the police station on Main Street in Langdon Falls, and Liam cut the engine. "You ready for this?" he asked. I nodded. Liam enabled the child locks and motioned for me to get out. I got out quietly, and Liam came around to my side of the truck. "Go inside and get an officer. Let them know that Anthony Jackson has been captured and that the warrant was faxed to them this morning. I'll watch him while you're gone."
I went inside the police station, grabbed the first officer that I saw- Officer Nichols- and pulled her outside with me. She objected to me grabbing her wrist and pulling her out into the cold, but she stopped protesting when she saw Liam leaning against the truck with his gun drawn. When she saw Anthony in the backseat, her eyebrows nearly disappeared in her hairline. "Good grief, is that Anthony Jackson? What on Earth is going on?"
“This man stole jewelry and approximately five hundred dollars cash from one of Langdon Falls' residents, Daisy Jackson. I got a warrant from the U.S. Marshal Service and captured the fugitive. Officer Nichols, I need your complete silence about us being the ones to bring him in. I am in the middle of a federal investigation. No one can know we're not who we say we are, understand?" Liam stated seriously, flashing his Marshal badge at her.
Officer Nichols nodded, wide-eyed. “Done and done. Does Daisy know about this?” I shook my head, and she let out a low whistle. “She’s going to be pretty unhappy when she finds out. What’s he on, anyway?”
“I’m thinking heroin and alcohol. He’s out cold,” Liam said. “You should get him into a holding cell until he comes to, and then book him. I’ll let you guys take it from here.” Officer Nichols nodded, still dumbstruck by the revelation that we weren't just two vacationers visiting her quaint village.
Once Anthony was situated in his cell, Liam and I drove from the police station to the village square. “You think she’ll say anything?” I asked, concerned for our anonymity.
“Nah, she’s a professional. Besides, the U.S. Marshal Service would come down on her if she blew our covers.”
I nodded, satisfied. “You know, that guy is an asshole, but he needs professional help. I hope that they get him some instead of just locking him up and throwing away the key."
"Look at you, Miss Bleeding Heart," Liam teased. "That guy is an alcoholic abuser junkie who stole from your friend after assaulting you guys in a grocery store. You don't want to see justice done?"
“Of course I do. But I also want to see someone who needs help get that help. I’m not ashamed of my bleeding heart.”
Liam grabbed my hand and hauled me into his side. “I know, and I love that about you.” He kissed me deeply, lifting me off the ground, surprising me. He put me back down eventually though, but kept hold of my hand and interlocked our fingers. “Want to walk around, look at the lights, get a coffee? Tell Daisy that we witnessed Anthony being escorted into the police station while we were minding our own business?”
“That sounds nice,” I said, still dazed from the kiss. I would’ve went with him if he’d asked me to go alligator wrestling.
The sun was already starting to set at four in the afternoon, and the streetlights on Main Street, adorned with garland and twinkling lights, lent golden radiance to the plowed sidewalks. Walking hand-in-hand down the street with Liam was a little magical. We stopped at every decorated storefront to study them, and we waved at townspeople as they greeted us at every turn. It almost felt like we belonged.
We stopped in front of Daisy's coffee shop, and I inhaled deeply, preparing myself to go in and tell Daisy that her ex-husband had just been arrested.
“You good?” Liam asked.
“Let’s do this,” I said, going through the door that Liam was holding open for me.
“Hey, guys!" Daisy called from the counter, beaming as always. "You made it out of your cabin!"
“Yeah, thanks to you plowing us out,” I said. Daisy shrugged modestly. “Daisy, I have some news for you.”
“Oh yeah?" she asked, glancing at Liam and me. "What's that?"
“The police picked up Anthony somewhere in Nashua,” I said. “He’s sleeping it off in a holding cell at the jail right now. After he comes to, they’re going to book him and send him to rehab.”
Daisy’s jaw dropped. “What? How do you know?”
I looked at Liam, who cleared his throat. “We overheard an officer talking about it when we walked past the police station. Great news, right?”
Daisy nodded slowly. “I was kind of hoping that he was finally gone for good. I guess something will always bring him back to my doorstep though.”
I stood still, unsure of what to say. This was not the reaction I had expected from Daisy- I'd hoped for elation, not disappointment. Did she not want to recover her stolen stuff from Anthony? "Aren't you happy about this, Daisy?"
“I mean, it's great that he's been arrested. But he's been through this rehab cycle before. It's not going to stick, and before long, he'll be right back in town, begging me to either take him back or lend him money. I just wanted to be rid of him, no matter the cost." Daisy's face was sadder than I'd ever seen it, and I wanted to make everything that had ever made Daisy blue disappear.
I hugged Daisy, trying to console her. “It’ll all work out. Call me if you need to talk. Call me if you need anything at all. Remember, this is a good thing. Don’t let it bring you down.”
Daisy nodded. “Okay. I will. I do have to get back to work though.” She pulled an apron on and tied it around her waist, which I took as my cue to leave. Grabbing Liam’s hand, I waved goodbye to Daisy, who nodded curtly at me, then went back to steaming milk with a frown on her face.
“That didn’t go as well as I thought,” Liam said in a low voice. “She’ll come around, though.” I nodded in agreement.
As we were walking out the door, I glanced at the message board tacked onto the wall. There on the board was a large poster advertising the tree lighting ceremony that was happening this Saturday. "Check it out," I said to Liam, nodding towards the advertisement.
“Want to go?” he asked, surprising me.
“Really?” I asked, turning to him.
Liam nodded. “Yeah, it’ll be fine. I know you want to go, and I can just be extra alert. Besides, we’ll be in a giant crowd at nighttime. Easy to hide if anything goes wrong.”
I grinned broadly. “Of course I want to go. Thank you!” I kissed him quickly, then pulled back to embrace him. “In the meantime, we should get our own tree to decorate.”
Liam sighed. "Oh boy," he said unenthusiastically. I laughed and led him out of the shop and to the market, where I picked out the most obnoxious tree I could find, and we dragged that thing all the way back to the truck.