Christmas Conspiracy. Susan Sleeman

seen her on the video when she’d bravely stood in front of a gunman, risking her life for a helpless baby. It took a strong woman to stand up to such a threat, and yet, at that moment and even later, he’d seen an extreme vulnerability in her eyes. He wanted to do whatever it took to help her.

      Maybe when the medic asked if they could call anyone for her, and Jake had learned that she had no one, he’d wanted to make sure she had support. Or maybe he’d transferred his thing for protecting kids onto her. But as a law enforcement officer, especially a supervisor who should set an example for others, he had to step back, put up a professional wall and not let her distress get to him.

      And, of course, Skyler picked up on that.

      “You better make sure that’s all it is,” she continued. “Because despite what we think about Ms. Long, she has to remain a suspect. Especially since she admitted to a special bond with Kelly, and she often takes care of her. Maybe she thinks since her husband died, she’ll never have a child of her own. Maybe she thinks she’d be a better mother than Ms. Baldwin, that she’d be doing Kelly a favor by taking her.”

      “If that’s the case, she wouldn’t go about it in such a violent way, and she certainly wouldn’t risk being drugged.”

      “Maybe not, but unless you stop with the whole protective thing and allow me to question her thoroughly, we won’t get anywhere in this case.”

      “Did you consider the fact that as a child care director, she couldn’t possibly have a sketchy past? Not with the way child care workers are vetted in Oregon.”

      “Be that as it may, I need to do a thorough job, and you’re getting in my way of finding this creep.” The color in her face drained away, and she looked like she might be ill.

      “Are you okay?”

      She grabbed the wall and took long breaths as she ran a hand over her face. “I’m fine, and let’s not change the subject. I need your help, Jake. Not your interference.”

      Jake leveled his gaze on her. “When the nurse is finished, we’ll talk to Rachael again.”

      “No, I’ll talk to her.” Skyler raised her shoulders, which she often did to make herself seem bigger, but one hand lingered on the wall. “You may be my supervisor on the team, but you have no say in my detective duties, and you’ll stay out here.”

      Jake smiled wryly at Skyler putting him in his place. “I’ll come with you, but you can do all the talking.”

      “It’s best if I go in alone.”

      He knew he should stand down. Take off. Leave Rachael behind as he did with victims on all other callouts, but he couldn’t make his feet head in the opposite direction. He could temper his actions, though, and move closer to toeing the official line.

      “Tell you what,” he said. “I’ll find out where Rachael keeps her iPad, and then, while you question her, I’ll head over to the center to pick it up so she can make her calls. When you’re finished, I’ll escort her home and stay with her until we can assign a protection detail.”

      Skyler’s gaze didn’t lighten up. “I know the kidnapper said he would kill her, but do you think he’ll keep coming after her?”

      “It didn’t sound like an idle threat. As long as we aren’t showing up at his door to arrest him, he has to know we haven’t identified him, giving him a chance to stop her from doing so now or accusing him in a trial.”

      “You’re right. She needs protection.”

      He held out his hand. “Then we have a deal?”

      “Deal.” She sounded reluctant but shook his hand.

      “Let me just tell Rachael about the change in plans, and she’s all yours.”

      As they stepped to the door, Skyler’s phone rang. “I need to take this, but I’ll make it quick.”

      He pushed through the door and found Rachael lying back on the bed, her eyes closed. He studied her face, the high cheekbones and long eyelashes lying on them. Her face hadn’t regained much color, and her breathing still seemed shallow. He wished she would wake up so he could get a read on how well she was coping before Skyler came into the room.

      The wish mimicked the one he’d made at the US embassy in Nairobi. A wish for his parents and his younger sister and brother.

      Even in twenty-plus years, the incident hadn’t faded from his memory. He could still hear the earth-rending explosion, feel the ground rumbling under his feet and taste the dust filling the air. He’d been only thirteen, but in that instant, he knew his family was in trouble. He’d charged down the road only to learn the rubble trapped his family, and he could do nothing to help. He hadn’t been there when they’d needed him, and the bomb ensured they wouldn’t ever wake up again.

      If he’d been at the embassy instead of slipping out to hang with friends his parents didn’t approve of, he could have helped. Sure, he was only a teenager, but he lived every day with the certainty that he could have done something to save their lives. At the funeral, he’d promised his parents that he’d make up for not being there for them, and he’d devoted his life to helping others in need.

      An ache in his chest caught his attention. The deputy-inflicted bullets bruised his flesh, but the loss of his family overtook the pain. He’d managed to keep the familiar ache at bay for many years. Today, though, the sting raked through his body as intensely as the day they’d died.

      “Why you, Rachael Long?” he whispered. “Why, after all these years, are you bringing out feelings I thought were long gone?”

      “Did you say something?” Skyler asked, stepping up behind him.

      “No!” Rachael suddenly cried out and jerked awake. Terror darkened her eyes as she shot a panicked look around the room. She’d probably relived the kidnapping attempt in her sleep.

      Jake knew all about bad dreams. The bomb had rumbled through his sleep for years. He wanted to take her hand, but after his talk with Skyler, he shoved both of them in his pockets instead. At that moment, he hated his job.

      Rachael would remain on Skyler’s suspect list, and after he’d gone, she’d question Rachael until she felt confident she’d gotten complete answers. Then she’d tear into Rachael’s background, dig deep and ferret out any secrets or past indiscretions that hinted at her involvement. Many of those would then be reviewed with Rachael so she could offer an explanation.

      Not that Skyler would focus solely on Rachael. As a good detective, she would look for other leads and keep Rachael’s role in perspective. He could count on Skyler to be impartial, but he didn’t care about the other suspects at this point.

      Rachael remained his focus. His only focus right now.

      * * *

      Sitting in a wheelchair held firmly by a hospital staff member, Rachael gazed out the window to avoid the odd looks cast her way by people stepping through the lobby entrance. Detective Hunter had ordered Rachael to surrender her clothing for the forensic staff to process in hopes of finding the intruder’s DNA. The hospital had given her two gowns to wear back-to-back to cover herself, and a lightweight robe for warmth. Though fully covered, she was essentially wearing pajamas in public.

      “Joy to the World” played on the speakers above, and the woman holding on to her chair hummed along in a sharp pitch. If that wasn’t enough to remind Rachael Christmas was just a week away, large trees trimmed in reds and golds perfumed the air with a thick pine scent, and snow that was unusual for Portland dusted the ground outside.

      A battered white truck pulled into the patient pickup area, and Jake jumped down from the vehicle. Before he’d left her hospital room, he’d told her he would use Detective Hunter’s car to go to the center for the iPad, and during that time, he would have someone retrieve his pickup from home and drop it at the hospital.

      As he approached, she wanted to leap from the chair and take refuge