Holiday On The Run. Laura Scott
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ago. “Yes, to meet you.”
“So what stopped you from coming?”
“I couldn’t lift the garbage bag, so I set it against the Dumpster and was about to go back inside when I heard raised voices. The Dumpster was located not far from the alley, so I went over to investigate. The yelling grew louder, and I should have left. To this day, I wish I had followed my instinct to run away.”
Nate’s expression grew grim. “What did you see?”
“Five men arguing. I recognized them from the restaurant. They were the ones who had been lingering at the table in my section. In fact, I’d waited on them. I was trying to figure out why they were hanging around when one of the men pulled out a knife and stabbed the guy across from him in the stomach. I was so surprised, I didn’t move. Even after he fell to the ground, blood pooling beneath him, I still didn’t really understand what had happened. Not until the man with the knife happened to glance in my direction.” Melissa drew in a harsh breath and forced herself to meet Nate’s gaze. “That’s when I knew that he’d recognized me.”
Nate stared at her in horror. “Are you saying you witnessed a murder?”
She nodded slowly. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. And I think it’s obvious that the man responsible is determined to silence me once and for all.”
Unbelievable. Nate stared at Melissa, stunned by her revelation. He’d imagined dozens of scenarios in the long months after she’d disappeared, but never anything remotely like what she’d just described.
Yet even knowing that she’d witnessed a murder didn’t explain everything. Why had she decided simply to disappear? Why hadn’t she called the police for help? Or talked to him about what she’d seen?
“And the drugs that were found in your bedroom?” he forced himself to ask.
“Planted, as a way to discredit me.” Melissa’s expression was full of hurt. “A ploy that worked, since you fell for it just like everyone else probably did.”
Nate couldn’t ignore the flash of guilt. Twelve years ago, he hadn’t wanted to believe the girl he’d loved had been a secret addict, but what else was he to think when her father had looked him straight in the eye and explained that she’d been sent to rehab? It wasn’t as if he’d had any other theory to explain what had happened.
“You really wrote me letters?” she asked, her tone hesitant.
He nodded slowly. “At least a dozen of them,” he admitted. “I didn’t realize your father hated me so much that he wouldn’t pass them along to you.”
Melissa frowned and shook her head. “It wasn’t like that, Nate. My father didn’t hate you. He was determined to keep me safe, that’s all. I’m sure he was afraid that if he gave me your letters, we’d find a way to get back together.”
Since that was true, at least on his part, he couldn’t argue. Besides, all of that was in the past. He needed to keep focused on the present. Although wrapping his mind around the idea that the men who’d followed Melissa had, in fact, intended to kill her wasn’t easy.
“Okay, tell me about these five men,” Nate said. “You mentioned at the mall that you couldn’t go to the police without risking your and Hailey’s lives, which makes me think one of them must be a cop.”
Melissa didn’t meet his gaze, and the way she twisted her fingers in her lap made him wonder if she was trying to find a way to avoid the truth.
“Listen, you have to tell me what you know,” Nate urged. “Otherwise I won’t have any choice but to call my boss and have you taken in for questioning.”
Her head jerked up, her stormy gaze clashing with his. “Don’t,” she said sharply. “Hailey will be the one to suffer if you do that.”
Nate wanted to yank out his hair in frustration. “Then cooperate with me. What do you know about the five men you saw twelve years ago?”
She hesitated and then let out a heavy sigh. “You were right. One of them was a cop,” she confirmed. “I saw him come in several times in uniform, although he wasn’t wearing it the night of the murder.”
“Do you know his name?” Nate demanded. “Can you describe him?” He didn’t like believing a cop had gone bad, but unfortunately it wasn’t the first time that one had succumbed to temptation. And probably wouldn’t be the last, either.
“I don’t know his name,” Melissa said. “I wish I did. And he wasn’t the one who actually committed murder, but he was there watching the whole thing.”
“Party to the crime,” Nate muttered. “And could easily be arrested as an accomplice.”
“Yes, I’m sure he could. And I think he must have other cops who are willing to bend the rules, too. Otherwise, how would they have got away with stashing drugs in my bedroom?”
Nate could see her point. “Did you find them? Is that why you left?”
Melissa bit her lower lip, another sign of nervousness. “No, I didn’t find the drugs. I was too afraid to go home. I ran away and hid until morning, catching a bus when the early route started.”
“I don’t understand why you didn’t come to me for help.” Nate knew it was ridiculous to be wounded by actions she’d taken twelve years ago, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. “Especially when you knew I was planning to major in criminal justice.”
“I didn’t want to drag you down with me,” she murmured. “I found out from my father that the police showed up on our doorstep first thing in the morning, demanding to speak with me about a stabbing victim found outside the restaurant. My dad thought I was in my room, so he let them in.”
“Without a warrant?” Nate asked in dismay.
She nodded. “My dad was shocked to realize I wasn’t home. And when the police searched my room and found the drugs, he wasn’t sure what was going on. Don’t you see? They would have tried to discredit you, too.”
“Maybe, or maybe I would have been a credible witness on your behalf,” he said grimly.
“I wasn’t going to take that chance,” she said firmly.
Nate didn’t agree with her decision, but there was nothing he could do now to change the past. If he’d paid more attention back then he might have connected the stabbing victim with Melissa’s disappearance. But he hadn’t. For now, he needed to stay focused on the present. “You must know at least one of the men’s names,” he said. “You told me you waited on their table. Surely you noticed a name on a credit or debit card?”
“No credit cards. They always paid in cash.”
Nate couldn’t believe Melissa didn’t have a clue to the identity of at least one of the men. “There must be something you remember about these guys. Did they have any scars? Tattoos? Any distinguishing features at all?”
Melissa shook her head, spreading her hands in a gesture of surrender. “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing that stands out in my memory.”
Nate stared up at the ceiling for a moment, trying to push back the wave of helplessness. “Okay, so you’ve told me what happened all those years ago, but what about today? How was it that these two guys found you?”
“I noticed the tail as soon as I left the hospital,” Melissa said in a low tone.
“Hospital? What were you doing there?”
She blinked rapidly, and Nate was disconcerted to realize she was on the verge of tears. “Visiting my father. His dying wish was to see his granddaughter in person.”
The anger he’d felt toward Melissa’s father for keeping them apart