Michelle Karl - Christmas Under Fire

Not too critical, then. He suspected she’d be able to find melatonin at the pharmacy, so that wasn’t a problem. It’d be an extra layer of complication and a potential risk to bring her suitcase along. However, the airport wouldn’t open again until ten o’clock the next morning, and the backup he’d be calling to check out the crime scene would be coming from Fort St. Jacob, a slightly larger town located a few hours south of Fort Mason. Fort St. Jacob had more RCMP officers in their detachment, and unlike at Fort Mason, half of them hadn’t temporarily left the area for the holidays—but it’d still be a significant burden on their already limited time for one of the Fort St. Jacob officers to bring the suitcase up to Fort Mason.

He made a decision, found her suitcase and rolled it over. It wasn’t light, but he’d be able to lift it quickly into the patrol car’s trunk. “I’m going to get you into the car first. If I deem it safe after the fact, I’ll load the suitcase. Is that acceptable?”

“Of course.” Her eyebrows lifted in surprise. In retrospect, he’d been a little harsh with his tone, which was unnecessary. She stood and unzipped the collar of her puffy winter jacket, readjusting a chunky knit scarf and a necklace that had somehow become tangled together in the scuffle, then zipped all her layers back into place.

“Did you knit your scarf yourself?” He tried to put her at ease, because he needed her to listen. When she nodded, eyes wide at the strangeness of the question in the moment, he knew she was paying attention. “It’s really nice. Okay, we’re about to head outside. Wait for my signal. Stay close. If anything happens, keep behind me.” He ushered her to the door, opened it a crack and looked out a second time. It’d be a great help if you could give me an all clear, God.

Instead, a light dusting of snow began to fall. As peaceful as gently falling snow looked during the daytime, right now it meant obscured vision in the darkness—for himself and the attacker. It’d be annoying to drive through on the way back to town, but for the moment, he’d have to try using the reduced visibility to his advantage. He unlocked the patrol car remotely, then scanned the area one more time.

“We go in three, two, one...and move.” With his arm draped over her back, he hurried her toward the car. He surveyed the area as they moved, but they reached the vehicle without incident. He kept watch as she slipped inside. The coast seemed clear, which meant retrieving her suitcase was the right call. “I’m locking this while I get your luggage. I’ll be gone only a few seconds.”

He shut the car door before he could hear her response and jogged back to the terminal. He opened the airport door just far enough to slide inside, pull the suitcase out and close the doors. Because he didn’t feel comfortable simply driving away with the front doors of the airport unsecured, he took a pair of handcuffs off his belt and clipped them around the handles. It was a pretty shoddy way to secure the place, but it wouldn’t take long for additional RCMP officers to arrive once he called in the incident.

A rustling nearby made him pause. He squinted into the light around the front entrance. The falling snow—which had already grown denser—in front of the illuminated area made it hard to see into the dark spaces where the light didn’t reach.

A sense of intuitive dread washed over him, and before his brain and body made the connection, a black shape darted out of the shadows...and headed straight toward him.

Cally muffled her scream with a gloved hand as the black-clad attacker darted out of the shadows toward Officer Thrace. She watched with helpless frustration as the officer withdrew his Taser and dropped into a firing stance, but the assailant changed course and sidestepped him, instead grabbing onto the handle of Cally’s rolling suitcase.

What on earth...?

The aggressor must have underestimated the weight of the suitcase, because as soon as he—Cally could only assume the person was a he—wrapped his fingers around the handle, he lurched, momentum coming to a halt. Her breath grew shallow as Aaron jumped at him, looking prepared to wrestle him to the ground, but the man released the handle and bolted instead toward the patrol car.

Did the man have a weapon after all? She squished into the corner of the back seat, trying to make herself as small a target as possible—but right before the black-clad figure reached the car, he ducked and reappeared in the rear window, racing across the airport’s property before plunging into the tree line of the forest that surrounded the facility.

Moments later, Cally grimaced at the heavy thud of her suitcase landing in the trunk. She pulled her gaze away from the trees and, out of habit, pressed her hand against the place her locket rested on her sternum. A gift from her uncle Zarek—the only relative who actually bothered to respect her boundaries and who hadn’t treated her as a pariah for marrying Esai—the locket held a precious photo inside of herself and her late husband, one of the few her mother hadn’t destroyed or deleted without permission after Esai’s passing. She couldn’t feel the locket through the numerous layers of heavy winter clothing, but knowing it was there brought her comfort. She closed her eyes for a moment to regather her bearings—and flinched as the patrol car door swung open with a creak.

“Not exactly the warm Canadian welcome you should have received,” Officer Thrace said, slipping into the driver’s seat. “Ms. Roslin, I’m so sorry that your first moments here were not positive. I assure you that the RCMP will be doing everything we can to figure out who that man is and what he wants, and the airport will undoubtedly be doing a thorough review of their closing procedures. Leaving you inside unattended was unacceptable, and you may be able to file charges, should you so desire.”

She sighed, trying to release some of the tension in her shoulders. “I’m sure that won’t be necessary, but I appreciate your concern. I’m just glad that we’re all right. Are you okay?”

He twisted around in his seat to look at her. “I am. I have to call the incident in while we drive, but can you think of any reason why someone would go after you or your belongings? Does anyone know you’re here who might wish you harm?”

That was the oddest and most incredulous notion so far. “No, I don’t think so. Honestly, Officer, only a couple people know I’m here... I’m actually trying to get away from most of my family, if you can believe it.” She chuckled without humor. “My friend Ellen knows I’m coming to visit, of course, but she’s engaged to an RCMP officer, so I really don’t think there’d be any connection that way.”

“Ellen Biers, right? Her fiancé is my younger brother.”

Well, that was news. “Really? Small world.”

“Small town, more like. Look, if you can’t see a connection, I’m going to go out on a limb and say it’s likely that you weren’t specifically targeted, but just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Considering you weren’t noticed and got left behind inside the airport, it’s entirely feasible that someone else could have hidden inside in order to commit a crime of opportunity. We’ve had some issues with theft and illegal weapons up north this year, so my gut reaction is that the individual was likely looking for something valuable to steal. He may have been trying to get a hold of you to snatch your purse or threaten you into handing over cash, valuables, the like. Trying to steal the suitcase seemed like a last-ditch effort from someone truly desperate—in need of money, trying to find something to steal and sell. Either way, like I said, it’s unacceptable, and on behalf of the RCMP and the nation of Canada, I can’t apologize enough.”