Her Mistletoe Protector

Did she really have a choice? She forced a smile, knowing that her bad mood wasn’t Officer McCarthy’s fault. “Sure.”

“Let’s talk in the chapel across the hall,” the policeman suggested. “There’s more privacy.”

She nodded and drew Joey along with her as they crossed over to the chapel. She sank into a wooden pew and gazed at the simple yet beautifully crafted stained glass cross over the mantel. She imagined this room was used by many family members praying for their loved ones to get better.

Unfortunately, Nick didn’t want her anywhere near him while he was recovering. He’d rather face his unknown future on his own.

She forced herself to push away her painful thoughts. “What can I do for you?”

“I just want to go through the events one more time,” Officer McCarthy explained. “We found the dead body of Gerald Ashton, as you mentioned before. But we still haven’t found the man you referred to as Dr. Karl Errol. And I have to tell you, the vehicle that was parked there is gone, too.”

She shivered, hoping Karl had taken the car to parts unknown. Although certainly they could trace the car’s license plates? Officer McCarthy assured her they were looking for the vehicle. So she took a deep breath and began describing the events of the night before. Midway through, Sean McCarthy interrupted, asking her to start at the beginning.

With a sigh, she went back to the night Joey was kidnapped, explaining what they’d done. The officer’s expression was grim by the time she finished. “I’m not sure if that cop of yours deserves a medal or a demotion,” he said. “You’re lucky things didn’t turn out worse.”

She thought Nick definitely deserved a medal, but she didn’t say anything. “Look, Officer McCarthy, Joey and I need to figure out a way to get back to Chicago.”

“I can give you a ride to the bus station, if that helps,” he offered.

She smiled wanly and nodded. As much as it went against the grain to ask for handouts, they’d need money for bus tickets. “Would you loan me the money for tickets? I promise I’ll pay you back.”

There was the slightest hesitation before he nodded. “Sure, no problem.”

Relief at having one problem solved was overwhelming. “Thank you so much,” she whispered.

Officer McCarthy looked uncomfortable but gave a brief nod. “Okay, let’s go then. I’ll come back later to get Butler’s statement. He’s not going anywhere soon, and I’ll probably get a more coherent story once he’s feeling a little better.”

Thinking of Nick made her sad all over again, but she tried to hide her feelings from Joey. They followed Officer McCarthy to where he’d left his car, parked right in front of the hospital in a clear no-parking zone. The traffic around Madison was crazy busy and the ride to the bus station seemed interminable. Staring out the window to calm her frayed nerves, the Christmas decorations reminded her that the holiday was only two days away.

Inside the bus station, Officer McCarthy used his credit card to pay for their tickets, and then he handed them some cash. “Get something for you and the boy to eat,” he said roughly. “And I hope you have a merry Christmas.”

Tears pricked her eyes at his kindness and she’d already made a note of how much money she owed him. “Thanks again, for everything,” she said softly. “And I hope you have a merry Christmas with your family, as well.”

He gave both of them a nod before making his way back outside. She sank into one of the hard plastic chairs inside the bus station since the next bus didn’t leave until twelve-thirty in the afternoon. Thankfully, just a few hours more and they’d be on their way home.

Waiting was the worst, but finally they boarded the bus and settled into their seats. The bus was busy with what looked like college kids heading home to their families. The ride to Chicago took much longer than she’d anticipated, partially because of the frequent stops and then because of the heavy traffic the closer they came to the city.

While they were stuck in a snarling traffic jam, Rachel realized that she didn’t have her house keys. She hadn’t been home since the night of Joey’s kidnapping. She’d left her mangled car with the keys in it at the scene of the crash as every ounce of energy had been focused on finding her son.

With a groan, she rested her forehead on the cold glass window and realized she’d have to take a taxi to her office to pick up her spare set of keys. Yet another delay before she and Joey would finally get home.