Hostile Witness (Sanctuary, Inc. #1)

Chapter 33

33

O nce inside, they crowded together to watch the recordings from the backyard camera on Ethan’s phone. There was a lot of footage of Flynn and Tia, Ethan himself, and Mac. He scrolled to the beginning.

Tia gasped. “Look at that. That guy checked out the windows on the side of the house and got into the screened porch. No wonder Flynn lost his cool.” She glanced over to where the dog eagerly licked the remnants from his food bowl. “He’s such a good boy.”

Mac was standing behind Ethan and Tia. “Oh, wow, did that idiot just stick his face in the dog door? There’s Flynn. Aw, dude, he bit his face and hands.”

Ethan groaned. “There comes Flynn out the door—well, partially, anyway. It looks like he may have gotten the man’s leg and ankle, too.”

Mac shook his head. “That fella is hurting tonight.”

Ethan scrolled back a ways. “There aren’t any good face shots of him on the porch. Let me switch to the front camera. Maybe there’s a clear shot as he approaches the house.”

Mac peered closer. “Do you see his car?”

“No, if he drove, he parked somewhere else. There. He’s walking up the street with some sort of backpack, goes right up and rings the front door. I can’t see his face because of the hoodie,” Ethan noted.

Tia enlarged the picture. “All that footage and not one clear image of his face?”

“No. See if your doorbell cam has a better picture of it.”

She grabbed her phone and scrolled, then offered it to Ethan. “There he is at the front door.”

He flipped through the surveillance footage. “Yes, there’s his face. It’s not crystal clear, but an artist might be able to do a sketch from the video. Would you mind sending me that clip?”

She nodded. “Sure.”

Tia sipped her tea leaning against the kitchen counter while Mac and Ethan finished their beers, ribbing each other like lifelong friends. “So how long have you two known each other?”

Mac ran a hand through his hair and smiled. “Since eighth grade—military school. We were roommates. Ethan didn’t like the whole boarding-school experience. I, however, loved the freedom of being on my own.”

Ethan caught Tia’s eye. “Boarding school was a lot to absorb after losing my parents. I wanted to stay at the beach and live with my grandmother, but she chose to abide by the plans my parents had already made.”

“That’s a lot to take in. How old were you?”

“Fourteen,” Ethan and Mac said in unison.

Mac offered her a sudden arresting smile. “I taught Ethan the social ropes and pulled his head out of the textbooks.”

“And I helped him with his studies because he was too busy messing around to care about school. Eventually, we balanced out,” Ethan added.

Mac tossed his beer bottle into the recycle bin. “You’re still scarily smarter than me, dude. I chose premed and became an army medic. My brainiac friend here speaks four languages fluently and has a couple of advanced degrees. There’s more to him than pretty packaging.”

Ethan shook his head slowly. “You’re like a brother, spilling all my secrets.”

Mac glanced at her. “Thanks for the beer; my ride to the airport is waiting outside. Nice to meet you, Tia. I need my bag from your trunk, E.”

She held out her hand. “Thank you for your help, Mac. I hope to see you again.”

He took her hand in both of his and squeezed gently, looking deep into her eyes. “Likewise.”

Tia lingered at the door, watching as Mac slid into the back seat of a dark Mercedes sedan. There was a whole lot more to that man than the self-effacing person she’d met. And there was something familiar about him, too, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. He carried himself with the authority of someone in charge. Of what? She had no idea.

Ethan came back inside with his duffel bag and set it by the front door. “Considering the events of this afternoon, is it okay if I stay the night?”

She waved the question away. “Yeah, sure. I’d feel better with you here. Plus, I have questions for you. Four languages, Ethan?”

He faced her and bloomed crimson.

“Yeah, that. I wish he hadn’t mentioned it.” He pulled out his phone.

“A couple of advanced degrees? I’m surprised you’re not teaching at a university or working for the federal government.”

“Like I mentioned before, I’d wither on the vine at a desk job.”

She bent down to pet Flynn. “Uh-huh. What else don’t I know about you?”

His green eyes riveted on her. “A lot.”

Oh my. “I’m curious. When did you install the front and back cameras?”

“I had other people do it in the evening.”

She wheeled around. “What? Who were they?”

He held up a hand. “I had the Feds watching your house the night of your traffic stop. They put the cameras up. Easy enough to do.”

Her mouth fell open. “You had the Feds watching my house? Like in the movies? Dark sedans and stale coffee?”

He pointed to his eye. “You can kick my ass again, if you want. But I’d like to have makeup sex after and, if you don’t mind, no more shiners. This one’s healing up.”

Tia crossed her arms. “Are you really a local cop? You speak four languages, order a government agency to watch my house, and bring me doughnuts from Philadelphia at dawn. Who. Are. You? Is your name really Ethan Kelley?”

“Yes, that’s my real name, and yes, I’m a local cop. Mac asked the Feds to watch your house when I said I wouldn’t leave you unprotected.”

Her eyes widened. “Who do you work for? Besides my uncle.”

“I don’t handle interrogation on an empty stomach very well. It’s a nice evening. Let’s go get a bite to eat. We’ll sit outside somewhere, and Flynn can come with us.” He strode to the fridge and opened it. “Or would you prefer uncooked tofu with horseradish and pineapple jam?”

“You’re avoiding my questions.”

“No, I’m not. I’m hungry, and it would probably do you good to get out of here for a while, considering today’s events. Plus, I need to drive by the precinct and drop off this fabric that Flynn found.”

Tia drew in a resigned breath. “Okay, I could use a margarita.”