The Escape (US Marshals #1) - Lisa Harris Page 0,65
a deep blue.
“You need an ice pack on that.”
She nodded, knowing if she tried to argue with him, he’d just insist even more. She shot him a smile. “I’ll get one on my way out. I promise. We need to get to Denver.”
Three hours later, the city skyline came into view. She’d sat quiet for most of the trip, enjoying the views of the mountains while Barrick and her sister filled her thoughts.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Madison stared out the window, finally breaking the silence that had fallen between them. “I’ve always loved this part of the country.”
“Ever gone skiing here?” he asked.
“Once as a kid. Our family did spend a lot of winters skiing at Mt. Baker though. What about you?”
“My father enjoyed it and used to take me, though one winter I lost control of one of my skis and broke my leg.”
“Ouch.”
“It wasn’t so bad. When I got home, my mother felt so bad for me, she let me hole up on the couch and watch TV for a week, so I never complained very much.” He glanced at her. “Speaking of injuries, how’s your shoulder?”
“A bit sore, but the ice pack did help.”
“I have some good advice every now and then.”
“Every now and then.”
Jonas’s phone rang, and he put it on speaker.
“Michaels,” he said, “what’s happening?”
“I just got a report from the tail we put on Barrick’s mother. They lost track of her about thirty minutes ago at a shopping mall near her house.”
Madison frowned. “For how long?”
“About five minutes.”
“He’s got to be there.” Madison tried to push back the irritation. That was plenty of time for Barrick to make contact with her. “Have them check all the surveillance footage.”
“Already done, but that’s not all of it. She just showed up at our offices in Denver. She’s asking to speak with the marshals on the case.”
Twenty-Four
The noose might be slowly closing in around him, but Barrick was still one step ahead of them. Madison stepped inside the US Marshals Service building in downtown Denver. It was like a chess game. Learning to think like a fugitive and calculate their next move.
While they didn’t know why Barrick’s mother had come in, they were going to have to convince the woman that for Barrick, returning to prison was better than running. Because in the end they would find him, and there was no guarantee he’d make it out alive.
They were quickly escorted into a small conference room with nothing more than a table and chairs inside. Damon Barrick’s mother was waiting for them with a Styrofoam cup of coffee sitting in front of her. Eyes puffy and cheeks red, she’d clearly been crying. Something had compelled the woman to come in and talk to them about her son, and they needed to find out what.
“Mrs. Barrick?” Madison and Jonas took a seat across from the woman. “I’m Madison James and this is my partner Jonas Quinn. We’re both with the US Marshal service. We understand you’d like to talk with us.”
“I don’t know.” She set her hands on the table in front of her, shaking. “I’m not sure I should be here. If he knew I’d come . . .”
“You love your son, don’t you?” Madison said.
Mrs. Barrick nodded her head. “Yes, and he’s innocent. That’s why I’m here. I saw that the US Marshals were tracking him down, and I knew if I didn’t at least try to stop him from running away I’d never see him again. I can’t let that happen.”
“I can’t imagine how hard this is for you, but if you’re right, we need to find him. Otherwise, it’s only going to get worse for him.”
Madison waited, not wanting to push the woman, but needing the information she had come to give.
“He wrote me letters from prison,” Barrick’s mother said. “Told me about his cellmates and the food. Promised me he had a lawyer that would get him out. Asked me to pray for him until he did. I’ve heard what they are saying he did, but it’s not true. I know him.”
“Ma’am, we know this has got to be difficult,” Jonas said, “but our job isn’t to determine whether he’s guilty or not. Our only job is to find him. And the sooner he comes in, the better it will be for him, especially if you’re right and he’s innocent.”
“You did the right thing by coming here,” Madison said.
“I don’t know how we got to this place.” She pulled a weathered photo out