His Only Witness
A witness chooses the bodyguard who once testified against her family, then discovers he has been protecting the wrong identity.
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How it begins
Ruth recognized her bodyguard from the witness box.
He recognized her from the photograph he had been given.
One of them was looking at the wrong woman.
"You're Daniel Price," she said.
He lowered the folder.
"You're supposed to be Helen Carter."
"Helen was my aunt."
The corridor outside the protection office smelled of wet coats and instant coffee. A printer kept trying to feed a sheet it had already chewed.
Daniel looked back at the photograph.
"Was?"
"She died in February."
He closed the folder without showing her what else it contained.
Ruth disliked that more than she disliked his face.
Three years ago he had told a jury that her father knew where the missing money went. He had been correct about the money and wrong about the man. The distinction had made very little difference to her family.
Now someone expected her to trust him with her address.
"Get another assignment," she said.
"I don't choose them."
"You chose what to say in court."
His jaw moved once.
"Yes."
She had expected an excuse. The plain answer left her briefly without one of her own.
At the far end of the corridor, an officer opened a door and called a name.
Helen Carter.
Ruth did not move.
Neither did Daniel.
He took the photograph from the folder and turned it toward her.
It showed her aunt outside a station, alive and irritated, holding a newspaper dated last Thursday.
Ruth sat down.
The plastic chair made a small, embarrassing squeak.
"That isn't possible."
"I need you to tell me what you recognize."
"The coat. I gave it away."
"To whom?"
"Charity shop. After the funeral."
Daniel crouched so she did not have to look up at him.
For the first time, she could see how tired he was.
"Ruth, who arranged the funeral?"
The printer finally released its damaged sheet.
Across the top, in large black letters, was her aunt's name.
Underneath it was the address of the safe house.
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Outline and characters
- Ruth rejects her assigned protection detail.
- Daniel reveals a shared identity error.
- They move to a station house with independent contacts.
- A court document names Ruth's dead aunt.
- Daniel explains his earlier testimony against the family.
- Ruth identifies the actual beneficiary of the fraud.
- A protection request is rerouted to the suspect.
- They secure a second verifiable route to court.
- Ruth testifies under her own name with corroborating records.
- They meet after the protective assignment ends.
Characters
- Ruth Carter, 29. Witness discovering her aunt's concealed identity
- Daniel Price, 34. Bodyguard correcting his former testimony
Series possibilities
- Ruth finds another photograph of someone whose funeral she attended.
