Read Online Choke by Kaye George - Free Book Online Page A

loud. Disguises are listed.”
    “Mother, there is an entry called ‘Disguises’ in the index.”
    “Oh.” Hortense put the volume back on.
    The text was disappointing, however. It listed sunglasses and hats as good disguises. Immy thought she would need a little more than that. What about wigs? She turned to the Criminal Pursuits book.
    “Wow, it’s here, too.” Her second book turned out to be much more helpful. It suggested a wig, large sunglasses, which would be good, moles or beauty marks, and a fat suit, which it said was optional. “Good thing it’s optional,” muttered Immy, “because I don’t know what it is.” She flipped the page and read on. Further suggestions were to use an accent, change posture, use high heels, if female, to change height, and stay in the shadows whenever possible. Immy thought high heels, if male, might work, too, to disguise gender. Aha, she had thought of something the hotshot author hadn’t.
    There was a costume shop in Wymee Falls, but she wasn’t sure she could get there and back without being spotted. She had gotten the pizza in Cowtail, a block away, by walking there and back, but she would have to drive to the costume shop. If the cops were on the lookout for her van, or if they’d set up roadblocks, she was sunk. She wished she knew someone who could tell her if the police had her plate number on a lookout list.
    She wanted to call the costume shop to see if they had what she wanted, but she was afraid the call would be traced. She would just have to visit the place. What choice did she have? She would wait until after dark, then sneak into Wymee Falls and hope the costume shop had her equipment and was still open.

Ten
    It was about seven. Darkness wasn’t complete yet, but the spring dusk was gathering when Immy inched open the door of the motel room and peeked out. A steady stream of traffic droned by on the highway out front, but no one left the hard road and drove to the back of Cowtail’s Finest. Looking out for people, she cleared the area to her left, but when she looked to her right, she saw Baxter Killroy come out a nearby door and stroll toward her. Too late to duck back into the room. He had spied her.
    “Imogene.” He smiled. That lazy, sexy smile. “What in the hell are you doing here?”
    “Sh!” She edged out and closed the door behind her. “No one knows I’m here.”
    “Yeah, I’ve seen the TV. The cops are looking for you and your mother.”
    He didn’t look like he was going to turn her in. She needed to make sure, though. “Baxter, I’m desperate. I need a favor.”
    He stuck his hand on the wall beside her and leaned close. “Anything, babe. Shall we go inside?” He tilted his cowboy hat toward the door of her room.
    “No, no I don’t think so.” Immy hadn’t been sure her mother would approve of her driving into town and exposing herself to danger, so she had waited until Hortense fell asleep. Bringing Baxter in would be sure to awaken her. Then her trip might be much harder to make.
    “Why not?” Baxter said.
    “I think, I think it’s better not to go in.”
    Baxter straightened up and stared at her. “You have someone in there?”
    “Well….”
    “Little Imogene has a guy in her room?” He looked shocked but amused.
    OK, let him think that, but what a dolt. Couldn’t he figure out she would have her mother with her? And, hey, she wasn’t that little.
    “Baxter, please don’t tell anyone you saw me here. Can you do that for me?”
    He took a moment to think. “If you don’t tell anyone you saw me.”
    “Fine.” Maybe he could be even more helpful. She thrust her list at him. “Could you possibly pick these things up for me at the costume shop?”
    “I was headed into the city just now. I guess I could.” He squinted at the piece of paper in the dying light. “You want a blond wig and sunglasses? Hats?”
    “Big ones. Big sunglasses and big hats. Regular-sized wig.”
    He kept reading. “What’s a fat