to ... what? I let my hand drop away from the doorknob and set my purse down. What could I possibly tell my sister? To stay away from her cheating scum of an ex-husband? She already did that very well. There really wasn ’ t anything I could say to her that wouldn ’ t put her in danger, was there? And if they had somehow managed to get a wiretap on her phone they would know I contacted her.
No, I decided, she was safer without my help. If John thought she knew anything, he would have already done something about it. And, I rationalized , he would not go after her out of revenge. The fact that she was his ex-wife would make it too risky and out of the question. I knew that without a doubt. Megan would be fine. She was safe now, I told myself. I intended to keep it that way.
With that decided I lifted my chin and snatched up my purse again. If I was going to get out of t here on time that night I would have to do some shopping. To have any chance at all of finding my mystery cave I would need a compass and a map.
Three hours later I finished marking the maps and could only hope that my parameters for the trek were accurate. If not, I shrugged , I would come back and try again the next night. Giving up was not an option .
“ I ’ ll find it, Mike . T hat ’ s a promise , ” I whispered on my way out the door.
I bought a gun , cringing all the while over the near certain knowledge that it was probably stolen . A week earlier home security meant a high tech alarm system with a touch screen keypad , and even that was basically for show. I was notorious for neglecting to set the alarm. My code was 1234 , which sure impressed the technician who installed the system. I realized that it was not the best choice for a home security code. I was also fully aware that in order for a system to work you had to actually use it. So why had I bothered to purchase the thing in the first place? The answer was quite simple, really. It shut my mother up, mostly. At least it had until Mike tattled on me for leaving my door unlocked while I was at work.
“ One time... . ” I grumbled. “ One time and he turns into a snitch. And here I am, risking my butt to get his out of trouble… . ” You know, they say that when it all goes, you start talking to yourself. I stopped in the middle of tying my hair into a tight ponytail to consider that. “ Oh well , ” I said around the elastic hair band between my teeth. I had bigger problems to deal with , and a long journey in front of me. The weight of the handgun in the bag at my side was a jarring reminder of what lay ahead. A week ago…I mused, staring into the wide mirror over the dresser in my hotel room. Now I had no home and security was a .38 under the cover of darkness.
I checked the bag one last time, taking silent inventory of the contents. M aps, gun, bullets, knife, food, water, and a flashlight were packed . Grabbing the other bag I carefully took the key out and frowned. There had to be a safer place to keep it. I had pockets and my pack. I stood there with my lips pursed and my hands on my hips, considering. The pack, I finally decided. The make-up case was quickly emptied onto the bed and the key went in . Once it was safely tucked next to the gun, I took a deep breath and walked out of my room and down to the hotel lobby.
The desk clerk was a tall man who looked to be in his forties. I smiled and handed him my room key and his fingers brushed mine briefly during the exchange. The simple human contact was so…normal, I realized , and somehow it was reassuring. I sighed and gave him a sad smile. It was also the last normal thing that I would do for a while.
“ Leaving so soon, Miss? ”
“ Yes, I .... ” I wet my lips and hoisted the second bag I carried onto the desk that was between us. “ Please take care of this. I am not sure how long I will be gone , but I will come back for it — when I can. ”
When he continued to stare at me in silence, I cleared my throat
No, I decided, she was safer without my help. If John thought she knew anything, he would have already done something about it. And, I rationalized , he would not go after her out of revenge. The fact that she was his ex-wife would make it too risky and out of the question. I knew that without a doubt. Megan would be fine. She was safe now, I told myself. I intended to keep it that way.
With that decided I lifted my chin and snatched up my purse again. If I was going to get out of t here on time that night I would have to do some shopping. To have any chance at all of finding my mystery cave I would need a compass and a map.
Three hours later I finished marking the maps and could only hope that my parameters for the trek were accurate. If not, I shrugged , I would come back and try again the next night. Giving up was not an option .
“ I ’ ll find it, Mike . T hat ’ s a promise , ” I whispered on my way out the door.
I bought a gun , cringing all the while over the near certain knowledge that it was probably stolen . A week earlier home security meant a high tech alarm system with a touch screen keypad , and even that was basically for show. I was notorious for neglecting to set the alarm. My code was 1234 , which sure impressed the technician who installed the system. I realized that it was not the best choice for a home security code. I was also fully aware that in order for a system to work you had to actually use it. So why had I bothered to purchase the thing in the first place? The answer was quite simple, really. It shut my mother up, mostly. At least it had until Mike tattled on me for leaving my door unlocked while I was at work.
“ One time... . ” I grumbled. “ One time and he turns into a snitch. And here I am, risking my butt to get his out of trouble… . ” You know, they say that when it all goes, you start talking to yourself. I stopped in the middle of tying my hair into a tight ponytail to consider that. “ Oh well , ” I said around the elastic hair band between my teeth. I had bigger problems to deal with , and a long journey in front of me. The weight of the handgun in the bag at my side was a jarring reminder of what lay ahead. A week ago…I mused, staring into the wide mirror over the dresser in my hotel room. Now I had no home and security was a .38 under the cover of darkness.
I checked the bag one last time, taking silent inventory of the contents. M aps, gun, bullets, knife, food, water, and a flashlight were packed . Grabbing the other bag I carefully took the key out and frowned. There had to be a safer place to keep it. I had pockets and my pack. I stood there with my lips pursed and my hands on my hips, considering. The pack, I finally decided. The make-up case was quickly emptied onto the bed and the key went in . Once it was safely tucked next to the gun, I took a deep breath and walked out of my room and down to the hotel lobby.
The desk clerk was a tall man who looked to be in his forties. I smiled and handed him my room key and his fingers brushed mine briefly during the exchange. The simple human contact was so…normal, I realized , and somehow it was reassuring. I sighed and gave him a sad smile. It was also the last normal thing that I would do for a while.
“ Leaving so soon, Miss? ”
“ Yes, I .... ” I wet my lips and hoisted the second bag I carried onto the desk that was between us. “ Please take care of this. I am not sure how long I will be gone , but I will come back for it — when I can. ”
When he continued to stare at me in silence, I cleared my throat
Similar Books
