Inevitable Sentences (18 page)

“This is it. Only one more stop and we’re clear,” she whispered.

With each rotation of the truck’s wheels, Lizzie’s heartbeat increased. By the time she reached the salleyport, the throbbing nearly choked her. She squeezed her eyes shut and told herself to relax.

Lizzie slammed the brakes again. “Damn.” She heard the cart carrying Chad skid across the floor and bang into the truck’s rear doors. She opened her eyes and saw Officer O’Brien peering through the window with a fist raised, about to knock. Lizzie rolled the window down.

“You okay?” he asked.

“I’m tired and a little queasy from something I must’ve eaten.” Lizzie rubbed her face with her cold gloves. “I can’t believe you’re still here.” She pushed the door open, hopped out of the cab, and raced to the rear.

“My relief just got here. I’ll be on my way soon. The only thing good to say about overtime is that the money’s great.” O’Brien chased after her. “Hey. Where ya goin'? Ya know policy. I’ll check the truck and get you on your way.”

They both reached for the door handles. “What are you doing?” O’Brien pressed.

“A cart got loose. I heard it roll against the doors. The strap holding it must’ve worked free. I didn’t want you to be surprised by it toppling out on you.” Lizzie smiled. “That’s all.”

“Oh. Thanks.” O’Brien swung the doors wide. The cart had indeed rolled to the threshold and stopped on a ridge near the doors.

Lizzie’s heart skipped several beats and she bit down hard on her lower lip. Her throat felt like it was closing. She swallowed, trying to free it, and quickly lifted herself into the truck. “I’ll secure it.”

She struggled to roll the cart back to its place. Although Chad’s added weight made it almost impossible, she couldn’t let O’Brien see her difficulty. Finally, she secured the cart, and this time checked it thoroughly to make sure it didn’t get free again. Then she turned and jumped down from the truck. “It’s all yours.”

“I could’ve done that.” Was O’Brien questioning Lizzie’s odd behavior, or was he trying to be helpful?

“That’s okay. I’m used to where the cart goes and it’s my responsibility to make sure it’s secure.” She smiled weakly and shrugged. What a dumb comment.

Lizzie walked back to the cab and climbed in, making every attempt not to look anxious. Her heart pounded against her chest so hard she was afraid O’Brien could see it.

She sat in the cab for what seemed like hours. Would O’Brien find Chad? She felt like she had to throw up. She grabbed the steering wheel and held on to it with such a force her hands hurt. “Come on, come on, O’Brien. Let’s get this over with.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

Finally, O’Brien walked rapidly back to Lizzie. He handed her the manifest and said, “All clear. You should check the temperature in there, though. Either it’s too damn cold out here I can’t tell the difference, but it seemed on the warm side.”

“Thanks. I’ve got a work order in on that. The temp gauge is off. I guess I need to put an order in about the strap for the cart, too.” She had adjusted the temperature so that Chad wouldn’t freeze on the long drive to the falls. She waited for a response from O’Brien or even an interrogation, but none came and she took her leave. “See ya in two days. Take care you stay awake driving home.” Did she sound too excited? Maybe even too happy?

“I’ll do that.” O’Brien called for the gate to be opened and waved Lizzie through.

Lizzie drove in the direction of the warehouse, holding back the
Whoop!
she wanted to scream out, and checked the truck’s mirrors—no one behind her and no one in front of her on the road.

Lizzie grabbed her pack of Marlboro Lights from her jacket pocket and lit a cigarette. She took great pleasure in smoking in a state vehicle against policy. It was one more defiant gesture. Even though Chad wouldn’t like it.

Lizzie passed the warehouse. No movement in sight. So far, so good. She couldn’t contain herself. She bounced up and down yelling, “Yahoo!” She pounded on the truck behind her to let Chad know they were clear of the gate and he could change his clothes, then stubbed out the cigarette and lit another one. She had to smoke as many as she could before she kept her promise to Chad that she’d quit.

Lizzie took the truck onto the highway heading west of Marquette, and it slid going around the corner. The roads were bad and she slowed down.
Better take more care,
she told herself.

Hardly any cars were on the road. The drivers in the few vehicles she passed wouldn’t pay attention to her because they were probably too concerned about negotiating the streets in the treacherous conditions. That was good for Chad and her, but only if they didn’t get stuck themselves. No sooner had she told herself that than Lizzie spied a police vehicle ahead with its pulsating red and blue lights broadcasting trouble. Flares spread across the lane warned approaching vehicles to slow down.

Sweat began to ooze from under her wool cap down her forehead and into her eyes. No one could know this soon that Chad was gone, could they?

Lizzie held her breath as she passed a car that had slid into a ditch. The policeman’s attention was completely on the victim. He never raised his head in Lizzie’s direction. Good luck was still with her. She gradually let her breath out and moved slowly onward.

When Lizzie passed the Westwood Mall the memory of Stump tailing her flashed into her mind and she checked both side mirrors. No one was following her tonight.

Although she wanted badly to gun the truck for the next few miles, she was sensible and stayed calm, driving carefully. It would have been stupid for them to get this far only to get stuck or spin off the road like the car she just saw. The next street was Wright, which she turned onto and traveled another half mile to Forestville Road.

Lizzie checked the side mirrors. No sign of any other cars. She turned left onto Forestville, surprised to find the next two and a half miles had been plowed, no doubt to make sure workers could get to the powerhouse at Dead River Falls, which she now had in her sights. It was nearly over.

Once over the bridge, she parked near the powerhouse and turned off the engine and lights, then sat there in a stillness that nearly overpowered her and held her in place. Lizzie checked for Priscilla, but she hadn’t arrived yet. It was only five and with the roads the way they were, Priscilla could be late. Lizzie pushed away the haunting thought that Priscilla might stand them up.

When Lizzie was sure no one else lurked in the shadows or hid in the bushes, she got out of the cab and walked to the rear. No sooner had she opened the doors than Chad leaped out like a mountain lion pouncing on prey.

“Jesus, it’s cold in there.” He pushed past Lizzie and headed to the driver’s seat.

“Hello. Remember me? I’m your girl.” Lizzie sounded hurt. “Hey,” she yelled and followed him. “No celebration kiss? Aren’t you glad we made it?”

Chad stopped and turned to Lizzie, who was eagerly waiting for the first embrace without fear of being caught by an officer. “Sorry.” Chad held out his arms and Lizzie fell into them. They held each other tightly.

“I was damn cold. Plus, it really hasn’t hit me yet that I’m out.” He pushed Lizzie to arms’ length and viewed his surroundings. “Damn. We did it.” He quickly kissed her and hopped into the cab. “Get in and give me the keys. I need to get warm.”

Lizzie tried to quell her disappointment. She wanted their kiss to be more passionate and last as long as those in a sexy scene from a movie. She attributed Chad’s lack of fervor to his anxiety about their escape, and, of course, riding for half an hour in a frigid truck wouldn’t stoke a man’s fire. They had plenty of time ahead for their fiery lovemaking.

Lizzie hoisted herself onto the passenger seat and handed Chad the keys. He started the engine and cranked the heater on full blast. “Your friend isn’t here,” he shouted over the rush of hot air. He was angry.

Lizzie lit a cigarette, forgetting that Chad would disapprove. “The roads are horrible. She’ll be here. Give her time.” Lizzie reached for Chad’s hand, but he pulled it away from her and grasped the wheel.

“You need to relax, babe. We got a long night ahead of us.” She caressed his shoulder. Did she detect a slight twitch in answer to her touch?

Chad grabbed the cigarette from her mouth. “I don’t want you to smoke in here.” He rolled the window down and tossed the cigarette into a snowbank. “I don’t want you to smoke, period.”

Lizzie shrugged. “Okay. But don’t be pushing me around like you own me.”

“I’ll do as I please.” Chad stared at the windshield. “We’ve had quite a night already.” Chad responded to her earlier comment as though it had just registered. “It’s nearly over, though.”

Chad’s tone was flat as though he had something else on his mind. What was going on here? He seemed distant one moment and acted like a bully the next. Lizzie reasoned that, like her, he’d probably be on edge until the whole ordeal had come to an end. When they got to Mexico.

Chad rubbed his glove over the windshield, creating a circle in the fogged glass, and peered out. “Need to get the defroster fixed.” He chuckled. “What do I care if the damn thing works or not?”

Lizzie laughed nervously. Chad sounded more relaxed. “We won’t have a care in the world in a few days.” She paused. “Your mother did get the plane tickets, didn’t she? And the passports from that guy you said you knew? Because we need to get outta the states as soon as we can.”

Chad swung around and slammed Lizzie against the door. He pressed both hands against her shoulders. “Don’t you ever question me or what I’ve done. You are no longer my boss and you never will be again.” He pronounced each word as though it stood alone. “Got it?” He pushed his fingers deep, nearly reaching Lizzie’s bones beneath her down parka.

“You’re hurting me,” she gasped and tried to pry his hands away, unsuccessfully. “Are you crazy? I’m on your side, or did you forget that?”

“Got it?” he repeated. “Answer me when I talk to you.”

“Yeah.” The word barely slipped from her mouth. “I got it.” Now Lizzie was frightened. This was a side of Chad she had never seen before, except that one time a couple of days ago in the kitchen. He must be scared. Again she consoled herself, knowing this edginess would go away when they were safe in Mexico.

Chad eased away from Lizzie, breathing heavily. He rubbed the circle again in the window. “Your so-called friend is still nowhere in sight.”

Lizzie rolled her shoulders to relieve the pain. “She’ll be here. Be patient.”

“I’ve been patient.” Chad pounded his hand against the steering wheel. It vibrated in response. “For way too long. It’s time to get my plan rolling.”

“Our plan,” Lizzie dared to say.

Chad glared at her and she recoiled, expecting to get hit. Why? She’d never felt threatened by him before. Who was the real Chad? Had she ever known? Was Priscilla right? Was Chad using her? Not possible, and she was certain of that, because she would’ve seen it coming.

Forget it. Give it time. She knew he’d be the old Chad once he understood he no longer had to look over his shoulder or hear the prison gates slam closed or listen to the endless, deafening block chatter. He’d be okay then.

The wipers scratched against the windshield in a futile effort to keep the window clear. For almost fifteen minutes their scraping was the only sound that interrupted the relentless sleet that bombarded the truck. This storm would undoubtedly be one for the records.

“If your friend doesn’t show soon, we could get snowed in here or stuck getting out,” Chad said, finally breaking the silence. “Either way, we’ll get discovered if someone comes out to check the powerhouse.”

“Look on the bright side.” Lizzie’s smile could be heard in her voice. “The snow is falling hard. Surely it’ll cover our tire tracks. No one will be able to follow us.” She reached for Chad’s hand, but again he pulled it away from her. This was not the scenario for the night Lizzie had dreamed about for the last six months. “You’re really different tonight, Chad.”

“What do you mean? I’m the same charming man I’ve always been, only I’m sitting here waiting for some dumb bitch and hoping she shows up before the police do.”

“I mean”—Lizzie hesitated, a little nervous about speaking her mind for the first time without the clout of her supervisor position—“I mean,” she repeated, “we should be holding each other and comforting each other. We should be keeping warm with talking about our future together. Instead, you won’t even touch me.” Lizzie felt like an outcast.

“Get this straight,” Chad said as he turned to face her. “If we’re stuck here, we will be discovered. We can’t drive this truck anywhere because there’ll be an APB out on me as soon as count takes place. And it won’t take long to notice that the truck never made it back to the warehouse.” He leaned close enough to Lizzie for her to see the whites of his eyes ablaze in a light from the powerhouse filtering through the ice glaze. His eyes were as astonishing as a cat’s on Halloween. “So, Lizzie,” Chad seethed, “there might not be a future.”

Except for those eyes Lizzie could only detect an outline of Chad’s face. Yet she could feel his heartlessness wrapping around her rather than the arms she had hoped for. Suddenly the cold filled her veins and her heart became ice. Chad truly scared her. The image of Susan Mitchell’s body abandoned in a pile and awash in blood, flashed into her mind. She shook her head. That couldn’t happen to her. Chad loved her. He needed her. He was just scared. She had to trust him in good times and bad.

Chad whispered again, “No future.”

“Why do you keep repeating that?” Lizzie asked. “Those words frighten me.”

“Because there is no future for you.”

“What are you sayin'? I thought you cared about me,” Lizzie screamed.

“You didn’t really think I’d be with someone like you, did you? You’re nothing but a white-trash bitch imitating some punk rocker.” Chad laughed.

Lizzie started hitting Chad in the face and chest. “You lied. Priscilla was right. You’re …”

“Shut up, Lizzie,” Chad shouted and slugged her.

Lizzie’s neck snapped backward and she cracked her head against the window. Everything started spinning; she felt drunk. A ridiculous notion. Then everything went blank.