Nowhere to Run (10 page)

“Uh-huh.”

He laughed. “I love the way you respond to my efforts at courtesy, lady. Don't you ever just accept folks as they are?”

“Apparently not,” Marie said, coloring slightly. “Sorry if I seem leery. It's been a rough week.”

“Yeah, well, you aren't the only one who's been a little keyed up. Tell me, who are you so afraid of?”

“It's a long story.”

“I don't doubt it. Why don't you dish up some eggs and ham for Patty while they're still hot, get her started eating and then walk me to my truck?”

Marie knew why he was urging her to step outside. He clearly intended to ask her more questions. Did he deserve straight answers? Would he keep her confidences about Roy and his troubles if she asked him to?

She almost believed he would. And it would be so, so good to talk to someone, to get a second opinion on her plans, such as they were. But was Seth the right person to trust? Might it be better to tell Becky, instead?

No, Marie decided easily. Seth was the one who had repeatedly stepped up and helped her, rescued her, tolerated her silence regarding her past. If she were to open up to anyone, he would be the sensible choice.

Following his suggestion, Marie fed Patty, picked up her now-tepid coffee, and led the way back out the open door into the parking lot.

“All right. Let's have it,” she said flatly.

“What do you mean?”

“You wanted to talk to me. So, talk.”

He stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets and struck a nonchalant pose. “I was kind of hoping you'd want to talk to
me.
”

“You're right. I should.” Taking a slow sip from her cup to stall for time and better arrange her thoughts, she said, “I do owe you some sort of explanation. I told you Roy came to see me, didn't I?”

“You said he'd warned you, yes.”

“Well, it was more than that. I don't know what he was mixed up in or who he'd been working with, but I do know it was bad.” She sipped again, finding it hard to swallow past the lump in her throat as she recalled Roy's abduction.

Seth nodded patiently. “Go on.”

“That night, the one where he came to see me? I was looking out the window after he left, and I watched some men grab him and drag him away. It was frightening.”

“Why didn't you call the police?”

“I did! I told them everything. They didn't believe me. They didn't even offer to protect me. So I did the only other thing I could. I got in my car and started driving.” She felt her lower lip quiver and tried to cover the emotional reaction with the foam cup. “I thought I'd gotten away till my car was messed with. Don't you see? The people who took Roy have to be on my trail or they'd never have been able to put anything in my gas tank.”

“It could have been a prank.”

“You don't actually believe that, do you?”

“No.” Seth took a deep breath and released it noisily. “No, I don't. I think whoever was after Roy has to be chasing you now. What I don't understand is, why.”

She thought she glimpsed something strange and off-putting in his eyes for an instant. “How should I know? All he said was that his partners were out to get him and I should take Patty and run away.”

“That was all he said?”

“Yes. Why am I getting the impression that you don't believe me?”

“Beats me. I'm just an innocent bystander, remember?”

“You may be a bystander, Mr. Whitfield, but there is definitely nothing innocent about you, no matter how hard you try to convince people you are. I know better.”

It didn't help her mood that Seth laughed before he said, “
Do
you?”

Marie stood firm. “Yes. I do. You're smooth and smart and I can see your mind working all the time. There is nothing simple, or terribly rural, about you except your clothing and that ridiculous, countrified act you put on.”

His smile faded and he nodded slowly, cautiously. “All right. Say you're correct and I'm not exactly who I seem to be. Does that bother you?”

“I guess not. Not as long as you're on my side,” she said soberly. “I can use all the help I can get.”

“How do you know I'm not a crook like Roy was?”

“I don't know how or why I know that, but I do. I haven't been a Christian for very long, so I can't really say I'm experienced in telling what God is doing on my behalf. Not the way Becky does. But I do think my car made it this far before it quit so I'd have you to rely on. Does that sound crazy?”

“Not to me,” Seth said. “I've been thinking along those same lines myself.”

“You have?” Her jaw dropped.

“Yes, I have. And like I said before, I think you should stay right here and let it all come to a head.”

“What if it's dangerous?”

When Seth said, “Good,” she almost choked on her coffee.

“Good? Are you joking? Because if you are, I don't think it's funny.”

“I'm very serious,” Seth said. “I know this town like the back of my hand, whereas you won't be a bit familiar with any new place where you might end up. If you were a pursuer, would you rather your victim be confused or well-oriented?”

“Confused.”

“My point exactly.”

“Suppose they find me here?”

When Seth countered, “Suppose they already have,” Marie's hand started to shake. He was right. Suppose they already had!

T
he fluttering bluebird logo popped onto the corner of Seth's computer screen almost as soon as he logged on to the agency site that night. So much for anonymity, he thought; he was chagrined. Still, if this really was Jonathan trying to contact him, it meant he had an ally inside the old organization after all. That was worth a lot, both for himself and for Marie.

“How are things in your part of Wonderland?” Seth typed.

“Not so wonderful. Miss you, buddy.”

“Yeah. You, too.” Seth had been racking his brain, trying to think of something that only he and Jonathan had known. The references to Wonderland were all well and good except that someone else may have overheard them using that fantasy analogy in the past. There must be some other test, some indisputable proof. But what?

He tried subterfuge. “Remember that case about the missing parrot? Those were some good times we had.”

Long seconds passed before the answer came. “Can't say that I do. What parrot?”

Seth typed, “In the Caribbean.”

“You've got me there, old buddy. Sorry.”

Satisfied, Seth took a chance and told him the truth. “Okay. You passed my test. Care to tell me how come you're not dead?” He could picture his old friend laughing at his bluntness.

“Always did have a fondness for being alive. How about you? I'd heard you were long gone. What made you get in touch now?”

“It's complicated. I need a little help.”

“Glad to hear you've finally come to your senses. Want to come in?”

“No. It's not help for me. I need you to see what you can find out about a local case down in Baton Rouge. A couple of weeks ago there was a report of a man named Roy Jenkins being abducted. The woman who made the report was Marie Parnell.”

“Gotcha. What do you want to know about it?”

“Everything you can turn up.”

“You don't ask for much, do you?”

Seth chuckled as he typed, “You know me. I always want even the smallest details.”

“Yeah. Okay. How do you want this information delivered? I'm not sure we should use this link again. Anything can be traced if you're connected long enough.”

“I know,” Seth typed. “I'd give you a cell number, but I just gave away my only phone and I haven't had time to buy a replacement.”

“What?”

“Never mind. I'll get back in touch when I have another number to give you. Later tonight. Eleven sharp. Can you be online then?”

“I will be. Take care, buddy.”

With a quick “Thanks,” Seth disconnected.

He knew Jonathan was right about the danger of being in contact for too long a time, which was one of the reasons he had decided to ask him to do some of the research regarding Marie's case. And instead of giving him an address for mailing the information on paper, he'd use one of the new, untraceable cell phones he was about to purchase. In truth, he'd gotten so complacent that he'd been using his old one for far too long already. It was high time for a change of numbers for himself, too, just as a matter of personal safety and anonymity.

Grabbing his jacket and whistling to Babe, Seth headed for his truck. There was one big box store within reasonable driving distance, and it carried inexpensive, disposable phones with paid-for minutes included. Plus, the store was open all night. There were many advantages to living out in the boonies, but access to late-night shopping wasn't one of them, which was probably why those kinds of chain stores did such a good business.

At this point, Seth wouldn't have cared how much he'd have to pay or how far he'd have to drive. He needed phones. Period. In view of the urgency of obtaining them, he'd have given a month's pay and traveled all the way to Little Rock if he'd had enough time to make the round-trip.

 

Marie had dozed off when she was startled awake by a muffled, sing-song tone that she quickly realized was coming from her purse. Hands trembling, she retrieved the little phone Seth had given her and answered it.

To her relief, it was him on the line.

“Grab a pencil and write this number down,” he said. “It's the one for the new phone I bought you. I'm charging its batteries and I'll program it tomorrow, if you want, when we switch.”

“I can program it,” she said, jotting down his area code and number. “I need to pay you for it, too. Are you sure it can't be traced?”

“Positive. Some of the new phones come equipped with internal navigational capabilities, but that one doesn't have it. Neither does the new one. And you don't owe me a thing. I'm planning to replace my phone as soon as the store gets more in stock, so feel free to use it as much as you like. Just don't run the battery down till I deliver your charger and we switch instruments.”

“There's no one I want to call—except you,” she said.

“Not even your friends?”

“I don't think I should. Not till things settle down and I know where I'm going. When I left home, I didn't let anyone know because I was afraid they'd get in trouble. It was bad enough that I was mixed up in it.”

“In what?” Seth asked quietly.

“You know. Roy's abduction.”

“Oh, that.”

She could tell there had been a change in his voice, in the way he was responding to her, and it was worrying.

“What did you think I meant?”

“Nothing. Keep that new number handy and don't hesitate to call me if anything else goes wrong. Okay?”

“Okay.” She took a deep, settling breath before she added, “I don't know how I can ever thank you.”

“Always tell me the truth,” he said flatly.

“I have.” She felt the beginnings of a smile. “Well, except for the part about who I was and where I was from and why I was on the lam.”

To her relief, Seth chuckled. “Now you're starting to sound like a bad gangster movie,” he said. “Good night, Marie.”

“Good night.”

As soon as she heard him break their connection, she closed the little phone and took it back to bed with her, carefully tucking it next to her pillow so she'd be sure to hear the ring if Seth called again.

She still didn't know what to make of him, nor was she sure how she actually felt about him. Under less stressful circumstances she supposed she might have been personally attracted to him, but this was not a normal situation. Not even close. She couldn't trust her emotions when every second of every day had her on edge beyond belief.

Yes, she liked Seth, she admitted easily. And she knew he liked her. That much was evident. The question was, would they have even looked twice at each other if they had not been thrown together by circumstances? Probably not. And the time would soon come when, in the absence of any threat, they drifted apart naturally.

It surprised Marie to realize how much she would miss Seth once she moved on. Staying put for more than another day or two was foolish, of course, yet the more she thought about leaving, the less she wanted to actually go.

Closing her eyes and clasping her hands, she began to whisper a prayer. It wasn't fancy or flowery or even very coherent, but she knew in her heart that the Lord was listening.

What His answer might be or where He was leading her was a lot less clear.

 

Eccles fidgeted as he sat by the agency computer and waited for eleven o'clock to arrive. He'd taken a risk by letting Seth disconnect, but he figured it was what the real Jonathan would have done. If he was going to continue to make Seth believe he was speaking with his old friend, he had to take some chances. The bit about the parrot had been a stroke of genius on Seth's part. And he'd almost fallen for the ploy until he'd remembered that Jonathan had never done fieldwork with Seth, so they couldn't have shared a case in the Caribbean.

Right on schedule, Seth logged on with, “Hey, Bluebird. You there?”

“Yeah, I'm here,” his enemy typed. “Waiting for your contact info.”

“I was going to have a phone number for you but I wasn't able to make the arrangements the way I'd hoped. Maybe tomorrow.”

“Sorry. No can do. I'm taking a big chance talking to you at all. If I can't do it by cell phone from now on, I won't be available. Period.”

Seth's silence made Eccles wonder if he'd pushed him too far. Then, finally, Seth said, “All right. I'll give you a number that will only be good for forty-eight hours. After that I'll have another one for you. Understood? Don't call before then unless you get something for me that won't wait.”

“Understood. Fire away.”

Seth typed in the number, then quickly disconnected.

In minutes, Eccles had used the area code to narrow his search and had identified the distributor of the batch of cell phones assigned that series of numbers. The manufacturers didn't keep records of individual users by name, but that didn't matter. Judging by the elapsed time, Seth had to have bought that phone locally. Therefore, he must be somewhere in north-central Arkansas. The trap was closing.

Until he could get his equipment in place for an illegal triangulation trace between cell towers, he'd slowly feed Seth bits and pieces of information about the Jenkins case to keep him interested.

It was only a matter of time before they'd know exactly where Seth was hiding out and everyone's troubles would be over.

First, he figured he'd better check to see that Seth's phone was operational. He dialed, then waited until Seth answered to say, “One thing I forgot to tell you. They found Roy Jenkins's body.”

“Are they sure it's him?” Seth asked.

“Yes. They're sure,” Eccles answered, then quickly disconnected and began to grin. “Gotcha.”

 

Marie responded to a knock on her door early the following morning. When she answered, Seth proudly displayed another hot breakfast. “Room service.”

She had to laugh. “I didn't order anything.”

“No, but you still have to eat. Man cannot live by donuts alone, you know.”

“Neither can woman and child,” she said, playing along with his misquote as she opened the door. “Come on in. Patty's watching cartoons.”

“You sure you don't want to take her back to play at the preschool today? It would give you both a break.”

“Not if I go along and help,” Marie said, stifling a yawn. “What's the word on my car?”

“Well, I could tell you I'm still waiting for the parts, but that would be a lie. They came in yesterday afternoon, as expected.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “Really? Then I can go?”

“If you insist on leaving, I supposed I can have the car ready by late today.” He stared at her as if willing her to change her mind. “Are you positive that's what you should do? We'd love to have you hang around here a little longer.”

“We? We who?”

Seth gave her a grin that made her tingle all the way to her toes. “Babe and me, of course. Well, and Becky and Timmy and the gang from church, too.”

“Of course.” She made a silly face. “I might as well start asking your dog for advice. I don't seem to be doing so hot by myself.”

“That's because there are sinister forces working against you, not because you're making bad decisions.”

“Sinister forces? Now who's being melodramatic?”

“I just call 'em as I see 'em,” Seth said. “By the way, when were you going to tell me about the ransom?”

“What ransom?” Scowling up at him, Marie could tell he wasn't accepting her denial. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

“Okay,” Seth said, backing toward the open door. “Just think about it. When you're ready to tell me everything, you know where to find me.”

“Wait!” She followed him out the door. “What ransom? What on earth do you mean?”

“There was a kidnapping near Baton Rouge a few weeks ago,” Seth said slowly, deliberately. “Your friend Roy and three other men were involved, as nearly as I can tell. The authorities believe Roy got greedy and kept the whole ransom for himself, which is probably why he was so scared when he came to warn you.”

“What does all that have to do with me?”

“You were tied to the crime as soon as you made that 911 call about Roy's abduction. The cops were already looking for him and his partners. I wouldn't be surprised if they're on your trail as we speak.”

“Who? The police? Could they have been the ones in the white van?”

Seth shook his head. “I doubt it. They would have just pulled you over and arrested you, not messed with your car. Whoever did that intended to catch you unaware and…”

“And hurt me? Hurt Patty?” She knew her voice held panic but she couldn't help it.

“Maybe. Probably.” He reached for her hand and grasped it gently. “Look, Marie. I don't think you were in cahoots with Roy during the commission of the crime, but somebody sure thinks you know more than you're letting on. He never mentioned a thing about some missing money?”