by Aaron Lazar
Lollie chatted all the way upstairs. When they had the boxes lined up on her big bed, Rosita paused in the doorway.
“You okay now? I should get back to the kitchen. I’m making lasagna for tonight, your favorite.”
“Mmm. My favorite.” Lollie smiled and waved her away. “You go on and do what you’ve gotta do. I’ve got it covered up here.”
“Bueno. Call me if you need me, Miss.” She backed out of the room and breathed a sigh of relief. So far, so good. No temper tantrums, no yelling. She’d had her private doubts, of course. She would have been crazy not to have worried, just a little bit. But now, so far, things had gone smoothly.
Having Miss Lollie back home might be a good thing, after all.
Chapter 45
Lollie sat back and looked with pride at her new iMac with retina display. She’d decided to go big this time, with lots of resolution to see the online maps. So she’d chosen the new “ginormous” twenty-seven inch version of the system, and she couldn’t believe how beautiful it was.
The shiny new little keyboard was slim and sexy, and even the optional mouse was cool. She’d bought the mouse and the new track pad, not knowing which she’d prefer.
Rosita appeared in the doorway. “Another package for you, Miss Lollie.”
Lollie sprang out of her seat to meet the maid halfway. “Excellent. Gracias, Rosita.”
“Okay. I’m going back to my lasagna now.”
Lollie waited until she heard Rosita’s footsteps fade, then she tore open the tubular package. Carefully, she slid out the antique map of the Green Mountains, centered near the town of The Hollow.
“This is it!” she said.
With care, she unrolled the map and laid it on the bed. Anchoring it with pillows—because it wanted to curl up at the edges—she finally managed to make it lay flat. Sliding up beside it, she began to study the new details that were never available online.
It was gold, pure gold. In the corner was a clear legend, showing each symbol and its meaning. Every logging road was clearly marked and named. The rivers and streams, ponds, even swamps were named and highlighted with special symbols. There were a few waterfalls, designated by curving marks. And in one section not too far from Bittersweet Hollow Horse Farm, there was one item that made Lollie sit up and gasp.
A mine.
She tried to lean closer to read the name, but needed help with the tiny print. Scrambling to the side of the huge bed, she reached into Colby’s nightstand drawer to grab his reading glasses. They were just drugstore glasses, no prescription, so she’d borrowed them a lot in the past.
With a slight flicker of guilt, she unfolded them and slid them onto her face. Now, crawling back over to the map, she could see much more detail. She found the mine designation and peered down at it.
“No way,” she cried, leaning down to be sure she’d read it right.
But there it was, in its supreme, glorious irony.
Devil’s Spring.
The name of the mine was Devil’s Spring.
Her hand flew to her mouth and she stood up, twirling around the room. “I can’t believe it. How perfect!”
She remembered the kidnappings that had happened at Devil’s Lake. And the subsequent happenings at the place that weirdo Chandler had renamed Devil’s Creek, just to freak out Grace.
Her mind began to race.
So much to do. So many things to arrange.
She rolled up the map and inserted it back into the tube, then slid it under the bed. She couldn’t have Rosita know she was looking at maps of Vermont. No, that wouldn’t do at all. Rosita might not be a college graduate, but she was very smart. She noticed things.
Now she realized that her huge screen would be visible from the hallway. Every time Rosita appeared, she would be able to see what Lollie was researching.
She powered down the new computer and then fell to her knees, unplugging all the cords and coiling them up onto the desk. Next, she pushed on the side of the desk, carefully swiveling it around so it was backed into the corner between two windows. She rolled the chair over to the corner, too. After rearranging all the power cords back into the power strip, she wound it around one of the legs and just barely made it fit into the wall receptacle.
There. Done.
She powered the system back up and waited for it to come to life.
First, I have to confirm that rental.
For the next hour, she emailed the real estate woman in Wyoming. By the time she was done, the application was finally approved, the first and last month’s rent were paid, and she had driving directions as well as a map of her new home.
Now, what to do about the mansion?
Should she keep it up by sending in automatic payments for all the bills? Should she arrange a buyer? Or just let it go?
Keeping the house didn’t make much sense. But if it went into foreclosure because she wasn’t paying the bills, they’d look harder for her.
No. She needed a good story. She’d keep the mansion going, arrange for automatic payments of everything, and come up with a good cover story of an exotic trip she’d be taking.
Yes, that was it. She could take a trip to “forget” about all her trouble. Maybe a cruise. A cruise around the world?
Rosita would buy that. And so would her parents. Even the doctor had recommended that when she returned home she might consider going away on a vacation for a while.
Well, thank you Dr. Worthy.
She figured she ought to actually book the trip, too. Otherwise if they decided to track her down, they’d see she never had a real ticket.
So, for the next hour she surfed all the cruise line websites. She settled on a trip that would leave in two weeks, departing from New York harbor and headed for the Mediterranean. From there it would go down the coast of Africa, and in the next two months it would visit twenty unique ports around the world.
She didn’t even flinch when she paid the price. After all, her children were worth it, weren’t they?
Chapter 46
Stealing cars was not as easy as they made it look on YouTube.
Lollie had tried three times so far, once in the busy parking areas of Old Orchard Park, near the bars. Once in the back lot of a packed hotel down near York Beach, and tonight in the back lot of an RV dealer.
She’d forgotten about the alarms.
Those damn alarms!
Each time she started to break into the vehicles, they’d begun to shriek to the night, alerting the world that she was trying to break into them.
She sat now in her husband’s BMW, sweating and breathing hard. She’d just run from the RV lot, down two streets, and climbed into the car, locking the door behind her.
A blue and red light flashed as the police car sped past her.
They sure are slow around here.
I guess it’s time for Plan B.
All the way home, she revised the next steps. She’d have to buy the vehicle outright instead of stealing it in Vermont. Yes, it was slightly more risky, because someone in her neighborhood might see it in her driveway, or someone on the highway en route to Vermont might remember her.
On the other hand, she could swap plates with another car. That much she’d practiced and knew how to do. Just a few simple screws and the plate was off one car and onto the next. She’d had some fun doing that last week, because she’d swapped plates in the Wal-Mart parking lot with six cars. And she’d left them on the wrong vehicles, laughing later at how confused they’d all be when they noticed. Then, if they began to search for her, at least they’d be thrown off by the wrong registration.
But what about Rosita?
Rosita had to believe that she was going on that cruise.
The only way was to take delivery of a camper on the day she planned to leave. She’d get it delivered on Rosita’s day off. Night would be a much better cover. She could pack it up with all her gear, leave in the dark, and then sleep later in the back of a rest stop. When she arrived in the Green Mou
ntains, she’d have to cover it to make it blend in with the trees. She’d buy a giant camouflage tarp and that would hide it from helicopters and planes that might do a search of the mountain.
She started to cheer up. This was going to work.
∞∞∞
Lollie parked the BMW in front of the sales room at Tom’s RVs and Campers. She’d dolled herself up for the occasion and felt good about herself today. She’d charm the salesman into selling her a nice, small camper for a good price. And then it would be all over.
Did she need a cover story?
Probably.
She started to concoct a “family” vacation that she and “the kids” would go on this summer. How many should she have? Four would be a nice number. Two boys and two girls. Of course, their father had died last month and they needed to get away, to have some fun.
She started to picture the children. She’d make them ages five through twelve. Names? Hmm. Must be something common. Something the salesman wouldn’t remember. She’d use Michael, David, Jenny, and Sarah.
When she walked onto the sales floor, three people began to rush up to her. She’d always gone with Colby when he bought their cars before, and had watched him dicker with them until he got the deal he wanted.
She could do this.
“Hello, Miss? May I help you?”
She smiled demurely and glanced at his nametag. “Why, I believe you can, Reggie. I’m Lolita. But you can call me Lollie.” She figured avoiding the last name for the time being would be the best choice, because what if the guy had seen the story about the children, or the news about her husband’s death on the news? It would be easier to avoid that whole discussion.
“Pleased to meet you. Are you looking to buy or lease, Lollie?”
She paused as if to consider the question, then laid a finger on her pursed lips. “Hmm. I think I’ll buy today.”
Reggie brightened, and she could practically see the dollar signs in his eyes. “Oh, well that’s wonderful.” He led her to the floor model nearest them. “Would you like to step inside this baby? She’s a real beauty.”
“Why, I’d be delighted.” Lollie took the man’s offered hand and climbed up into the vehicle that had to be the most expensive model in the entire place. She played the game, oohed and ahhed over all the features inside, and then turned to the salesman. “Reggie? I love this one, but I’d like something a bit more modest in size. A nice small camper is all I need.”
His face fell. “Oh. Okay. No problem. We have plenty out in the back lot. Let’s go hunting, shall we?”
She took his arm, and was glad she did because her high heels were definitely not suited for the gravel yard. “Guess I should have worn tennis shoes, huh?” she laughed when she stumbled and almost fell. He probably didn’t know it was calculated, because he rescued her just like she’d predicted. She could tell he’d started to fall under her spell, so it was all working out just fine.
Two hours later, Lollie signed the sales slip for a cute little camper that she could easily handle. It would be big enough for her and the two children to sleep in while they drove to Wyoming and was small enough to fit on the logging roads of the mountain.
“So, you’re clear on the delivery day and time, Reggie?”
He underlined the terms on the contract and grinned. “You bet. I’ve got it right here. A week from this Saturday. Seven PM.”
“You don’t mind working late on a Saturday?” She batted her eyes at him, just a little.
“No, of course not. I’m used to it.”
She realized the commission he’d make was probably the highlight of his month. He’d been falling all over her when she revealed that she intended to pay cash. It was as if his biggest salesman dream had come true. Chuckling to herself, she stood and held out her hand. “It’s been good doing business with you, Reggie.”
He gave her a goofy smile and shook her hand gently. “Same here, Lollie. Thank you for your business.”
With that, she folded the papers into her purse, rose, and sashayed back out to the parking lot.
Just a few more things to arrange now.
She’d buy the tarp. Study the maps some more. And start to stock up on provisions.
She realized now that since she was buying the camper before she took the children back, she could actually use it to live in while she was studying the farm. She’d still park up by Devil’s Spring, but if the mines were inaccessible, or if they’d caved in or something, she’d have a nice little cozy camper to sleep in. Under the camouflage tarp, of course.
Smiling to herself, she put the car in gear and eased out onto the road.
It was all coming together now. Almost time to reclaim her babies and start their new life together.
Part IV
The Showdown
Chapter 47
Tessie looked nervously out the window. “I can’t believe they’re going to trust me again to watch the children.”
Orville sat at the kitchen table, finishing his second cup of coffee. He’d already come in from the early morning milking with their son, Ned, and was ready for the second shift out in the fields.
“Honey, it wasn’t your fault that damned crook and her son bamboozled you. How in the world could you ever imagine something so evil happening in our little town?”
Tears filled Tessie’s eyes, but she dabbed them away and straightened her back. She promised herself she’d be strong today. Stronger and more vigilant than ever before. “I know. But still…”
“And we got those precious babies back, didn’t we?”
“We did.” She heaved a sigh of relief. “And now, after weeks of their poor folks never wanting to leave their children’s sides, they’re actually ready to trust me again.”
Orville stood and put his hands on his wife’s shoulders. “It’s not that they didn’t trust you all this time, honey. It’s that they needed that closeness to heal from the pain. It was torture when the babies were taken, right? It tore them up inside. I mean, all of us were a mess. And that takes time to get over.”
She leaned into his chest. “I know. Thanks.” She pushed back and opened the cabinet door. “You didn’t take your meds yet, did you?”
He shook his head. “I was just about to.”
“Good. The doctor says it’s important to be regular with this stuff. You don’t want to miss a day.”
Orville flashed her a confident smile. “Haven’t missed a day yet, baby.”
She poured him a glass of orange juice and handed him the box of pills that they set up for the week with morning, noon, and evening compartments.
“Want another piece of toast?”
He downed the pills and shook his head. “No thanks. I’m full.”
“You’re looking so much better honey. Especially your color.” She ran a hand along his face, smiling up into his eyes. “Do you feel better?”
He shrugged. “I guess so. I feel like me.”
“I mean, are you having any chest pain? And twinges like before?”
“Haven’t noticed anything, Tess. Now you stop worrying, you hear? The doctor said they cleaned me out good and that I’ll be around for another half century if I’m careful.” He pulled her to him and hugged her.
“I’m counting on that, old man.”
He chuckled and pointed to the window. “Look. Here comes Portia now.”
Tessie ran to the kitchen door and down the porch steps. She opened the truck door and peeked in at her grandson. “There’s my little man! How are you doing today?”
“He’s doing just fine, Tessie. You ready to watch the two of them all day again?”
Tessie beamed a smile at her daughter-in-law. “More than ready. I’ve missed them so much.”
“Grace’ll be along around eleven. Caroline has a follow up appointment for her ear infection at nine-thirty.”
“Is she doing better?”
Portia lifted Joey out of his car seat and handed the diaper bag to Tessie. “Much better. Her f
ever’s gone and she’s sleeping through the night again, poor little thing.”
“Thank the Lord,” Tessie said.
They walked up to the house and set Joey down on the kitchen floor. Immediately, he opened the cabinet where Tessie stored his toys.
“Good boy, Joey,” she said. “You remembered.”
Portia sighed. “I don’t know if I'm ready for this.”
Tessie’s heart clenched. It had been all her fault, and she’d put Portia, Boone, Grace, and Anderson through hell and back. “I’m so sorry, Portia.”
The young woman brushed back a lock of her copper-colored hair and glanced with surprise at Tessie. “What? Oh, no. Please don’t be blaming yourself again, Tessie. We never thought it was your fault.”
Portia held out her arms to Tessie and gave her a gentle hug. “I trust you completely. It’s just I’ve had all this time with him over the past month and it’s hard to give that up. I hate the idea of going to work again. I’ll miss him so much.”
“Could you take a lunch break and come see us off and on? I could make you a nice lunch.”
Portia smiled, wiping away a stray tear. “I can try. But it gets really busy around lunchtime at the nursery, because everyone stops by on their own lunch hour, you know?”
“I guess so,” Tessie said. “But keep it in mind.”
Portia gathered her son in her arms and kissed his cheeks. He leaned against her, limp and trusting. She transferred him to Tessie’s arms, and then took his little hand in hers. “Mommy’s gotta go to work. But I’ll be back soon, honey. I’ll see you tonight.”
Joey squirmed out of Tessie’s arms and back onto the floor where his toys lay waiting.
Portia laughed. “Well, I guess he missed those toys.”
“He’ll be okay, honey. Now you just go get ‘em and sell lots of flowers, okay?”
Portia skipped down the porch steps, turning once more to wave and blow kisses to her son, who was once again nestled in Tessie’s arms behind the screen door. He pretended to catch the kiss and blow another.
“Your momma will be home soon, honey. She loves you.”