by Lexy Timms
Katherine smiled, “Don’t we all.”
The woman pulled out a knitting project and began to move the needles without even looking. Katherine watched, mesmerized by the movement before she realized she’d been staring.
“I’m making my granddaughter a new blanket. I’m headed to see my son and his wife up north,” she said with a warm smile.
“How old is she?” Katherine asked in a friendly tone, happy to have someone to chat with and pass the time.
“She’ll be three months in a few days. This will be my first time meeting her.”
Katherine smiled. “How exciting for you.”
“It is. My son is in the military and I don’t get to see him too often. They only recently came back from Japan. I figured I better get up there and see him before he was off to his next destination overseas,” she said wistfully.
“You must be proud,” Katherine said.
The woman beamed. “I am very proud. His father was a military man. I should have known he would inherit the urge to travel the world on the government’s dime.”
Katherine chuckled. “I’m glad you can stay positive about it. I can’t imagine how hard that would be.”
“It is hard, but I know he is doing what he loves and that’s important. I hope he will retire soon. Wherever he finally lands, I’ll move to be closer to him and his growing family,” she said, her hands swiftly moving as she pulled out more pink yarn.
“Is he stationed in the Seattle area?”
The woman nodded her head. “For now. It isn’t his permanent duty station though. He was down here in California, but it seems like he is always on the move. Are you headed to Seattle for a short visit?” she asked, looking at the rather small suitcase propped up next to Katherine’s legs.
Katherine shook her head. “I think so.”
The woman stopped knitting and looked up at Katherine. “I’m Mary, I hope we can keep each other company over the next couple days.”
Katherine smiled. “Kat,” she said, not wanting to give too much information, another habit picked up after years on the run.
“It’s nice to meet you.”
She wanted to be nice, but experience told her to be careful. “I’m going to run to the bathroom before we get on that bus. I hate the bathrooms in those things.”
Mary giggled. “They do leave a little something to be desired.”
Katherine stood up, taking her suitcase with her as she made her way to the bathroom. She liked to take the late buses because they tended to be less crowded, which meant more space to spread out. She knew by tomorrow morning, they would all be packed in like sardines as they made more stops along the way, picking up new passengers. It always seemed like they took on more than they let off. If she had to be stuck by someone for the next twenty-four hours, it may as well be Mary, she thought to herself.
Chapter Ten
Ben
THE FIRST THING HE did when he opened his eyes was roll to the side and reach for his phone on the bedside table. Through bleary eyes, he stared at the screen, hoping to see a missed call or a message or two from Katherine. It had taken every ounce of self-control not to text her last night. Around eleven, he had sent her a simple goodnight text, hoping for some kind of response. He got nothing in return.
He closed his eyes, trying not to let the disappointment get him down. She was still working through some stuff, he told himself. He’d give her space. He got ready for work, wishing like hell they could repeat yesterday’s morning routine.
Once he grabbed a breakfast sandwich, he headed out the door. Work would keep him busy and his mind off Katherine.
“Yeah, right,” he muttered, checking left, then right before pulling into the street.
Nothing kept his mind off Katherine.
“Uh-oh,” Rachel mumbled under her breath as he walked by.
“I’m fine,” he said, and kept moving into his office.
She followed him inside like usual, shutting the door behind her.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I’m fine. Nothing’s wrong.”
She put a hand on her hip and shot him a glare. “Liar. What happened and don’t tell me nothing because it is very obviously something.”
Ben leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling. “Katherine,” he said the one word that he hoped would explain it all.
When he looked at Rachel, her hand was still on her hip, but now she had a confused expression on her face. “Katherine?”
He nodded. “She’s doing her weird, leave me alone thing again.”
“Yesterday you walked in here like you were on cloud nine. Did something happen between then and now? Did you tell her you loved her?” she asked, a horrified look on her face.
“No, I didn’t say a word to her. I didn’t get the chance.”
She relaxed her stance a little, gesturing for him to take his seat behind his desk. “Sit. We need to go over this because I am thoroughly confused at how you could have screwed this up so quickly.”
His jaw dropped open. “I didn’t do anything!” he shrieked, still standing next to the chair.
“Sit.”
He flopped down, feeling rather childish, his arms crossed over his chest defensively. “What?”
If anyone from the outside world saw the exchange, they would be horrified. He was the billionaire boss being told what to do by his secretary. What those people wouldn’t realize was that Rachel was more friend than employee. She was given a free pass to treat him like a child—to an extent.
“Let’s start at the beginning. We’ll figure this out and she’ll be back in your arms in no time,” she promised.
He wasn’t quite as convinced, but he hoped that was the case. “Yesterday, I dropped her off for an interview at the coffee shop a couple blocks down the road. She was in a great mood. We had a great night and an even better morning together. I thought she would come by after her interview—she didn’t. I called her yesterday afternoon and asked her if she’d like to get dinner and she agreed. I could tell something was a little off but chalked it up to her being distracted.”
Rachel was nodding her head. “Okay, so far I see nothing wrong.”
“Exactly!” he said, smacking his open hand on the desk.
“Then what happened? How did we get here with you dragging your knuckles into work?”
He rolled his eyes and shook his head. “I don’t know. I showed up at her house, right on time, and she wouldn’t answer the door.”
Rachel looked stunned. “What? Why?”
His shoulders drooped and leaned forward. “If I knew why, I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you about it.”
She sucked in an exaggerated deep breath. “Alright, alright, relax, take a deep breath. Let’s review.”
He hated when she got all motherly. “It has to be Tim. I’m going to call Meredith and see if he was served with the papers. Maybe he showed up at her house,” he said.
“Don’t you think she would have told you that? I mean, I think it’s pretty clear you’ve got her back when it comes to that guy,” Rachel pointed out.
“Maybe she wants time to process what it all means.”
Rachel shook her head. “She’s been trying to escape him for years. I can’t imagine she would suddenly regret filing for divorce.”
“She was afraid of what he would do. Maybe he threatened her,” he suggested.
“What exactly did she tell you last night?”
He shrugged a shoulder. “She said she wanted to be alone, that she was feeling overwhelmed. She apologized a few times. I could see she was upset, really upset. I didn’t push it, I didn’t want her to see me as one of the things in her life that overwhelmed her.”
Rachel smiled and waved a hand through the air. “That is normal. That is girl-talk for I need a day to myself. We all need a little downtime where we don’t have to worry about looking pretty and can pig out on junk food.”
“She can do that with me,” he pro
tested.
Rachel giggled. “It’s not the same. Maybe after you’ve been married five years, but you two are still in a fairly new relationship. It’s the honeymoon period.”
“Why didn’t she just say that?” he said, a scowl in his face.
“I don’t think you have anything to be worried about. She isn’t ditching you. You know she’s been a loner for a long time. You two have been hot and heavy these past few weeks. Maybe it’s time to slow down and ease into things.”
Ben leaned back in his chair, knowing she was right. He’d been telling himself the same thing for days. Even he was a little worried about how much he cared for her. No, he loved her. He was nervous. This was uncharted territory for him. He wasn’t the type to fall in love. It made him nervous to have fallen so completely in love with someone, and given them your heart. The idea of being hurt and rejected didn’t excite him. If he could avoid it, that was what he was going to do.
“You’re probably right. I’ll wait before I call her. She’s probably sleeping in and she’ll call when she gets up,” he said, hoping the words were true.
“Exactly. Alright, with that crisis solved, I’m going back to work. I emailed you a list of calls that need to be made along with emails you’ll need to answer,” she said, turning back on the efficient secretary persona and heading out the door.
Ben took a deep breath, feeling better about the situation. Rachel had talked him off the ledge—again. He turned his attention to email and began to answer the most important ones first, feeling accomplished as he ticked his way down the list.
By eleven, his worry for Katherine was too much to ignore. He’d called her twice and she hadn’t answered. He’d sent a few text messages as well. Those had gone unanswered. He could feel something was wrong. She would have at least told him she was okay, or she was busy. No response was not like her.
He grabbed his keys and walked out of his office.
“Where are you going?” Rachel asked, covering the microphone near her mouth.
“I’m going to check on her, something isn’t right.”
She nodded her head. “Let me know.”
The fact that Rachel wasn’t trying to stop him told him she was worried as well. He practically speed walked down the hall, opting to take the stairs instead of waiting on the elevator. There was a sense of urgency in his gut he couldn’t explain. It was telling him something was not right.
He whipped into the parking lot of her small apartment building fifteen minutes later, taking the steps two at a time. He knocked on her door and waited. When there wasn’t an answer he knocked harder, shouting her name while trying the door. It was locked. The rational side of his brain told him there was a chance she had gone out for groceries, but the other side, the gut instinct side told him that wasn’t the case.
“Katherine!” he shouted, using his open hand to slap the door several times.
He groaned in frustration. He had to get inside. Images of her bloodied and bruised floated through his mind. He turned and looked around the parking lot and noticed the sign indicating the manager lived on-site. He jogged back down the stairs and headed towards the apartment, knocking on the door until an older man answered, eating a ham sandwich.
“Can I help you?” he asked, clearly not pleased to be interrupted during his lunch break.
“I need your help,” Ben blurted out, hoping he didn’t sound too crazed.
“How’s that?” the man asked, taking a bite of his sandwich as if there was nothing horrible happening a hundred feet away.
“My girlfriend, in 4-B, she has an abusive ex. She’s not answering her phone or the door. Something’s wrong,” he said, hoping the man would believe him.
“I can’t let you in her apartment. I don’t know you from Adam.”
Ben gritted his teeth. “You don’t have to know me. You have to know she is in danger. She could be up there bloodied and beaten right now. This guy is crazy. He beat the shit out of her not more than a month ago. If he found her, it’s hard to say what may have happened. Please, you can go in with me, I just need to make sure she’s okay,” he pleaded.
“Are you talking about the pretty brunette?”
Ben nodded his head. “Yes!”
The man sighed. “Fine, but you can only go in and see if she’s there. You can’t touch anything and you’re leaving with me.”
“Fine. That’s perfect. Thank you.”
“Gimme a second,” he mumbled and went back inside his apartment, returning a few seconds later with a keyring.
Together they walked back to Katherine’s apartment. They were moving too slow for Ben’s taste. He wanted to run, but the old man was in no hurry. He slid the key in the lock but didn’t turn it.
He knocked. “Hello? Maintenance! Is anyone home?” he shouted, not moving as he waited for an answer.
Ben wanted to rip the key out of his hand and unlock the door himself.
“Doesn’t sound like anyone is home,” he muttered after a few minutes.
Ben managed to keep his retort to himself. “Exactly.”
The manager turned the key and slowly opened the door. “Maintenance!”
Ben walked into the living room and immediately felt it. The manager could yell all he wanted. Katherine wasn’t there. He walked into the bedroom and noticed the missing suitcase. His heart dropped to his knees as he stared at the empty spot by the door.
He walked into the bathroom and noticed her toiletries were gone. A sinking feeling in his gut told him what he’d feared the most. She’d packed up and run. When he returned to the living room, the manager was staring at the flowers on the table.
“Those are pretty. She probably just went out for groceries or maybe she’s at work,” he offered.
Ben walked into the kitchen. The first thing he saw was her cell phone sitting on the counter. She hadn’t run out anywhere. She’d run out of town. He turned to look at the manager who didn’t seem to realize the gravity of the situation.
“She’s gone,” he whispered the words. His throat felt tight.
Chapter Eleven
Katherine
SHE’D MADE A SPUR OF the moment decision to get off the bus in some small town outside Portland, Oregon. She couldn’t bear the thought of traveling another twelve hours on that bus. Mary was a lovely seat companion, but she was going out of her mind. It didn’t matter where she got off. There was no set destination in her mind. Katherine had walked down the dark country road, not afraid of being mugged in a quiet little place like the one she’d chosen to spend an undetermined number of days in.
Maybe that had been her mistake in the past, she mused. She’d been trying to hide out in large cities, thinking it would be easier to blend in with hundreds of thousands of people. It was time to change things up. She looked around the area and saw a few houses here and there with large parcels of land for each house. It was a quiet, rural area without the hustle and bustle of city life—or taxicabs.
The kind man at the gas station where the bus had dropped her off told her of a motel about a mile up the road. He’d even offered to drive her to the place, but she declined. She wasn’t so naïve to believe that nothing bad happened in a small town. There were bad people everywhere hiding in plain sight—just like Tim. Anyone who met him would never think he was capable of the things he had done to her. It had taken her a long time to come to terms with the reality as well.
She saw the blinking sign ahead advertising a vacancy at the motel with doors that opened to the outside. She preferred that style of motel. It gave her an easy escape if needed. Her suitcase trailed along behind her, the wheels blending with the sounds of the crickets chirping alongside the road as she walked.
She opened the door of the motel lobby and immediately smelled popcorn. There was a large cowbell on the door, signaling her arrival. A woman with smoke-stained teeth sauntered out from a small room and moved behind the desk.
“Just you?” she asked, clearly in a hurry to get back to tha
t popcorn Katherine could smell.
“Yes, please.”
“How many nights?”
Katherine looked around. “One for now.”
“Checkout is at eleven tomorrow,” the woman said.
“That’s fine.”
“I’ll need your name and a photo ID. Are you paying with cash or credit card?”
Katherine looked around the place again and judged it to be one of the places she could get away with not providing an ID.
“I don’t have an ID. I’ll be paying cash,” she said, staring the woman directly in the eye.
The woman stared back at her before nodding her head. “Fine. It’ll be fifty-five for the night. If you stay the week, you get the seventh night free,” she volunteered.
Katherine smiled. “One night is fine for now. Is there a store or anything nearby?”
The woman shook her head. “There’s a gas station about a mile down the road.”
“Okay, thanks,” she said, immediately regretting her decision not to buy food at the gas station.
“We’ve got a couple vending machines on the top and bottom floor, end of the row,” the woman offered.
“Thank you,” Katherine said, taking the receipt and the room key.
“Pool’s open until midnight. It’s heated.”
Katherine smiled. “Thank you. That actually sounds like a very good idea,” she said.
“Sure.”
Katherine grabbed her suitcase and went back out to the parking lot, quickly finding her room on the bottom floor, three doors down from the vending machines and ice machine. It looked like her dinner was going to come out of yet another vending machine. She promised herself she would treat herself to a nice lunch or dinner. Where, she wasn’t quite sure yet, but if she didn’t eat a real meal soon, she would be sick.
The room was like every other motel room she’d stayed in. There was a queen bed that faced a small flat screen television mounted to the wall with a bathroom at the end. It wasn’t The Ritz and it probably wouldn’t pass a serious cleanliness inspection, but she’d long ago given up the standard in accommodations her life with Tim had given her. Now, she was cool with fairly clean and a roof over her head.