He looked grim. “I’ve been wondering the same thing. By me leaving, am I guaranteeing that they’ll never find out who attacked my sister? Are they just going to assume it’s me that did it and not chase down any other leads or avenues that need to be followed? Am I ever going to be able to go back home, or am I going to be a fugitive my whole entire life, to keep from going to jail for something that, not only I didn’t do, but for something that’s ripping me up inside?”
Jenny squeezed his hand. “Whatever the outcome, I will stick by you no matter what. You will always have me.”
He glanced over at her with a quizzical look on his face.
“Jenny, how do you know that you can make a commitment to me that’s this strong when you’ve only known me for about an hour? How do you know that this isn’t just one of those things that fade after the first day, the first week, or the first month? How do you know that the shit is not going to get so deep that you can’t possibly hang in this thing? For that matter, I’m not so sure I want to risk your life having you with me. This is a big step you’re taking. Are you sure you want to do this?”
Jenny was glaring at him when he looked at her. Dom knew he was going to get it now, but he just had to be sure.
Jenny finally spoke in a very stern, no-nonsense voice. “Dom, are you paying attention to me? This is the last time that I am going to repeat myself. I am in this for the long run. If you have a problem with that, it’s tough shit on a stick! Comprende?”
Dom blinked in surprise, but couldn’t help breaking out into a wide smile. “No problem with that at all, Ma’am. Sorry about that, Ma’am. It won’t happen again!”
As the Jeep turned onto highway 169, he and Jenny couldn’t keep from laughing. Wherever or whatever they were heading for, they were doing it together.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
To say that Kent Perry was upset would be an understatement. An extreme understatement. He was absolutely pissed. He had just been informed by an officer at the scene that it was two hours past the time that Maxwell was supposed to be there and he wasn’t. Now he found himself shouting into the radio.
“What the hell do you mean, he never showed up?”
The voice on the other end of the radio was a little hesitant. “I’m sorry Detective, but he left a note saying he’d be an hour late and then he never showed up.”
Sometimes, Kent felt like he was working with a bunch of incompetent morons.
“Why the hell didn’t you let me know that he left a note two hours ago? We maybe could have located him then, but now he has at least a two-hour jump on us.” Kent knew he was coming across a little bit out of control. He didn’t care. This was just plain stupidity.
The officer that was waiting at Dom’s house replied, “I’m sorry, Sir. I didn’t think that he would disappear when he wasn’t really a suspect. I figured he would come right back and I didn’t want to bother you for nothing. I guess I screwed up.”
“You’re damn right, you screwed up!” Kent screamed. “At this time, Dominick Maxwell is our main suspect. In fact, he is our only suspect. I’ll be there in five minutes. No matter what you do, don’t let that place out of your sight. Do you think you can handle that?”
The reply was short and sweet. “Yes, Sir.”
Kent could not believe that Dom had taken off. He wasn’t even close to being a suspect before. Kent hadn’t even remotely considered that option until Dom told him he was leaving town. Even then, Kent had not really suspected him as the attacker. The thought of that being an option had crossed Kent’s mind as it would have with any good cop, but he had dismissed it early on. Now he was not so sure of Dom’s innocence.
Had Dom really been cold enough and disturbed enough to try and murder his own sister? If that was the case, then he was an extremely dangerous man. There was the possibility that he hadn’t done it. It was hard to believe that someone could do this to their own flesh and blood, but Kent had seen it before. The thing that was bugging him was why he would take off if he was innocent. It was crazy. Dom had to know that all suspicions would be on him now. And they were. Since they had nothing else to go on at the time, finding Dominick Maxwell was going to be priority number one. It was the only possible lead they had.
As Kent turned the corner to the street that Dom lived on, he saw the black and whites halfway down the street on the left. He pulled up in front of the house and met with Officer Pete Stamsford who was waiting at the end of the driveway for him. Pete greeted him.
“Hi Pete. Listen, I’m sorry I flew off the handle like that with you on the radio. You couldn’t have possibly known he was going to run.”
“Not a problem.”
“Where is the note that you said he left for us?”
“Right here. It was taped to the front door. I tried the door and it’s locked. As far as the windows go, all the blinds are drawn and we can’t see much. There doesn’t seem to be any movement inside from what we can tell. We talked to the neighbors on both sides and across the street and none of them have seen him today. Mrs. Colby, who lives next door here on the right, says that he’s probably at work and that he works in an electronics store, but she didn’t know which one. That’s about all we know so far. I was thinking that maybe we can get a warrant and get inside there, so that we can look for some clues as to where he might be.”
Kent took a minute to absorb all of the information and then called the other officers over to where he was.
“Here’s what we are going to do.” Pointing to two of the officers that had come in the other squad car, Kent said, “You two find out where Dominick Maxwell works. If you have to, call every damn electronics store in the entire valley to find out which one it is. Talk to his boss and find out if he’s at work, and if not, when he’s expected back. If Maxwell isn’t there, ask his boss if he has any idea where he went. Even the slightest thing could be helpful. Also, find out what kind of car he drives and put an APB out on it. It’s a long shot, but worth a try. Report your findings back to Pete.”
To Pete and his partner, he said, “I want you two to see if this guy has a record. Find out everything you can about him. Everything about his past that you can scrape up. Also check with Southwest Hospital and see how Nina Dyer is doing and if she’s still in a coma. Let me know immediately if there are any changes in her condition. Have the hospital notify you if Maxwell shows up there. Lastly, find out if he has made a paper trail for himself by checking with his credit card companies to see if he’s charging things. Check his cell phone records to see if he made any phone calls to anyone yesterday or today. Find out if his phone is pinging off of any cell towers. That might give us a clue as to where he is heading. I’ll take care of the business here with the house.”
After the two squad cars had driven off, Kent got busy. Getting a search warrant took time, and frankly, he needed to know now what the situation was. If he found anything that he needed to be admissible in court, he would get a warrant and come back. He didn’t have time to waste.
After walking around to the back door of the house, Kent looked around to see if any of the neighbors could see him. The block wall around the backyard provided plenty of privacy. Reaching for his wallet, Kent pulled out a credit card and tried to slide it between the door and the jam. The molding around the frame was just too thick and would not allow his card to slip in.
Kent looked around and saw another door further down the back side of the house. He figured it must be a door coming off of the master bedroom. Trying the door handle first, Kent noticed that the door pushed in an eighth of an inch before catching on the latch. The striker plate must have been mounted a little too far in. Just enough for Kent to slide his credit card into the gap and pop the latch on the door.
“American Express,” Kent muttered. “Membership does have its privileges.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
As Dom and Jenny neared the town of Prescott, Jenny motioned for him to pull off at a Walmart that was located off of the highway.
“I
think we better get some things here since there aren’t too many places around that have almost everything we need under one roof.”
He agreed and signaled to turn into the parking lot.
“Dom, I don’t know how much money you have, but I can help out a little bit if you need it. I have a hundred dollars in my pocket that I took out of the register before I left. I told the owner of the store to take it out of my last paycheck. I know that’s nothing, but I also have a credit card with a thousand dollar limit on it that will easily handle all of the stuff that we need to hide out for a while. What’s mine is yours.”
He smiled. “You’re a sweetheart, but I’ve got it covered.” With that, he reached under the driver’s seat of the Jeep and pulled out the bank bag that contained the money. He threw it in Jenny’s lap.
“What’s this?”
“Open it!”
When Jenny zipped open the bag, she couldn’t contain herself. “Shit, Dom! Are you sure you haven’t left something out, like telling me about the bank you robbed? No wonder the police are looking for you!”
He laughed and told Jenny about the life insurance policy Aunt Cheryl had taken out with him as the beneficiary.
“I withdrew fifty thousand dollars just to be on the safe side. I have no idea if we’ll be back soon or not, or if my bank accounts will be frozen or not.”
“Smart thinking! I guess we’ll be okay on the money aspect. I didn’t know I hooked up with a rich man. You’ll never get rid of me now,” she teased.
As they pulled into the parking lot, a police car was patrolling through the parked cars to make sure that no would-be thieves were breaking into any of the automobiles. Jenny saw him tense up and had to reassure him.
“Dom, they have no idea where you are, what you’re driving, or anything else.”
“I know, but I’m still worried. I’m not used to being wanted by the law. It’s a new experience for me and I get nervous.”
“I get it. Why don’t we park over there?” Jenny pointed to a parking spot near the entrance of the store.
He pulled in and shut off the engine. He glanced over at Jenny and noticed that she was sitting still in her seat, staring out the window.
“Jenny?”
There was no response. Jenny’s eyes were locked onto something in the parking lot and Dom couldn’t figure out what. He reached out and touched Jenny’s shoulder while calling out her name at the same time. This time, she came back to reality.
“Oh, sorry,” Jenny apologized. “I was a little preoccupied.”
“That’s an understatement. What were you looking at?”
“Nothing major. Let’s get going.”
When they were halfway to the store, she stopped.
“Dom! The money!”
“Oh shit,” he exclaimed and sprinted back to the Jeep. After a minute, he came back with his shirt pulled out over the top of his pants. Obviously, he had the money tucked in the front of his pants.
“That must be a little uncomfortable!” Jenny said, laughing.
“Yeah, it doesn’t feel too great. Let’s go spend some of it.”
“A shopping spree,” Jenny yelled, clapping her hands together. “Oh goody!”
Dom laughed. When they entered the store, they each grabbed a shopping cart and without verbally communicating, they both made their way back to the sporting goods section of the store.
“Let’s get started,” Jenny said.
“The Jeep isn’t going to hold everything that I would like to get, so we’ll have to shop carefully,” he replied.
Together they picked out a cooler that could hold ice; alternatively they could plug it into a cigarette lighter to keep the food cold. They also gathered up a tent, two sleeping bags, a lantern, two flashlights, extra batteries, a camp stove, propane bottles, a first aid kit, and a few other helpful items. Dom slipped a few items into his cart that Jenny didn’t see. Stuff that he knew would come in handy later.
As soon as they got all the camping stuff they needed, they made the rounds of the store, picking up towels, blankets, personal hygiene items, plastic plates, silverware and cups, some cooking utensils, pots, matches, and bottled water. This particular store was not a Supercenter, so they would have to stop at a grocery store to get food.
Their last stop was the clothing department. Since both had taken off in a hurry, they didn’t have anything but the clothes on their backs. Dom went to the men’s department while Jenny went to the women’s, both of them picking out a new wardrobe.
After they grabbed their share of jeans, shirts, sandals and other clothing they would need, they both selected a jacket and made one last stop by the luggage area to buy a few duffel bags to put their clothes and other items into. Jenny thought about getting a third cart a couple of times, but somehow they managed to pile their items strategically on top of each other without everything sliding off and landing in a heap on the floor.
“Does that take care of everything, Dom?”
“I think so. Getting jackets was a very good move. I hear it gets chilly up here at night.”
He paused for a minute and then glanced over at Jenny. “There is one other thing that I think we might need,” he said quietly, “but I don’t know how to go about getting it.”
Jenny’s interest was sparked. “What do you have in mind?”
“Well, I think we should have a gun for protection, but I am afraid of buying one and leaving a record of the sale. They have to run a background check on us.”
Jenny smiled. “I have an idea, but you’ll have to wait to find out. In the meantime, why don’t we buy a couple of knives?”
“Good idea. Do you think you could go back to the sporting goods counter and buy them while I pay for all of this other stuff?”
“Sure. Good thinking. I’ll get them and meet you at the Jeep.”
Dom reached into his pocket and pulled out twenty folded one-hundred-dollar bills. He peeled off three of them and handed them to Jenny.
“See you soon,” she said as she gave him a hug and a peck on the cheek.
As he watched Jenny go, he thought about how lucky he had been to find her. He hadn’t known her very long, but she had no hesitations about taking on all of his problems. She acted like they were her problems too and she faced them head on. She was also very sweet, funny, and easy-going.
After waiting in line for a few minutes, he got to the register. It was about a ten-minute process to get checked out, but he wasn’t too worried. They had time. He paid the cashier and went out and loaded the Jeep. As he took everything out of the bags, he loaded things into the appropriate duffel bags.
When he was finished, he had a big box of trash from all of the cartons and wrappings that everything had been packaged in. Dom stuck the box of trash in a shopping cart and pushed it around to the back of the building to the dumpster that was located behind the store.
Where he lived, most businesses locked up their dumpsters to prevent illegal dumping by people that were too cheap to pay for their own trash service, but this wasn’t locked. The country areas must have a lot less of that kind of thing going on. He kind of envied the people that lived there.
After dumping the cartons in the trash, Dom ran back to the Jeep and got in. Just as he closed his door, he saw Jenny come out of the store, carrying a bag. When she climbed in beside him, she put the bag in the back on the floor.
“Where to next?” he asked.
When Jenny didn’t answer, Dom turned to look at her, only to find her staring out the window again.
“Jenny, what are you staring at?”
She turned to look at him and replied, “You’ll find out soon enough, I’m afraid. I can’t tell you right now. Be patient.”
He looked at her with a puzzled look on his face, but nodded. He was curious, but from the tone of her voice, he knew she wasn’t going to tell him right now. He would wait a little longer to find out, but if she didn’t come clean really soon, then he’d force the issue.
/> Jenny spoke again. “Why don’t we head back down the highway a little bit and hit that grocery store we passed. We need some food and ice.”
“Sounds good to me,” he said. When they pulled into the parking lot, Jenny suggested that she run in and pick up the groceries while he watched the Jeep. Dom agreed.
“Can you do me a favor while you are in there though?” he asked.
“Anything for you,” she replied, winking.
“Could you possibly pick me up a case of Mountain Dew? Otherwise, I’m afraid that I won’t be the perfect companion.”
Jenny laughed. “Consider it done!” She turned and ran into the store. Fifteen minutes later, Dom was shocked to see Jenny emerge from the store again.
When she got back into the Jeep with ten bags of groceries, he asked, “How in the hell did you go in there, pick up all of this stuff in an unfamiliar store, wait in line, check out and get back out here in only fifteen minutes?”
“I’m a woman!” she said, laughing.
“Oh that explains it! Now which way do we head to go bye-bye?”
“Well…” Jenny paused.
Dom had a feeling that her hesitation had something to do with her staring out the window earlier.
“All right, Jenny, level with me. What is going on?”
After a minute of silence, Jenny finally answered him.
“We need a gun. I saw some guy get out of his car at Walmart and take a gun out of a hidden holster and put it under the seat. I want to go get it.”
“Jenny, don’t be ridiculous. For starters, what makes you think that that guy is still there after all of this time? Secondly, what do you want to do, steal it? I’m in enough trouble as it is.”
“I was afraid you might act this way. I didn’t figure on stealing the gun exactly. I thought we could leave him seven or eight hundred dollars in its place to cover the cost of the gun. Desperate times call for desperate measures. As for him still being there, he got to Walmart when we did and he was still there an hour and a half later when we left, so maybe he works there. He could still be there.”
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