Chapter 6
LUCY
February 2009
It was near midnight. The only reason Lucy knew that was because the quiet diner she walked into had a round white clock on the wall behind the cash register.
She placed the crumpled five dollar note she’d found in the parking lot on the counter.
“What do you want?” asked the gum chewing waitress with tight curls and a sour frown.
“Um, a Coke and is that enough for a bowl of fries?”
The woman looked at the note then back up at Lucy, the corner of her mouth twitched as she reached for the bill. “It might even be enough for a burger too,” she muttered.
Lucy could have cried on the spot.
“Thank you,” she managed to mouth before heading to a booth in the corner. She sat with her back against the wall and crossed her grimy arms. Every inch of her felt disgusting. She picked at the dirt beneath her fingernails and ran a hand through her greasy tendrils. She was sure she looked and smelled like a homeless tramp.
It tore her gut to think the homeless part was right. Fear swirled though her system every time her mind wandered towards the future and what it held for her. Taking in a few quick breaths through her nose, she kept the tears at bay and jumped from the booth.
She made a beeline for the bathroom and spent a few minutes washing her hands and face. Her movements were frantic and jerky, but that’s all she seemed to manage at the moment. If she stayed still for too long her mind would conjure up crystal clear images that were soul destroying.
Her mother’s screaming would forever ring in her ears.
The way her father’s limp body flopped as he was kicked by his killer had been permanently embedded in her memory.
The sick fear on his face as he told her to hide.
Had he known he was about to die?
Lucy stopped the questions before they could go any further. She didn’t want to think about what he had on the tall murderer. She didn’t want to think about the fact that her father had inadvertently gotten himself and his wife killed. He said he feared the risks and he had every right to.
Lucy shut off the faucet with a sharp snap and gazed at herself in the mirror.
Thirteen.
She was a kid.
A wild-eyed, pale, pasty kid.
Her fingers shook as she rearranged her long tendrils of hair, knowing she needed to get back into the diner before she missed her first proper meal in what felt like forever. She didn’t know how long she’d been running for. She guessed about a week.
The first night was a blur of tears and fear. When her bare feet were near bleeding, she stumbled into a crop of trees on the edge of a park. Huddling against a tree trunk, she disappeared into the shadows, wrapping her trembling arms around herself and praying it was just a dream.
But the sun rose and her haunted sleep was brought to a terrifying end. The light exposed her, making her feel vulnerable. She’d crept through the park, ducking out of sight whenever she heard the slightest noise. Much to her disdain, she’d jumped a fence and pilfered someone’s clothesline. Three houses later, she’d stolen a pair of sneakers. They fit okay considering she was wearing socks that were too big for her.
Adjusting the black T-shirt and straightening the rain jacket, she eased back into the diner, sliding into her booth as the meal was placed before her.
Her mouth filled with saliva.
“Your first since running away, huh?” Sourface’s expression had softened considerably.
“I guess.” Lucy kept her eyes on the burger.
“You look pretty young, you sure you don’t want to head back home?”
“I’m sure,” she croaked.
“I can call your parents or someone else if you need me to.”
“No, that’s okay.” Lucy finally looked up. “I’ll be fine.” She pushed a smile over her lips, but she knew it didn’t even look like one. She was too worn and ragged to pull off anything.
Her last meal had been the scraps from a garbage can. She didn’t think she’d ever smile again.
Why she wanted to even live, she wasn’t sure.
That man had taken everything from her in less than ten minutes.
She was surprised she didn’t feel unguarded rage at him, but it hadn’t surfaced yet. She figured she was probably still in shock or something. Maybe the anger would come, but for now, she was living on instinct and it was telling her to somehow survive this.
The waitress walked away and Lucy gently picked up her burger, her stomach cramping at the very idea of consuming it. It took all her will power not to stuff the food into her mouth. She probably would have if she hadn’t gobbled the first mouthful down so fast and nearly choked. She felt the lump of un-chewed food ease into her stomach. It was a slow and painful process. After that, she took a breath and had a smaller mouthful, savoring the flavors, pretending for a moment that she was a normal girl grabbing a bite to eat on her way home.
Except normal girls had a home and they wouldn’t have been out at midnight in some cheap diner feeling shaky and weak from days of terror-filled running.
Swallowing back the depressing thoughts, she focussed on the burger, taking another mouthful and just chewing.
Chew Lucy. Just chew and don’t think.
She was nearly finished with her burger when she noticed him. He was a lanky boy and looked to be in his late teens. His sunken cheeks were gaunt and his big grey eyes studied her with a haunted look. They almost bulged from his face and reminded Lucy of a fish. She swallowed down her mouthful, looking away.
A couple of french fries later she glanced up and he was still staring at her. She tried to grin, do something polite to get him off her back. Maybe a scowl would be better.
She hardened her gaze, but it didn’t deter him. A second later he flicked his head towards the TV and it wasn’t until then that she finally tuned into the news anchor’s voice.
“…Found dead in their home on Tuesday night. The police are still unwilling to comment on the exact details of the victims’ deaths, but it is clear that Jack and Edith Tate were murdered. The FBI are determined to discover the person responsible for this tragedy. Special Agent William Tenner has said that they will be doing everything in their power to bring the culprit to justice. Many questions remain, the most prevalent being, where is their daughter Lucy? Was she taken by the person responsible for this crime? Or is she in fact the prime suspect?”
What did she just say?
Lucy’s appetite fled. Her mouth went dry as she took in the news, absorbed by her seventh grade yearbook photo that flashed on the screen. She’d forgotten how chubby she was last year. That was before she got into the cross country team and started training. She gazed at her rounded cheeks and felt sick. The shot quickly reverted back to her house surrounded by yellow police tape and her heart couldn’t take it.
Pushing her plate away from her, she glanced across at grey eyes, but he was gone. For some reason, she found it disconcerting. Stumbling out of her booth, her frantic need to escape made her hit the half empty Coke glass. It flew to the floor before she could stop it, hitting the tiles and smashing into a hundred pieces. Brown liquid splattered her jeans and shoes.
“Sorry,” she whispered as the waitress approached her with a mop in hand. She leapt passed the frowning lady, making a quick escape for the door before anyone saw her and put two and two together.
Pushing the glass door open, she staggered outside and around the edge of the building. She needed darkness right now. Anything that could hide her.
Scurrying feet seemed to follow her movements and at first she thought it was the guy from the diner, but it was so much worse. The man following her was big, his checkered shirt only just buttoning over his round belly. His broad shoulders and towering persona made her want to shrink.
“Hey, hey you.” His voice was gruff and demanding. “Did I just see you on TV?”
Lucy shook her head, mumbling a no over her shoulder while picking up her
pace.
“Don’t you walk away from me, kid.”
Lucy lurched into a run, fear making her feet fly across the asphalt. Unfortunately the move only enraged the man behind her and he let out a grunt and started chasing her.
She knew she was fast enough to out run him, but that’s when she was healthy and hadn’t been living on two hours sleep a night and garbage scraps for breakfast. The food in her stomach threatened to re-enter the world as her lagging legs lost steam. She tripped as she neared the edge of a grass verge, losing her footing on the loose gravel chips.
The man grabbed at her jacket, yanking her to a stop. She fell to her knees, her heart thrumming, her ears ringing. Her mind felt numb and cold. With trembling lips she looked up at the man, willing herself to say the right words, to somehow convince him that she was innocent.
“You’re coming with me.” He hauled her to her feet.
Then came a thud and the grip on her jacket went slack. She shuffled away from her captor as he fell to the ground with a groan. Behind him stood the grey-eyed boy with a broken beer bottle in his hand.
Etiquette had taught Lucy that she should say thank you, but with fear induced adrenaline running through her veins, she did nothing of the sort. Instead she turned and ran.
“Hey wait!”
She listened to the remains of the glass bottle shatter on the concrete and heard quick feet behind her.
Lucy’s insides simmered.
Once again she was running, but this time someone was chasing her.
Chapter 7
ZACH
March 2014
“Hey, Dani! Wait up!”
For a second I wasn’t sure if she would slow down for me. She was walking so fast out of school it was practically a jog. Her little black bag was firmly secured to her back, but this time there was a big binder in her hand, so surely she wasn’t planning on running home.
I wondered where her home was.
“Dani!”
Her pace slowed to a halt and I jogged the final distance.
“Hey.” I grinned.
She smiled back, but it didn’t make her eyes sparkle. I tried to not let it throw me off my game.
“Sorry to bother you.” I scratched my shoulder. “I just wanted to chat to you about our Sociology assignment. We’ve only got until next Friday and I don’t want to run out of time.”
Dani bit her bottom lip and nodded, not making eye contact as she thought for a second. “Yeah, you’re right. We should get on with that. I read through it again last night and it’s pretty huge.”
“Yeah, exactly. So, when are you free?”
“Um.” She looked away from me, her lips twisting then relaxing into a smile. “How about now?” She shrugged. “I’m still pretty new so I don’t have any plans or social life. Good timing on your part.”
I grinned at her. “Okay then, well do you want to go to the library? Or we could go work at my place. I live about a ten minute drive from here.”
Her blue eyes shifted in the direction I was pointing, her expression giving me nothing. Finally she gave a short nod. “Your place sounds good.”
“Cool.” I had to force myself to go for a half smile rather than the full on beam I felt like showing. I didn’t want to come across as desperate, but I was stoked that I’d get to spend a little time with her now. I was hoping to put a few more pieces together.
So far I had athletic tomboy who was afraid of the water, but forced herself to swim anyway. This just added to my damn, she is a mentally strong chick theory, which also made me feel better. I didn’t want to fall…I mean, be intrigued…by a damsel in distress again. I liked that Dani was so competent.
We were pulling out of the school parking lot when I decided to break the silence.
“So, how do you like Danville so far?”
“It’s okay.” She scratched the side of her nose. “I haven’t really had a chance to check it out yet.”
“Well, if you need a tour guide.” My smile was cheesy. I could tell by the look on her face. I was trying too hard and failing miserably.
She turned away from me and kept her eyes out the window…and I stupidly kept talking.
“So, why’d you move here?”
“My dad’s work.” Her nose wrinkled.
“Oh yeah and what does he do?”
She pulled in a slow breath. Buying time? Or maybe just trying for the right words.
“I don’t know his official title and he has one of those stupid jobs that’s really hard to explain. All I can tell you is that it’s to do with computers. Companies hire him to install software into their systems and then hang around until it’s basically glitch free.”
“So, you move where the money is then?”
“Pretty much. He does work for a bigger company… Computer Tech something-or-other and they set him up with various jobs. They can be anywhere from one month to four month stints.”
“Whoa, so you move around a lot then.”
“Yeah.” She tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear. “I mean, I guess I could home school, but it’s just me and my dad, so it’s not like I’d have anyone to help me with stuff…and the idea of boarding school is just too hideous, so traveling it is.”
“What happened to your mom?”
Her face pinched tight, her brows dipping together.
“Sorry, too far.” I shook my head. “Forget I asked.”
She wasn’t looking at me, but I could feel her expression softening. “She died when I was young,” Dani whispered. I barely caught the words, her voice was so soft and distant.
I didn’t want to speak after that. I was such an idiot! Always asking too many questions.
In spite of my self-loathing, I had figured out why Danielle Harrison seemed so self-sufficient. With moving around so much, she had to be. I tried not to judge her father, but couldn’t help wondering what kind of parent dragged their child from place to place for work. I guessed if they only had each other…
Catching Dani’s eye, I forced a smile and pulled onto my street. Our house was the fifth from the corner. It was a dark orange, brick place that had been built in the ‘70s. Pretty simple, but neat and tidy. My parents were house freaks, always doing yard work and spring cleaning, so for an older place it looked pretty good. I had mown the lawn over the weekend and with Dani getting out of my car and sweeping her eyes over the property, I was suddenly glad Dad made me do it.
“Hmm,” Dani murmured as she got out of the car. “And here I was thinking you lived in a palatial mansion.”
I chuckled. “No, that would be Elliot and Liesl. The rest of us are the paupers of the group.” I winked.
She nodded, a small frown denting her forehead.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m great.” She grinned, her expression clearing.
I led her through the front entrance and dumped my bag next to the dining room table. I figured Dani would be super uncomfortable working in my room. She barely knew me.
“Drink? Something to eat?” I pointed at the kitchen.
“Sure.” Dani slung the bag from her shoulder to the floor with an easy smile.
I pottered around in the kitchen while she unzipped her bag and pulled out her pencil case, sliding into a seat at the table. I loved how elegantly she moved, like smooth, flowing water. I placed two glasses of lemonade and a plate of Mom’s chocolate slice on the table. It was her go-to baking recipe. She didn’t bake much, but when she did, she always made a double batch of chocolate slice. Dani’s eyes lit up when she saw the plate. I’d cut really big pieces this time. Two each.
I could tell she wanted to reach for one straight away, so I shoved the plate in her direction. She took the top piece and nibbled the corner.
Her murmur of approval made me smile.
I wanted to know about her appetite. For such a slender thing, I had assumed she was super conscious about what she ate, but she didn’t think twice about the chocolate slice. Was she skinny because she want
ed to be or because she just naturally was? I nearly opened my mouth to ask, but swallowed back the question when she looked up at me.
“Should we get started?” She opened up her binder. It was neatly labelled under subject areas and she flipped to Sociology, running her finger over the assignment sheet. “Okay, so what are your thoughts so far?”
I eased into my chair, took a bite of chocolate slice and rubbed the crumbs from my fingers. Pulling out the crumpled assignment sheet from my bag, I smoothed it out and we got started.
An hour later we were set on which sub-culture we were going to study and who would be assigned to which tasks. It had been really easy working with Dani. We both seemed interested in the same things and she liked my suggestions straight away…happy to go along with whatever. She didn’t shy away from the workload either, which was a relief. Last time I did a group assignment, I’d had to do practically everything, which really pissed me off.
I had a feeling this assignment was going to be a lot more fun.
“Well, there’s probably nothing much more we can do today. I’ll look into this stuff.” I tapped my pen on the first task.
“And I’ll work on that.” Dani grinned, pointing at the next task on the list. Our hands nearly brushed as she glanced at me, her eyes locking with mine for an intense second of who knows what. All I know is that it was totally cut short.
“Hey Zach! We’re home!”
Dani flinched, dropping her gaze. Her hand retreated back to her own binder.
I loved my parents, but man did their timing suck. I pushed a smile over my lips and looked across the kitchen.
“Hey guys.”
“Oh hi.” Mom breezed in from the laundry room where the internal door from the garage was located. Her bright, warm eyes took everything in and I was pretty sure her sunshine smile caught Dani by surprise. I couldn’t figure out what Dani was thinking as she forced her lips north.
“Hi.” She stood from her chair and extended her hand. “Danielle Harrison.”
Mom grasped her hand, obviously impressed. “You can call me Loretta and the guy lumbering through the kitchen is Tom.”
I Know Lucy (The Fugitive Series) Page 4