I Know Lucy (The Fugitive Series)

by Pearl, Melissa

  “Cyan.” He’d clicked his finger and pointed at her. “That’s your name.”

  She frowned and tipped her head. “Cyan?”

  “The color of your beautiful eyes. It’s perfect for you.”

  She’d grinned and nodded. It was the perfect name for her… more because it’d been given to her by Marlin. She was falling in love with him. Not in the way a girl loves a guy, but in the way a sister loves a brother. Marlin had quickly become her new family and she would be forever grateful.

  With a sigh, she pulled out her loot and laid it on the ground.

  Marlin fingered the bracelet with a smile. “No way. Shit, girl!” He high-fived her hand with an elated grin. “This’ll get us through the month easily.”

  She grinned back at him, that fleeting pride swelling within her. “What’d you score?”

  He emptied his pocket, pulling out a watch, two wallets and a wad of loose cash. She reached for it, counting the notes. “A hundred bucks,” she murmured. Flipping open the other three wallets, she extracted all the cash. It came to a total of $235. “Man, people just don’t carry much cash anymore.”

  Marlin shook his head. “We’re not getting into stealing Visa numbers.”

  “No, I don’t want that either.” She frowned. “This cash will get us a motel. We can clean up and go sell the bracelet tomorrow.”

  “Nah, I don’t want to do it too close to town. Whoever this belongs to might report it stolen and we don’t want any pawn shop guy identifying us. I say we hang onto it for a couple of months. Head north a little further. Get some distance.”

  “Okay.” Lucy nodded, hugging her knees to her chest.

  “Hey, we did good for a fair ground. It’s summer, there’s gonna be plenty more of these popping up over the next couple of months. It’ll give us time to save for the winter.”

  “Yeah, I know. You’re right.” She forced a smile, trying to be brave, but she was tired and melancholy tonight.

  Seeing those girls had thrown her, made her pine for the life she should be living. She missed her parents, Maria, school even. She missed sitting in a classroom and learning. She missed normalcy.

  Was the rest of her life going to be like this? Constantly on the run? Living from town to town? She was exhausted just thinking about it. Her eyes lost focus as she played her blocking out the world trick for a minute, trying to numb her mind against reality.

  Her tummy grumbled, reminding her that their last meal had been breakfast. Reality could never be blocked for long.

  “Do you want me to go buy us a hotdog to share?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “I want a shower more. Let’s save up the money for tomorrow night. I want to sleep on a mattress with a pillow. It’s been over a week.”

  “Yeah.” Marlin mussed her hair as he sat down beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

  An owl hooted in the distance, making Lucy flinch.

  “You seem jittery tonight.”

  Lucy rested her head on his shoulder, thinking about the police. “I just sometimes wonder if this will all catch up with us. What if we’re caught one day?” She nibbled her bottom lip, that familiar fear building inside her.

  The law terrified her, not only because she was a crook, but because the law was crooked. She’d seen for herself how the law didn’t guarantee any kind of safety. Those pale green eyes still haunted her dreams.

  “Are we gonna die, Marlin?” Her voice shook as she asked the same question she always did when thinking about her parents’ murders.

  Marlin kissed the top of her head and replied with the same answer every time. “One day, but of nothing more than natural causes.” He rested his hollow cheek on her head. “I ain’t gonna let anybody hurt you, Cyan. You can count on that.”

  Chapter 11

  ZACH

  April 2014

  “Would you drop it, Elliot.” I flung my hands out. With them still inside my jacket pockets, I looked like I had wings. I walked towards the center of Danville, keeping an eye out for my parents. Since I was in San Fran all day tomorrow, they wanted to have a family lunch today to discuss the pending summer. They were nervous about leaving me for six weeks to travel around Europe. It would be another session of me assuring them that I really didn’t want to come as that would defeat the purpose of their second honeymoon.

  I promised I’d meet them at our favorite little cafe on Hartz Ave.

  “No, I won’t drop it.” Elliot sounded pissy. “She was lying last night and you know it.”

  I rolled my eyes, trying to act as though Dani’s deception didn’t bother me. “Look, she’s obviously a private person. Is it really our right to start an inquest on the poor girl?”

  “I knew you liked her.” Elliot snapped his fingers and I suddenly wished I hadn’t agreed to spend the morning playing Halo 2 at his place. Thankfully the discussion had been minimal while we were shooting the crap out of each other, but now that he was walking me into town…it was a different matter.

  I cleared my throat, ignoring his last comment.

  “If you didn’t like her, you’d be hounding her like a dog, wanting to know every secret. I’d have to listen to your endless hypothesis, but you’re all quiet and nonplussed. You don’t want to screw this up with her, so you’re just going with it. It’s not like Zach Schultz. What the hell, man?”

  He gave my arm a back hand slap, which actually kinda hurt. I rubbed my bicep and shot him a droll look.

  “Okay, fine. It’s not that I’m not interested in why she’s being hedgy, but I don’t know. I don’t want to push my luck. She’s gonna take time to figure out. What if she wasn’t lying? What if she’s just a really private person and your suspicious nature and my need to constantly question everything is just projecting this stuff on her. Maybe she doesn’t want us to meet her dad. Maybe he’s really strict and won’t let her have a cellphone, but she’s too embarrassed to admit that. We don’t know…and that’s the truth.”

  Elliot stopped and yanked on my shirt, pulling me to a halt. His cynical brown eyes were on fire, in spite of his deadpan expression. “Is it? Or is it just the truth you want to believe?”

  I pushed my tongue over my bottom teeth and looked away from my friend.

  “Zach, you want her, and you want to find out all about her so that if she’s in some kind of trouble you can play hero.”

  “So?” I shrugged, annoyed that he could read me so well.

  “So, don’t get caught in something that we all have to rescue you from. I’m not saying this to be an asshole. You’re my friend. But this girl is different. The way you look at her, it’s more intense. I don’t care if it’s just intrigue, or something more. I want you to be careful, man.”

  My irritation whistled away as I gazed at my genuine friend. My mouth tipped to the side in a grin as I slapped his shoulder.

  “I won’t go too far. Yeah, I like her more than I want to. She fascinates me. I mean what kind of girl swims because she’s afraid of the water. She’s focused, she’s determined. It’s like she’s not afraid of anything, but she seems so vulnerable at the same time.” My forehead wrinkled as I shook my head. “I want to find out everything I can about her, but I also just like hanging out with her. What if my need to investigate screws up something really cool with her.”

  “Or what if your instincts to investigate are warning bells to stay away?”

  I sighed and kicked at the grass on the edge of the curb. “I don’t want to do that.”

  “I know, you stubborn ass.” Elliot lightly punched my shoulder. “Which is why I’m here to be that annoying friend who gets in your face. I’m not gonna shut up about it. Find out what you need to know, but don’t get in too deep.”

  And that’s why I loved my friends.

  I pursed my lips and finally gave Elliot a nod. “I promise, if she gets too weird, I’ll back away.”

  Satisfied enough with my response, Elliot let us keep walking in silence. I knew he was still irrit
ated with me. He didn’t want to have to deal with anymore of my girlfriend crap. Not that Dani was my girlfriend. That part didn’t seem to matter though. The need to spend more time with her burned within me. I wasn’t ready to walk away. My curiosity was piqued. I had heard Elliot though and I did mean what I said. If she got all creepy on me, I’d back away. I just hoped I hadn’t fallen for her by the time it came to that.

  *****

  The burger in front of me was stacked so high I didn’t think I could get it in my mouth. I smiled at the waitress before she turned and rushed back into the cafe. This place was always busy, because it was the best. We’d managed to snatch an outside table and I was enjoying sitting against the railing, just a little higher than the sidewalk traffic.

  Mom and Dad were discussing the merits of risotto over pasta as they compared meals, which quickly morphed into a conversation about how divine the food in Italy would be. Man, they were so excited about Europe. It was cute.

  I started to dissect my burger. Flipping off the lid, I grabbed for the ketchup and thought of AJ with a grin. Lucky he didn’t work here. I’m sure whatever restaurant he owns won’t even have ketchup available.

  I banged some on and used my finger to smear it over my meat patty while Mom wasn’t looking, then stuck my finger in my mouth and licked off the remaining sauce. That’s when a dark haired girl caught my eye.

  She was crossing the street, her short cropped hair looking shiny and perfect. She was wearing big shades that made her look like Jackie Onassis. Her little mini skirt and tight tank top hugged her figure beautifully and I wouldn’t have been a guy if I didn’t stop to admire it.

  The boots she was wearing looked a little worse for wear, but well loved. The brown leather needed a good polish, but the scrappy look suited her ensemble.

  She glanced both ways as she jogged across the road. Her gait reminded me of Dani a little. I frowned. I really had that girl on the brain today. This was a chic brunette, hardly Dani, and yet there was something very Dani-esque about her.

  In her hands was a small, cardboard box, tied in a neat bow. She held it carefully as she ducked through the human traffic. She didn’t look my way as she walked past, but my eyes followed her. Mom and Dad were still talking, I think they’d moved on from Italy and were now dreaming about France. I’d tuned them out and they hadn’t noticed.

  The brunette girl’s hips swayed slightly as she weaved around a couple of kids and she turned back to glance at them, only to barrel into a Mr. Suit who was so busy talking on his cellphone that he didn’t even notice her. His large body knocked her from her feet. The box went flying, hitting a tree and rolling across the concrete.

  My instinct was to leap the railing and go help her, but Mr. Suit said a quick goodbye and was offering her his hand.

  “I’m so sorry, Miss. I didn’t even see you.”

  She shook her head, wiping the graze on her elbow. It didn’t look bad, but it probably stung a little.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” her voice was shaky. “I just…” She looked behind her, whipping off her shades. “Where’s the box!” Panic swept over her expression.

  “Oh here.” The man pointed behind her. She scrambled towards it, collecting it up and gently shaking it.

  “No,” she whispered. “No, no, please no.” With trembling fingers she unwrapped the bow and opened the lid. “It’s broken.” Her lips wobbled.

  The man beside her felt awful as she pulled out a headless porcelain statue.

  “It’s a gift for my grandmother. She’s wanted one of these forever and I’ve been saving up.” The girl sounded so wistful, I felt sorry for her.

  “Oh Miss, I feel awful.”

  “It’s okay.” She shrugged. “Accidents happen.”

  “But I should have been watching the street more closely. I’m so sorry.”

  The girl shook her head. “I’ll just have to buy her something else I guess. I don’t think it can be repaired, can it?”

  She held it up for the man to inspect and he shook his head in dismay. “These things are so delicate.”

  Placing it back in the box with a heavy sigh, she whispered, “Four months of savings wasted.”

  I don’t know what it was about the way she said it, but something inside me flinched. Was she trying to con this guy? She sounded so genuine, but…. Damn, if she was lying, she was one good actress.

  I licked my bottom lip, leaning closer to the railing, not wanting to miss a second of the interaction.

  “Well, let me help you.” The man reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out his wallet, riffling through the billfold. “How much was it?”

  “No.” The girl shook her head and took a step back. “I can’t take your money.”

  So no con there, just my overactive imagination wishing for drama. I still didn’t turn away though. The girl was mesmerizing, shaking her head as Mr. Suit pulled out a couple of hundred dollar bills. “But this was my fault and I’d hate for your grandmother to miss out on account of me.”

  “I—” The girl pressed her lips together. “I feel weird about that. It was just an accident, you didn’t mean to.”

  “Please, I insist. It’ll make me feel better.”

  Her smile was sweet, raising her pink cheeks. She bit her lower lip and looked at the wallet with a sigh.

  “Come on, how much?”

  “It was two hundred and eighty dollars, but you really don’t have to give me anything.”

  Pulling out a third hundred dollar bill, he shoved them at her. “Here, please. It’s the least I can do.”

  “Wow.” The girl looked shocked. “Thank you, that… I mean, that’s so generous. Are—are you sure?”

  “Yes.” The man smiled, placing the bills into the open box, on top of the broken statuette.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone as generous as you before.” She touched his forearm, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Thank you, sir.”

  “It’s really a pleasure.” His smile was almost adoring as he looked into her brown eyes…and then his phone began to ring. “Excuse me.”

  She stepped back with a grin. “Just watch your step.” She winked, making him chuckle as he answered the phone. His strut told those around him that he’d just played Good Samaritan and felt the richer for it. My eyes travelled from him to the girl, who was looking at the money with a little grin of triumph.

  As she turned back to cross the street I caught her eye. She flinched for a second before replacing her surprise with a sweet smile and sliding her shades back on.

  Hmm. I frowned. Maybe my imagination wasn’t on overdrive.

  I wouldn’t want to bet all my money on it, but I would have happily put a fiver down that she’d just pulled a fast one on that rich guy.

  “Zachary? You listening, honey?” Mom shook my arm, bringing me back to the table. “Where have you been?” She grinned at me. “Your burger’s getting cold.”

  I chuckled sheepishly. “Sorry, just lost watching the world go by.”

  Dad shook his head. “You are so like your Uncle Alex it’s frightening.”

  That compliment just made me beam. Uncle Alex was a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, got the job before he even graduated from college. He was twenty-six, and one of the most driven men I knew, always hungry for a good story. He was the ultimate truth exposer and never backed down, even if it meant confronting some pretty big issues. He’d outed a few powerful people in the San Fran area and made some swift enemies, but he’d also fought for justice…and won.

  I wanted to be just like him.

  Glancing over my shoulder, I noticed the girl had disappeared on the other side of the street. I picked up a french fry and popped it in my mouth wondering if I had been right. If it was a con, it sucked that she just ripped that guy off by three hundred bucks, although he looked as though he could take it. A slow smile spread across my face. Man, if that had been a con, she was a really good artist. It had been a piece of magic
to watch.

  Chapter 12

  LUCY

  November 2010

  “How about the one with the grey bag?” Marlin kept his eyes on Lucy, indicating with the tiniest flick of his head who he was talking about.

  Lucy stole a glance over his shoulder and wrinkled her nose. “I’m not mugging an old lady. What if I accidentally hurt her? Besides, she doesn’t look rich enough anyway.”

  “Cyan, she’s dripping in diamonds and pearls. She’s doesn’t even look that old. You just don’t want to do it.”

  “Of course I don’t want to do it. I pick pockets, not mug people.”

  “You’re not mugging her.” Marlin looked to the sky with a huff. “It’s a simple con.”

  “One we’ve never tried before.”

  Grabbing her shoulder, Marlin gave it a gentle squeeze. “I know we can pull it off. When you managed to talk your way out of shoplifting the other day, I knew you had the talent. Come on, let’s not waste it.”

  Lucy tutted and leaned back against the brick building, folding her arms tightly over her chest. She wanted to shake her head and refuse, but knew she couldn’t. If she hadn’t been caught stealing that food they’d still have something to munch on, but they were out of money.

  “We shouldn’t have splashed out last week. We should have rationed our money better.”

  “A two-course dinner at Chilies is hardly splashing out,” Marlin mumbled. “Geez, Cyan, we shared the frickin’ meal!”

  Lucy swallowed and looked down, remembering how delicious those nachos had been…and the chocolate brownie for dessert…it was the best thing she’d ever tasted.

  “We need money. It’s getting colder, picking pockets isn’t going to cut it anymore. We need to up our game. I want one night’s sleep in a bed not made from concrete or dirt. Please, Cy.” Marlin squeezed her shoulder again.