Running Up the Score

by Jacqueline DeGroot

  I thought of several things we could look into to try to find Diana. I knew there was a registry for class rings, in case they became lost or stolen, but Connor had already called Josten’s and had no luck. He’d even contacted the company who’d taken her class picture; they still had her previous address on file. He’d called all the dentists in the area where she’d lived, and managed to locate her dentist, but they had no forwarding address. He knew who her medical doctor was, as she’d joked once that his name was Dr. Flew, but his office staff wouldn’t even talk to him because of the H.I.P.P.A. regulations. It seemed hopeless.

  After two hours we’d both had enough sun and decided to call it a day. Our muscles were cramped from walking back up the side of the mountain to the rim, the equivalent of 65 flights of stairs. We were walking toward a concession stand when I froze. Not ten feet in front of me were neighbors from my old, very exclusive neighborhood in Great Falls, Virginia, Jocelyn and Gene Abramson. And it was too late to duck them. I saw the moment they recognized me, and then the moment they realized what this could mean to them. In cartoons they draw dollar signs in big, wild eyes—Jocelyn and Gene’s expressions were as close to that as I was ever likely to see outside of animation. As far as I knew, the hefty reward for information leading Jared to me was still being offered. I pasted a smile on my face and pretended everything was as normal as it could possibly be.

  “Debbie!” Jocelyn called out, putting her arms out for a hug.

  “I’m all sweaty,” I said as I backed out of the full embrace. “We just came off the lake and made that steep climb.”

  “Really?” She looked directly at Connor, expecting an introduction. I wasn’t about to give her one.

  “It’s quite beautiful here isn’t it?” I said, trying very hard to figure out how to play this. Gene shook Connor’s hand and leaned in to give me a kiss on the cheek. Then the silence became awkward.

  Gene cleared his throat. “You know, Jared is pretty upset about . . .” He obviously didn’t know what else to say.

  It would be pointless to explain anything to these people. They’d never believe me for one, and two, since they ran in the same circles as Jared, who had a lot of influence in our little community, it would be hard for them to accept that he was less than stellar, and practically impossible to accept that he was an abuser with carnal appetites that would compete with a world-class hedonist.

  So I just shrugged and said I was sorry I had to leave without saying goodbye. They asked where I was staying, where I was going next, and what I was doing here in Oregon. I answered all their questions with lies, instantly made up and obviously insincere. I said we had to go, and Jocelyn and I fake-cheek kissed. Then I grabbed Connor’s hand and together we fast walked toward the parking lot. Connor looked behind us as we turned down a path leading behind the gift shop.

  “He’s using his cell phone. And she’s looking in her purse for something.”

  “We’ve got to get out of here without them seeing us.”

  “Too late, they’re following.”

  “Jared must be telling them to keep track of us. What am I going to do?” I was afraid to get Connor involved, yet unsure what I could do on my own without any transportation.

  “I think you’re being ridiculous about this, but I have an idea,” he said as he pulled me along with him.

  Minutes later, we were in the parking lot asking a Mom and Pop couple if they could take us down to Mazama Village, as our vehicle had run out of gas. We really did look wholesome, and the way we were dressed didn’t allow for too many surprises. Idiotically, I wondered if Connor had a virgin card he could flash.

  They hesitated for just a moment before saying, “Sure thing.”

  We hopped into the back seat of their Buick, and as we exited the parking lot, we looked out the window and waved to the Abramsons, who had just come running around the corner. We watched as Jocelyn wrote down the tag number, then asked the older couple where they were from. They said they were headed back to Minnesota in the morning and we told them we hoped they had a wonderful, uneventful ride home. I didn’t think it would be uneventful, but I didn’t think they would be put out too much when Jared showed up demanding to know where I was.

  They dropped us off at the Mazama Village gas pump and Connor paid a tow truck driver fifty dollars to tow his Jeep from the parking lot to the Village Store. We sat on a bench in the office hiding from view in case the Abramsons happened to drive by.

  I was scared, but was trying not to show it. Connor smiled apologetically, and with a sheepish grin, commented that it was pretty ironic that I was trying to hide from someone while he was trying to find someone. He was so obviously in love that it pained me to look at him. I was more determined than ever to help him find his Diana.

  Chapter Ten

  When the Jeep was towed into the Village and taken off the lift, Connor drove me home. I surprised him when I asked him for an umbrella before getting out of the car.

  “The sun is shining full bright, why do you need an umbrella?”

  “To get inside my RV without being spotted.”

  “You are beginning to sound like a loon. I would think an umbrella open on a clear day like this would certainly make you more noticeable.”

  “Just humor me, please.” He fished around in a bag on the back seat and handed me an Army issue umbrella in camouflage earth tones. It had apparently seen lots of use, as it was bleached out by the sun in several places.

  “Perfect,” I said as I took it from him. I opened the door just enough to pop open the umbrella. “Wait a few minutes and follow me. I don’t imagine they have a good description of you. Here, this’ll help,” I said as I grabbed his hat from above the visor and shoved it onto his head.

  “Lady, you are wacko.”

  “I’ll explain more inside, but trust me, this is necessary.”

  I made my way quickly to the door of the RV, scampering under the awning the last few feet before hurriedly dropping the umbrella and using the key so I could get inside. A few minutes later Connor followed, tripping over the umbrella and up the steps.

  “You know, you’re doing a very bad Bourne Identity scenario here. Aren’t you taking this obsessive husband thing a bit far?”

  “I know this is hard for you to understand, but Jared has money, and friends in high-tech places. And my gut tells me that he hasn’t given up. The fact that those two were on the phone before we even turned the corner, and then came looking for us should tell you something.”

  I did not want to mention the reward. It was a lot of money and could be life altering for most anyone, and since I really didn’t know Connor well enough to discount him being tempted by it, I kept my mouth shut.

  “The umbrella?” he prompted by waving it in front of my face.

  “You were in the Army, surely you know all about satellites and spy-in-the-sky technology. Now that he knows I’m in the area, he’ll be able to use Google Earth, or programs like it, to try to find me.”

  “You’ve got to have some pretty sophisticated equipment to do that, and government connections.”

  “Believe me, he has both.”

  “And you really think he’s going to go to all this trouble and expense to find you, just for you to inform him you’re not interested in going home with him?”

  “You don’t understand. He’s not about to ask me anything. When no one’s around, he’ll suddenly appear and then I’ll disappear. And no one will ever see me again.”

  He shook his head, “And you don’t think you’re being a bit over dramatic here?”

  I started to answer him but my words were drowned out by a series of loud thumping sounds accompanied by vibrations that shook the RV. For a military man the sound was instantly recognizable, and for Connor in particular, just back from the war, it triggered something in him. “Choppers Overhead!” he yelled as he grabbed me and threw me on the kitchen floor.

  We lay there on the floor, him covering my legs and back, his ha
nds crossed over my head as we listened. There were two distinct rotors causing alternating vibrating sensations that I could feel to my teeth, as both helicopters flew low enough to fan the branches of the trees and to cause great clouds of dust and to billow up to the windows around us. Singularly, they swept the campsite, hovering and then moving on as if examining each unit as they went. Then they were gone.

  “What do you suppose that was all about?” Connor asked as he stood up and pulled me with him.

  I gave him an I-told-you-so look and shrugged sheepishly.

  “Nah! That couldn’t be . . .”

  “I’m telling you, it was. Fortunately, he thinks I still have the old RV, and that’s probably what they’re looking for. So for now, I’m safe. I just can’t leave the RV.”

  “It’s supposed to rain for the next two days anyway.”

  “Great! Good thing I’ve got some movies on DVD and some new books.”

  “I’ll bring you food and whatever else you might need.”

  “That’s sweet Connor, I really appreciate it, but you really need to concentrate on finding Diana.”

  “I know, I just don’t have a clue where to start.” He sat on the sofa and his whole body sagged as he bent forward and covered his face with his hands. “I find the one woman who’s meant for me, and then I lose her. How did this happen?”

  His frustration was palpable and I wanted so much to be able to help him. He left a few minutes later, totally dejected, and I settled in to watch movies and eat frozen Asian dinners.

  I was enjoying the classics, running through my small collection of Hepburn favorites, trying to decide which one to watch when something on the cover of Breakfast at Tiffany’s made me freeze just as I was inserting the DVD. I sat back on my heels on the bed and stared at the picture—Audrey in very fashionable clothes. Fashion, one of the things that was of utmost importance to young high school girls. Diana . . . just what had she been wearing in that picture? I had seen it, even stared at it for several minutes at a time over the last two days. What was it? The parka, yes, there was something about the parka. I tried to picture the logo. Was it one I was familiar with, but had not readily recognized? Just what the hell was it? I eased back and closed my eyes and tried to conjure up the picture in my mind. Everything came to me in snatches, like pieces of a quilt coming together. The snow on the ground, the snowman, her cute little hat, the hand hiding the snowball, the endearing smile, the North Face parka . . . I sat straight up and whooped. I knew how to find her. I suddenly knew exactly how to find Diana.

  Chapter Eleven

  “You’re saying she couldn’t have bought this in a store?” Connor said.

  We were in my RV, sitting on the sofa, staring at Connor’s one and only picture of Diana.

  “Well she could have, but it’s not likely.”

  “And why not?”

  “She’s tall, she has long arms and a long torso, and she’s wearing it loose, not snug across her chest. She would most likely wear a large. The stores just don’t stock many larges, everything stylish is for 2’s and 4’s these days, basically your small to medium gals.”

  “So how’d she get it?”

  “I’m betting she ordered it, online. It’s sometimes the only way to get the color you want in the size you want. If memory serves this was a hot item a few winters ago, the stores were probably sold out of most colors and styles. If she was particular, she would have had to go online to get the jacket she wanted.”

  “You’re sure of this?”

  “I used to wear only couture. But now I’m a Mart Girl,

  K-mart, Wal-Mart, Steinmart.” I laughed at my own joke. “So no, I’m not sure anymore.” Then I pointed to the picture and the Juicy Couture hat. “But this girl obviously isn’t a Mart Girl. Most stores that carry expensive, trendy clothes like these can’t afford to carry too many different sizes. So, yes, that leaves online shopping, so I’m betting that she’s in the North Face data bank.”

  “Yeah, but we already know her old address, the address they must have shipped this jacket to.”

  “That’s true, but we women are brand loyal. Once we find a product we like, one that looks good on us, we stick to it until something better comes along. In this price range, I don’t know of any other company that’s cornering the market on this type of product. And they sell lots of other things girls her age would like.”

  “So you think she’s reordered since moving?”

  “Young girls gotta have cool clothes. I’m willing to wager that your Diana has ordered some summer duds, and maybe even some back to school things for the fall.”

  “Okay, let’s say she has. How does that help?”

  “We just need to get her address from North Face.”

  “Do you plan to hack into their database?”

  “No, silly. I just need to call and pretend to be her and to order something. They’ll verify the shipping address as one of the very first things.”

  “They don’t require a passcode?”

  “Yeah, if you do it online; instead I’ll just call.”

  I hopped up to get my laptop so I could go online and get the customer service number for ordering. “But first, I have to pick out something to buy.”

  I logged onto the website and selected two fairly expensive outfits. Then I found the 800 number and punched it into my cell. Moments later I was writing down Diana Jones’ address in Providence, Rhode Island.

  After disconnecting the phone I handed the paper to Connor with a big grin on my face, “It looks like she’s going to Brown in the fall.”

  He picked me up and spun me around while we whooped and hollered. Then he tripped and lost his balance, and we both fell onto the sofa still laughing. At that exact moment the door to the RV opened and Jared stepped in.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Get off of my wife!”

  Connor, half on top of me, supporting himself by his arms, looked over his shoulder at the man who had just barged in—my husband. I cringed and felt a shiver of fear move along my spine when I saw the furious eyes of an enraged and insanely jealous man, the man I had finally managed to run away from, partly for this very reason.

  Connor must have sensed the extreme seriousness of the situation for he gently eased himself up off of me and backed up two steps before turning to face Jared. On his way to standing up, he had taken a quick moment to meet my eyes and to convey a most puzzling look, but one that showed absolutely no fear at all. I wondered briefly if that could be because he had already challenged the dragons of terror in Iraq. I was to quickly learn that he had nothing to fear from this man, or most any man for that matter.

  Jared advanced toward Connor, his fists clenched at his sides and anger undulating from him in waves. It was almost palatable, the fierceness that emanated from him and I was instantly up and trying to shield Connor from Jared’s burgeoning wrath. As Jared continued to advance on Connor, Connor nudged me aside and not too gently either. I could feel his muscles had tensed so he’d had no choice. If there was going to be a confrontation, and apparently there was, Connor had already steeled himself to take on the battle.

  I watched in horror as Jared reached out and grabbed Connor’s throat. Then things happened so fast that I honestly couldn’t say what happened next, other than hands flew and fists flailed and legs and elbows connected. It all happened in less than thirty seconds. Thirty seconds of hardly any sound at all, just a few grunts and one or two smacking sounds. I blinked, and then stared, my mouth agape. Jared was on the floor unconscious. Connor was standing over him, his hiking boot grinding into his chest.

  “What do you want me to do with this husband of yours?”

  I gulped. Connor appeared to be used to having the upper hand and seemed unlikely to relinquish control until this latest enemy was either vanquished or dispatched.

  “Is he dead?”

  “Do you want him to be?”

  “Uh, no. This isn’t Iraq, you can’t just kill him.”


  “He attacked me, and yes, I can. Just say the word.”

  “Let’s just get him out of here.”

  “What, so he can keep harassing you?”

  “You don’t need a murder trial right now. Think of Diana, or better yet, her father.”

  “So, what do you suggest?”

  “He needs medical attention. We need to take him to a hospital.”

  “You’re kidding, right? The man is out to get you, wants nothing better than to capture you and do you harm, and you want to just let him go, better yet, nurse his wounds?”

  “I don’t know what to do!” I wailed.

  There was a loud moan and Jared’s head flopped to the side. Connor kicked him under the jaw and he fell silent again.

  “We don’t have a lot of time here, make up your mind.”

  “Let’s get him into his car, or whatever he came here in, and take him to the nearest emergency center or ranger station.”

  “ Good idea. You follow in my Jeep, we’ll dump him and leave.”

  The callousness in his voice unnerved me. “Why the sudden intense anger?”

  “I didn’t believe you before, now I do. This guy is scum. I’d rather break his neck and send him toppling down the mountain.”

  “We can’t do that,” I whispered, “and you know it. He’s not someone who can just disappear. You heard the helicopters; there have to be plenty of people who know where he was heading. They had to have brought him here.”

  “So, we need some answers.” He knelt down, pulled Jared up by his collar and slapped his face back and forth until Jared opened his eyes.

  “How did you know she was here?” he hollered at Jared, whose head bobbed and swayed while he tried to keep it up, as if he was trying to make sure it didn’t fall off his neck. His eyes were dazed and he did not appear to know where he was.

  “Who?” he asked with a thick tongue.

  “Her,” he said, pointing up at me, “your wife.”

  Jared looked at me as if he had never seen me before, his eyebrows raised as he studied me with the most perplexed look on his face. “Do I know you?” he asked, just before his eyes crossed and his head fell onto his chest.