by Marnie Perry
The pilot said, ‘we’re ready when you are, Miss. Rushkova.’
Adela and Olivia looked at one another and the pilot said, ‘I’ll wait for you outside,’ he turned to Adela, ‘it was very nice to meet you, Miss. Faraday, and don’t worry I’ll take great care of your cousin, she’ll be completely safe with me.’
‘I know she will, goodbye, and thank you, Captain Jennings.’ They shook hands and the pilot went outside.
Adela took Olivia’s arm and drew her to one side. They looked into each others eyes both too moved to speak. Eventually Adela her voice husky said, ‘you heard what the man said, you’ll be completely safe with him, and not only with him but from now on too. From now on you’ll never have to worry about Glissando or those two men or anyone else. You’re free now, Olivia,’ she gave a shaky smile, ‘or should I say, Orla.’
Olivia swallowed painfully and it was with great effort that she managed to pull herself together. She said, ‘I don’t know how to thank you, for this,’ she gestured to the plane waiting outside, ‘for helping me, a stranger, for being there for me. I’ve had an awful life, filled with cruelty and pain, I had lost all faith in everything and everyone, then I met a woman in a dark alleyway one night and everything changed, everything is so different now. I promise you one thing, Adela, I won’t waste my life, I’ll do something good with it.’
Adela’s eyes filled with tears and she had to blink numerous times to bring Olivia’s face back into focus. ‘I know you will, Olivia, and I know you’ll be happy and one day all that has happened to you will be just a bad memory, but you’ll be all the stronger for it.’
It was Olivia’s turn to blink rapidly but it didn’t help her because the tears began to pour down her face.
To get them off the subject Adela reached into her bag and handed Olivia the hat with the yellow ribbons she had given her before.’ Olivia took it from her hand her lip quivering. Adela said, ‘something to remember me by.’
Olivia looked into her eyes, ‘I don’t need this or anything else to remember you, Adela.’
Before she burst into tears Adela said matter of factly, ‘oh, and I’ve put some money in your hand luggage and some in your purse. I’d give you more but someone might get suspicious if you carry around large sums of money. I know you can carry up to ten thousand dollars without having to declare it but I thought it best not to go for exactly 10,000 in case they got suspicious. But if anyone asks why you have so much just tell them that you hate banks and credit cards, and prefer to carry cash around with you.’ She didn’t state the obvious that if she was stopped on suspicion of carrying a false passport she was in trouble anyway.’
Olivia said ‘Oh, Adela, you’ve done enough, I…
She was interrupted, ‘too late now, it’s done. But because I can’t give you as much as I would have liked I want you to have this.’ She handed the watch, which was gold with little rubies around the square face to Olivia, saying, ‘and don’t worry it’s not a family heirloom or anything just something I bought for you to pawn, or sell, if you need too.’
Olivia looked down at the watch in Adela’s hand before her eyes travelled up to her face, ‘I don’t know what to say.’
‘Then don’t say anything, except that you’ll use it if you have too.’
Olivia nodded her eyes filled with tears.
Adela cleared her throat and her voice was husky as she said, ‘anyway, it should keep you going until you find a job.’
Olivia shook her head, ‘a job, oh God, I am so looking forward to doing something that I want to do, something just for me.’
‘Well just make sure it is something you want to do, something that will be personally rewarding,’ she grinned, ‘and yet well paid.’
They both laughed and Olivia said, ‘maybe I’ll go to school or college, get a degree, or at least a diploma.’
‘And you’ll be the belle of the classroom.’ Adela replied. Olivia looked embarrassed at the Compliment and Adela said, ‘you’d better go, the sooner you get on that plane the sooner you can start your new life.’
Olivia just looked at her and there was such gratitude and affection in her eyes that Adela filled up again. She said firmly, ‘go on, go, before someone starts to wonder why we’re so emotional just because you’re going away for a few weeks.’
Olivia laughed then the smile faded as she said softly and with meaning, ‘I’ll never forget you, Adela Faraday, never. And if I’m ever lucky enough to have children the first born is going to be called Adela, boy or girl.’
Adela laughed out loud now, ‘poor boy.’ Like Olivia she became serious again, ‘I know you’re going to have kids, lot and lots of them. And they’ll be as strong and brave as their mother is.’
Olivia threw her arms around her, ‘goodbye, Adela, and thank you.’
‘Goodbye, Olivia, I mean, Orla.’
They continued to hold each other until Olivia abruptly turned and walked away. Adela watched her walk down the tarmac to the waiting plane, she saw a man take her bag with one hand and her elbow with the other as he escorted her up the steps and onto the plane.
To keep the tears from flowing she had to swallow so many times her throat hurt. She stood and watched as the plane taxied down the runway then ascended into the clouds taking Olivia away from horror and towards all the happiness and peace Adela could ever wish for her. She watched the plane until it was a mere dot in the sky. She then turned, said goodbye to the woman behind the desk, and left to catch her train to Mississippi.
********
While Olivia’s plane was flying over Alabama and Adela was in a taxi on her way to the train station, Hennessey was in his car his lap top open on his lap, while he waited for it to boot up he thought about Lando. His gut instinct told him that that guy was more than just a loner, a hermit; he had the look of a man who had been places and seen things.
He had a look that Hennessey had seen a few times in his life. The way he had studied him reminded Hennessey of the way a cop studies a suspect, and yet he had that haunted look he had seen in the eyes of cons, or ex cons. An ex- cop, ex- con maybe. Interesting.
But whatever he was he was damn good to have gotten the drop on him. Lando was one to watch that was for sure. He was glad he had decided on the disguise. He had called the realtor’s office and asked the name of the guy who dealt with the properties hereabouts and discovered his name and also gotten a description. Just over six feet tall, well there was nothing much he could do about his height…he was six, four…but he could change his black hair to blonde, his eyes to brown and wear a snazzy suit. Easy. It had also helped that the guy was due to go on vacation to Florida and would be out of the reach of any calls Lando might make. Everything seemed to be falling just right for him; he must have been born under a lucky star.
He went onto a site he had discovered and which had helped him a great deal in his line of work. He found Lando without any trouble. As he read he smiled to himself. Interesting indeed. What he discovered filled him with admiration, if they ever met under the right...or wrong...circumstances Lando would be a very worthy adversary. As he read on his smile turned into a laugh. He said out loud, ‘well, well, Mr. Jonas Lando, aren’t you the enigma.’
He checked once again for Adela’s credit card transactions, but still nothing as yet.
He had gotten her cell phone number within an hour of leaving Glissando's place and had tried several times to contact her but her phone seemed to be constantly switched off. Deliberately? He wondered. He tried her number again but again got voice mail.
He sighed in frustration. He knew he could call the realtor again and ask if she was there but that meant involving others, others that might recall his inquiry later. They probably recorded all calls and if she proved tough to break right away he would have no choice but to keep her somewhere for a while and then there would be a search for her. Maybe the FBI would become involved and he didn’t want them picking up his voice on any calls he might have made. No, he would be
patient and wait for her to turn her phone back on.
He popped the trunk and stepped out of the car; he put his laptop in the trunk and locked it. Then went to find a place to get coffee, not the café, he would avoid there from now on. After he’d eaten he would find this Sammy guy and get as much information as he could about Miss. Adela Faraday.
He pulled the piece of paper with the information he already had on her out of his pocket, it was crumpled and dirty now proving that he was looking at it too much, that he was still thinking of her as a woman and not as a target. From now on he would not think of her as Adela Faraday or the English lady or anything human, from now on she would be what she was, a hit, he would call her what she was to him. The Target.
He headed down the street towards the bar. A bar was always a good place to gather lots of interesting information about anything…or anyone.
The girl behind the bar had a very curly, very bad perm, big brown eyes and huge boobs. She was a younger version of Jill in that she behaved in the exact same way.
She asked the usual questions, what he was doing in Alban where he was staying etcetera she told him her name was Ruth and he told her his was Steven and that he was from Los Angeles.
She sighed, ‘Los Angeles? Now there’s a place I’ve always wanted to visit.’
‘It’s worth seeing all right. When you can see it of course.’
She frowned not understanding and he said, ‘the smog ya know.’
‘Oh yes. But still, I would love to live there, all that sun, sea and sand, not to mention all those movie stars.’
‘Oh yes, not to mention them.’
Again his sarcasm was lost on this woman too. Her fingers brushed against his as she handed him his drink. He smiled, but not for a moment was he tempted to ask her when she got off work and if he could walk her home. She was too young and too silly and besides he never let sex interfere with a job, and certainly not one worth five million bucks. Maybe afterwards he would come back and look up Jill, she was more his type, older and more experienced and not one to give him a hard time for fucking and leaving.
He had been in the bar half an hour and had eaten a very nice beef sandwich and was just thinking of leaving when Ruth looked up and said, ‘oh hello there, Sammy, you come for a drink.’
Everyone in the immediate vicinity laughed.
Hennessey studied Sammy. He was not too tall, maybe five eight or nine and his blonde hair flopped over his forehead; his skin was brown and clear. But it was the eyes people noticed, they were light blue and had a guileless, open quality about them. He looked, as the two goons had said, witless, but one word really summed up Sammy. Innocent.
Sammy laughed too and said, ‘oh no, Ruth, thanks, I’m looking for Eddie, he’s giving me a ride back to Georgestone.’
Just then the door opened again and a big fat guy came walking in. He saw Sammy and said, ‘sorry pal, but the parts for the truck haven’t arrived, looks like I’m going to have to wait for it. You head on back to Georgestone and let Mr. George know okay.’
Oh, all right, Eddie, will do.’
‘Thanks, Sammy.’
Sammy left the bar and Eddie ordered a beer and leaned on the bar to await the arrival of the parts for his truck.
Hennessey got off his stool and said, ‘here you can have my seat, I was just leaving.’
‘Oh, thanks pal.’ He looked Hennessey up and down, ‘not seen you around here afore.’
‘No, I’m just passing through.’
‘Well, thanks for the seat.’
‘You’re welcome.’ Hennessey said “see ya” to Ruth and left her looking after him with a yearning in her brown eyes.
Once outside Hennessey looked first right then left and just caught sight of Sammy turning the corner. He walked quickly across the street to his car got in and followed Sammy. He caught him up as he was taking a path that led along the rivers edge. He pulled up alongside him and called, ‘hey, Sammy is it?’
Sammy turned quickly around and said, ‘yeah, that’s right, Sammy.’
‘Hi, my name’s David and I was in the bar just now, I heard you needed a ride to Georgestone.’
‘Yeah, but Eddie has to wait for parts.’
‘I know I heard that too. I’m going that way if you’d like a ride.’
Sammy had always been told, and not just by his mother, but by everyone he knew not to talk to strangers and not to get into cars with strange men. He said, ‘oh no thanks, I can walk, it’s only two miles.’
‘Two miles in this heat is a pretty uncomfortable two miles.’
‘Yeah well, you know, I don’t know you, and my mom would skin me alive if she knew I’d been 'cepting lifts offa strangers.’
And neither should you, but I used to live around these parts and you know Jill from the café?’ Sammy nodded. Well, she’s a friend of mine.’
‘Jill is?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Oh well in that case, you ain’t a stranger as such.’
‘Hennessey laughed, ‘no I reckon not. He opened the passenger door and Sammy got in.
*********
Adela would have enjoyed her trip to Mississippi if her head had not been full of thoughts of Olivia, wondering whether she was all right, and if she would get nervous when she landed and was asked for her passport. Would she panic once she was amongst a lot of people at the airport in France? She had given her enough money to pay for a good hotel, enough money to last her quite a while. She could easily change it in bits and drabs into Euros. That was the good thing about staying in Europe, apart from Britain; she could use Euros in any country.
But mostly she was thinking about that man, Glissando. She had pondered very seriously going to the FBI and telling them Olivia’s story. But what would be the point, how would she prove it now? And she would have to tell them about Olivia’s fake passport, then she would be in very serious trouble, if she was ever caught. Besides, she had given her word to Olivia. But the thought of that man getting away with the things he did ate at her very soul.
Eventually she arrived in Mississippi and took a taxi to the cabin she had rented in a small town called Eden, not far from Gulfport. She found herself wishing for the first time that she had booked a hotel instead. Then she was ashamed of herself for giving into her fear. What could happen? As she had told Olivia if those men came back, which was highly unlikely, she would just tell them she didn’t know what they were talking about. Besides, maybe Olivia’s obvious fear of Glissando had made her paranoid and after a while he would give up and move on to someone else.
She shivered, both at the thought of some other poor innocent child being subjected to what Olivia had.
She tried not to look over her shoulder but couldn’t help it. The last few days had been full of furtive glances at vehicles and people that might look suspicious, she was especially nervous about black Mercedes', because the two men had driven one of those.
She deliberately tried not to pay too much attention to anyone looking at her oddly when she spoke, she should be used to that after seven days in America anyway. But she was still watchful and wary. Although she supposed that was only natural after everything that had happened.
She had told Olivia that she would be all right, that it would look more suspicious if she went home, they might even follow her there and from what Olivia had told her about Glissando that was a possibility. She hadn’t told her that she was worried for her family. But the truth was she did not want to go home, she wanted to finish her tour, she wanted to fulfil her lifelong dream.
She looked around as she got out of the taxi. The cabins were placed in a small grove of trees on the edge of the woods; she was pleased that the cabin allocated to her was not as isolated as the other had been.
The other cabins were closer; although not so close that it would invade her privacy. There seemed to be more people around, a few couples older than her, were sitting out in the sunshine chatting. A family of two adults and two children, both boys, were
just letting themselves into their cabin obviously having just returned from the beach, because they were carrying buckets and spades.
Adela smiled, she was looking forward to going to the beach, not that she liked sitting there all day, but she wouldn’t mind going for a swim in the sea, it been a long time since she had done that.
She smiled at the elderly couple sitting on their porch outside the cabin closest to her own, they smiled back and waved.
Opening the door she entered the cabin; she was pleased to note that it was much cooler inside. The layout was almost identical to the cabin in Alabama. She was sad for a moment as she thought of the cabin and the little town of Alban, Rose Hosewater and Jonas Lando.
She wondered what he was doing right at this moment. She didn’t know why she should think of him, she hardly knew him and the few times she had spoken to him he had been downright rude to her. But there had been something about him, something in his eyes, a bitter sadness that touched her heart somehow. She shook of these feelings impatiently and went to look at the kitchen. She opened the fridge and discovered as last time it was full of food, bread, milk, cheese, pasta, jam, all manner of things to keep her going for a few days.
She began to unpack her things and when she took out the awful brown hat, she had bought to replace the one she had given to Olivia an overwhelming sadness enveloped her and she sat down heavily on the bed. She recalled how Olivia had looked in it, those big brown eyes peeping up from under the large brim. But she knew it wasn’t just the hat. She knew that from now on and for the rest of her life she would think about her and wonder whether she had found that job she was so enthusiastic about. Whether she was married and had children, one called Adela. Whether she was happy. She had only known Olivia for two and a half days, but knew that she would never forget her.
She felt suddenly very tired; these last few days had been very tiring and stressful which had led to sleepless nights. She kicked off her shoes, lay down on the bed and very soon was sound asleep. She dreamed of aeroplanes and a taxi driver wearing a big hat and speaking German.