Nowhere to Run

by Valerie Hansen

  That seemed to satisfy the farmer because he loosened up. “Well, let’s see. There’s Butch’s place. It’s up the road toward Moko, on the way to West Plains. And if you’re headed south, there’s the Serenity Repair shop just off the highway.”

  “Thanks,” Al said. “I’ll check those out.”

  “Which way you goin’?”

  Instead of answering, Al slapped some bills on the counter, turned and walked out. This job was getting too confusing for one man to handle. The first thing he was going to do was get on the phone and recruit some help. If there were two or three of them searching, they could spread out and cover more territory. The way he saw it, that was the only way they’d be sure of nabbing the Parnell woman before she got too far away to track.

  He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and punched in a number.

  “Frank? This is Al,” he said as soon as he was connected. “No, I don’t have her yet. But I know I’m close.”

  Frank began to curse loudly. Al held the phone away from his ear till the shouting stopped.

  “Yeah, yeah. You don’t have to rub it in,” he finally said. “I know I screwed up. What I need is a little help here. The woman can’t have gone far. I just can’t be in more than one place at a time, and I need to check all the local garages before she gets her car fixed and takes off again.”

  As he listened to Frank’s reply, his countenance darkened. “Roy’s dead? Well, what did he say?”

  The answer didn’t do anything to elevate his mood, and he spoke before censoring his words. “And you say I’m stupid? How could you let that happen? I mean, what if the woman gets away and we never find our money?”

  His cohort’s reply was anything but understanding.

  “Yeah, I know,” Al said. “I’ll find her. You and Earl just get up here and help me, will you? I can’t be everywhere at once.”

  When he’d hung up, he sat in the cab of the truck and stared out the windshield. Things were getting worse fast. There was no telling what would happen to the lost ransom money. And if somebody didn’t manage to find Roy’s kid and use her to make her mama cough up the dough, he’d be in as much trouble with his partners as Roy had been.

  FIVE

  Unbelievably antsy, Marie started to walk toward the garage just after noon. There were no sidewalks and very little room for pedestrians on the shoulder of the road, so she decided to cut across some lawns and detour through a used-car lot.

  Judging by the prices painted in white on the windows of the vehicles, she could tell there was no chance she’d be able to trade her sedan for one of these trucks or cars without putting up additional money—that she couldn’t spare. Every cent had to count and it was only a matter of time before she’d have to stop and get a job to finance their continued escape. The thought of having to settle anywhere, even temporarily, was so unnerving it made her tremble.

  “Please, God,” she whispered, “tell me what to do?”

  Patty tugged on her hand. “You don’t need to pray, Mama. I already did.”

  Marie smiled down at her. “Thank you, honey.”

  “You’re welcome. And you know what? God said we should stay right here so I can play with Babe some more.”

  Grinning, Marie shook her head. “I’m afraid you’re imagining things, Patty. I know you like that dog, but we can’t stay.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because.”

  “Because why?”

  “Just because,” Marie said. “When you’re older, you’ll understand.”

  “Aw, you always say that.”

  Although the child began to pout, Marie didn’t elaborate. All along she had told Patty as much of the truth as possible, withholding troublesome details such as Roy’s background and the fact that she and he had never been married. It was bad enough that that was true and that there was nothing Marie could do about it. Her pastor had assured her that all her prior sins had been forgiven when she’d given her life to Christ. Still, there were times when she wished mightily that she could go back and relive her earlier days. Do things differently.

  Except that if she hadn’t gotten mixed up with Roy and conceived a child with him, Patty wouldn’t exist. That scenario was unthinkable. In retrospect, she wondered if the Lord had not purposely used her mistakes to create the wonder that was her little girl, knowing that someday Marie would need someone special to love the way she loved Patty. It was certainly a possibility.

  Now, her sole responsibility was to protect her child, she reminded herself. That was her most important task, her God-given assignment. And she was determined to succeed.

  Wending her way across the used-car lot separating her from the repair garage, she took her time while enjoying the warmth of the sun. The farther north she’d driven, the more she’d missed the Louisiana heat. At home there was pretty much one season—hot and humid—except for occasional dips in temperature during the winter months. Up here in northern Arkansas the weather was definitely less predictable, as she was quickly learning, and she hoped she’d packed enough warm clothing for the chilly evenings.

  For Marie, there was no respite from worry about anything and everything. Her stomach had been in a knot for days, and it wasn’t feeling any better. Yes, she knew she should be praying and trusting God, which she was, but that didn’t mean He wasn’t expecting her to use her head, too.

  Arriving at her destination, she sidled past the east wall of the repair shop and paused in the shade of the service bay to look for Seth. He wasn’t immediately visible. Babe was. Patty gave a whoop, pulled her hand free from her mother’s grasp and ran to the dog.

  The wiggly welcome the border collie gave the little girl made Marie grin in spite of her other concerns. Patty fell to her knees to hug the dog, while Babe did her best to lick every inch of the little girl’s face. Though it wasn’t a sanitary greeting, it was comforting to watch.

  Still smiling, Marie looked up as Seth joined her.

  “I see they remember each other,” he said pleasantly.

  “You might say that. I could hardly keep Patty from racing down here first thing this morning.”

  “That would have been all right with me.”

  “I know,” Marie replied, “but we’d have been pretty bored just standing around all day.” She eyed her car where it was parked in the opposite bay with the overhead doors closed. “Any word on the parts?”

  “Not yet. Most days we get a delivery at about two in the afternoon. If you’re looking for something to do, there’s a preschool class at my church. Patty may be a little old for it though.”

  “Your church? I don’t think…

  “It isn’t far. Only a mile or two. I could drive you over there if you want.”

  “No, thanks. I wouldn’t want to take you away from your work.”

  “I get an afternoon break,” Seth said. “Bob’s an understanding boss. He won’t care if I take it a little early today.”

  It seemed to Marie that Seth’s gaze was boring right into her, as if he were expecting her to say something earth-shattering. She wasn’t particularly eager to meet any more new people, but now that he’d mentioned it, she couldn’t think of a better place to hide from whoever was pursuing her. It might be nice to be among believers again, too. She didn’t miss the city of Baton Rouge, with its chemical plants and oil refineries and traffic jams, but she certainly did miss the Christian friends she’d left behind there.

  “Well, all right,” she said with a sigh. “I guess we could go see the preschool. Actually, I used to…” Realizing that she was about to reveal one of the jobs she’d held in the past, she stopped herself.

  Seth’s eyebrow arched. “Yes?”

  “Nothing. Nothing. If you take me to the church, at least I won’t be stuck staring at the four walls of that little motel room all day.”

  And I’ll be safer than I am on the street, she added to herself. Every time she poked her head outside, she knew she was taking a terrible chance. It would be co
mforting to visit the church, even if she was going to have to fib to those people, too. There were scriptural precedents that allowed deception, such as Rahab’s hiding of the spies Joshua sent into Jerico. Surely the Lord wouldn’t hold it against her if she was less than truthful now, especially since she’d be doing it solely to protect an innocent little girl.

  Seth knew he hadn’t spent enough time on his computer to find out everything there was to learn about Marie. He was, however, certain she was in trouble. And if it turned out that she really was a guilty fugitive, he knew he’d eventually have to turn her in to the law.

  How he might do that while still protecting his own anonymity was a concern. If he went to the local law enforcement folks with his suspicions, they’d ask him how he’d gotten his information and he wouldn’t dare explain. If he notified the Louisiana authorities anonymously, they’d be swarming all over Serenity, along with the FBI because Marie had crossed state lines, and he’d be in jeopardy from that investigation, too.

  As it stood, he figured he was better off just letting Marie drive away. If his conscience hadn’t kept getting in his way, that’s exactly what he’d have done.

  It seemed to Seth that the wisest course of action was the stalling tactic he was already employing. There was something about the Parnell woman that had gotten under his skin. His mind told him she was guilty, as the computer files had claimed, while his gut insisted she could not have committed any crime, let alone a felony as heinous as kidnapping.

  His instincts had been nearly infallible in the past. Now he wasn’t sure he could trust them. The more he got to know Marie, the less she looked like Alice, yet there was still that lingering resemblance. Plus, there was the presence of the child, who was the spitting image of her mother. If he and his late wife had ever had a child…

  “Thank God we didn’t,” Seth concluded prayerfully. With Alice dead, there was no way he could have fled and lost himself in rural Arkansas, not if he’d had a young son or daughter to look after. Successfully hiding himself had been hard enough.

  Which brought him back to Marie’s obvious dilemma. She did have a child. And she was clearly on the run, whether from the law or for another reason. He couldn’t help feeling empathetic. He just wished she’d confide in him so he could be certain what course to take.

  Marie was waiting when he returned from the office. As before, she had tucked her silky, cinnamon-colored hair up under the Serenity Repair Shop baseball cap and was standing on the inside of the open truck door as if shielding Patty from whatever nemesis might lurk nearby.

  “I left the booster seat, as you can see,” Seth said.

  “I noticed. What I should do is retrieve more of our things from my car so we have them in our room.”

  “I really don’t have much time right now. Suppose I help you do that this evening, after work?”

  “You don’t have to,” Marie insisted.

  “I know I don’t.”

  “Then why are you offering?” she asked, frowning and staring at him.

  Letting himself grin, Seth shrugged as nonchalantly as possible. “Beats me. Guess I have a soft spot for Babe’s buddies. She’s always been able to sort out the good guys from the bad guys, and I trust her judgment.”

  When Marie suddenly looked away as if unwilling or unable to honestly meet his gaze, Seth was disappointed. That was not the reaction of an innocent person. If she wouldn’t talk to him about her problems, he’d have to probe deeper via his computer. His conscience insisted.

  There was a red alert flashing on one of the Corp. Inc. computer screens when section leader Eccles returned from a coffee break. He snorted. “Well, well, well. It’s about time you made a little noise. Now, let’s see what you’ve been up to, buddy boy.”

  His fingers flew over the keys. He began to scowl as he realized it wasn’t going to be easy to trace the source of the contact. Seth was evidently smarter than anyone had given him credit for. That figured. After all, he had been the only investigator who had managed to make sense of the inside information that had nearly exposed the entire corporate espionage operation. And for that, Seth had been expertly framed. Why he hadn’t stuck around to try to clear his name was the only puzzling thing. Then again, his disappearance had kept him alive.

  But now—now they were finally getting somewhere. “I’ll find you,” Eccles grumbled. “Maybe not this time, but I will figure out where you went. And when I do, I’ll see that you pay for all the trouble you’ve caused me.”

  He glanced over his shoulder as another agent joined him. “Look who just popped up on my screen. Our old pal Seth.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “No, not a bit. He did a good job of routing his connection to hide his tracks, but I’m going to put McCormick on his trail.”

  “Do you think Mac can trace this back to its source?”

  “If his new software is as good as he claims it is, yes,” Eccles said. “He tells me it’s only a matter of catching the connection while it’s active and then hacking into the proxy server systems, one after the other.”

  “Whoa. If we do find Seth, he can cause plenty of trouble for us.”

  “Who said anything about bringing him in? He’s a wife-killer, remember? He’s sure to resist arrest and that can be fatal.”

  “I don’t know if I like that idea. He was always a pretty decent guy.”

  “That was his trouble,” Eccles answered. “He was far too honest for this job. And in the end, his high-and-mighty principles are bound to get him killed.”

  Serenity Chapel sat near the crest of a ridge, where it could be readily viewed from the road below. It was a large, gray stone edifice backed by the dark green of the forested hills, which made it stand out even more.

  Marie was taken aback as they approached. “Oh, my. It’s so big.”

  “Just like the hearts of the people inside,” Seth answered. “You’ll see. Don’t let the imposing building put you off.”

  He parked next to a side door, out of sight of the street, patted Babe on the head and told her to stay as he passed the bed of the truck, then opened the passenger door for Marie and Patty.

  “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea, after all,” Marie said, holding her daughter’s hand and lagging back.

  “Nonsense. It’s the perfect answer to your boredom. And if you stop to think about it, it’ll give you the kind of anonymity you seem to want.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “Never mind.” Chuckling quietly, Seth led the way into the church building and shepherded his guests down a long hallway to the recreation room, where the preschool was located.

  “Here we are. I’ll pick you up about five,” he said matter-of-factly. “Then we’ll go get the stuff out of your car, load it in my truck and haul it up to the motel.”

  “You’re awfully bossy, you know that?” To his relief, she was smiling enough to soften her statement.

  “Just being sensible. Your car is out of commission, you need your things and toting them up to the motel by hand would be silly.”

  Marie made a face at him. “When you’re right, you’re right.”

  “Glad you see it my way.”

  “Do I have a choice?”

  That made Seth laugh again. “Yes. You could always refuse to let me help you and walk to wherever you wanted to go. I think you’re smarter than that.”

  “Let’s hope so.” Marie sobered as they stood outside the door to the rec room. “I also hope I’m not in the way here. I wouldn’t want to put anybody out.”

  “Trust me. My pastor’s wife, Becky Malloy, started this preschool program after their son Timmy was born. It’s become very popular. They’re always begging for volunteers. I’m sure you’ll be more than welcome, even for a few hours.”

  He saw Marie’s shoulders relax a tiny bit. She sighed. “Okay. I’m convinced,” she said. “C’mon, Patty. Let’s find some nice kids for you to play with.”

  Seth accompanied her and made the
necessary introductions, then headed back to the garage. He’d been more edgy than usual of late and couldn’t seem to shake a building sense of foreboding.

  As he wheeled into the drive to the garage, his breath caught. Marie’s car was outside!

  He hit the ground running, gesturing and shouting to his boss. “What happened, Bob? Did the parking brake fail?”

  “Naw. We got a lube job and needed the room, so I just gave that other car a shove. We can push it back inside for the night if we need to. Those parts you sent for were backordered anyway.”

  Seth was already rummaging through the storage area looking for a large tarp. When he found what he needed, he ran back outside, gave it a flip and unfurled it like a bedsheet. He was just pulling the outer corners into place to cover the blue sedan when he saw that familiar white delivery van cruising slowly by. The driver had an elbow out the window and was shading his eyes, staring at the garage.

  Seth’s breath caught. He doubled his efforts to fully hide Marie’s car, then straightened and looked back toward the highway as soon as he was satisfied.

  The van had stopped across the road. Its driver wasn’t getting out and appeared to be talking on a cell phone. Who was he? Had he seen Marie’s car? Did it matter one way or the other?

  If only she’d have confided in him, Seth reasoned. If she had, he’d know how to react. As it was, he felt as frustrated as if he were blindfolded and swinging a bat at fastballs thrown by a major league pitcher. His chances of hitting a home run were nil.

  Turning back to his work, Seth continued to watch the van. It remained parked on the shoulder for another fifteen minutes or so, then slowly pulled away.

  Seth immediately jogged to the edge of the garage’s parking lot and peered after the disappearing van, hoping to be able to get a license number.

  His fists balled. Nobody could have read that plate. It was conveniently smeared with enough mud to not only obscure the letters and numbers but also blur the state of origin, although the dark blue border was right for Louisiana. For all he knew, that van might have followed Marie all the way from her home state.