Hiding Out

by Nicole Andrews Moore

  “Well, she had a migraine and it just wasn’t the right time.” He started to explain away the entire discussion, or lack there of when Adam jumped in again.

  “Then where is she?” Adam asked in frustration. “I think if you took a chance you’d find out she loves you, too. Just be honest with her. Be honest with yourself.”

  “Honest, Adam? Honest means I admit that I don’t think I can live without her. And yet now…because she knows I’ve lied to her about her attacker, I may have to figure out how. Honest means that I tell her I never want to let her go, not from my house, not from my life, not from the office. But how do I tell her that when she’s not here, when I don’t know where she is, when she refuses to answer my calls and text messages? Honest means that I reveal that I plan to build a life with her forever. If I were to be truly honest, I’d be getting the Davenport Diamonds fitted for her right now. Hell, if I were honest, I’d tell you that I’ve been looking for the right time to pop the question for some time now.” Sam pulled his hand out of his pants’ pocket to show that he had the black velvet box in his pocket at that very moment.

  Adam’s eyes widened. “The Davenport Diamonds. Wow. That is serious.”

  “I’m serious.” Sam sighed. “I love her in a way that I have never loved anyone before, never will love anyone again.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Is that honest enough for you?” He growled in frustration. “Honestly, I’m scared to death right now. Not knowing is killing me.” With that he walked from the room without so much as a mug of coffee to show for his efforts.

  Waking early, Haley had dressed in her running wear, gone down to the hotel fitness center and run until she thought she might collapse. She wanted to seem relaxed and controlled when she went to sit down with the DA this morning. Somehow, she imagined this would prove to be an incredibly long day. After a hot shower and a hot tea, she sat down and turned on the cell phone. She hesitated to think of it as hers. In truth, Sam paid for it, just like he paid for every other aspect of her life. It didn’t matter that she earned it.

  The apple symbol lit up the screen and moments later she realized that she had missed four phone calls and twelve text messages. Not surprising, they were all from Sam. Every single one of them. That made sense. The only other person who had her number was Ellen. And as much as she wanted to reach out, she couldn’t talk to either of them.

  After nearly a year of running, Haley was ready to face her past, ready to build a future. And though she knew he would support her if she but said the word, gave him any indication as to her whereabouts, Haley refused to risk it, refused to take a chance that he would come rushing in trying to save her like he always did. Looking at her screen saver, a picture of Sam as he slept, she smiled and prepared for the challenge before her.

  When Haley walked into the DAs office, she was surprised to be seen so quickly. She was equally surprised to discover that she wasn’t nearly as nervous as she expected to be.

  “Can I get you something to drink?” The DA asked as they sat around the conference table in her office.

  “Water would be nice,” Haley said. She had a tendency to get cottonmouth when she was nervous.

  A bottled water was brought to her. And the conversation started. It was pretty much what was expected.

  “Now, Miss Daniels, you are aware that this isn’t really the order of things, correct?” The woman leaned back in her chair, laced her fingers in her lap and waited to see what the response was going to be.

  “Yes, I am aware of that. I’m also aware that after I bring charges against a person, the police then have to see if you are going to prosecute the case. And in this situation, I thought that I should skip right to the top. If you believe we have a case after we talk, I’m sure you can have an officer come here to take my statement, don’t you think?” It was Haley’s turn to lean back calmly in her seat. It was practically a game, but at least the game was one that Haley knew how to win. He who speaks first loses. She had nowhere to be. She could stay there all day with her water and a mask of serenity that she had cultivated covering her face.

  The DA studied her a moment. She saw a woman that was educated, intelligent, and best of all confident. She could be an unflappable witness for the prosecution. Slowly, deliberately, she leaned forward and picked up a pen. “Okay, let’s see what you have.”

  The conversation lasted several hours. They went over the medical records that Haley had with her. They went over the statement that she had written out the day before. And as she had anticipated, a detective was asked to come and take her official statement. There were questions galore…all of which she had anticipated. Why had she waited so long to come forward? Were there any witnesses that could be called? What was her motivation for coming forward now?

  “Simple,” Haley said in a voice that never wavered. “I’m tired of hiding. I’m ready to reclaim my life. And…” She took a deep steadying breath. “I’m certain that Chase has tried to silence me. Only instead of hitting me with the car, he hit the man who pushed me out of the way. A friend. The brother of my employer. And I hope, since that friend lost a month of his life while in a coma and now is only walking with the assistance of a cane, and may never fully recover…well, I hope he can be prosecuted for that in New York as well.” She rubbed her hands together for a moment. The fear had chilled them. “I don’t want to live in fear any more. That means facing my attacker in court.”

  Haley exhaled and leaned back. She surveyed the room for an indication of how persuasive she had been. Based on their faces and their body language, she was confident that there would be a case and that Chase would have to answer for all of his actions.

  “This is going to be tricky,” the DA said honestly. “Your attacker comes from a powerful family. No doubt that played a part in your hesitation to prosecute from the beginning?”

  Haley nodded.

  “Still, I feel confident the case is solid. We’ll invite him in for questioning. We’ll subpoena his DNA. And we’ll make sure he’s punished for what he’s done to you.” The DA stood to show that the meeting had concluded.

  Haley stuck out her hand to shake. “Thank you for listening. Can I just tell you how much I appreciate your efforts in advance?”

  She left the DAs office feeling like a heavy burden had been lifted. In a perfect world she’d have Sam to share this moment with. He would have given her reassuring squeezes during the meeting with the DA. He would have hugged her tightly after they were all done. And he would have wanted tonight to be special to take her mind off of everything. All she wanted was to talk to him, to apologize for her part in Adam’s injuries. And she couldn’t do it yet. Soon. Not tonight, but very soon.

  Staring out the window of his office, Sam was struggling to concentrate on anything other than where Haley might be. He was so lost in thought that he didn’t even hear Jake enter the office. He didn’t hear Jake walk right up to the desk. And he didn’t hear Jake sit down in the chair across from him and plop his feet up on the desk. It wasn’t until he cleared his throat loudly and then addressed Sam directly that his presence was acknowledged.

  “Jake,” he said, quietly and without an ounce of interest. He didn’t even maintain eye contact. Instead, his attention was drawn once more to the dull gray day, the colorless city, the dim lights still on despite the time of day. How appropriate that there would be no sunshine now that Haley appeared to have left his life.

  “Where’s Haley?” Jake asked. And for that question alone he received a glare. “Okay, sorry I asked. I didn’t know anything was up.” It seemed like an innocent enough question. At the time. He imagined he would hear that she was running an errand or had an appointment. “Is there anything I can do?”

  “No, Jake. There’s nothing anyone can do. Even me.” He sighed and leaned back in his chair. He stared at his old friend angrily. Maybe he was losing his touch. He used to be able to clear a room with a glance. Now, no one could take a hint. No one seemed to be paying attention
to him at all…especially Haley.

  Giving his friend a hesitant smile, he said, “Seriously, did you forget who you’re speaking to. Why, I’m Jake Ryan, private investigator extraordinaire.” He gave Sam a toothy grin.

  “How can I forget?” Sam asked sadly. “It was because of you, Jake Ryan, PI extraordinaire, that she’s gone. You had to leave a business card in Philadelphia. You had to break into her apartment and find that medical file. Why can’t you just use a computer and a phone like the rest of the investigators do? Oh, never mind. It was that last text message that was the nail in my coffin.” He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

  Jake sat there in silence for a moment. “What if I find her for you? I bet I could. I could find her and then you could make up. There.” And he folded his hands behind his head as though the discussion was settled.

  Truth be told, Sam was tempted. He wanted Haley home with him, and at work with him, and sharing a bed with him, and building a life with him…forever. But instead of acting impulsively like he had for so long, he decided to consider the ramification of his actions. And there it was. He had to be patient. He had to give her a chance to come home. They would have to work through this together, without external interference no matter how good the intentions.

  Shaking his head, he finally spoke. “No. Having you investigate her is what started all of this to begin with. Did you know that the Chinese definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results?”

  “I had no idea.” He gave Sam a blank look. “I’m sorry. You lost me.”

  Sam let out a hollow laugh. “If I keep doing the same thing…having you investigate…and expecting a different result…like a happy ending with Haley, then I must be crazy. It’s been a rough few years, but I don’t think I’m crazy yet.” He sighed. “I’m going to try a different approach. I’m not going to do anything. I’m going to try being patient.”

  When he said it, he meant it, but the longer the week dragged on, the more his emotions were all over the board. Sam was flying through the many stages of grief and then back again. He was in denial that she was gone, determined that Haley was coming back. Then he hated her for leaving him. Moments later, he was worried about her. And finally he spent a lot of time dealing with the guilt, the self-blame, and bargaining. Sam’s business side was constantly bargaining.

  The week went by in a blur for Haley, yet still the wheels of justice felt as though they were turning so slowly. In her mind, Chase should be arrested and sentenced already. She had talked to the DA about the options. Would there be a trial? Would there be a deal offered? Had she talked to the DA in New York?

  The longer she had to think, the more questions that she came up with. There was one that had been burning in the back of her mind from the beginning. Without thinking, she finally blurted it out in a phone call. “When can I go home?”

  And the DA responded. “This could take some time. We will invite Chase in for questioning, take a DNA sample, and then have to wait for it to come back from the lab before we can arrest him. You must have a life to go back to. You spoke of friends. I’ll keep your cell number and be in touch.”

  Just like that she was free to go. Of course, the question became, where would she go? Her apartment was a six month sublease. And that period had expired. She could have renewed, but instead she was busy caring for Sam while Adam was in the hospital. She sighed. Sam still had all the rest of her clothes and personal belongings. She could go there…but given the circumstances, that might be a bit presumptuous. What if he was angry and didn’t want to see her? She couldn’t just show up like that, even if she had made her exit just as quickly. Well, it was something to sleep on. It was later in the day than she wanted to leave. She knew the train would be crowded with commuters. And quite frankly, she needed a little more time to mentally prepare for her return. So, she picked up some take out and went back to her hotel room to pack and prepare.

  Chase was still in his office when he received the call from his father. Though he looked at the Caller ID and contemplated not answering it, he finally broke down. Ever since he had returned from that last trip to New York he had been trying to figure out how to fix things. The car repair was easy enough. No, he couldn’t seem to figure out how to fix Haley, let alone how to get to her. And the one time he was close he let his temper and emotions take over. She had walked away virtually unscathed, the lucky bitch.

  “Father,” he said seriously when he answered the phone. “What can I do for you?”

  “Run, Chase,” his father began seriously and deliberately. “You’re going to have to run.”

  Fear gripped him. Somehow, his father knew. “What do you mean?” He had a white knuckle grip on the phone and he was quickly breaking into a cold sweat.

  “A friend in the department called. You are going to be invited to the police station to answer to a rape charge. They will take DNA. I want to believe you are innocent, but son, if there is even a chance that this girl has something on you, I want you to run.” His father waited for a response. It never came.

  Chase was frozen in shock. What would he do? Run. It sounded simple, but why should he have to run? So he had sex with Haley. By now, she’d probably been with a bunch of guys. And he had a life. He had political aspirations. Okay, they were his father’s aspirations for him, but it didn’t matter. He still wanted to make his father proud.

  “I can’t stand the thought of you being locked up. We’ll find you a nice warm climate and a place with no extradition treaty with the US government.” His father seemed to have this all worked out. “We’ll have you fly out of Philly tonight.”

  Suddenly Chase understood. He had one chance left. This time he wasn’t going to blow it. “Not Philly. I’ll come home and get some things. Fly me out of La Guardia.” The conversation ended. He left the office early, heading home complaining of intestinal issues. No one questioned him.

  When he arrived home, he was shocked to discover that his father already had bags waiting at the door for him. “I took the liberty of having the maid pack you a few things. I told her you had a business trip. It’s not untrue. You do have a lot of business to accomplish. Let’s talk.” And with that he brought Chase into the study so they could discuss the next twenty-four hours.

  Apparently, Chase would take the train to New York. He had a meeting with a gentleman about a passport and fake identification. It wouldn’t be ready until the next morning. He would be staying in the suite they kept for important clients in New York. And with all of his arrangements nearly settled, his father asked one last question.

  “Where would you like to go?” He handed him a list.

  Chase was about to ask what the list was, but soon saw that it was labeled as ‘Countries with No US Extradition.” And he simply looked at his father for a moment. “Is this something you have kept on hand?”

  “Of course not!” His father snapped. “I only just printed it out. And don’t tell me. I don’t want to know. I can’t be accused of lying for you. Read the rest and then we’ll say our goodbyes.”

  “Mother?” Chase asked quietly.

  “Let’s keep her out of this. You’ll break her heart.” And with that, his father shook his hand and exited the room. And Chase took his bags, left his car and his cell phone and headed to the train station. In thirty-six hours, he would be headed to Maldives.

  Haley spent the entire train ride back to New York thinking and in the end she decided to give herself the complete do-over. She went back to where it all began. Taking just a short cab ride, she ended up in front of Ellen’s house. With a smile on her face and a certainty in her stride, she walked confidently to the door and knocked. This time she wasn’t showing up battered and broken, but strong and confident. It was a good look for her.

  “Ohmygawd! You’re here!” Ellen squealed. “I swear, I thought I’d never see you again. What happened? Tell me everything.”

  And just like that she was ush
ered into the house, handed a drooling baby, and offered a cup of hot tea. It really was just about the most perfect welcome she could imagine. Because of it, she didn’t hesitate to ask her favor.

  “I still haven’t spoken to Sam,” Haley began. “He has all the rest of my clothes and possessions, but on the off chance that he doesn’t want to see me or refuses to let me stay with him, could I stay with you for the night? I’ll make other arrangements in the morning, but tonight…”

  “You can stay as long as you need to, Haley,” Ellen said. “You are family. Do you think I’d leave Abigail to just anyone?”

  It was late afternoon by the time Haley left Ellen’s. She decided to leave her new suitcase filled with the beginnings of her new fitted wardrobe there. One way or another, she would get them back soon. The taxi pulled up and she waved to Ellen and Abigail just before she sat in the back seat. And before she could change her mind, she told the driver the address of the agency.

  Soon enough she was there. And it was all rushing back to her…the way her life had evolved, how all her healing had started right here. Sure, the bruises had healed long before she started, but it was the damage that was invisible to the eye that took longest to recover from. In the elevator, she had only made it up a few floors before Jake Ryan joined her. He looked at her in surprise, taken completely off guard.