The Winner

by David Baldacci

  the rest room. It felt a lot better. She went to the ticket counter to purchase her train ticket to New York. And that’s when LuAnn made a big mistake.

  “Name, please,” the agent said.

  LuAnn was fiddling with a fussing Lisa and thus answered automatically, “LuAnn Tyler.” She caught her breath as soon as she said it. She looked at the clerk, who was busily typing the information into her computer. LuAnn couldn’t change it now. That would obviously make the woman suspicious. She swallowed hard and hoped to God the slip would not come back to haunt her. The woman recommended the Deluxe sleeping car accommodations since LuAnn was traveling with a baby. “There’s one available and it has a private shower and all,” the woman said. LuAnn quickly agreed. While the ticket was being processed, the sales agent raised an eyebrow when LuAnn pulled some bills from under Lisa’s baby seat to pay for the ticket, stuffing the rest in her pocket.

  LuAnn observed the woman’s look, thought quickly, and smiled at her. “My rainy day money. Figured I might as well use it while the weather’s nice. Go up to New York and see the sights.”

  “Well, enjoy yourself,” the woman said, “but be careful. You shouldn’t be carrying a lot of cash up there. My husband and I made that mistake when we went years ago. We weren’t five minutes out of the train station when we got robbed. Had to call my mother to send us some money so we could come home.”

  “Thanks, I’ll be real careful.”

  The woman looked behind LuAnn. “Where’s your luggage?”

  “Oh, I like to travel light. Besides, we got family up there. Thanks again.” LuAnn turned and walked toward the departure area.

  The woman stared after her and then turned back and was startled by the person who had seemingly appeared from nowhere and was now standing in front of her window. The man in the dark leather jacket put his hands on the counter. “One-way ticket to New York City, please,” Anthony Romanello said politely and then stole a sideways glance in LuAnn’s direction. He had watched through the plate glass of the 7-Eleven as LuAnn had purchased her lottery ticket. Next, he had observed her make the phone call from the pay phone, although he had not risked getting close enough to overhear the conversation. The fact that she was now on her way to New York had piqued his curiosity to the maximum. He had many reasons for wanting to leave the area as quickly as possible, anyway. Even though his assignment was over, finding out what LuAnn Tyler was up to and why she was going to New York was just an added inducement. It was all the more convenient because he happened to live there. It could be she was simply running from the bodies in the trailer. Or it could be more. Much more. He took the train ticket and headed toward the platform.

  LuAnn stood well back from the tracks when the train came noisily into the station a bit behind schedule. With the aid of a conductor she found her compartment. The Deluxe Viewliner sleeping compartment had a lower bunk, an upper bunk, an armchair, sink, toilet, and private shower. Because of the lateness of the hour, and with LuAnn’s permission, the attendant changed the compartment to its sleeping configuration. After he was finished, LuAnn closed the door to the room, sat down in the armchair, pulled out a bottle, and started feeding Lisa as the train slid smoothly out of the station half an hour later. The train gathered speed and soon LuAnn was watching the countryside sail by through the two large picture windows. She finished feeding Lisa and cradled the little girl against her chest to burp her. That accomplished, LuAnn turned Lisa around and started playing with her, doing patty cake and singing songs, which the delighted little girl joined in on in her own unique fashion. They passed an hour or so playing together until Lisa finally grew tired and LuAnn put her in the baby carrier.

  LuAnn sat back and tried to relax. She had never been on a train before, and the gliding sensation and rhythmic click of the wheels was making her drowsy as well. It was hard to remember the last time she had slept, and she started to drift off. LuAnn awoke with a start several hours later. It must be nearly midnight, she thought. She suddenly recalled that she hadn’t eaten all day. It hadn’t seemed important with everything that had happened. She popped her head out the compartment door, spied an attendant, and asked if there was food on the train. The man looked a little surprised and glanced at his watch. “They made the last call for dinner several hours ago, ma’am. The dining car is closed now.”

  “Oh,” LuAnn said. It wouldn’t be the first time she had gone hungry. At least Lisa had eaten.

  However, when the man caught sight of Lisa and then looked at how tired LuAnn seemed, he smiled kindly and told her to wait just a bit. Twenty minutes later he came back with a tray loaded with food and even set it out for her, using the lower bunk as an impromptu table. LuAnn tipped him generously from her stash of funds. After he left, she devoured her meal. She wiped off her hands and reached carefully into her pocket and pulled out the lottery ticket. She looked over at Lisa; the little girl’s hands were gently swaying in her slumber, a smile played across the small features. Must be a nice dream, LuAnn thought, smiling at the precious sight.

  LuAnn’s features grew softer and she leaned down and spoke quietly into Lisa’s tiny ear. “Momma’s gonna be able to take care of you now, baby, like I should’ve been doing all along. The man says we can go anywhere, do anything.” She stroked Lisa’s chin and nuzzled her cheek with the back of her hand. “Where you wanta go, baby doll? You name it, we’ll go. How’s that sound? That sound good?”

  LuAnn locked the door and laid Lisa down on the bed, checking to make sure the straps on the baby seat were tight. LuAnn lay back on the bed and curled her body protectively around her daughter. While the train made its way to New York City, she stared out the window into the darkness, wondering mightily about what was going to come next.

  CHAPTER TEN

  The train had been delayed at several points along the route and it was nearly three-thirty in the afternoon when LuAnn and Lisa emerged into the frenzy of Penn Station. LuAnn had never seen this many people in one place in all her life. She looked around, dazed, as people and luggage flew past her like sprays of buckshot. She tightened her grip on Lisa’s carrier as the train ticket agent’s warning came back to her. Her arm was still throbbing painfully, but she figured she could still deck just about anybody who tried something. She looked down at Lisa. With so many interesting things going on around her, the little girl seemed ready to explode out of her seat. LuAnn moved slowly forward, not knowing how to get out of the place. She saw a sign for Madison Square Garden and vaguely recalled that several years ago she had watched a boxing match on TV that had been telecast from there. Jackson said someone would be here, but LuAnn couldn’t imagine how the person would find her in the middle of all this chaos.

  She jerked slightly as the man brushed against her. LuAnn looked up into dark brown eyes with a silvery mustache resting below the broad, flattened nose. For an instant LuAnn wondered if he was the man she had seen fighting at the Garden; however, she quickly realized that he was much too old, at least in his early fifties. He had the breadth of shoulders, flattened, crusty ears, and battered face, though, that marked the man as an ex-boxer.

  “Miss Tyler?” His voice was low but clear. “Mr. Jackson sent me to pick you up.”

  LuAnn nodded and put out her hand. “Call me LuAnn. What’s your name?”

  The man started for an instant. “That’s not really important. Please follow me, I have a car waiting.” He started to walk away.

  “I really like to know people’s names,” LuAnn said, without budging.

  He came back to her, looking slightly irritated, although somewhere in his features she thought she discerned the beginnings of a smile. “Okay, you can call me Charlie. How’s that?”

  “That’s fine, Charlie. I guess you work for Mr. Jackson. Do you use your real names with each other?”

  He didn’t answer as he led her toward the exit. “You want me to carry the little girl? That thing looks heavy.”

  “I’ve got it okay.” She winced as anothe
r stab of pain shot through her injured arm.

  “You sure?” he asked. He eyed her bandaged jaw. “You look like you’ve been in a fight.”

  She nodded. “I’m okay.”

  The pair exited the train station, moved past the line of people waiting in the cab stand, and Charlie opened the door of a stretch limo for LuAnn. She gawked for a minute at the luxurious vehicle before climbing in.

  Charlie sat across from her. LuAnn couldn’t help staring at the vehicle’s interior.

  “We’ll be at the hotel in about twenty minutes. You want something to eat or drink in the meantime? Train food sucks,” said Charlie.

  “I’ve had a lot worse, although I am kinda hungry. But I don’t want you to have to make a special stop.”

  He looked at her curiously. “We don’t have to stop.” He reached into the refrigerator and pulled out soda, beer, and some sandwiches and snack foods. He unlocked a section of the limo’s interior paneling and a table materialized. As LuAnn watched in astonishment, Charlie laid the food and drink out and completed the repast with a plate, silverware, and napkin, his big hands working quickly and methodically.

  “I knew you were bringing the baby, so I had the limo stocked with milk, bottles, and stuff like that. At the hotel they’ll have everything you need.”

  LuAnn made up a bottle for Lisa, cradled her against one arm, and fed her with one hand while she devoured a sandwich with the other.

  Charlie watched the tender way she handled her daughter. “She’s cute, what’s her name?”

  “Lisa, Lisa Marie. You know, after Elvis’s daughter.”

  “You look a little young to be a fan of the King.”

  “I wasn’t — I mean, I don’t really listen to that kind of music. But my momma did. She was a big fan. I did it for her.”

  “She appreciated it, I guess.”

  “I don’t know, I hope she does. She died before Lisa was born.”

  “Oh, sorry.” Charlie fell silent for a moment. “Well, what kind of music do you like?”

  “Classical. I really don’t know nothing about that kinda music. I just like the way it sounds. The way it makes me feel, sorta clean and graceful, like swimming in a lake somewhere up in the mountains, where you can see all the way to the bottom.”

  Charlie grinned. “I never thought about it that way. Jazz is my thing. I actually play a little horn myself. Outside of New Orleans, New York has some of the best jazz clubs around. Play until the sun comes up, too. A couple of them not too far from the hotel.”

  “Which hotel are we going to?” she asked.

  “Waldorf-Astoria. The Towers. You ever been to New York City?” Charlie took a swig of club soda and sat back against the seat, unbuttoning the front of his suit coat.

  LuAnn shook her head and swallowed a bite of sandwich. “I ain’t never really been anywhere.”

  Charlie chuckled softly. “Well then, the Big Apple is a helluva place to start.”

  “What’s the hotel like?”

  “It’s real nice. First-rate, especially the Towers. Now it’s not the Plaza, but then what is? Maybe you’ll be staying at the Plaza one day, who knows.” He laughed and wiped his mouth with a napkin. She noticed that his fingers were abnormally large and thick, the knuckles massive and knobby.

  LuAnn looked at him nervously as she finished her sandwich and took a sip of Coke. “Do you know why I’m here?”

  Charlie settled a keen gaze upon her. “Let’s just say I know enough not to ask too many questions. Let’s leave it at that.” He smiled curtly.

  “Have you ever met Mr. Jackson?”

  Charlie’s features grew grim. “Let’s just leave it alone, okay?”

  “Okay, just curious, is all.”

  “Well, you know what curiosity did to that old cat.” The dark eyes glittered briefly at LuAnn as the words rolled off his tongue. “Just stay cool, do what you’re told, and you and your kid have no problems, ever again. Sound good to you?”

  “Sounds good to me,” LuAnn said meekly, cradling Lisa closer to her hip.

  Right before they climbed out of the limo, Charlie pulled out a black leather trench coat and matching wide-brimmed hat and asked LuAnn to put them on. “For obvious reasons, we don’t want you to be observed right now. You can ditch the cowboy hat.”

  LuAnn put on the coat and hat, cinching the belt up tight.

  “I’ll check you in. Your suite is under the name of Linda Freeman, an American business executive with a London-based firm traveling with her daughter on a combination of business and pleasure.”

  “A business executive? I hope nobody asks me no questions.”

  “Don’t worry, nobody will.”

  “So that’s who I’m supposed to be? Linda Freeman?”

  “At least until the big event. Then you can go back to being LuAnn Tyler.”

  Do I have to? LuAnn wondered to herself.

  The suite Charlie escorted her to after he checked her in was on the thirty-second floor and was mammoth in size. It had a large sitting room and a separate bedroom. LuAnn looked around in wonderment at the elegant furnishings, and almost fell over when she saw the opulent bathroom.

  “You get to wear these robes?” She fingered the soft cotton.

  “You can have it if you want. For seventy-five bucks or so a pop that is,” Charlie replied.

  She walked over to the window and partially drew back the curtains. A goodly slice of the New York City skyline confronted her. The sky was overcast and it was already growing dark. “I ain’t never seen so many buildings in all my life. How in the world do people tell ’em apart? They all look the same to me.” She looked back at him.

  Charlie shook his head. “You know, you’re real funny. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were the biggest hick in the world.”

  LuAnn looked down. “I am the biggest hick in the world. At least the biggest one you’ll probably ever see.”

  He caught her look. “Hey, I didn’t mean anything by it. You grow up here, you get an attitude about things, you know what I mean?” He paused for a minute while he watched LuAnn go over and stroke Lisa’s face. “Look, here’s the refreshment bar,” he finally said. He showed her how it worked. Next, he opened the thick closet door. “Over here is the safe.” He indicated the heavy metal door inserted into the wall. He punched in a code and the cylinders whirled into place. “It’s a real good idea to keep your valuables in there.”

  “I don’t think I have anything worth putting in there.”

  “How about that lottery ticket?”

  LuAnn gulped, dug into her pocket, and produced the lottery ticket. “So you know that much, huh?”

  Charlie didn’t answer her. He took the ticket, barely glancing at it, before thrusting it in the safe. “Pick a combo — nothing obvious like birthdays or stuff like that. But choose something you’ll remember off the top of your head. You don’t want to be writing the numbers down anywhere. Got that?” He opened the safe again.

  LuAnn nodded, and input her own code and waited until the safe was in the lock mode before shutting the closet door.

  Charlie headed to the door. “I’ll be back tomorrow morning about nine. In the meantime, you get hungry or anything, just order up room service. Don’t let the waiter get a good look at your face, though. Put your hair up in a bun or wear the shower cap, like you’re about to jump in the tub. Open the door, sign the bill as Linda Freeman, and then go into the bedroom. Leave some tip money on the table. Here.” Charlie took a wad of bills from his pocket and handed them to her. “Generally, keep a low profile. Don’t go walking around the hotel or stuff like that.”

  “Don’t worry, I know I don’t sound like no executive person.” LuAnn pulled her hair out of her eyes and tried to sound flippant, although her low self-esteem was as plain as the hurt tones in Charlie’s response.

  “That’s not it, LuAnn. I didn’t mean . . .” He finally shrugged. “Look, I barely finished high school. I never went to college and I did okay for
myself. So neither one of us could pass as a Harvard grad, so who the hell cares?” He touched her lightly on the shoulder. “Get a good night’s sleep. When I come back tomorrow, we can go out and see some of the sights and you can talk your head off, how about that?”

  She brightened. “Going out would be nice.”

  “It’s supposed to be chilly tomorrow, so dress warmly.”

  LuAnn suddenly looked down at her wrinkled shirt and jeans. “Uh, these are all the clothes I have. I, uh, I left home kind of quick.” She looked embarrassed.

  Charlie said kindly, “That’s all right: No luggage, no problem.” He sized her up quickly. “What, you’re about five ten, right? Size eight?”

  LuAnn nodded and blushed slightly. “Maybe a little bigger on top than that.”

  Charlie’s eyes hovered over her chest area for a moment. “Right,” he said. “I’ll bring some clothes with me tomorrow. I’ll get some things for Lisa, too. I’ll need a little extra time though. I’ll be here around noon.”

  “I can take Lisa with us, right?”

  “Absolutely, the kid comes with us.”

  “Thanks, Charlie. I really appreciate it. I wouldn’t have the nerve to go out on my own. But I’m kind of itching to, if you know what I mean. I never seen a place this big in my whole life. I betcha there’s probably more people in this one hotel than in my whole hometown.”

  Charlie laughed. “Yeah, I guess being from here, I kind of take