Nowhere to Run (7 page)

“Almost. One more peek in the trunk and I'll be done.”

“Well, hurry it up. I'm about to get soaked standing out here.”

“You don't have to snap at me.”

Although his reply was muffled as she ducked back beneath the tarp, she was certain it was gruff.

Terrific.
She made a face. It wasn't that she didn't want Seth to take her plight seriously; it was just that she didn't need him or anyone else ordering her around. She had enough problems without adding a taciturn stranger to the mix.

But he wasn't really a stranger, was he? She'd only known him for a couple of days, yet he was already such a necessary element of her life that she didn't know what she'd do if she couldn't rely on his expert assistance.

Except for the increasing wind and thunder, the country night was quiet, especially when compared with the constant city background noise she was used to in Baton Rouge. Here the air smelled fresh and there were no sirens, no constant drone of traffic, no shouts or shots in the distance to spoil the ambience.

Consequently, when she heard a sharp, yipping bark, Marie froze and took notice. She closed the trunk with a soft slam and peeked out from under the tarp. The instant her gaze locked with Seth's, she knew the bark had to have been Babe's.

Seth laid a finger against his lips and shook his head when she opened her mouth to speak. “Shush.”

Moving slowly, deliberately, he lowered the grocery sacks to the pavement and stepped away from them as their handles fluttered in the wind. When Marie started to follow him, he used his arm to block her. “No. Stay here.”

“In a pig's eye.” She had expected an argument. Instead, all she got was a momentary look of irritation before Seth turned away and headed toward the rear of the garage at a trot.

By this time, Babe was starting to sound really upset. Her bark had deepened and become louder, more frequent.

Marie was already so nervous she could hardly breathe, hardly make her wobbly legs work well enough to race after Seth. She never should have let him talk her into leaving Patty with the dog, not even for a few short minutes, she thought, panicking.
Never.
How could she have agreed to such a stupid plan? What kind of mother was she?

A frightened, lost one,
she answered, using up her last shred of confidence and self-control as tears filled her eyes and clouded her vision.

All she could do was cry out to God in her mind. Beg Him to help her, to help them all. Her body might not be on her knees before the Lord, but her heart certainly was. That would have to be good enough.

“Oh, please, oh, please, oh, please,” she mouthed, barely speaking. This couldn't be happening. Not after all she'd done to escape.

As she passed the corner of the building, she saw Seth whip around the far side of the truck, shout, and dive out of sight.

Patty screamed.

Marie's heart was in her throat. The child was right where she'd left her, but it took Marie's mind an instant to process that critical fact.

“Patty!” she shouted, jerking open the passenger door.

“Mama.” The frantic little girl held out her arms to her mother and Marie swept her up an a tight embrace as a gust of wind slammed the truck door with a bang.

Patty's arms gripped her neck. “Mama. Babe's gone. I tried to stop her but…” She began to sob inconsolably.

“It's okay, honey. It's okay,” Marie said. “Where did she go?”

Pointing to the opposite side of the truck, Patty was crying too much to speak.

Still holding her child close and shielding her with her own torso, Marie edged around the old pickup.

There was nothing there. Not only was the dog missing, but also so was Seth. That was the last place Marie had seen him, just before he'd yelled and made a leap for someone or something. Now he'd disappeared. And so had Babe.

She froze, straining to listen. A dog was barking in the distance, but, even allowing for the distortion of the wind, it sounded much too far away to possibly be the border collie.

There were no lights nearby except those illuminating the used-car lot, and there was no sign of movement in that direction other than the fluttering of the rows of multicolored plastic triangles strung high from pole to pole to attract the attention of prospective customers.

Glancing at the stormy heavens, Marie watched the flashes behind the rapidly moving clouds and felt a few huge drops hit her face as she sent up another wordless prayer. Where was Seth? Would he just run off and leave her if he could help it? Of course not. Either something had drawn him away or he'd been forcibly taken the same way Roy had been. Neither notion was acceptable.

More important, she couldn't simply stand there, exposed and vulnerable, and continue to make herself an easy target for both her enemies and the lightning, which was now illuminating the entire sky.

But what could she do? Where could she go? It was at least half a mile to their motel, and if they tried to walk to their room, they'd be totally defenseless and probably also get soaked before they arrived.

At her wit's end, Marie held Patty close and looked around again, hoping for ideas. Seth's pickup. Her refuge was right under her nose! She'd climb into that truck with Patty, lock the doors, hunker down and wait for Seth and Babe to return.

Satisfied that she'd chosen the only logical course of action, she grasped the nearest door handle.

It didn't budge.

Neither did the one on the other side.

In all the confusion, both doors had somehow gotten locked!

A
l was wiry and agile, but he was running out of steam by the time he reached the car where his two partners waited. He dove into the backseat, then quickly slammed the door.

Frank was behind the wheel. Startled, he jumped and swiveled his thick neck. “Did you check out that blue car? Is it them?”

“I think so,” Al answered, looking from Frank to Earl. “I was about to get a closer look when the guy that works there showed up.”

Earl's already furrowed brow squeezed tighter, and he peered at Al through thick glasses. “At this time of night? In this rotten weather? Why?”

“Beats me. But he had a woman and a kid with him.”

It was Frank's turn again. “Roy's woman?”

“Couldn't tell. And don't you two go gangin' up on me. I was about to grab the kid, just in case, but when I opened the door to his truck, a stupid dog almost took my arm off.”

“So, what now?”

“Floor it and let's get out of here,” Al said, still breathless. “The guy from the garage was on my tail till I crossed the street and lost him.”

“Then what's the hurry? We can just wait till he gives up, then go back to check that car the way you should have in the first place,” Frank said.

“Not if that lousy dog has managed to track me.” Al raised up enough to peek through the rain-streaked window. “We know where the car is. If it does belong to the Parnell woman, it's not going anywhere. I saw to that when I fouled her gas tank.”

He suddenly ducked. “They're coming this way. I saw the dog. Just floor it, will you, before this turns into an even bigger mess than it already is.”

 

Seth and Babe had pursued the fleeing man as far as Hickory Station, where the dog had lost his trail. Though she'd circled, nose to the now damp pavement, she'd returned to Seth looking totally befuddled.

“It's okay, girl,” he said, slapping his thigh to draw her closer. “Come on. We'd better get back to Marie and Patty. They're probably frantic by now, and I'm not looking forward to getting any wetter, either.”

He had realized, as he'd chased the prowler through the night, that he might very well be on a wild-goose chase. If he hadn't seen that strange man trying to get into his truck, he might have been more in doubt. As it was, he was virtually certain that the individual he was pursuing had been after the child. Babe certainly thought so. The mild-mannered border collie had never sounded that angry and protective in all the time he'd owned her. If Babe believed that the prowler was someone to distrust and fear, that was good enough for Seth.

He started to jog back to the garage, Babe at his heels. As he approached, he slowed and scanned the shadows while his dog circled, clearly searching as well. Large raindrops were now falling in far greater numbers, and Seth knew it would soon pour, probably spoiling any trail his dog might otherwise find.

“Marie?” he called over the whistling wind. “Marie? Patty?”

There was no answer. Seth peered into his truck, hoping he'd find them huddled there, together. It was empty.

As soon as he tried the handle of the driver's door, he realized that someone had accidentally locked it! Could he have instinctively done so to safeguard the child after Babe had taken off? He didn't remember doing that but anything was possible.

Muttering, he started around to the front of the garage. “Marie? Marie, honey, it's me,” he called, not wanting to actually shout. “Where are you?”

Still, there was no reply. The hair on Seth's neck and arms prickled as water began to collect and drip off the brim of his cap. He shivered. He prayed. His fists clenched. Could she have headed back to the motel? He supposed it was possible, but he didn't think she'd have chanced it. Not all alone and on foot. And certainly not when they were facing an impending downpour. So where could she have gone? More important, were she and Patty safe?

He paused, watching his dog continue to sniff the area. Since he and Marie had been right there only minutes before, it was natural for Babe to have picked up their trail.

The dog stopped next to the hidden car and began to whine.

“I know, girl,” he whispered, settling her with a pat on the head. “We were here. What I need to know is where Marie and Patty are now.”

Babe took a tentative step and stuck her nose beneath the fluttering edge of the tarp. Seth's heart leaped. Was it possible that they had taken refuge in the car? It made perfect sense to him, but was Marie that rational under fire? He sure hoped so.

Slowly, methodically, Seth scanned the street below the garage's front lot to be certain it was safe before he did anything else. No one seemed to be paying the slightest attention to him or to the repair business. The few cars and trucks that were still over at Hickory Station were half a block away, and those that were passing on the two-lane highway were traveling too fast to be able to see anything well, especially through the rain and in the dark.

He noticed that his hand was shaking as he reached for the edge of the tarp, unsure of what he might discover. Painful visions of finding Alice's body flashed into his mind.

No. Dear, God, no,
he thought. His heart clenched. His mouth felt as though it had been stuffed with the same kind of dry, dusty sawdust he'd found in Marie's gas tank.

He decided to chance another softly spoken query; he bent and lifted the side of the tarp as he said, “Marie?”

The car door burst open, hitting his shoulder and momentarily knocking him off-balance. He staggered and braced himself. Before he could blink, Marie was in his arms and clinging to him as if she were drowning and he was her life preserver.

Seth embraced her in return, patting her shoulder and soothing her with his voice. “Easy. I've got you. It's over.”

“No, it's not,” she said with a shuddering sob as she reached down and drew Patty into the group hug. “It'll never be over. We'll never be safe again.”

 

What Seth would have liked to have done was take Marie and her little girl to his pastor, Logan Malloy, tell him everything and ask for advice. He knew that Logan had been involved in law enforcement back in Chicago, before he'd become a clergyman, which meant Marie would be in good hands.

However, there was now Logan's family's safety to consider. Seth didn't want to do anything that might endanger Becky or little Timmy, nor was he willing to unburden his own soul to the pastor. Someday he would. But this was definitely not the time for unnecessary confessions. Logan was an honorable man, and if he knew that Seth was a fugitive, guilty or not, he'd probably feel honor bound to act. The same went for Marie's trouble with the law.

So, what could Seth do? Deliver her back to the motel? That didn't seem wise, yet he couldn't see what other course was available to them. He certainly wasn't going to suggest they go home with him and have Marie think he was making an indecent proposal. She'd made it clear what kind of woman she was, and he respected her for her high moral principles.

He eased away from her, gathered up the plastic shopping bags they'd dropped and began to shepherd everyone toward his truck while Babe circled the group, tail wagging.

“Let's get out of this rain and talk,” Seth said, unlocking the door and helping with Patty before handing Marie the sacks containing their meager possessions.

He circled the truck and slid behind the wheel. “So, do you want to go back to the motel?”

“I don't know what else we can do.” Marie shivered. “Is there any place else around here where we can stay?”

“Not another motel, no. I did think of asking Pastor Malloy to take you in but…”

Marie's head snapped around. “No. Absolutely not. I'm not going to involve that nice woman and her family in my problems. Period. Understand?”

“Perfectly. Would you care to tell me what kind of problems you're talking about?”

“Not really.”

“I think you should reconsider,” Seth urged. “Whoever bothered us tonight is probably part of the overall situation. The more I know, the better I'll be able to counter their moves.”

Pausing, she scowled at him. “Who
are
you?”

“Just an ol' country boy trying to be a gentleman.”

“Phooey. First of all, you haven't lived here in Serenity for very long. And second, nobody seems to know anything about your past, so don't give me that
aw-shucks
act.”

“My, my,” he said, flashing a lopsided smile. “You've been poking into my business, haven't you?”

“Just curious to find out what makes you so protective.”

Seth sobered. “All right. I'll tell you a little about myself while we drive.” He eyed Patty. “Is it all right to talk in front of her?”

“Is it bad?” Marie asked.

When he nodded, she said, “Then wait till we get back to our room and I've put her to bed. We can sit right outside in the truck and talk afterwards.”

Agreeing, Seth peered through the sheets of driving rain as he took them up the road toward the motel. Once again, this woman had impressed him with her genuine concern for her child and her willingness to put Patty, and others, first. Given his background and experience, he knew that was not easy to do.

 

Marie kissed Patty good-night and tucked her into bed. “I'll be right outside, talking with Mr. Whitfield,” she assured her. “I'll leave the curtains open a little so you can see his truck.”

“Can I say my prayers before I go to sleep?”

“Of course. Do you want me to help you?”

The child shook her head sheepishly. “Don't be mad, okay? I'm gonna tell God I want to stay here and I don't want you to tell Him no.”

Marie was still grinning broadly when she eased out the door onto the narrow sidewalk that bordered the bank of rooms and made a dash for the warmth of Seth's truck.

He was waiting, as promised, leaning back with his arms raised and his fingers laced behind his head in a nonchalant pose.

“You look pleased,” he said, watching her hurriedly scoot onto the seat and slam the door. “Is Patty all right? I know she was pretty scared tonight.”

“We both were. She's fine now. She wanted me to leave so she could have privacy while she tries to convince God we're supposed to stay in Serenity.”

He huffed with evident derision and lowered his arms. “Where did she get that idea?”

“From being around your dog, I guess. She's always wanted a pet and with my working all the time, it just wasn't practical.”

“You're raising her by yourself?”

“Yes.” Chin up, she raked her damp hair back with her fingers and let her gaze meet his boldly, defiantly. “I was never married to her father.”

“I won't judge you for that or anything else,” Seth said.

She could see he was sincere. “Good. Now what was it you were going to tell me that we decided not to let Patty hear?”

“I forget.”

“Oh, no, you don't. You were about to explain why you're so protective.”

She folded her arms across her chest and sat sideways on the bench seat, one leg tucked beneath her, while the rain smacked against the outside of the truck and sheeted over the windows. In the illumination from the motel lights, the drops sparkled like thousands of falling stars.

When Seth didn't speak right away she added, “Go ahead. Talk. I'm all ears.”

She could sense his capitulation by the shrug of his broad shoulders and the slow, steady nod of his head.

“All right,” Seth finally began. “Once, a long time ago, I came home and found my wife lying dead on the kitchen floor. She'd been murdered.”

Marie's jaw dropped. Although she'd imagined many possible scenarios, the murder of the poor man's wife had not been one of them. Not even close.

She reached out to him, gently patted his forearm through his jacket, and left her hand resting there to offer ongoing comfort. “I'm so sorry.”

“It was a long time ago. But you can see why I'd be extra nervous about your problems, can't you?”

“In a way, maybe.” She withdrew her hand and folded her arms once again. “I just don't understand how you got so good at all this clandestine stuff. Hanging around with you feels like I've been dropped into a spy movie, only I came in at the middle and have no idea why things are happening or who is who.”

She began to grin in spite of the seriousness of the situation. “Come to think of it, my whole life is starting to feel like that.” Lightning flashed bright and thunder immediately rattled the truck windows, making her flinch. “Complete with really scary sound effects.”

“Then maybe it's time you told me a little more. For instance, why Patty had such a strong fear reaction when I raised my voice to keep her from running out of the church ahead of us.”