RUNAWAY TWINS and RUNAWAY TWINS IN ALASKA: BOXED SET
Read RUNAWAY TWINS and RUNAWAY TWINS IN ALASKA: BOXED SET Online
Authors: Pete Palamountain
Pete Palamountain
Runaway Twins Bundle
RUNAWAY TWINS
and
RUNAWAY TWINS IN ALASKA
Books by Pete Palamountain
California Lady
California Retrial
California Blood
Egypt and the Turncoat Senator
Egypt and the Medal of Honor
Show Me Your Face
Runaway Twins
Runaway Twins in Alaska
The Dallas 1963 Stories
Copyright 2011 - 2014 Pete Palamountain
Runaway Twins & Runaway Twins in Alaska.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including but not limited to photocopying, electronic mail, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright holder. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Contents
RUNAWAY TWINS
With the help of a rebellious boy, twin girls flee a polygamous cult in mid-winter Montana
1
A Run for Freedom
Identical twins Rachel and Janie Lemon
were ready for their run to Sheba. They weren't certain if they could pull it off or even if their plans made sense, but they knew they must try. To wait for their thirteenth birthday was unthinkable. They were determined not to end up like their sister Mary, even if it meant bruises and broken bones or even death on one of the dark trails that led down the hill.
After the Lemon household was asleep, they slipped out the back door and began their venture. Because the late November air was windy and cold, and they were uncertain how long they would be subjected to the elements, they dressed in layers, with heavy pants and heavy coats. They were thankful there was no snow on the ground. Generally at this time of year, the Montana prairie was blanketed in snow that didn't melt until spring. They crept to a position behind the back corner of the chapel where they could watch the security forces as they made their rounds.
Janie whispered, "The guard should come around in a few minutes…then he'll disappear over the ridge if he's on schedule."
"The minute he steps behind the ridge, we start running," said Rachel, "and we don't stop until we get to the rocks about halfway down the hill."
"I know, Rachel. The rocks were my idea."
Rachel nodded. "Just making sure we're on the same page."
Janie pointed toward the west, "Look!"
The guard had made his appearance and was trudging across the horizon in the direction of the ridge. "Wait until his head is out of sight," Rachel said softly. The instant he was no longer visible, they sprang to their feet and darted down the hill. The gravel and dirt under their feet crunched loudly, but they continued on, knowing if the guard or someone else heard them, there was little that could be done. When they reached the safety of the rock outcropping, they dove beneath a long overhang and scrambled deeper into the crevice below.
"Made it…I guess," said Rachel.
"We'll know in a minute," Janie said breathlessly.
When there were no sounds for several minutes, they looked at each other in relief. "I thought we sounded like a herd of elephants going down the hill," said Janie. "I was sure the guard must've heard us."
"He's probably dreaming about all the wives he's going to get someday," said Rachel.
After another short interval they got to their feet and began their circuitous path down the mountain. When they reached the main road to Sheba they decided to walk behind the trees about a hundred feet to the side. If they stayed on the pavement, sooner or later someone might come along and see them, and it would be likely that whoever it was would belong to the Sheba Temple. And their fears proved correct, for soon they heard the low rumble of a large vehicle coming toward them from the direction of Sheba Hill. They scurried behind a thick oak tree and peered out to see the Sheba Hill Security Service's large black SUV rolling slowly down the hill. They pulled back behind the tree just as a powerful spotlight shone through the branches above them and on the ground on all sides of their hiding place.
"So soon?" Janie whispered. "They're after us so soon?"
"Maybe not us," said Rachel. "Maybe someone else is trying to get away…or maybe it's just a regular security patrol."
"Do you think Mom and Dad woke up and turned us in?" Janie asked. "Would they do that?"
"Dad would. Mom would probably just worry about us being gone."
"Someone else in our house?"
"No one else cares about us except the boys, and they're too little to know what's going on. Dad's other wives wouldn't bother with us."
The SUV moved on toward Sheba; and the girls slipped from behind the oak and hiked carefully along the side of the road, ready at any moment to dart back into the woods should the guards return. "They might patrol like this every night," said Rachel. "The Prophet and the elders are afraid of their shadows these days."
**
At the edge of town
Rachel reminded Janie that the temporary FBI offices were in the post office building and the best way to get there was to circle the business district while still among the trees and come out on the opposite side of town.
"The FBI office won't be open," Janie said.
"No, but the post office will. We can curl up inside in a corner somewhere until morning and then go upstairs."
As they exited the woods a few hundred feet from the post office, they were startled by the sudden reappearance of the SUV. It had reached the halfway point around the traffic circle and was now headed back toward Sheba Hill. Its spotlight was off, but its headlights lit the road and the surrounding area like the eyes of a huge black dragon. Without exchanging a word, the girls whirled around and raced back under cover. This time they remained concealed for fear the guards would activate the spotlight and search the woods.
"Don't stick your head out!" Rachel warned.
"Don't worry, I won't," said Janie.
After the sound of the SUV's engine faded in the distance, they stepped out and began to make their way toward the post office. The inside lights were on and the glass double doors were unlocked. Rachel entered first and Janie followed, after looking around to make certain no one was watching. They moved deeper into the building, hesitating in front of the notice board that contained federal information and photographs of wanted criminals.
"J.J. Flack's picture should be up there," said Janie.
"And all the elders, too," said Rachel.
A few feet beyond the board, Rachel stopped abruptly and said, "Wait a minute! What was that in the right-hand corner—above the mail fraud guy?" They focused on the small white announcement:
The temporary offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation have been closed. All operations have been transferred to Helena.
"Oh, no!" said Janie. "We're too late."
Rachel shook her head. "But we're not defeated. There are other outsiders here in town. Someone will help us. You'll see in the morning. We'll find the right people and we'll get away, Janie. I promise you we will."
"A foolish promise, dear," said a deep voice behind them. They turned to see Elder Biggars, their fat, red-faced, forty-eight-year-old prospective husband grinning triumphantly at them. "Hello, ladies."
"We're not ladies," said Rachel defiantly. "We're twelve-year-old girls."
"You'll soon be thirteen," Elder Biggars said with a cold smile.
2
Act of Desperation
"Our time's running out,"
said Janie. "We'll be thirteen in two months. We've got to try something else."
"They've tripled the guards on the roads and trails down to Sheba," said Rachel.
She was sitting on a cane-back chair in front of their dressing mirror. Janie was standing behind her brushing her sister's long blonde hair. Janie's hair was an identical color and also very long. Rachel was dressed in a gray flannel gown tied at the neck, and Janie was wearing flannel pajamas decorated with hundreds of little red hearts.