Nowhere to Run (2 page)

She had to step back and pull Patty close to allow the rowdy teens to squeeze by in the confining space of the entryway. When she looked back at the parking lot, she was relieved to note that the worrisome truck was slowly pulling away.

Her relief was short-lived. As the unmarked vehicle passed, the menace in the driver's piercing gaze gave Marie chills all the way to her toes.

 

Marie's car didn't begin to run badly until later that afternoon. At first it just stuttered and missed a few times. Then it began to falter as if it wasn't getting enough fuel.

Marie nursed the car into a filling station and garage off Highway 62. Was it was possible she was out of gas? She was trying to figure the distances in her head and make an educated guess when a tall, broad-shouldered man came toward her.

“That engine sounds like you have a problem,” he said amiably.

If he hadn't been wearing a baseball cap with a repair service logo on it and wiping black grease off his hands as he spoke, Marie might have been worried by his approach.

She nervously combed her fingers through her cinnamon-colored hair and tucked the longer side tresses behind her ears out of habit. “I don't know what's wrong with it. It was running fine until a little while ago.”

“You from around here?” the man asked.

She tensed. “Why?”

“Just wondered,” he said, still smiling. “Want me to have a look at it for you?”

“I don't know. I…”

“No charge,” he said. “I promise.”

Her eyes narrowed as she studied him, looking for hidden motives behind the magnanimous offer. Maybe the good Lord was looking out for her after all, she reasoned, feeling guilty for being so suspicious. If God chose to use this man to bless her, who was she to refuse or to doubt?

“I'm just being neighborly,” he said. “The name's Seth Whitfield.”

“Pleased to meet you. If you think you can tell anything about my car by looking, go for it. Just don't start taking things apart. I can't afford expensive repairs.”

“It's a deal.” He raised the hood, propped it up and leaned in.

Marie got Patty out of the car and stood with her in the shade of the service station bay while the man tinkered with her car. If she'd had the slightest warning that she'd need to make a cross-country trip she'd at least have had the car serviced first.

Penitent, she took a moment to thank God that she'd managed to escape the same fate that had befallen poor Roy. It seemed odd that she didn't feel much connection to him other than simple concern, but she supposed the intervening years of separation had deadened her emotions. Roy had chosen to continue his illegal activities in spite of her pleas for him to stop, and the last time she had tried to discuss it with him he'd gotten drunk and given her a brutal beating. That had been the final straw. She'd left him that night and never looked back.

Marie smiled down at her daughter. The child was her joy, her whole life, and she wasn't a bit sorry that she'd finally had the courage to distance herself from Roy. She was just sad that the little girl would grow up without the love of a decent father figure.

She sighed, remembering her own childhood. She'd managed to survive without the moral support of either parent and she'd turned out okay. Well, sort of, if you didn't count her unwise alliance with Roy when she was only seventeen. He had promised her the moon, and for a while she'd been able to fool herself into believing him, to put up with his terrible temper no matter how much he hurt her.

Patty's birth had changed everything. It had placed an innocent life in Marie's hands, and for the first time in her life she knew what it was like to really love and be loved. The realization that there could be so much more to living had been such a shock she could still hardly believe it.

And it was concern for her little girl's welfare that had drawn her into church, had brought her to acknowledge a faith she'd only glimpsed before circumstances had led her to make that choice. When she'd decided that Patty needed exposure to Sunday school, Marie had attended, too, and had found solace and acceptance there, as well as soul mates, when she'd finally turned to Christ.

Leaving her church family behind in Louisiana without so much as a goodbye had been hard for Marie. Those wonderful people cared about her, truly cared. And they would be so worried when they realized she had left town without a single parting word.

Sighing, Marie watched the mechanic move from side to side and tap on parts of her car's motor. She had no idea what was wrong, nor did she care. All that mattered was getting the car fixed and being on her way again.

If the man hadn't acted so friendly to begin with, she might have been put off by his rustic looks and grease-streaked clothing. She didn't expect a garage worker to wear a suit, of course, but the employees of the place where she went to have her oil changed dressed in neat coveralls. This man's tattered jeans and short-sleeved shirt looked anything but professional.

“Are you sure you know what you're doing?” she finally asked.

He straightened, grinning, and wiped his hands on an already dirty rag. “The boss thinks I do. But if you want to go on down the road, you're welcome to.”

“Do you think my car will make it very far?”

“Honestly? No. I suspect you got some dirty gas the last time you filled up. Where was that?”

She wanted to snap at him, to tell him it was none of his business, but she stifled the urge. He wasn't asking anything that a normal person wouldn't be glad to answer. Rather than admit that her trip was far from typical, she shrugged. “Beats me. I didn't pay much attention. We've just been kind of rambling across the country.”

“I see. I noticed the Louisiana plates and figured you were probably headed north.”

The license plates! She'd been so upset she hadn't thought of that. “I—I borrowed the car from a friend,” Marie alibied. “She lives down there. I'm actually from Texas.”

Her daughter tugged on her hand and looked up at her. “Mama? No, we're…”

“That's enough, Patty,” Marie said, purposely interrupting. “You and I will go get an ice cream while this man works on our car. How does that sound?”

“Chocolate,” the five-year-old said. “Two scoops.”

“Fine.” She turned back to the mechanic. “I'll trust you to do whatever the car needs, within reason. Can you have it running soon?”

“I can try,” Seth answered. He pointed. “There's a café on the square that has good food. And Hickory Station, about half a block that way, sells ice cream and snacks.”

“Thanks.”

Hesitant to leave her belongings unattended, Marie nevertheless grabbed her purse from the front seat and walked off. She figured it was best to get Patty away from the service station before the child revealed too much. She knew it was wrong to lie, let alone to ask an innocent child to do so, but in this situation she was certain the good Lord would forgive them. After all, He was the one who now had their lives in His hands, the one who had promised to look after His children.

Marie started to smile in spite of all her worries. If that rough-looking guy with the sandy-gray hair was supposed to be a Heaven-sent guardian in disguise, his masquerade was working. He surely didn't look the part.

He'd had nice eyes, though, she mused. Blue, like the summer sky, with tinges of gray to match his hair and little smile wrinkles at the outer corners. He didn't appear to be very old, but she supposed it was possible for a man to be turning gray in his thirties, which was roughly what she estimated his age to be.

Pausing and waiting for passing cars before crossing the peaceful, tree-lined street, she glanced back at the service station.

Instead of working on her car as he'd promised, the man was standing beside it with his hands fisted on his hips. His eyes were shaded by his ball cap, but she could tell he was looking directly at her.

She stared back at him. He didn't flinch. His intense, unwavering concentration gave her the shivers from her nape to her toes.

Grabbing Patty's hand, she half dragged the little girl as she hurried across the street. The sooner they were back on the road and heading for parts unknown, the happier she'd be.

The only question now was how she could either change cars or find another license plate that wouldn't reveal her origin. If she'd been a thief like Roy, she'd have simply stolen one. Being an honest person could be difficult at times, couldn't it?

She glanced Heavenward. “Father, how about leaving a discarded license plate along the road somewhere, huh? I know it's a lot to ask, but…”

“Mama?”

“Yes, honey?”

“Are you praying?”

“Yes, Patty,” Marie said with a nod. “I sure am.”

“Good,” the little girl answered, hurrying to keep pace with her mother's rapid strides, “'cause you lied and I don't want God to be mad at you.”

S
eth frowned. He had an uneasy feeling about that woman. Oh, she'd seemed innocent enough at first, but she'd definitely wanted to hide where she'd come from, so there was no telling what else about her story was false.

The real question was, why not tell the truth? Was she the stranded motorist she pretended to be, or was there a more sinister reason for her supposed breakdown? He hadn't thought his enemies would use a child to get to him, but that woman looked enough like his late wife to be her younger sister. Same light reddish-brown hair, same few freckles, same long lashes and beautiful brown eyes.

That uncanny resemblance gave him pause. If someone was trying to send him a message or make sure his real identity was exposed, what better way to do it than through a pretty woman pretending to be in distress?

He turned back to the car. If she was a planted informant and he let her go, there was no telling how long it would be before someone else followed. Perhaps someone more lethal. If he kept her in town for a few more days and checked her background, however, he'd have a better idea whether or not his real identity had been discovered.

It made sense to know his foes up front, he told himself. And it looked as if it wasn't going to be easy to repair the woman's car without disassembling the fuel system, so that would give him overnight, at least.

He slipped into the passenger's seat and popped open the glove box. The car was registered to a Marie Parnell. If the driver had actually borrowed this vehicle from a friend, that friend must be named Parnell. That, or the woman had fibbed about where she'd gotten the car.

Either way, it looked as if he'd offered to be a good Samaritan for a bald-faced liar. He just hoped he hadn't made a big, big mistake. Then again, it wouldn't be his first.

He huffed in self-disgust. One mistake had cost him dearly. He just wished he'd recognized the looming danger in time to have saved Alice's life. Perhaps, if he hadn't been so caught up in his work, he'd have realized that she was planning to file for divorce and he could have made the news public. Then, the men who were trying to frame him might have changed their minds about eliminating her.

Or, they might have gone ahead and killed her anyway so they'd have even more to blame him for, he argued. Corporate espionage could be just as dirty and just as deadly as covert government operations. In his case, he had been pegged as the fall guy because he'd been doing deep undercover work for Corp. Inc. and hadn't been able to prove his innocence. If he hadn't had friends who had warned him, he'd probably either be buried beside poor Alice or serving time for her murder, along with a conviction for corporate theft.

Seth shuddered at the thought, then turned back to the car he'd been working on. Reliving the past was counterproductive. As long as he kept his guard up and didn't let a good-looking woman like this car's driver get too close to him, he'd survive. At this point in his life, that was all he could ask for.

 

By the time Marie and Patty returned from their ice cream quest, Seth had put the compact car up on a rack in the garage and was poking around under it.

“What do you think?” Marie asked, holding tightly to her daughter's hand.

He shrugged as he continued to work. “Beats me. I disconnected a plugged fuel line, and it looked as if somebody had dumped sawdust into your gas tank. Did you tick someone off?”

“No, I…” The memory of the incident in the fast-food restaurant parking lot flashed into her mind. If anyone had been tampering with her car, she couldn't have seen the individual doing it because the van had blocked her view. And if that was where her gas tank had been fouled, that meant her instincts had been correct: she hadn't shaken her pursuers after all. The conclusion made her shiver in spite of the warmth of the afternoon.

Seth turned to look at her as he pushed a button that lowered the car to the ground. “What?”

“Nothing,” she said quickly. “Nothing. I have no idea who might have done such a thing.”

“Well, it won't be an easy fix. The fuel filter is inside your gas tank. That means I'll have to drain the gas and drop the tank in order to flush it out, clean the lines and change filters.”

“How long will that take?” She noted the lack of his usually warm smile.

“Depends. If I can pick up a new filter here in town, probably a day or two. If I have to wait for parts, maybe a week or more.”

“No. That's impossible. I can't stay here that long.”

“You don't really have much choice,” he said. “I'm good at my job, but if you don't let me replace the filter, I can't guarantee that you'll get very far.”

She peered past him at the quaint little town. “I don't even know where I am. Is this Missouri?”

“Not yet. You're about twenty miles shy of the border.” He pointed north. “Missouri's that way. This is Serenity, Arkansas.”

“Where can I rent a car?”

Seth laughed. “Here? Lady, you're lucky there's any place that can even repair your car, let alone rent you another one. I suppose if you've got enough money, you might be able to trade for a different vehicle down at Tony's sales lot.”

“I'd love to,” Marie replied. “Unfortunately, I'm not rich.” She gave a wry chuckle. “But I guess you figured that out from the car I'm driving.”

“Never can tell about folks around here,” Seth said. “Some of the people who look as if they can't even afford their next meal could buy and sell this garage and have change left over.”

“Are you the owner?”

“Nope. I just work here. You'll need a place to stay. We have a nice family motel close by. Maybe you noticed it when you drove past.”

“I'm afraid not. I was too concerned about the way my car was running. Or I should say,
not
running.”

“That makes sense. Look, I'll be glad to give you and your daughter a lift to the motel, as long as you have no objection to sharing the truck seat with a friendly dog.”

“A dog?”

Seth pointed toward the corner of the service bay where his black-and-white border collie was napping on an old blanket. “That's Babe. She never lets me out of her sight, and I wouldn't want her to get hurt trying to follow us on foot.” He smiled benevolently, easing Marie's mind.

She looked down and saw an eager expression on the little girl's face. “Patty loves animals. She's always asking for a pet. I'm sure she'd love to meet Babe. Wouldn't you, honey?”

“Yeah!”

“I thought so. All right. We'll accept a ride that far. And thanks.”

“You're welcome. Just give me a sec to tell the boss where I'm going. I'll be right back.”

Marie reached her free hand toward him, barely touching his sleeve to stop him. “One more thing,” she said soberly, quietly. “I need to ask a favor.”

“Sure. What?”

“If anyone should come by looking for us, promise me you won't tell them where we are?”

“Why not? What'd you do, rob a bank?”

She frowned. “That's not funny. Will you do as I ask, or not?”

“Of course,” Seth said with a casual shrug. “I don't even know your name so I can hardly blab all your secrets, can I?”

“It's Marie. Marie Smith. And this is Patty.”

“Pleased to meet you, ma'am. Pick out whatever luggage you'll need from your car and go wait by that green pickup truck over there. Babe and I'll join you in a minute.”

As he hurried away, Marie felt Patty's tug on her hand. When she looked down, she saw the child's lips pressed into a thin, thoughtful line. “What, honey?”

“You did it again, Mama.”

“I know I did. And I'm sorry to be setting such a bad example for you, but sometimes grown-ups have to make up stories.”

“Why?”

“To keep our wonderful children safe,” Marie said. “Someday, when you're older, I'll explain everything. I promise.”

“'Cause that man's a stranger?” Patty asked.

“That's right. He is a stranger. And you know how I've warned you not to talk to strangers.”

“But
you
talked to him.”

“Only because I had no other choice,” Marie said.

“I think he's nice. And his dog is real pretty,” the child said with a smile. “Maybe if I'm good, he'll let me play with her.”

“Don't count on it. We aren't going to stay here one minute longer than we absolutely have to. As soon as our car is running again, we're leaving.”

“Aw, Mama. I like it here.”

“Why?”

“I dunno. 'Cause everybody's friendly?”

As Marie scanned the almost deserted street, looking for evidence of another nemesis, she saw nothing but a peaceful place of safety. It was future hidden dangers that she knew she must fear. If she allowed herself to be lulled into unquestioning acceptance of the rural Ozark town and didn't remain alert, she'd be an easy target. And so would Patty. That must never happen.

 

The white truck cruised slowly along the stretch of highway that passed through Serenity. Its driver peered out the windshield. He didn't know what could have happened to the Parnell woman. He'd been so sure he'd find her car broken down along the road because of the way he'd doctored her fuel tank that he hadn't felt it was necessary to actually keep her in sight. Now it looked as if he'd miscalculated.

Not that he wouldn't eventually pick up her trail again, he told himself. He'd better. His partners did not take kindly to failure.

There was a lot more at stake here than just lives, too, he added. Roy had made off with enough money to make anybody drool. Even if he hadn't passed the cash to his old girlfriend for safekeeping, they figured to use the kid as a bargaining tool. Old Roy didn't have much that he cared about except his little girl. Once they got their hands on her, they knew he'd reveal where he'd hidden the ransom money.

The driver smiled to himself. And then they'd kill him. With pleasure.

 

Seth delivered his passengers to the redbrick, Hilltop Motel, followed them into the small, sparsely furnished lobby and lingered near the front desk to see if the woman produced a credit card. She didn't.

The clerk looked concerned. “I'm sorry, ma'am. We prefer you pay by charge card.”

“All I have is cash,” Marie said. “Surely, you don't mind taking real money.”

“Well, I don't know. Most people…”

Seth spoke up. “It's okay, Clarence. We have her car down at the station. She's not going anywhere till it's fixed. And I promise to give you time to count the towels before I let her leave town.”

“If you say so, that's good enough for me,” the clerk replied with a smile. He programmed a key card and handed it to Marie. “Your room is around back, by the pool. Ground floor. I trust that's satisfactory.”

She nodded and managed to return his grin. “That will be fine, thanks.”

“Can I hug the dog goodbye?” Patty asked her.

“That's up to Mr. Whitfield.”

“How about we both walk you to your door?” Seth suggested. “I need to deliver your suitcases for you, anyway.”

He could tell by the reluctance in the woman's movements that she wasn't keen on letting him help, so he gave her no options. As soon as they left the office, he whistled to his dog and swung the heavy bags out of the back of the truck.

Marie was crouching to join her daughter in petting the joyful border collie when she suddenly froze in that position.

Seth followed her line of sight to the street. There was nothing about the passing traffic that he saw as threatening, but the woman sure seemed to.

He paused. “Are you okay?”

“Fine. Fine,” she answered, grabbing the child's hand and hurrying her around the side of the motel building.

Babe bounded along beside her new playmate and Seth followed. As soon as Marie had unlocked the door, the dog ran into the room ahead of everyone, much to Patty's delight.

“Look, Mama! She wants to stay and play with me.”

“Well, she can't.” Marie practically yanked her bag from Seth's grip. “Thank you for your help.”

He bowed slightly and smiled, placing Patty's smaller suitcase at the foot of the closest bed before backing toward the open door. “My pleasure. C'mon, Babe. I think we've overstayed our welcome.”

When the door slammed behind him, he was certain he heard the deadbolt click into place, too. Something had sure spooked Marie, although he had no idea what.

Sauntering back to his truck, he motioned to the dog to jump in ahead of him, then scanned the street as he pulled out of the driveway. There were more pickups passing than there were cars, which was normal for a place like Serenity. A slow delivery van was partially blocking traffic halfway up the block. The driver was probably lost, which was not unusual either, since so many of the outlying streets were unmarked, dirt roads.