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“Don’t tell your parents where we are and don’t let on that we’re coming. Tell them we’re hopping from one hotel to another,” he said as the phone rang.
She nodded.
“Jennie? Is that you?” Her mother sounded about like you’d expect. Desperate for news. Desperate to hear her daughter’s voice.
“Yeah, Mom, it’s me. Chad’s on the line, too.”
“Hi, Chad, honey. How are you guys?”
Chad would have smiled at the way Jennie’s mom greeted him as if he were just as important to her as Jennie was, but he needed to stay focused on getting Jennie in and out quickly.
“We’re great, Mom. We’re staying in hotels right now, but it’s not too bad,” Jennie said.
“We wanted to check in and see if you’ve seen anything unusual there. Has anyone been around that shouldn’t be? Anyone who seems out of place?” Chad asked.
“No,” Jennie’s mom said, “nothing unusual.”
“How about any houses for lease or rent on your block. Or any houses that are empty for renovations or anything like that?” Chad asked.
Jennie’s mother was quiet, as if she were thinking, before answering, “No.”
“Have you seen any workmen or a new mail carrier on your route? Telephone repair? Construction nearby?”
“No,” came the answer, the tension in her voice clear.
Chad nodded at Jennie and pulled off the road as she finished her conversation with her mom. They talked for a few minutes before ending the call quite close to her parents’ house.
When they pulled into the driveway in the early evening, he took out a new cell phone and texted Agent Burke to arrange for Burke to take Jennie’s statement the following day.
He texted her parents’ address and told Burke to have an agent come there for the statement. He said he would keep her there for twenty-four hours only before they moved on so if Burke wanted his statement, he needed to get there in that timeframe. Chad wanted to control things as much as possible.
Jack would have lawyers on standby if Burke tried to force Chad’s hand and keep Jennie in the area.
Jennie’s parents came out of the house and enveloped her in tears and hugs. He could see their disappointment when she told them the visit would only be for a day and then she and Chad would go back into hiding. They tried to be upbeat about it, but the strain of the situation was clear in the tightness of their features.
Chad shook hands with Jennie’s father, Phil, and hugged her mother, Barb. He had met them once before at Kelly and Jack’s wedding and knew they were the type of people that immediately welcomed friends as if they were family.
“We’re going over to the Evans’ house for a barbeque in a few minutes. They’ll be thrilled to see you,” said Jennie’s mom.
It struck Chad then that Jennie’s last name—Evans—was her married name. He’d never really thought about it before, but of course she still went by it.
The front door of the house on the left opened then and Chad assumed the man and woman drawing Jennie into more hugs were Kyle’s parents. He nodded politely when they were introduced as Annie and Brian Evans.
When they all settled into the Evans’ backyard, drinks in hand, burgers on the grill, Chad could almost pretend things were normal. But they weren’t.
He saw the second when Jennie’s mother noticed the changes in her daughter’s body and turned an uneasy look toward Chad. Jennie wasn’t really showing yet, but maybe mothers somehow know these things about their daughters. Her waist was ever so slightly thicker than it had been and her breasts were bigger, but you couldn’t tell very easily with the shirt she had on.
Chad ducked his head against her mother’s look. Jennie would have to be the one to tell her this news. It wasn’t his place.
They gathered inside, in a casual dining room, for dinner. When the plates had been filled with burgers, coleslaw, potato salad, and corn, Chad saw Jennie fight back nausea as she eyed her plate.
He knew perfectly well she couldn’t eat this food. He didn’t know how she planned to fake it. He got up and went to his duffle bag by the door and returned with two baby food pouches. He handed them to Jennie without a word, despite the four questioning gazes that jumped between him and Jennie.
He knew he wasn’t being very subtle about her inability to eat real food, but he wasn’t in the mood for games. She needed to tell her parents the truth. Besides, a few more minutes trying to pretend she could eat that food and she’d be running to the bathroom. Trying to slip her the food pouches unseen somehow would just be futile.
“Thank you,” Jennie murmured and opened one pouch to eat it. Chad removed her plate, putting it aside so the smell of the burger wouldn’t make her sick. The medicine the doctor had given her helped a lot, but Jennie was still overly sensitive to strong smells.
“All right,” Jennie’s mother said, tossing her napkin on the table and standing up. “What’s going on, Jennie? Chad?”
