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***
Lindy Sheets had been busy. Tomorrow was go-day. Her bag was packed and she had everything lined up, including all of the identification she needed to cross the border and a rental car with Canadian license plates from Budget Rental.
Even though Boss had told her to get lost and he’d be in touch, she knew better. He would be looking for her, all right, and by now they would know she was running. The urge to sleep in her traveling clothes was so strong, she got sick to her stomach just thinking about closing her eyes.
The lights were off in her motel room, and she kept moving from the bed to the window long enough to peer through the curtain, then back again. Finally, she just threw up her hands, put on her coat, grabbed her purse and suitcase, and ran, leaving the room key on the bed. The door locked behind her as she headed toward her rental car. She threw the suitcase in the trunk, her purse in the seat beside her, and started the engine.
Moments later, she was pulling out of the motel parking lot into the ever-flowing traffic. She’d already signed in to Nexpress on her burner phone, so she was good to go as she headed for the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.
Traffic was heavy, but while it was beginning to snow, the weather didn’t faze her. She’d grown up in the North. What scared her were the people who would be looking for her. As soon as she reached the tunnel snow would not be an issue, and when she came out on the Windsor side, she’d be in Canada.
***
Danny Biggers was asleep in his cell when something banged against his door. His heart was hammering as he rolled out of bed and crouched down in the corner. Someone was in the corridor rattling keys.
Oh God. Oh shit. A guard. If they’ve sent a guard to do me, I’m a dead man.
And then another inmate yelled, “Shut the hell up out there.”
And then one by one, the men in the cells began banging, and cursing, and shouting, and Danny heard footsteps moving away.
He crawled back into his bed, then sat with his knees doubled up against his chest and his back against the wall and never took his eyes off the door.
By morning, there was only one thought in his head.
I am going to die here.
***
Rusty woke up to the sound of rain blowing against the windows and rolled over to see what time it was. Just after 5:00 a.m. She pulled the covers up over her shoulders and then lay there planning out her day.
If it quit raining, she intended to get her car and drive around Jubilee. She needed to get a feel for the way the town was laid out and check out Hotel Devon and Jack Barton’s campground before she hooked up with Cameron. On her own, she’d just be another tourist. But once people began seeing them together, the anonymity of being a stranger would be gone.
The rain ended before morning, leaving the sun to rise on a drippy landscape. But that didn’t deter Rusty. She was up, dressed, and making herself a cup of coffee in the kitchen when Ray walked in.
“Good morning, sweetheart. You’re an early bird,” he said, and gave her a quick hug.
Rusty resisted the urge to lay her head on his shoulder like she used to do with her dad, and smiled instead. “I am. I can’t wait to do a little sightseeing this morning and check everything out. Jubilee is an amazing place.”
“You should wake Liz. Make her go with you,” Ray said.
Rusty laughed. “I don’t think poking the bear is a good idea. Besides, this way I can dawdle to my heart’s content. I’ll write her and Aunt Pat a note and tell them where I’ve gone.”
Ray made himself some toast and coffee, and while he was checking the Dow, Rusty left a note and slipped out. She retrieved her car from valet parking and headed into town.
At the same time she was turning a corner on Main Street, Kevin Vanzant was leaving the campground on his way into Jubilee with his camera in the seat beside him. He had a full day of work ahead of him and no time to waste, because when the job ended here, so did his paycheck.
As usual, he first scoped out the areas in Jubilee with the heaviest foot traffic, but it was breakfast time, and most of the people on the streets now were going in and coming out of restaurants, so he parked on a side street and walked to the fountain in the center of town and sat down on the concrete bench surrounding it. The sound of bubbling water was pleasant, and he liked watching the birds coming in to drink.
As soon as he got settled, he took the lens cap off his camera, snapped a couple of shots to check the focus, then began scanning the people on the street for likely subjects.
An hour passed and the foot traffic was becoming heavier. He left the fountain and began moving along with the flow, following prospects into the stores, then out again, waiting for the opportunity to get a full face shot without their knowledge.
He was walking down Boone Avenue when a pretty, dark-haired girl came out of a candy shop, wearing hiking gear and carrying a backpack slung over one shoulder. She was window-shopping as she made her way through the crowds and didn’t know a man was walking toward her, photographing her every move.
Kevin was so focused on the girl with dark hair that he didn’t see the redhead watchinghimfrom across the street, or notice the frown on her face.
***
