Dangerous Mountain Mission, page 9
Jesse’s reasoning was sound. All the same, fear formed a knot at the base of her neck as they got closer to the road. Once they reached pavement, they walked on the shoulder.
“We’ll be all right,” he said.
He must have picked up on her anxiety, which surprised her. She thought she was pretty good at hiding it. Was he starting to be tuned in to her feelings and moods? The notion scared her a little. If he cared about her feelings, he probably cared about her in a deeper way than just feeling responsible for her safety.
“This is a rural community, probably lots of farms around here. Most farm people will stop if they see us walking,” she said. “I just don’t know how many people are going to be out at night.” She talked to get her racing thoughts off the hamster wheel in her head. So what if Jesse was tuned in to her feelings? Nothing was going to come of it.
“That’s good. All we need is one car to come along headed toward Stubenville.”
Their shoulders bumped now and then as they walked side by side. Their footsteps made a sort of squishy, crunching sound on the loose gravel at the edge of the road.
They passed a field where cows grazed and rested. There were no lights anywhere on the landscape. No sign of a farmhouse. She crossed her arms over her chest as the night grew colder.
Then she heard the car in the distance. When she looked over her shoulder, the golden headlights were two tiny dots that disappeared as the car descended the hill.
“What if it’s one of those men looking for us?”
“It’s a chance we gotta take. Or we have a long walk ahead of us in the dark.” He leaned a little closer to her. “We’ll both keep our radar up. Talk to the guy for a few minutes before we get in the car. If either of us gets a bad feeling, we’ll step away and bolt.”
The car grew louder, and the headlights became visible again.
The plan was fraught with danger. “Should we have some sort of signal?”
“Just squeeze my elbow,” he said. “And I’ll do the same for you if I sense any red flags.”
As the car drew even closer, Abigail’s heart pounded a little faster.
Holding the flashlight, Jesse waved his arms in the air.
The car whizzed past.
Abigail experienced a dark moment when it looked like the car wasn’t even going to stop. The driver hit the brakes with such intensity, the car slid sideways.
They both looked at each other and then ran up to the car. Jesse stood by the driver’s-side window and Abigail positioned herself behind him. She peered over her shoulder at the side of the road. If the driver was armed, they could bolt for the ditch and then head into the shelter of the cluster of trees.
The driver’s window came down. Though her face was covered in shadow, the driver looked to be a middle-aged woman.
“Did you folks break down?”
“Yes, something like that,” Jesse said.
From inside the car, she heard the sound of two girls arguing. Abigail breathed a sigh of relief. Chances were this mom was not someone connected to the drug trade.
“Quiet, girls.” Once the fighting between the two kids stopped, the woman gripped the steering wheel and stared through the windshield. “Huh, I didn’t see any broken-down cars back there.” Suspicion clouded the woman’s words.
“Please, if we could just get a ride into town,” he said.
Abigail stepped a little closer to the car so the woman could see her. “It’s dark. It would be easy to miss seeing the car.”
“That’s true,” said the woman. She glanced at Jesse and then at Abigail. She shrugged. “You’ll have to ride in the back with one of my crabby daughters. It’s been a long day for us.”
“Thank you. We appreciate it.” Abigail put her hand forward so the woman could shake it. “I’m Abigail and this is Jesse.”
“Pleased to meet you,” said the woman.
Once they were in the car, the woman pulled out onto the road. “My name is Sandra. But everyone calls me Sis. These are my daughters, Arielle and Dawn.”
The older daughter sat in the front seat. She looked to be in her teens. Arielle gave the two passengers a nod and then put earbuds in her ears and faced forward. Jesse and Abigail sat on either side of Dawn, who held a doll in her lap. The younger daughter was maybe seven or eight years old.
Sis glanced at them in the rearview mirror, probably still wondering if she had made the right choice. “Like I said, it’s been a long day for us. My girls competed in a gymnastics tournament up in Dickenson.”
Dawn lifted her doll in the air and then hugged it tight. “We didn’t win.”
“Arielle got fourth place on the balance beam,” said Sis.
Abigail stared out at the area bordering the road. They whizzed past a historical marker. She saw lights in the distance that must be farms.
Dawn chatted away about the tournament, her lunch, the boy who was mean to her at school and anything else that popped into her head, and then she broke into song.
When there was a lull in Dawn’s monologue, Sis piped up. “Dawn will talk your ear off if you let her. Arielle is my introvert.”
They rounded a curve and Sis slowed down. A sign on the edge of the road said Welcome to Stubenville, Population 500.
They weren’t going to find much in the way of amenities. Jesse had probably assumed the town was going to be much bigger.
“Where can I drop you folks off at?” Sis asked as she slowed down.
Doubt filled Jesse’s voice. “Is there a place we might be able to make a phone call?”
“Not at this hour,” Sis said. “You folks look like you could use a shower and some rest. I can drop you off at the Widow Keller’s house. She runs an informal bed-and-breakfast,” Sis said. “Don’t worry about waking her. She’s a night owl. Works on her weaving until the wee hours.”
“If that’s our only option,” said Jesse.
Sis eventually pulled up in front of a house.
Abigail and Jesse thanked her. Abigail gave Dawn a poke in the belly. “Thanks for entertaining us, kiddo.” The little girl reminded Abigail of her niece, Celeste, her oldest brother’s daughter.
“No problem,” Dawn chirped, lifting her doll in the air and making it dance.
Jesse and Abigail got out of the car and Sis pulled away from the curb. Dawn waved at them from the back seat. Abigail waved back before turning her attention to the house.
Even in the dark, it looked like something out of a watercolor painting. The porch light was on. Though it was still early spring, tulips and other flowers and greenery bloomed in the garden. Ivy wound around the columns before connecting with the extended roof. The porch swing looked comfortable and inviting.
Under different circumstances, staying here would be a fun adventure. A heaviness invaded Abigail’s heart. This wasn’t a fun adventure.
“All I have to pay with is a credit card. I’m sure DEA is looking for me to pop up so they have a trace on my card. That means we can’t stay here long. Get a quick shower and some sleep. My friend Dale lives about an hour from here. He might be able to help us.” Jesse knocked on the door.
A woman with wild white hair that looked like a cloud opened the door. This must be the Widow Keller. Jesse explained their situation and apologized for the late hour.
“No problem. I was up, anyway.” She ushered them in, Jesse paid for the rooms and the widow pointed up the stairs. “Third and fourth doors on the right. It’s a shared bath, but right now you’re my only guests. Breakfast is at seven.”
“We probably won’t be here that long,” said Jesse.
“Oh,” said the widow as her glance bounced from Jesse to Abigail.
“We just need to get cleaned up and rest a little.” Abigail could feel her cheeks getting warm. Did the widow think she and Jesse were a couple?
“Don’t need to explain nothing to me. There should be fresh towels in the bath. I could loan you some of my clothes while I toss yours in the wash.” She studied Jesse for a moment. “You look like you’re about my husband’s size. Won’t take but an hour to run your clothes through the wash. No extra charge.”
Abigail stared down at her muddy clothes. “That would be great.”
“I’ll leave the clothes outside your doors once they’re washed and dried.” The widow disappeared down the hallway. “I’ll get the fresh ones up to you right away.”
They made their way up the stairs. “Why don’t you take your shower first?” said Jesse. “When the widow brings the clothes up, I’ll set them outside the bathroom door.”
Abigail checked several doors before finding the bathroom. Jesse disappeared into one of the rooms they had just paid for.
The bathroom had a deep claw-foot bathtub. A good soak seemed enticing, but she had a feeling time was of the essence. She turned the knobs on the bath and adjusted the temperature. Steam filled up the bathroom almost right away. As the windows steamed up, she pulled back the curtains and stared at the street down below. Light shining from a streetlamp revealed that a car, with a man sitting behind the wheel, was parked across the street.
Her heart beat a little faster. Maybe the man was a local, but in a town this small, it wouldn’t be hard to figure out where they were staying. Why would someone sit in their car at night unless they were watching and waiting? The people looking for them could have sent someone to watch the place as soon as they realized they’d escaped.
* * *
Jesse was glad to see that there was a phone in his room. The room itself was cozy, with a quilt on the bed and a painting of landscapes on the wall. He picked up the phone and dialed his friend Dale’s number.
He touched the hard drive in his pants pocket. Dale, who had computer expertise, would be able to install the drive so he could see exactly what was on it before deciding the best tactic for presenting it to DEA.
Dale picked up the phone after several rings. He sounded out of breath. “Sorry, I was outside. What can I do for you?”
“Dale, this is Jesse Santorum.” He and Dale had run operations out of the Southwest, until a bullet to the back put Dale on the disabled list. The man was in chronic pain and walked with a limp.
“Jesse, good to hear from you.”
Even though Dale had been forced into retirement, he was still in touch with other active agents. Jesse had to assume Dale might know about the cloud of suspicion that hung over him.
“Have you heard?”
“Yeah, but I knew it wasn’t true. I know you,” said Dale.
Jesse felt as though a rope that had been wound around his torso had been loosened. Instead of believing the poison Lee had spread in the DEA, Dale knew Jesse’s character well enough to know he would never be on the wrong side of the law. “I’m in a bit of a bind, and I’m not far from your neck of the woods.”
Jesse gave the short version of all that had happened. Dale promised that he could be in Stubenville in a little over an hour. Jesse said that he and Abigail would be watching for him.
Jesse hung up. He heard a knock on the door and the Widow Keller’s voice. “Clothes are just outside the door. You can keep them. Just stuff I don’t use anymore. Toss your dirty ones in the hallway.”
When Jesse opened the door, the widow was already at the top of the stairs headed down.
“Thanks.” Jesse set the blouse and slacks outside the bathroom and picked up the dirty clothes Abigail had tossed outside the door. He could hear the shower running and Abigail singing what sounded like a hymn. No use trying to talk to her above that noise. She’d know to look for the clean clothes.
He took the clothes that were left for him and slumped down in a chair in his room. His eyelids felt heavy. His head bobbed back and then forward. A moment later, he was in a deep sleep...
His eyes shot open.
Abigail stood in front of him looking fresh and clean in a silky-looking royal blue blouse and gray dress pants. Her hair was still wet from the shower.
Seeing her made him smile. “You look nice.”
She twirled from side to side. “Thanks.”
He glanced around, looking for a clock but not seeing one. He ran his hands through his thick hair. “How long was I out for?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe half an hour.”
“My friend Dale will be here in a little bit. I better get that shower.” He jumped up.
“Yes, we should hurry.” Her expression had changed. Two deep furrows formed between her eyebrows.
“Something wrong?”
“There’s a car parked across the street with a man in it. You can see him from the bathroom window.”
That wasn’t a surprise, but Jesse tensed up all the same. “Dale will get here as fast as he can.” He wished he could do something to ease the fear he saw etched on Abigail’s face. He stepped toward her and squeezed her shoulder. “Once I have assurance that you’ll be safe, I’ll find a way to get you back home.”
She slumped down in the chair. “There’s not much for me to go back home to...in Fort Madison, anyway.” Her eyes were rimmed with tears.
He gathered her into his arms as a desire to protect, to reassure her, surged through him. “We’ll get through this. I’m so sorry I got you mixed up in all of this.” He stroked the back of her head. “You’ve handled yourself just fine, Abigail. You’re a strong woman.”
She rested her head against his chest. “I don’t feel very strong right now.” She pulled back to look him in the eyes.
He touched her cheek with his thumb. “You are.” In that moment, with her looking at him with so much trust in her eyes, he wanted to kiss her. He studied each feature on her face: her slim nose, soft eyes with lush lashes and her cheeks flushed with a rosy glow. Her eyes grew wider and rounder as her lips parted.
He pulled away. It would be wrong to kiss her. “Yeah, you have been stellar. Any other person would have fallen apart. You’re cool under fire, Abigail. You’d make a good agent. You ever think about that?”
The words that spilled out of his mouth caught him off guard. Why was he saying such a thing? It sounded like he was trying to find ways to keep being with her when this was all over. Was his connection to her that deep already?
She stepped back, as well. She shook her head and then stared at the floor. The moment of heated intensity between them had been broken. “Guess I never thought about doing anything other than the family business.”
He squeezed her shoulder one more time. “I’m going to shower.” He stepped out into the hallway, feeling a familiar ache in his chest. The chasm of pain over losing Melissa flooded through him. To love was to risk loss, and he knew he couldn’t do that ever again.
He checked the bathroom window before getting in the shower. He saw the car with the driver sitting behind the wheel. He showered and stepped out, wrapping a towel around his waist. When he looked out the window again, the car was gone. That concerned him even more. The window to the bathroom faced a side street. He wondered if the car had moved to the front of the house. He threw his dirty clothes outside the door, taking the hard drive out of his pants pocket. He hadn’t put his coat out to be washed. He could put the hard drive back in there.
It could be that whoever was sitting in that car wasn’t connected to the drug trade, but he doubted it.
Jesse changed into the overalls and plaid shirt the widow had provided. A sense of urgency told him that maybe it wouldn’t be a good idea to hang around here longer than they had to. He glanced at himself in the mirror. Great. He looked like Farmer Brown out to check his crops.
When he stepped into the hallway, his dirty clothes had been picked up. He found Abigail asleep in her room. She looked peaceful, with her hands crossed over her chest and the quilt only half covering her, as if she’d pulled it over herself just as she was falling asleep.
His shower hadn’t taken that long. He had maybe another twenty minutes or so before Dale would be here. He left Abigail to get some much-needed rest and hurried downstairs. He stood to the side of the big front window, surveying the street. No sign of the car that had been parked on the side street.
“You gettin’ ready to leave so soon?” The widow had come up behind him.
He turned to face her. She was a kind woman. He sure didn’t want to put her in any danger. “I have a friend coming to pick us up.”
“Be a little while before your clothes are dry,” she said.
“Don’t worry about it. The clothes you gave us are fine.”
She put her hands in the pockets of her apron. “At least let me make a hot cup of tea for you and your friend.”
He liked that she didn’t ask questions about their strange behavior. Maybe being the only place to stay for miles had taught her to be discreet.
“That would be nice.” Jesse settled in a chair that was off to the side, so he had a view of the window without being visible from the street.
The widow brought in a tray with a teapot and two cups.
“This is really wonderful. Thank you.” He’d been expecting a tea bag in a mug warmed in the microwave.
“If you’re going to have tea, you might as well brew it proper.” The widow padded down the hallway, back into a room at the end of the hallway that must be where she did her weaving. Like the hermit and sheepherder, she, too, seemed to lead a solitary life.
Abigail came down the stairs. She held her waterproof jacket. She hadn’t put that in the wash.
“Did you get rested?”
He felt an awkwardness between them that hadn’t been there before. Had she wanted to kiss him as much as he’d wanted to kiss her? Or was this whole thing one-sided?
“I examined the insides of my eyelids, as my grandpa used to say.” She noticed the tray with the pot and teacups. “Wow, what’s all this?”
