The channels kept switching, as if all of Baxter’s energy released through his thumb. Local news to an old movie to a commercial to another commercial to a cop show. Baxter returned to the movie. Some oldie that didn’t look a bit interesting. They watched it for a couple minutes.
Abruptly Baxter leaned forward, as if yanked by a noose. Melissa watched from the corner of her eye. He focused on the remote, eyes searching for some button. His finger moved, and he pressed. The sound muted.
Melissa turned her head and looked at him.
Baxter dropped the remote. He gazed back at Melissa, lips pressing.
He rose and crossed the four steps to her end of the couch. Sat down beside her. His eyes darkened with guilt-ridden hunger.
The next thing she knew they were in each other’s arms.
FORTY-TWO
FEBRUARY 2010
“Who are you calling?” Suspicion sharpened Melissa’s voice. I’d already punched in the number, my stomach trembling. If this didn’t work, I had no back-up plan.
“My brother.”
Rain began to fall. A few drops, then steady. Perry switched on the wipers. We were on El Camino, a major street in San Jose.
“He doesn’t live in Vonita, does he?” Melissa pressed. “I’m not setting foot in Vonita!”
“If I’d wanted to take you to Vonita, we’d go to Perry’s.” The line began to ring in my ear. “He lives in Hollister.”
Perry gave me another sideways glance but said nothing. Hollister was the San Benito County seat. We’d need to head south, then veer east.
Second ring. I checked the car’s digital clock. Nine-forty. On a Sunday night. Dan would certainly wonder when he saw my caller ID.
The third ring cut off in the middle. “Hello, Joanne?”
Dan’s reedy voice vibrated in my ear. I clicked down the volume. “Yeah, Dan, it’s me. Sorry to call you so late, but I need to come over.”
“Right now?”
Dan stood six-two, a wiry man in his mid-fifties. Divorced, kids grown. A no-nonsense kind of guy. His unlikely combination of dark hair and intense blue eyes commanded attention. That piercing gaze could bore right through a person when he wanted to make a point. Which was often.
“I have to see you now. I’ve…run into some trouble. Got shot at. It’s not safe for me to go home.”
“
“Look, could I just come and talk? I’ll tell you about it.”
“Want police here?”
“
Melissa made a gasping sound. “
“All right,” Dan said. “You coming from Vonita?”
“Mountain View, so it’ll be a little while. And, Dan, when we get there—”
“We?”
I winced. Hadn’t meant to let that slip just yet. “I’ve got two people with me. I’ll call you when we’re on your street. Can you watch for us and let us in quickly?”
“Joanne, if you think you’re still in danger, I’ll call the police. They’ll intercept you wherever you are and escort you here.”
“No. Please. Just trust me on this one. Okay?”
He hesitated. “All right. But once you get here, I call the shots.”
That was Dan—always gaining control. A fighter by birth. If Melissa thought Perry had been short-tempered with her, wait till she got in Dan’s face. “Fine by me.”
The rain became a downpour as I hung up.
Perry turned on 87 South toward Gilroy, where we’d catch 101 and then Highway 25 into Hollister. The drive was close to fifty miles. In the rain—over an hour.
“Tell me, Joanne.” Melissa tapped me on the shoulder. “Tell me how to disappear.”
“Let’s wait till we get to Dan’s house.”
“Just tell me about getting a new ID. You know people who can get me one?”
A faint smile crossed Perry’s lips.
“Buying a fake ID is what you
“So what do I do?”
My eyes closed. I leaned back against the headrest. “You keep your own ID. And learn how not to leave a trail.”
One thing I remembered about Melissa—when she needed to learn something for her own advantage, she learned it. Linda had bragged how quickly she picked up the necessary skills for working in Baxter’s office.
“Is it complicated?” Melissa’s tone had returned to one of reined-in excitement, as if she relished the challenge.
“Yes. You’ll have to keep at it. One slip—and someone like me can catch you.”
“I want to know!”
“We’ll talk when we get to Dan’s.”
“Tell me
“When we get to Dan’s.”
She argued. I wouldn’t budge. After a time she muttered a curse and fell silent. Wonderful Perry said nothing. I wished I could talk to him, tell him how grateful I was. Later. When this was all over.
My eyes remained closed. I drifted, the drum of raindrops fading. A blanket settled over my brain, warm and smothering…
The next thing I knew Perry was pushing my shoulder. “Joanne.”.
“Hmm?” My mouth moved before my mind engaged. I opened my eyes, blinked a few times. The rain had stopped. “Did I fall asleep?”
“Yeah. We’re just outside Hollister. Where do I go?”
“Oh. Okay.” I sat up straight and stretched my neck one way, then the other. Tried to shake loose the fog in my head. Not a sound from the backseat. I twisted around. Melissa sat with arms folded. Her eyes met mine, then cut away. The meaning was clear. I’d told her she had to wait for what she wanted, made her subservient. To Melissa, an unpardonable sin.
I pictured the upcoming scene at Dan’s house, and a chill trickled down my spine.
My focus turned to the road. “Turn right at the next stoplight, Perry.” I fished my phone from my purse and called Dan. “We’re here. See you in about three minutes.”
“I’ll be watching.”
Melissa’s clothes rustled. “I don’t see why we had to come all the way down here.”
“You see anybody following us?” Perry shot her a look in the rearview mirror.
“No.”
“Worked, didn’t it?”
“There’s the street—Maxley Lane.” I pointed. “Turn left. It’s the third house down on the right.”
We pulled up to Dan’s place, a white stucco rancher with black shutters. Stark-colored and neat, like its owner. I’d last been here on a weekend to pick up some last-minute papers on a skip.
“Okay, Melissa.” I grabbed my purse. “Let’s go.”
“About time.”
I breathed a prayer.
