When I could breathe again, I lifted my head. The kid at the counter was eyeing me warily, but thankfully she didn’t seem inclined to come over and talk to me. I wiped my face with a napkin and tried to take stock. A quick rummage through my backpack unearthed a twenty-dollar bill, my Metro pass, and a credit card that was about a hundred dollars from being maxed out.
I cast about for anyone I could call. Vonnie was a no-go because of the MMHA connection. I thought she’d seemed okay when I’d rushed past her while making my escape. But if Daisy could be turned into a pod person, Vonnie could be, too.
My breath caught as an idea surfaced. Len. I could call Len. He’d given me his number yesterday, and for some reason he seemed to give a damn about me. When another nervous glance at my surroundings showed nothing suspicious, I pulled out my cell and scrolled to his number, then hit call and waited.
It rang a few times before Len finally answered. “Who’s this?” he asked, and I realized he’d have no way to recognize my number.
I swallowed hard. “Len? It’s Zorah. I... I’m in trouble.”
There was a slight pause. “Oh, my god. What the hell is going on?” His voice was a harsh whisper. “Zorah, the cops are here at the restaurant, and they’re asking about you.”
I had to suppress a moan of near-despair. “I didn’t do anything, Len,” I said, desperate to make him believe me. “They’re at my house, too. I don’t know what the hell is happening!”
Another pause. I held my breath. When Len spoke again, his voice held a faint tremor. “Okay. Okay, Zorah. Whatever you do, don’t come here. Look... they’re coming back to the kitchen. I can’t talk now. I’ll try to call you in a few minutes. Be safe.”
Len hung up and I tapped the end button, feeling the finality as the call disconnected. I sat in the booth, staring out the window—watching the rain fall to earth.
Nowhere to go. No one to trust.
Alone.
NINE
NUMBNESS WAS STARTING TO creep in around the fear, and I welcomed it. The girl at the counter was still giving me the side-eye. No surprise since I hadn’t ordered anything, and had basically come in and started crying all over her freshly wiped table. I was also starting to get unwanted attention from the other patrons. Under the circumstances, having attention on me felt dangerous.
I’d managed to blot my tears and was trying to think through my options logically when Len called back. I nearly fumbled the phone in my haste to take the call.
“Len?” I asked breathlessly.
“Zorah, what the fuck happened today?” Len asked, his voice quiet. “Tell me quick—the cops are out talking to the manager right now.”
I took a deep breath, trying to organize my rampaging thoughts. “Okay. Remember that stalker guy last night? Well, long story short—he claims to be a state auditor. I volunteer downtown at a non-profit and help with keeping their books. Ponytail Guy showed up this morning claiming I embezzled money from the organization and committed tax fraud to hide it. My boss fired me on the spot and when I went home, there were a bunch of cops surrounding my house. But I swear, Len—I swear to you—I didn’t do anything. You know me... would I be riding the bus and stressing over my busted transmission if I’d been skimming tens of thousands of dollars from someone? None of it makes any sense!”
There was a short pause. “I believe you, Zorah.” I released my breath, taken by surprise at how much it affected me to hear someone say that. He continued, “Look, if you didn’t do anything... maybe you should just give yourself up. I mean, I’m not any huge fan of the cops or the legal system, but these things usually have a way of working themselves out if you’re innocent.”
I shook my head even though he couldn’t see it. “No, there’s way more to this. I’m telling you, the stuff he asked me yesterday at the restaurant was all really personal. It had nothing to do with the non-profit or my work. And honestly, Len, the guy gives me the major creeps. It’s not just the normal ‘guys suck’ thing, but like... he’s dangerous. Seriously fucking dangerous. I know, it sounds stupid. But whenever I’m around him, I want to crawl out of my own skin and run away.”
Another pause. “I saw how freaked out you were with him. And that was after seeing how freaked out you weren’t, when Jake was being an asshole before your shift. I just... want you to keep your options open, when it comes to the police, okay? Other than that, are you safe?”
“Yeah,” I said unthinkingly. “I think so. I’m at the—”
He cut me off. “No, stop. Don’t tell me where you are. It’s safer that way. In case the police... you know.”
Jesus. He was right. And I wasn’t used to having to think like this. Like a fugitive. “Yeah, okay.”
“Good. Hey, I’ve got to go. They’re coming back into the kitchen again. Stay safe, girl.”
The phone went silent. He’d hung up.
I was alone again. I shook my head. Who was I kidding? I was alone whether Len was on the phone with me or not. What did I expect him to do for me right now?
Cops were at AJ’s looking for me. They were at my house. Who the hell knew where else they were, but they were obviously dead serious about finding me. I tried to think. I’d never been so much as fingerprinted before. I wasn’t in any registry that I knew of, so they couldn’t really know what I looked like unless they looked up my driver’s license, right?
Even so, I wasn’t at all sure of my ability to evade the cops on my own. If they wanted to find me badly enough, they would—eventually. But maybe I could stay
