Witness Protection

by Morgan, Paris

  Adjusting to the absence of brand name stores, like Louis Vitton or Prada wasn’t the worst challenge that I’d had to acclimate to, but some days I simply wanted to see something from my past life. The key turned in the lock of the door to the Balls for All Occasions store and I hurried to turn off the alarm.

  My job consisted of selling sports equipment, shoes, and clothing for all types of sports in the local area.

  I had the lights on and the cash register prepped as the clock hit ten a.m. and I went to open the doors ready for whatever the day might bring me.

  There were a few customers that returned, but the first couple that walked in were completely new.

  “What can I help you find today?” I put on a smile as I greeted them.

  “Well dear, we’re looking for walking or jogging shoes so we can start exercising together since he’s retiring next week.” She squeezed her husband’s hand as she smiled up at him. “Can you help us find something?”

  “Absolutely, let’s start over here. You can both pick out two pairs to try on and we’ll work from there. Is there a price range you want to try to stay in?”

  I hated selling shoes, but it was part of the job and this couple was so sweet in the way they lovingly treated each other.

  “Being comfortable is the first requirement. I don’t want to get blisters when we’re trying to get in shape.” She replied running a hand over a couple of pairs.

  After a few styles and fittings later, the couple were happy with their finds and joined me at the counter to ring up their purchases.

  “Honey, did you know you can make a commission on helping people shop just like you did with us today?”

  She reached into her purse and pulled out a business card startling me. I’d thought she might be reaching for a gun.

  Plastered on the front of the card were the words, “You can start your own career today!”

  I reached for the money she handed me and left the card on the counter.

  “Thank you for the offer,” I didn’t want to be rude, “I have a great job here and my boss is wonderful to me.”

  “Well, of course, it’s a good job. Instead of a $200 sale, where you didn’t make anything, you could have made $50-$100 for doing the same thing you did with us in less than thirty minutes.”

  A frown formed as I shook my head, “They treat me great here. Something like you’re talking about, I might not make anything which is risky. I just don’t think I could take that kind of chance when I have a little job security here.”

  “Honey, I understand and I thought that way in the beginning as well. Once Scott retires next week, my business will be our primary income. Oh, I’m Pat McClure, by the way.” She held out her and I reluctantly shook it.

  “Take my card and if you ever decide that you want more information, just give me a call when you get off. We can meet for a coffee and I’ll tell you how to start your own business. We Nova Ladies have lots of fun.” She winked as she gathered their purchases and hooked her arm through her husband’s.

  Dismissing it as a pushy sales tacky, I slipped the card beside the register and went to help another pair of customers.

  Two days later, I noticed the business card sticking out from under the register.

  Curious and bored because it had been a slow day, I pulled out the calculator and a piece of paper.

  “Let’s see if this McClure lady knows what she’s talking about.”

  I calculated my sales total from the day before and realized that I could have made triple my daily total with that many sales if I’d been getting a commission.

  “Maybe I should give her a call. It’s not like I’d have to quit my job and some extra cash would be in nice until it took off a little bit.” I dialed the number on my phone as I walked to the car at the end of my day.

  “Mrs. McClure? This is Allie from the sports store a few days ago and I’d like to hear more about your opportunity. Can we meet in the morning for coffee?”

  After six weeks, I was convinced and dove into the world of cosmetics as a Nova Lady.

  Being my own boss and getting to know people in town on a more personal level was just what I needed to grow some roots. I thought as I pulled up in front of the Curl and Dye salon.

  “Hey, ladies.” I greeted as I sailed into the room ready to get down to business. “I’ve got the new nail polish you wanted to look at. It’s called Hot Sprinkles and comes in green, pink, purple, or blue.”

  When any of the ladies gained self-confidence, I simply loved helping them on their journey and it was more fun to work for myself.

  All five of the salon ladies, even the customers with rollers in their hair crowded around me to check out the samples.

  “I’ll take two sets,” Britany declared, “one for the shop as well as one for my girls at home.”

  “Any specials today, Allie?” Jessica, one of the stylists, called as she put the dryer on for one of the ladies.

  “Lipsticks are two for $8.99 and there are several shades to choose from.” I held out the basket with the samples for them to look over.

  “Oh, this dark brown would look so good on you, Jessica. It goes so well with your coloring.” Britany held one up to Jessica’s cheek. She grabbed up another one, “Mary Beth, you have to try this one, darling. It would go great with that dress you got last week, wouldn’t it ladies?”

  A chorus of agreements from the other ladies led to each woman purchasing several lipsticks each.

  After writing down their orders, I hurried so that I wouldn’t be late for the delivery at Miss Barbara’s house.

  What a character she was too. If I was even a minute late, she’d be giving me a call to find out why I wasn’t there. I’d tried not answering, but she’d called again and again until I picked up.

  A glance at the clock revealed I was a whole five minutes early and I let out the breath I was holding.

  “Allie, you’re very punctual today. That’s not a trait many of your generation understand these days. Won’t you come in?” Miss Barbara held the door open. Not a day younger than eighty, she didn’t think there was a good excuse for bad manners.

  “Thank you, ma’am.” I’d found my accent taking on more of a Texas twang the longer I was here.

  “Have a seat.” She waved me toward the flowered couch covered in clear plastic as she sat across from me.

  She reached for a cigarette from the pack as she held it out toward me, “Would you like one, dear?”

  “Uh, not thank you, but I appreciate the offer.”

  “Oh, that’s right. You don’t smoke. Well, old habits are hard to break. Hope you don’t mind if I do?” She didn’t wait for me to answer but lit up. “They keep telling me it’s bad for my health, especially since I have to have oxygen on bad days when the winds stir up everything.”

  She chuckled at the irony, “I need the oxygen to breathe, yet I can’t live without the cigarettes that make me need the oxygen.”

  While I knew that Miss Barbara enjoyed my visits even if she didn’t purchase large amounts of items, I felt like I was doing something good in helping her feel noticed.

  Gracefully, extracting myself from her non-stop conversation, I made it to the trunk of my car where I kept a bottle of body spray to help with the smell of smoke on my clothes. While it wasn’t something I noticed much, many were very sensitive to the smell and I didn’t want to make anyone sick.

  Now, it was time for my most favorite stop, Megan’s house for lunch.

  We’d met at the sports store when I’d sold her a pair of cleats for her daughter’s first T-ball game and over the past few months, we’d become friends.

  It had been hard to get to know someone, but Megan’s personality made me feel comfortable instantly.

  I hummed along to the radio as I pulled onto her street. Distracted as I parked and collected her order, I hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary until I began to walk up to the house.

  A gasp escaped my lips as I came to a
stop unable to deal with the horrible sight in front of me.

  The front door was hanging off the hinges leaving it open to whatever terrible things were inside.

  Chapter 2

  Allie

  “What the hell is going on?” I muttered as I approached with caution.

  “Megan? Hello, are you here?” I called as I ducked past the door trying to get a better look inside.

  Signs of a violent struggled filled the room as I stepped gingerly taking it all in.

  The coffee table was broken as if someone had landed in the middle of it, cushions were thrown off the couch, and a trail of what looked like blood lead down the hallway.

  I had my phone to my ear to call 9-1-1 without even realizing it when I heard a whimper.

  “Megan?” I called quietly stepping past the mess and peering in the rooms searching for the sound I’d heard.

  She was in the bathroom, sitting on the floor curled up next to the bathtub. A blood-soaked towel covered a head wound as Megan let out another groan.

  “What happened?” I crouched down touching her arm, but she flinched away from me.

  “Oh, Megan. It’s okay. You’re safe.” I assured her, “No one can hurt you. I’m going to call the police and we’ll get this figured out.”

  She finally focused on me and as recognition dawn, burst into tears.

  “Shh, everything will be all right. We’ll find the person that did this to you.” I tried to gauge how badly she was hurt as I pulled my phone out.

  A sad smile filled her features, “You don’t have to look far. Mike was the one who did this to me. It’s my punishment when I mess up.”

  Still trying to process her words, I realized that my favorite little person wasn’t here.

  “Is Sally okay? Did he hurt her?”

  “No,” Megan groaned as she tried to sit up a little more. “She was already on the bus, heading to school when it started this time.”

  Sighing in relief because at least she was safe, I glanced at my watch and realized it had been almost four hours since school started.

  “Have you been in here since it happened?” I glanced nervously at the door expecting Mike to appear at any moment. “Jesus, we need to get you to the hospital and call the police.”

  Megan’s face turned a few shades whiter as my words sunk in, “No! If he comes home and finds me gone, I’ll get a lot worse next time for letting people know. I’ll reflect badly on his image with his co-workers.”

  I’d never dealt with this kind of thing before, but this wasn’t something we could just overlook.

  “We can’t worry about his ‘image’. Honey, you’re hurt bad and I’m pretty sure you have a concussion. Your forehead will need stitches and you may have other injuries that we can’t even see.” I didn’t want to pressure her, there just wasn’t another way to deal with this.

  “It’s my fault that this happened,” She tried to explain, “He got drunk last night and fell asleep in his truck. I didn’t know he was home because I’d gone to bed so when the bus honked for Sally, he woke up. Then a few of the neighbors saw him as he came inside and he was so mad at me.”

  I got on my knees in front of her. “Megan, this is not your fault. Listen, you have to leave now and go to the hospital for help. If you stay here the next time I come to see you, you might be dead laying there on the floor instead of injured. What if he hurts Sally?”

  Megan closed her eyes and I was afraid that she’d passed out when she spoke softly. “Where would we go? Mike works for the County Sheriff’s Office. He can find us no matter where we tried to go and it would be so much worse when he catches up to us.”

  “So, you’re going to stay here and take out everything he does to you? What happens when Sally spills her milk and he decides that she needs to learn a lesson? Do you want her to get hurt?” I scrambled to think of something that would get through to her sense of loyalty to someone who felt they could hurt her.

  “She’s going to think that it’s okay to let someone hurt her or bully her. Is that what you want for her future?” I sighed frustrated because I wanted to be able to help her.

  Slowly, nodding, she agreed. “Just moving made me feel nauseous. It feels like a jackhammer is going off in my head.”

  “It’s okay we can take things slow and see what the doctors say.” I felt such a sense of relief that her condition had done the convincing that I hadn’t been able to do.

  “I have some suitcases in the front closet that are already packed.” She waved a hand in the general direction of the front room, “This has been going on for years now. I was certain that it was the end of me this morning. You’re right I’m pretty lucky it wasn’t.”

  Megan’s voice was so quiet that I had to lean in to hear her. “We need to get my purse and a few things from Sally’s room before we leave. Anything we don’t take with us now, may not be here for us to come back for.”

  “I’ll gather up everything and get it into the car before I come back for you. Just sit still and try to stay awake.” I wasn’t sure that this was the best idea, but I had no clue what would happen when she left.

  Walking back through the living area through the damage he’d done in his anger, I whipped out my phone and started taking pictures, just in case he wanted to claim it never happened.

  Since Mike was a sheriff’s deputy, it would be much harder for Megan to prove that he’d tried to kill her than if he was just an ordinary guy. His buddies might lose evidence or make it disappear completely allowing him to walk free.

  I wasn’t going to take a chance that he would get off. Someone had to stand up against him. I thought as I opened the closet and pulled out the suitcases taking them to the car.

  This wasn’t the same as when I’d had to leave my home, but I tried to think of anything she might need in the coming days as I went through each room.

  A couple of empty boxes were sitting on the back porch, so I grabbed them and threw as many items from Megan’s and Sally’s closets as possible. Sally had a hamper that held toys making it easy for me to grab without having to choose what was the most important.

  After delivering them to the trunk of my car, I went back for Megan, who was still sitting on the bathroom floor.

  “Is there anything else you need or love that you don’t want to take a chase he might destroy?” I asked gently as I paused in the doorway.

  “Sally’s baby doll and her blanket off the bed? Also, if you can grab the photo albums in the living room…maybe my laptop computer from beside my bed would be great.” She began to try and get up, “I should help you with all this.”

  I barely had time to catch her and put an arm around her. “Instead let’s get you out to the car. You can sit there with it running while I gather the last few things for you.”

  She started to protest, but I stopped her. “Listen, I’m not the one with blood dripping down my face and a possible concussion. I’ve got it under control.”

  Balancing her weight against mine, I practically carried her to the car, hoping I wasn’t hurting her worse by not calling an ambulance.

  “Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?” I asked as she moaned.

  “No, I’m good. It was just seeing the door hanging there and all the damage. I’m realizing how angry he was. This is the right choice. It’s a good thing Sally was already at school, otherwise, who knows how it might have turned out.”

  There wasn’t much to say as I put her feet in the car and started the car to keep it cool for her.

  “I’m going to do a final sweep. Where do you keep the important papers like Sally’s birth certificate?”

  “Um, it’s in the filing cabinet. The first three files in the top drawer should have everything we need.” She let out a loud sigh, “You’re such a good friend to be doing all of this for us.”

  “Not really. Just trying to plan ahead for anything you might need.” I patted her hand and closed the door before hurrying into the house.

  I wasn�
��t sure how much time I had before Mike showed up, but I needed to get things done quickly because we didn’t want to be here when he returned. I’d have to ask her after I finished getting everything out to the car.

  With the laptop, files, and a handful of Sally’s DVDs, I was almost out the door when I realized there wasn’t a way to close up the house.

  “Okay, I think I have everything. What should I do about the door? Will Mike be back soon?” I slid into the car waiting for her reply.

  “Not much we can do about the door for now. I think he went to work because the towel was wet when I made it to the bathroom. I’d passed out in the living room, but he was gone by the time I woke up and crawled to the bathroom. I’m sure he’ll come home when his shift is over.” Megan winced as she looked at the house. “I’ll miss out on whatever he was going to bring me this evening.”

  I put the car in gear before asking what she meant. “How will you miss out?”

  “Oh, whenever he does something like this, he always makes up for it by bringing me a gift.” Megan sighed wishfully, “I’ve always looked forward to his gifts.”

  “Oh, I guess it’s nice that he tries to apologize,” I mumbled unsure if that was really a good thing.

  “Sally!” Megan began to try to look for her purse.

  “What about Sally?” I slowed but didn’t stop the car.

  “I need to call the school so they know you are picking her. Where’s my phone?”

  “You can use my phone as long as you rest.” I handed her the phone. “Your phone was sitting on the table with the screen shattered. A hammer was lying next to it, which makes me think Mike probably smashed it. I took a few pictures before, putting it in a baggie for you in case they can get the sim card out for another phone.”

  Megan groaned as she put the phone up to her ear, “Hi, Ms. Judy? This is Megan Butts. I needed to let you know that Sally will be picked up today by my friend, Allie Foster.”