No Way Out

by Fern Michaels

  “Except for the time I was dating him,” Ellie scoffed.

  “And so what happens if Rick gives him an address? I don’t want Christian to actually send him money.”

  “Let’s take this one step at a time,” Ellie mused. “He gets the address from Rick. He doesn’t mail a check. Rick calls back, asking about it. That would indicate how desperate Rick is for the money. Plus, it would buy me some time.”

  “Time for what?” Kara asked.

  “A little undercover work.”

  “Are you sure you want to do that?”

  “No, but I am sure I need to do something. This seems like a good place to start. Who knows? I might not care once I find out.”

  “I certainly hope you don’t care,” Kara added.

  “I don’t care about him. I care about me, and I need to start moving past this, this thing.” Ellie was certain about that.

  “OK, girlfriend. I will talk to Christian when he gets back later. The only thing is, we don’t know how to contact Rick, so we’re going to have to wait until he calls back.”

  “Did he indicate when that might be?”

  “He said a few days. I guess it depends on how eager he is.”

  “Right you are.” Ellie relaxed her shoulders. She had been unaware of how tightly wound up she was. “Hang on a minute.” Ellie put the phone down and stretched her arms behind her back and moved her neck from side to side. She groaned and picked up the phone. “Sorry, I had to disconnect my shoulders from my ears.”

  “Your what?” Kara asked.

  “You know. The tightness in the neck and shoulders when you’re stressed? Well, now I feel much better.”

  “Oh, yes. That’s the feeling I get when I have to go to a Junior League meeting.”

  Ellie laughed. “Have you ever thought of quitting?”

  “Nah. What would I have to complain about?” Kara chuckled.

  Ellie looked over at Buddy. His tail was thumping. She knew she should end the call soon.

  “OK. We have a plan,” Ellie said. “A work in progress. Kind of like my life.”

  “You crack me up.” Kara chortled. “Yes, a plan.”

  “I’m going to give you a phone number. Do not call me unless it’s urgent. Ring twice, and I will call you back.”

  “Wow, you really are top secret, aren’t you?”

  “You have no idea. Write this down—857-555-1968,” Ellie responded. “Gotta go. Love you.” Ellie ended the call.

  Ellie had a surge of energy. It was a feeling of renewal.

  It was at that moment she decided to invite Hector in for coffee. She scribbled a note:

  Hector, I’d like you to join me for coffee. Let me know what’s good for you.

  She jumped up from her desk. “Come on, guys,” she called to Buddy and Percy. Buddy needed no invitation. Percy yawned, stretched, and slowly moved his way to the floor. Buddy was hot on Ellie’s heels as Percy meandered down the steps.

  Ellie put the note in her daily envelope to Hector and put it on the table next to the kitchen door, in the enclosed porch. She smiled at what she thought Hector’s reaction would be.

  Looking at the kitchen clock, she noticed that Jackson hadn’t shown up yet. It was almost 4:00. She hoped she hadn’t hurt his feelings again. She didn’t know how she could have, but she hadn’t known the first time either. Not until she noticed his absence. She decided to give Colleen a call. Maybe she would be the next person to invite into her house. Easy girl. One visitor at a time.

  Ellie searched for the phone she had designated for Colleen and Jackson and remembered it was on her desk. She had put a “C & J” on theirs and a “K” for Kara’s. She ran back upstairs and glanced through the windows that overlooked the front. She noticed Jackson skipping toward her house. It appeared he was coming from Jeanne and Frank’s. Another pang of loneliness hit her. She would get through it. Baby steps.

  The bell from the side gate rang. Instead of just letting him in, she spoke into the intercom from her loft. “Hey, Jackson. I was getting worried.” Ellie laughed lightly.

  “Sorry, Miss Bowman. I went over to say hello to Mr. and Mrs. Chadwick. They just got back from Arizona. He brought me an Indian arrowhead. It’s the real deal.” He proudly held it up, assuming she could see it from somewhere. He didn’t realize that there were cameras surrounding the place. She was just a voice coming out of a box.

  “Very cool,” Ellie answered.

  “It’s going to be my good-luck charm,” Jackson said with certainty, and slipped it into his pocket.

  “Excellent. Take good care of it,” Ellie said, then buzzed him in.

  Buddy was already anticipating playtime. As soon as he heard the ding from the gate, he scampered downstairs, leaving Ellie behind. “I am beginning to think you like Jackson better than you like me,” she yelled after him. Ellie put the phone in her pocket and started toward the steps. Percy was at the bottom of the steps, meowing. “And you. You’re so aloof sometimes.” Percy stretched and rolled over and exposed his belly. That was the signal that he wanted to be rubbed. Ellie descended the stairs, talking to Percy all the while. “You guys are so spoiled.” Percy let out a coo of approval as Ellie accommodated his request. “Come on. We need to figure out what we’re having for dinner.”

  “Dinner” was a word Percy understood. He immediately sprang from his supine position and followed Ellie into the kitchen. Ellie had a good view of the yard. She didn’t mind if Jackson could see her, although he was too distracted tossing the ball to notice her. As long as she didn’t have to go past the threshold, she felt safe.

  Ellie opened a can of food for Percy and put it on the counter. She snickered, knowing most people would be appalled that she fed her cat on the kitchen counter. Too bad. This was her house and her cat. She knew it would be another hour before Jackson and Buddy were finished running around the yard, so she decided to wait before she put out Buddy’s food. No countertops for him. She chuckled, trying to imagine her big dog on the counter. Ellie looked out the window, watching the boy and the dog chase each other. She knew that Hector was always on top of his job of cleaning the yard. She didn’t want Jackson going home with poop on his shoes or his pants. There were times when Jackson would roll around in the grass with the big pooch. Ellie was surprised that Colleen didn’t have a fit when Jackson would return home with grass stains and dirt all over him. But the kid was happy. That was all that mattered.

  Ellie grabbed the remote for the TV, which was sitting in a corner of the countertop. She clicked on the local news. Nothing earth-shattering. At least not in her small area of the world. North Korea was still looking ominous. The UK was still struggling with the fallout from Brexit, and the world was recovering financially from the pandemic. It had been a difficult time for everyone, but things were starting to come into balance again. Maybe it was time for her to find it for herself.

  Ellie checked the refrigerator to figure out what she was going to fix for herself. Time to make a grocery list. She grabbed the last package of chicken breasts and stared blankly. How many things can you make with chicken? She decided on chicken Milanese. She had made it many times, but it was always satisfying. Even the prep work was therapeutic. She mixed the breadcrumbs with parmesan cheese, oregano, parsley, basil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. She cracked a couple of eggs and beat them in a bowl. Ellie poured extra virgin olive oil into the frying pan and heated it up. After she washed the chicken and patted it dry, she pounded it with a meat mallet. First, she dipped it in the eggs and coated the chicken with the flavored breadcrumbs and placed it in the hot oil. After several minutes, she turned the cutlets. While they were cooking, she pulled out a bag of mixed greens: arugula, radicchio, and endive. She then cut an orange and squeezed some juice into the large, stainless-steel salad bowl, then a little more olive oil.

  She’d wait until the last minute to toss in the greens, which she would then place on top of the chicken cutlets.

  Ellie was so engrossed in her meal
preparations that she jumped when Jackson hit the bell to be let out. She walked over to the intercom. “Good night, Jackson!” she called and hit the gate lock button.

  “Thanks, Ms. Bowman! Something sure smells good!”

  Ellie laughed. “It’s chicken Milanese.”

  “Chicken what?”

  “It’s kinda like Italian fried chicken.” That was the best way to describe the taste. “With some salad on top.”

  “I like fried chicken. Salad, not so much.” Jackson waved toward the window from which the fine aroma was coming. “Bye!”

  Ellie hit the lock button after Jackson exited, and Buddy came galloping through the laundry room and kitchen.

  “Oh, now you want to be my friend?” Ellie fixed Buddy’s bowl. He wagged his tail in agreement as she set it on the floor.

  Ellie tossed the salad, removed the chicken from the pan, and topped it with the greens. Jackson was right. It sure smelled good.

  Ellie pulled a stool from under the counter, plopped herself in her usual position, and continued to watch TV. Sometimes, the news was so dreadful that she would channel-surf, looking for something uplifting. She stumbled upon The Andy Griffith Show and remembered Hector’s description of Hibbing. “It’s like Mayberry.” And that was fine with her.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Colleen was relieved that Frank and Jeanne had returned. She felt safer with them next door. The big issue was going to be the new neighbors across the street. She was concerned about Randy Gaynor, the twelve-year-old delinquent. She thought again about asking Officer Bob Pedone for information. Instead, she figured she would simply mention it and see if he could offer any information or thoughts. The last thing she needed was for a new kid to be a bad influence on Jackson.

  Mitchel’s court date was coming up, and Colleen thought that would be a good excuse to call the policeman. She walked over to the bulletin board, picked up the phone, and nervously dialed the number.

  “Pedone,” he answered.

  Colleen hesitated, then cleared her throat. “Hello. It’s Colleen Haywood. How are you?”

  “Well, hello, Colleen Haywood.” Pedone wasn’t sure if he should be informal and call her by her first name. “How are you? Everything all right?”

  “Yes, fine, thank you.” Colleen felt like a schoolgirl talking to this man.

  “What can I do for you today? You haven’t had to use that Taser, I hope.”

  Colleen could sense he was smiling. “Oh, no, nothing like that. Mitchel’s court date is coming up, and I was checking to see if you were going to be there.”

  “Yes, since I was the arresting officer and filed the report,” he explained.

  “Oh, good. I thought that was the case, but I wanted to be sure.” Colleen hesitated. “Do you think you could stop by some time for coffee? I want to run a few things past you.” There. I said it.

  “Anything serious?”

  “I’m not sure yet.”

  “What do you mean?” he prodded.

  “I’d rather discuss it in person, if that’s OK with you.” She winced, waiting for his response.

  “Sure. No problem. When do you want to meet?”

  “I’ll be finished with school around three-thirty today. We have a meeting. I should be home by four, if that’s not too late. Or early.”

  “Not a problem. Will Jackson be staying with you at school?” Pedone asked, recalling Colleen’s telling him about Mitchel hanging around.

  “No. My neighbor Frank will meet him and walk him home. He’ll sit with him until he finishes his homework. Then Jackson will most likely go down the block to Ellie Bowman’s.”

  “That’s good. Is Mitchel still hanging around at the end of the block?”

  “He wasn’t there yesterday. Morning or afternoon. And I don’t see his car right now.”

  “Maybe he’s behaving himself,” Pedone added.

  “He and Jackson had a good visit on Saturday. I’m hoping that’s a step in the right direction.”

  “There is something to be said for a good father/son relationship.”

  “I agree. Mitchel’s dad died when he was only ten, so he never really had much of an opportunity to bond with him. Do you have any kids?” Colleen asked. “I’m sorry. It’s none of my business.”

  “No problem. I have a son who’s a freshman in college.” It was his turn to clear his throat. “My wife and I—I should say my ex-wife and I—divorced when he was thirteen. But we were civil and made sure we did whatever was necessary to make sure Drew had a normal upbringing. As normal as you can, with divorced parents.”

  “I could probably use some tips in that field.” Colleen was relieved to hear that the man wasn’t married. Or had he remarried? “So you’ve been divorced five years?”

  “Give or take. It was my job as a cop that got to her. She didn’t like it if I was called away to a scene when I was supposed to be off duty.”

  “That can be tough.”

  “Well, it isn’t like Hibbing is the crime capital of Missouri,” he said, chuckling.

  “True.”

  “I think she just used it as an excuse. We got married straight out of high school. Right after I graduated from the academy, we had Drew. I think that after she turned thirty, she felt like she had missed something in her life and started to get restless. I don’t know. But enough about me.”

  “Oh, that’s all right. We seem to have something in common.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Divorce,” Colleen sputtered. She had made up her mind. It was time to cut Mitchel loose. Or maybe herself.

  “You’re planning on filing?”

  “Yes. As soon as the hearing is over. I don’t want too many legal messes happening at the same time.”

  “Good thinkin’,” Pedone said.

  “I’d better get going and make sure Jackson is ready for school.”

  “You betcha. See you around four. Enjoy your day, Colleen.” There, he said it. Her first name.

  Colleen was all atwitter. She almost felt foolish. Was this normal behavior? Does every woman fall for the man who she thinks saved her? She shrugged, then smiled. At the moment, it didn’t matter. She felt safe, and she was moving forward.

  “Jackson? Ready?”

  “Yes, Mom.” Jackson came running out of his room. “Is it OK if I go to Ms. Bowman’s after I finish my homework?”

  “Are you sure you’re not making a pest of yourself?” Colleen squatted down and looked him in the eye.

  “Gee, I dunno, Mom. She was really nice yesterday.”

  Colleen looked at him curiously. “You spoke to her?”

  “Through the box.” Jackson was pulling on his backpack. “I showed her my arrowhead.”

  “How did you do that?”

  “What?”

  “Show her your arrowhead?” Colleen’s curiosity was peaked.

  “I held it up in the air.” Jackson thought nothing of it.

  “OK. So you didn’t go in the house?”

  “No, Mom.”

  “And she didn’t come outside?”

  “Nope.” Jackson checked his shoelaces. Tied. Double knots.

  “What else did she say?”

  “She said she was getting worried ’cause I was late. That’s when I showed her my good-luck charm.”

  “Oh. OK.” Colleen realized that nothing Jackson had said differed from every other experience, even though she was secretly hoping for some kind of breakthrough.

  “But she was cooking some kind of fried chicken when I was leaving. I told her it smelled real good.”

  “So she was in the kitchen when you were there?”

  “Yup.”

  “And you could see her?”

  “Yup,” Jackson repeated. “But I didn’t get a real good look.”

  “Well, all righty! Let’s get moving. You remember that Frank is going to walk you home today, and he’ll sit with you while you do your homework. Then you can go play with Buddy.”

  “Yi
ppee!” Jackson put on his baseball cap and stomped out the door.

  As the two of them headed toward school, Colleen noticed again that Mitchel’s car was not lurking on the side of the road. On the one hand, that made her feel better, but on the other, she wondered if Mitchel had some nefarious plan up his sleeve. She shrugged off her concern. For the moment.

  * * *

  At the end of the school day, Frank greeted Jackson outside the front entrance to the school. “Hey, Mr. Chadwick!” Jackson waved to his friends. “See ya tomorrow!”

  “Hey, Jackson!” Frank put his hand on Jackson’s shoulder. “How was school today?”

  “Oh, pretty much the same as yesterday, except Kevin brought a frog into class and it got out of its box. It was hopping all over the place. Some of the girls were screaming.” Jackson was laughing as he described the scene.

  “Did someone finally catch it?”

  “Yeah. Kevin put the box over him, but then he couldn’t figure out how to turn the box over without the frog getting out.”

  “So then what happened?”

  “Mrs. Massa called the custodian. He came with a net and threw it over the box. It was hard to see because he was bent over. But when he stood up, the frog was back in the box, and the lid was on it.”

  “Well, that sounds like a bit of excitement, right?” Frank was amused.

  “Then Mrs. Massa made Kevin put tape on the box so the frog wouldn’t get out again.”

  “I assume there were holes in the box so the frog could breathe?”

  “Oh, sure. He even had some grass stuff, but that got all over the floor. I guess the frog is gonna have to wait ’til it gets home before he can have a snack.”

  Frank smiled. The wonder of childhood.

  The walk home took less than ten minutes. Once they got inside, Jackson took off his backpack and pulled out his homework assignment.

  “What are you working on today?” Frank asked.

  “We’re studying the solar system.”

  “Wow. That’s impressive.”

  “I guess. We have to draw a map.”

  “Do you get to look at your book while you’re doing it?”