by A M Jenner
Marilee checked her watch. 10:05 AM. She’d been in the restroom about fifteen minutes. Jamison was likely trying to summon security with some story so they’d come in after her. He was probably as good at lying as Tony was, but she didn’t think he’d actually brave the ladies room himself, no matter what he’d said.
Marilee heard several people enter the restroom. She removed her prior flight tags and luggage labels from the suitcase and flushed them. She stuffed the suitcase behind the toilet against the wall and donned the black jacket.
Hefting both the small carry-on and the black duffel bag, she grabbed her purse and left the cubicle, stopping to wash her hands for show while checking her reflection in the mirror for escaping blond strands of hair.
Marilee closely but nonchalantly followed two girls leaving the restroom, as if she were part of their group. If mysteries and thrillers were correct, pretending to be casually “minding-your-own-business” was the best way to avoid being noticed.
She’d certainly had time to read since Tony refused to let her to work. He hadn’t even let her finish college after they married. He just wanted her to sit around looking pretty. Marilee hated that.
No one looked at her as she walked near the girls, not even Jamison, who was standing nearby, talking to someone in a uniform, one eye on the ladies’ room doorway. She continued to walk close to the girls for some distance before stepping away. So far, the books’ counsel was working.
Marilee managed to ride a bus across the airport in comparative calm, although she felt a million eyes watching her. When the bus reached the other terminal, she pulled the black duffel bag strap onto her shoulder, picked up the carry-on and her purse, and walked inside the terminal. She got into line, wishing she hadn’t had to leave the other luggage behind.
She paid cash for the ticket to Los Angeles she’d reserved in her maiden name, using the driver’s license she’d never relinquished or changed after her marriage to Tony. She’d anticipated a little trouble over the hair color change, but the woman hardly looked at the ID before accepting the checked bag, issuing the boarding pass, and waving her on toward the security station.
If the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and the Los Angeles International Airport weren’t big enough to get lost in, with the day-after-Thanksgiving-crowds, no place was. She hoped her plans for disappearing from Tony would work. They simply had to!
Chapter Five
Arriving in Los Angeles, Marilee, laden with duffle, carry-on, and purse, asked for bus instructions to the Amtrak station. She caught the bus, thankful to have missed any more of Tony’s comrades. Making the necessary transfers, she reached the train station.
Slipping into a ladies’ room cubicle, she changed clothing and wig to something less garish and redid her make-up. Leaving the restroom, she consulted the schedules and bought a ticket to San Diego.
The train ride wasn’t long, and soon Marilee was in another stall, changing everything once more. She left the room, took a city bus to the Greyhound station, and bought passage for Salt Lake City. She sincerely hoped her varied trail would be sufficiently muddied to keep her hidden and safe.
Chapter Six
The silence in the study was deceptively peaceful as Tony stood at his desk and pulled his suit coat on, snugging his silk tie close against his throat. He looked at his desk, his open planner displaying all the red lines postponing appointments; in short, the total destruction of his well-planned day. It galled him to think of the money those cancellations represented; he’d retrieve Marilee from Dallas, correct her antics, and then extract revenge for the havoc wreaked on his schedule.
His grimace filled with malevolence as he devised ways she’d pay. And yes, she’d definitely pay. People always paid when they crossed him. His wife would be no exception. Afterwards, he’d eliminate her. Beautiful as she was, the marriage hadn’t been as advantageous as he’d envisioned, and it would be beneficial to be rid of her. He flipped his planner closed and started around the desk when the telephone rang.
He reached for the instrument, lifting the earpiece quickly.
“Hello?” Tony’s voice was eager.
“Tony, it’s Jamison.” Jamison’s voice sounded strained.
“Got her?” Anticipation was evident in his tone.
A long pause hung from the other end of the line. “I had her.” Tinged with fear, the voice was low and filled with bitter regret.
“You had her? What does that mean, you had her? I’m on my way, where is she?” Anger he could almost taste burned sharply in his words.
Jamison’s voice held all the trepidation of a mouse waiting for the cat holding him to chomp. Tony heard the deep breath being taken and released before Jamison’s quavering voice came through.
“I don’t know. She just vanished.” The voice gave the impression the body housing it just slumped in his seat.
Tony took his own breath and blew it out explosively with an ugly sound. “A person doesn’t just vanish. She’s got to be there. Tell me exactly from the time she stepped off the plane.” Although the anger in Tony’s voice sent the correct message to Jamison, Jamison appeared relieved Tony was willing to listen.
“Well, she got off the plane and got her bags and I grabbed her. I took her to the side and sat her down. After a while, she had to use the ladies room. I couldn’t follow her in there, so I waited just outside with her bags. After fifteen minutes, she hadn’t come out, so I grabbed a lady cop. I told her my wife wasn’t feeling well, and would she please check on her.
“Well, the cop went in there and then all hell broke loose. An abandoned suitcase was stuffed behind a john and the cop thought it was a bomb. She called the bomb squad, and in seconds a jillion cops ran into the restroom.
“Tony, I swear. There was only one way in or out of the john, and I was right there, watching. I didn’t move my eyes away for even a second! I swear nobody who looked even remotely like Marilee came out that door. She just disappeared, Tony. She had to come straight past me, and I was watching every person. I swear it! I just don’t know where she’s gone.”
Silence reigned as Tony digested what Jamison had revealed. He pondered his options, sifting facts against his knowledge of Marilee. He finally broke the stillness with a question.
“What time was that?”
“I grabbed her about 9:45. The security chick went in about 10:15.”
“Fine. I’ll put some competent people on it from here. Send her bags to me at your expense. You get bupkus, moron. Hope you can find your way home.” With that, Tony slammed the receiver down hard, mashing his thumb in the process. He’d take care of Jamison later, especially if her luggage didn’t arrive soon.
Tony turned his computer on and spent an hour doing some creative hacking. He couldn’t find any ‘Marilee Ferguson’, or ‘M. Ferguson’ on any flights leaving Dallas today. Maybe she hadn’t left Dallas yet, but was still hiding from Jamison. He’d start there. He picked up the phone and punched out a number. Another of his good friends answered.
“Craig? Tony Ferguson here; got a problem. Marilee went through my briefcase and found some confidential papers. She thought they looked suspicious. She’s run off, and I need some expert help tracking her down before she goes public with the whole thing. She could blow a very sensitive deal for one of my clients if she’s not careful.”
Craig Oberdorff asked a few questions. Tony told him where and when Marilee had last been seen, and promised to send Craig a recent photograph of her. They finished the call by agreeing on a fee schedule, and hung up.
Craig was one of the best investigators Tony knew. It would only be a matter of time until she was found. Tony smiled and with relish began to devise the ways Marilee would pay for her perfidy.
Chapter Seven
Arriving in Salt Lake City, Marilee gathered her duffle and carry-on, slung her purse strap over her shoulder, and hailed a taxi. The hotel she chose wasn’t far from the Greyhound station. She breathed a sigh of tired pleasure
after booking herself in. Armed with a local newspaper and a city street map, she went up to her room.
Once there, she dropped her bags on the bed and sighed with relief. She was exhausted, stinky, and famished. She showered quickly and headed out to find some dinner.
Marilee ate rapidly and returned to her room. She brushed her teeth and tumbled into sleep almost before her head came to rest on the pillow.
Sunday morning dawned bright and clear, and Marilee woke with a smile on her face. She’d escaped! Her plans had worked even with the ‘Jamison Glitch’ and she was free! She got up, showered and brushed her teeth, humming softly.
Emptying the suitcase onto the bed, Marilee inventoried her possessions. Most of her things were in the largest of the bags Jamison had stood guard over. Dismay that she had very little besides her disguise clothes, changed to gratitude.
I’m alive, she thought, and that’s wonderful. The reality of this thought brought an instant euphoria.
“I’m alive!” she said to the room at large. “And I had my disguise clothes when I most needed them. And, beginning today, I’m in charge of me!” Laughter bubbled up, released into the air, and eddied around her.
“Hooray for me!” she said, then laughed as she twirled around the room in a crazy, two-minute dance. Then, looking back at the sum of her worldly goods, she sobered.
Her eyes took in what was here; her brain catalogued the missing items. Marilee winced as she thought of the suitcase she left behind. It held more than just her clothes. The diamond and sapphire necklace Tony had given her for their wedding had been in there. She’d taken it as an extra asset above what she’d removed from their bank account. The rest of the jewelry he’d given her was still in their wall safe, and he had the only key. He hadn’t noticed she’d kept the necklace after the Thanksgiving party they’d attended.
Most of the jewelry Tony had given her was to show off, and she hated it. This was the one piece she liked and Marilee strongly regretted its loss. Well, it couldn’t be helped; the alternative was intolerable. She smiled once more at her freedom.
Choosing the only pantsuit she hadn’t yet worn, she laid it out on the bed. She looked at her image in the mirror. Always happy with the pale blonde color of her hair, she would miss the long, shimmering mass. With full determination and tears in the corners of her eyes, she opened a box of auburn hair dye. Following the directions, she began.
Hours later, her hair dyed and combed straight with one side tucked behind her ear, she dressed quickly. She threw the evidence of her color change in the trash can down the hall. Marilee absolutely didn’t want it traced to her room.
As part of her disguise last night when she’d checked in to her room she’d had a floppy hat which had covered her wig, so even if she saw the same people at the front desk, they wouldn’t notice she’d changed hair color overnight.
Straightening the room, she left and headed for the dining room and breakfast. She took with her the street map and advertisement section of the newspaper. As late morning as it was now, this was really brunch instead of breakfast. A smile played at the corners of her mouth. She knew no one working in the restaurant cared what she called the meal, as long as she paid for it and left a generous tip.
Eating, she scanned ads for reasonably priced, furnished apartments close to downtown. Her funds would last awhile, but she’d need to be careful until she got a job.
Marilee was grateful she’d been able to clear out their joint account without Tony finding out. It had been harrowing, to say the least, with her nerves strung tight enough to break.
Her meal over, she found phone booths just outside the dining room. Armed with a pocketful of change, Marilee made several calls. She spoke with owners, finding places with close proximity to bus routes, downtown, and shopping.
She set up appointments for the afternoon, then checked out of the hotel, confident of finding something before day’s end. If that didn’t happen, a different hotel would have to do. She hailed a taxi whose driver stowed her bags in the trunk and Marilee gave him the first address on her list.
As the taxi drove off, the early afternoon sun bathed the valley in light. High mountains towering behind office buildings provided a breath-taking panorama like one would find on a picture post card. Marilee noticed the lofty peaks nearly ringed the entire valley. Looking around, she felt sort of protected, if that was the correct word, in this valley nestled in the mountains. She took her first deep breath of peace in nearly two months.
Chapter Eight
The taxi headed now for the third address on her list; a duplex. Up a steep hill on the northern slope of the valley, they turned left, continuing up a much gentler slope for a few short blocks. Another left brought them onto a dead-end street, the taxi taking her to the last house on the right.
Marilee realized the duplex must be behind this large, two-story red brick home. She liked the feeling of the extra privacy even before she’d entered the place.
Getting out of the taxi, Marilee surveyed the street and saw it was narrow as well as short. The abrupt end of street’s pavement became steep stairs leading down 75 feet to the mouth of a shallow canyon, then across several streets towards the downtown area.
Marilee looked out over the steps and her breath caught in her chest. The view was fantastic. She could see across the city, now somewhat below her, and to the shorter hills west of the city. The sun, still a little above the horizon, was close enough to wash the low hills with a beautiful golden light.
Bringing her view closer once again, Marilee suspected those stairs would cut substantial time from a trek into town. She’d need to consult her map to make sure.
Turning, she checked the address on her list with the red brick house in front of her. They matched. She walked up the pathway and stepped onto the large porch. Her knock on the heavy wooden door was answered by a kindly-looking older man who introduced himself as Aaron Brimblecom, the landlord. The duplex was located in the rear, as she’d hoped.
Mr. Brimblecom escorted Marilee through the narrow alleyway between his home and the converted grey brick manor-type apartment building next door. He told her he owned all three buildings. The alleyway they were walking on was actually a driveway between the buildings, which ended in two small parking places for the duplex.
The ancient green-trimmed white duplex was tiny, but appeared in good repair. It was perched on the edge of the hill, and Marilee suspected the view across the canyon and out over the downtown area would be beautiful.
The west half of the duplex, the side with the best view, was the one for rent. Charming was the word popping into her mind to describe this delightful little dwelling. He unlocked the door and ushered her through the portal.
The whole house looked and smelled clean. Mr. Brimblecom said both sides of the duplex had been fumigated last month, so it should be insect-free. He explained the student who’d been living there’d had a family emergency, so it was immediately available.
The small apartment, including the reasonable rent, offered dishes and linens besides the furniture, and had been set up for college students. Marilee decided to take it. She walked with Mr. Brimblecom back to his home, where he stopped to get the rental agreement and she continued on to the taxi, paying the driver and retrieving her bags.
She carried them to her new landlord’s porch, where he was now waiting for her, agreement in hand. Marilee traded a deposit and first month’s rent for the key and fresh linens, and her thoughtful landlord carried her bags around to the back and into her living room.
According to Mr. B., she’d need to change the utilities into her own name and set up her phone service on Monday. He told her where they were located downtown, then left her to settle in, which she quickly accomplished with so few belongings.
Walking to the other half of the duplex, she knocked on the door. It opened just a crack, and part of a freckled face peered out. Marilee pasted on her best ‘I’m-a-good-guy’ smile and brightly said, “Hi! Is
your Mom home?”
The door didn’t open any further, but the face swung from side to side. “Huh-uh. No Mom. Just me and Dad.”
“Oh. Sorry. Well, then, is your Dad home?”
The kid’s face split into a grin. “Nope. He’s at work. What’cha need?”
Marilee’s smile widened into a grin at the boy’s answer. “Well, what I need is to use your phone. I want to call a taxi so I can do some shopping. I just moved in next door,” she finished with a gesture at her new abode.
The door opened only a little wider. The face belonged to a boy ten or eleven years old, she guessed, with brown hair and eyes. Freckles dusted his nose and cheeks and he was dressed in denims and a stripped pullover shirt.
“Well, I’m not supposed to let anybody in the house while Dad’s gone, but I can bring the phone out on the porch for you to use. You need the number, too?”
“Yes, please.” Marilee thanked him and he brought the long-corded phone to the door, a directory under one arm. She noticed his tennis shoes were well worn, one lace shaggy at the end and sloppily tied. He delivered the phone and book and then disappeared back into the house.
She perched on the edge of the cold cement porch step while she arranged for the cab. As soon as she hung up, the door opened once more. To her surprise, the boy, who had donned his jacket, came out onto the porch and sat next to her on the step. She handed him the phone and book, with a smile and another thank you.
He grinned. “No rules against sitting on the porch and talking to the new neighbor,” he said, his eyes lighting with mischief. “My name’s Derrek Gilman. What’s yours?”
“Marilee Curtice.” Marilee gave her maiden name. A transitory hope that Tony wouldn’t think of the name change flitted through her mind. She cleared her throat and asked, “How old are you?”
