Train to Anywhere
Page 22
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As soon as Mike arrived, Eddie saw his entire life in Providence crumble. Whatever happened after he had called Herman and O'Connor he would likely never know, but either way, any contact with anything he had done or people he had known was severed. Like a fast-playing movie, the job at Aron's, his classes, other friends, all of it ran back through his mind and he felt that it was the life of another person. He would need to think that way if he were to survive. Running and disappearing were going to be difficult. He had started reworking the new persona in his mind: Charlie Neumann, born in Youngstown, Ohio, left school at 12 to work in various stores to support his family, now traveling around looking for employment. Parents both gone, no brothers or sisters.
Mike tried the door, then had it unlocked in a few seconds. Eddie was amazed at how quick, reserved, and effortless the man worked, giving him a chill to think that if he really were asleep in there, he would never have heard Mike step in. Nelson would have kicked the door in with guns blazing. Mike was good, and Eddie could not help but remember how he handled himself when they first met a few weeks before. Eddie ducked further. After a few seconds, Mike stepped back out, pulled the door closed, and drove off. No shot was fired, and barely a stone in the parking lot was disturbed.