Black Water Creek (6 page)

Kelly pushed her cup aside. “I’m sorry.” She didn’t know what else to say.

“Listen to me, go on about myself. What about you? What’s your story?”

She looked down at the table,
running her finger over the dried ring of coffee her cup left behind. “I don’t really have a story. Nothing like you, anyway. We were going to stay with my aunt but got stranded here when my car broke down. I didn’t realize she passed away and didn’t have anywhere else to go. Ed and Sue were nice enough to take us in and rent us that little cottage down by the river.”

“That dump? You’d probably be more comfortable sleeping in my storage room next door.”

“Hey, it’s not that bad. Just needs a woman’s touch.”

A
UPS truck pulled up in front of the store. “Ah crap,” Paul started to get up. “I forgot I’m expecting a couple of boxes. We better get over there before he tosses them out the truck door and takes off.”

They walked back next door,
Paul signed for the package, then gave Kelly a quick run-down of the store. “When I started out, it was pretty basic. My plan was to build custom computers, refurb and sell used ones, and do upgrades and repairs.

“If I wasn’t training or on deployment, I was messing with computers and learning everything I could. By the time I got out, my skills were ready but the good people of Black Water Creek weren’t. I think most people are more comfortable buying a laptop from a guy in a blue shirt in a warehouse store.”

Kelly nudged the mouse of one of Paul’s custom computers in front of her and the screen came to life. Red LED lights emitted through the window on the side of the brushed aluminum case. “I don’t know much about these things but this one looks pretty fancy.”

Paul laughed. “Should be
, for almost two grand. It didn’t take long for me to start getting some decent repair work come in but that barely covered rent. Once I had the idea to buy and sell used video games I finally started to get some traction.”

He
picked up the box he’d signed for and placed it on the counter. “I take trade-ins from the locals and supplement the rest by combing the web for good deals.” He broke the seal on the box and inspected the handful of console games inside. “So, what do you think? Have you forgiven me for being a jerk and decided to stay?”

“It’s up to you, Paul. Like I said, I don’t really…”

“Yeah, yeah, you don’t know about any of this stuff. Give yourself some credit. You’re a smart girl. I can tell.” He held out his hand. “Welcome aboard?”

“Absolutely.” She took his hand and they shook.

“Don’t worry, I’ll work with you for a few weeks before letting you run the store on your own. It won’t take long for you to get the gist of making deals on stuff that comes in. Selling is easy, just ring up the price tag in the register.”

Kelly spent the rest of the afternoon waiting on customers, answering the phone, and watched while Paul closed the deal on an old video game console
someone brought in to sell. It looked like outdated junk from the eighties to Kelly, but Paul was excited about it. He claimed it was rare and said he’d be able to sell it online for a nice profit.

When traffic in the store slowed down she watched over his shoulder as
he worked on broken computers. She nodded politely as he explained various parts and processes but it all sounded like gibberish to her.

Paul told her sh
e could knock off for the day at four. Before she left, she noticed a phone charger in a box of parts that looked like it would fit her cell phone. Paul told her she could have it. She left the store and walked for Ed and Sue’s house, soon to be located next to her house, feeling optimistic and happy for the first time in weeks.

Chapter
9

Kelly walked with a spring in her step, satisfied with her first day of work and looking forward to seeing Keegan. The wind picked up and she pulled the zipper of her jacket further up, trying to keep out the icy autumn air.

As she jammed her hands back in her coat pocket she brushed up against the phone charger and her good mood faltered. Her cell phone back at the house and
its journal of missed calls and voicemail messages was her last remaining link to Don. She didn’t even want to turn it back on and was tempted to just throw the phone away, but she knew that was stupid. Even though she had managed without a cell phone years ago, she was spoiled like everybody who owned one and now she needed it. The contract was under her name and she still had a year left. All she had to do was hop online and change the billing address. Did Don know the password? She’d have to change that as well, maybe apply for a new phone number.

Daylight was fading quickly as she stepped off the sidewalk and turned onto the road to Ed and
Sue’s house. They lived on the edge of town so their street had no sidewalks and fewer street lights. Kelly was starting to regret turning down Sue’s offer to pick her up.

The sound of an approaching vehicle behind her grew
louder as the headlights slowly cast her shadow across the crumbling asphalt. She moved farther over on the gravel shoulder, realizing her dark brown jacket probably wasn’t the safest outfit for walking at night.

The vehicle slowed as it got closer and Kelly’s pulse quicken
ed. The motor sounded big and rough, like some sort of truck, and she immediately thought of Don’s Dodge Ram. She was just being paranoid. What were the chances he’d find her here and now? He’d have no idea what town she was in, much less where she’d be walking.

It didn’t change the fact
that the truck was slowing down behind her. She stared at the sharp outline of her shadow as the tires rolled on to the gravel behind her. Ed and Sue’s house was still a good quarter mile down the road. The only house close by was on her right but the windows were dark. Nobody home.

The truck came to a stop with a slight squeal from the brake
s. The engine died and the door opened. Kelly panicked and was seconds from breaking into a sprint when a voice boomed out from behind her.

“Hey there, pretty lady. Need a lift?”

She spun around at the familiar voice, shielding her eyes with her hands for a second before the powerful headlights went dark. Ed stood there behind the door, smiling at her.

“Ed
, you scared the hell out of me! I was sure I was about to get abducted.”

Ed’s smile
vanished as he glanced at the truck and it dawned on him what he’d done. “Aw dammit, I’m sorry. I guess that was a pretty boneheaded move.” He closed the door and walked over to Kelly. “I stopped by the shop planning to pick you up but Paul said I just missed you.”

“Thanks, but I already told Sue this morning I was okay to walk home.”

“Not anymore you’re not.” Ed swept his hand in the direction of the pickup truck and Kelly took a proper look at it for the first time. “Say hello to your new set of wheels.”

“What?”

“I know it doesn’t look like much, but she’s a runner. ’72 Chevy Cheyenne Ten.” Ed hiked up his belt and admired the truck as if it was his child. “Little bit a rust but nothing to worry about. Not too shabby considering it came off the line before you were even a twinkling in your dad’s eye.”

He leaned forward and scraped a bit of black gunk off the door with his thumbnail.
“I’ve had it sitting in the back of the shop under a tarp for years. I always meant to give it a full restoration but never could seem to find the time. I figured you could use a car, so it’s yours to use until you can afford something better. I’m sure it’s not exactly your cup of tea, but it’s better than nothing.”

Kelly placed her hand on the warm hood
. “I don’t know, it’s sort of cool. In a retro kind of way.”

Ed laughed. “Well there
ya go. I had one of the boys give it a once over this morning. Oil change, checked the breaks, changed the plugs. She’s good to go.”

Kelly stood on her tip toes and kissed Ed on the cheek, barely able to reach due to his substantial belly. “Thanks Ed, you’re the best.”

“Yeah, don’t mention it. Come on, let’s get home. I’m so hungry I’m ready to start chewing on this thing.” He headed for the passenger side. “Shotgun. You’re driving.”

Kelly slid onto the large bench seat and took a hold of what felt like a ridiculously large steering wheel. The interior was basic to say the least.
A couple of dials on the dash, two levers for the heater, and an old AM radio that would fit in nicely in a museum. She turned the key and the truck shimmied as the big V8 under the hood roared into life.

The short drive took only a minute, Ed smiling the whole way. Compared to her little Toyota, Kelly felt like she was driving a bus. It would certainly take some time for her to get used to making the switch to a full sized pickup. But she had to admit, it was sort of fun.

Ed and Kelly walked through the front door, once again greeted by the delicious smells of Sue’s home cooking wafting from the kitchen.

“Mommy!” Keegan ran up and wrapped his arms around her legs.

“There’s my little man! How are you doing, sweetie?”

Sue appeared in the doorway wiping her hands on an apron. “There’s the hard workers of the house. Supper’s ready in just a few minutes.”

“How was Keegan today?”

“
He did just fine. We had a blast.”

Keegan ran for the kitchen. “Mommy, mommy! Come see what I
drawed for you.” He stood next to the refrigerator door, bouncing up and down and pointing to a sheet of paper held up with magnets.

Kelly leaned over and looked at the chaotic crayon mess covering the entire page. “Wow, buddy. That’s great. It’s the best…ah, picture I’ve seen all day.”

“It’s a cow eating on the grass. See?” Keegan jabbed his finger at the brown scribbles surrounded by green scribbles.

“Of course!
That’s the best cow picture ever.”

Sue helped Keegan into his new high chair, an item she found at the second hand store in town that day, while Kelly went to the bathroom to wash her hands.
She crossed the hall to the guest room and took off her jacket, causing the cell phone charger to fall to the floor.

She stared at the dead phone on the dresser for a moment and couldn’t take the suspense any
longer. With the phone plugged into the power outlet, she held down the button and it vibrated to life in her hand.

“Supper’s ready!” Sue called from the kitchen.

“I’ll be right there, don’t wait for me!”

The phone’s LCD display lit up. MISSED CALLS: 49. NEW MESSAGES: 17. Kelly sighed, her appetite suddenly
gone. She scrolled through the incoming calls and as she suspected, Don’s number dominated the list.  After the initial ten or fifteen from him, her friend Tammy’s number came up.

Tammy. With all the excitement over the last couple of days she’d completely forgotten about her best friend back home. She must be worried sick.

Kelly almost shrieked as the phone vibrated in her hand and she practically dropped it. The display flashed. TAMMY. She hesitated for a second as her heart pounded before she finally flipped the phone open and held it to her ear.

“Hey.”

“Oh my God, where are you? Are you okay?” Kelly held the phone away from her ear. Tammy was a loud talker under normal circumstances and now she was practically screaming. “Where are you?”

“I’m fine, calm down. We’re someplace safe and everything is fine.”

“Are you kidding me? Everything is not fine! Do you know how worried I’ve been?”

Kelly sighed and
pushed the bedroom door, leaving it open a crack. “I’m sorry, I should have called sooner. We took off so fast and my phone died. I just turned it back on, I swear.”

“Don came over last night. He was freaking the fuck out. He stood outside banging on the door for ten minutes, drunk off his ass. I didn’t know what to do! He practically woke up the whole street.”

Kelly’s grip on the phone tightened. “Are you okay? He didn’t hurt you did he?”

“No, nothing like that. He showed me the big gash on his head and said you attacked him. He wouldn’t go away until I finally let him in just to show him you weren’t hiding inside. What happened?”

“The usual. Only worse this time, a lot worse. I was scared Tammy, we had to leave.”

Kelly heard her friend sniffle and her voice cracked. “I’m just glad you’re okay. Where are you?” she asked again. “Are you coming home?”

The door opened a crack with a quiet knock. Sue peeked in. “Dinner’s ready, dear.”

Kelly covered the phone with her hand and turned around. “I’ll be just a sec.”

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t know you were on the phone.”

“
Kell?” Tammy’s voice became frantic. “Are you still there?”

“
I’m still here. Listen, I’ll call you later, okay? I promise everything is fine and we’re safe. What about you? Don didn’t threaten you or anything did he?”

“
Not really, but he doesn’t believe that I don’t know where you are.”

“And I want to keep it that way,” Kelly said. “At least for now
.”

“What do you mean?” Tammy didn’t hide the hurt in her voice.

“You know I trust you but I think the less you know right now is safer for the both of us. If Don thinks you know where I am, there’s no telling what he might do. If he hurt you I’d never forgive myself.”

Tammy sniffed. “I understand.”

“I gotta go, okay? If he tries anything call me right away. I’ll talk to you soon.”

They said goodbye and Kelly hung up the phone. She
sat on the bed and cried for five minutes before she was finally able to get herself together and join the others for dinner.