blended into a swirling chaos that perfectly reflected what she was feeling inside.
“Are you getting tired?” said a voice.
For a moment, she thought the voice was inside her head, but then she realized that it was Billy, talking to her. He was trying his best to keep his voice low and firm, hoping to sound completely confident and in control, but she could detect the nervous undercurrent in him.
“No—I … um, well, yeah, I am pretty tired… kind of,” she replied. “It’s been a—a helluva long day.”
“So where are we going?”
“We’re heading east,” she said simply.
Her mind was too numb to say much else, but she was happy that he hadn’t put any fear or hostility into his question. The tone of Billy’s voice seemed to acknowledge that they were all in this—this adventure together. Maybe he had reasons—some damned good reasons to want to be out of his father’s house!
If Billy went along with what was happening, then once she calmed down, Krissy would probably follow her older brother’s lead. It pained her deeply to hear the strangled sobs, coming from the back seat, but Cindy tried to assuage her guilt by telling herself that the five year-old was going to be much better off in the long haul. Maybe with her brother’s help, they could all pull together and work it out. And one thing to be grateful for—at least there were no police after them. For now it looked like they were going to be all right.
As long as the police and FBI don’t catch us … and as long as Alex doesn’t hire a private detective to find us or come looking for his children himself… and as long as I don’t have a goddamned coronary!
She couldn’t stop wondering what Alex was going to do once he realized his children were missing. In all likelihood, he would go straight to the police and give them a description of the kids and her. No doubt Debbie had some recent photographs of her around the house. Then the police and FBI would be on her tail.
On the other hand, Cindy was certain that Alex had killed his wife and faked it to look like an accident. With that worry on his mind, he might be reluctant to get the police involved. They might start putting the pieces together and draw the right conclusion—that he was guilty of murder.
Even if he didn’t notify the police Alex might follow them . A man like Alex might even be relieved to be rid of the burden of having children, and it might work to his advantage to have the one person who was convinced of his guilt feel like a fugitive. That of course, all depended on how convinced he was that Cindy knew the truth. But then she recalled that day in Krendall’s office, how flushed with anger he got when he swore up and down that there was no way— no way in hell! —she would take his children away from him.
No, Cindy concluded, he’d so something to get his kids back, if only to get even with her, and strike another blow against his wife—even in her grave!
Cindy realized that her game plan was shaky at best. After talking things over with Harry, she hadn’t acted the next day, as had been her initial impulse. As impatient as she’d been, and as concerned as she’d been for the safety of the children, she’d taken her time to get things ready. She’d packed clothes for her and the children, transferred money into one account and drawn out several thousand dollars in Traveler’s Checks. She’d figured out several alternate routes to Maine—both the fastest and the most circuitous. Finally, after a week or so of planning, in which Harry participated little, she had decided that she would take off and head for Harry’s uncle’s cabin in western Maine, on a lake called Little Sebago in the town of Gray. She would stay there with the kids until Harry had time to sell the hardware store and come east to join them.
After adding Debbie’s willed money to Cindy’s own finances, she had access to a little better than thirty-five thousand dollars. That
“Are you getting tired?” said a voice.
For a moment, she thought the voice was inside her head, but then she realized that it was Billy, talking to her. He was trying his best to keep his voice low and firm, hoping to sound completely confident and in control, but she could detect the nervous undercurrent in him.
“No—I … um, well, yeah, I am pretty tired… kind of,” she replied. “It’s been a—a helluva long day.”
“So where are we going?”
“We’re heading east,” she said simply.
Her mind was too numb to say much else, but she was happy that he hadn’t put any fear or hostility into his question. The tone of Billy’s voice seemed to acknowledge that they were all in this—this adventure together. Maybe he had reasons—some damned good reasons to want to be out of his father’s house!
If Billy went along with what was happening, then once she calmed down, Krissy would probably follow her older brother’s lead. It pained her deeply to hear the strangled sobs, coming from the back seat, but Cindy tried to assuage her guilt by telling herself that the five year-old was going to be much better off in the long haul. Maybe with her brother’s help, they could all pull together and work it out. And one thing to be grateful for—at least there were no police after them. For now it looked like they were going to be all right.
As long as the police and FBI don’t catch us … and as long as Alex doesn’t hire a private detective to find us or come looking for his children himself… and as long as I don’t have a goddamned coronary!
She couldn’t stop wondering what Alex was going to do once he realized his children were missing. In all likelihood, he would go straight to the police and give them a description of the kids and her. No doubt Debbie had some recent photographs of her around the house. Then the police and FBI would be on her tail.
On the other hand, Cindy was certain that Alex had killed his wife and faked it to look like an accident. With that worry on his mind, he might be reluctant to get the police involved. They might start putting the pieces together and draw the right conclusion—that he was guilty of murder.
Even if he didn’t notify the police Alex might follow them . A man like Alex might even be relieved to be rid of the burden of having children, and it might work to his advantage to have the one person who was convinced of his guilt feel like a fugitive. That of course, all depended on how convinced he was that Cindy knew the truth. But then she recalled that day in Krendall’s office, how flushed with anger he got when he swore up and down that there was no way— no way in hell! —she would take his children away from him.
No, Cindy concluded, he’d so something to get his kids back, if only to get even with her, and strike another blow against his wife—even in her grave!
Cindy realized that her game plan was shaky at best. After talking things over with Harry, she hadn’t acted the next day, as had been her initial impulse. As impatient as she’d been, and as concerned as she’d been for the safety of the children, she’d taken her time to get things ready. She’d packed clothes for her and the children, transferred money into one account and drawn out several thousand dollars in Traveler’s Checks. She’d figured out several alternate routes to Maine—both the fastest and the most circuitous. Finally, after a week or so of planning, in which Harry participated little, she had decided that she would take off and head for Harry’s uncle’s cabin in western Maine, on a lake called Little Sebago in the town of Gray. She would stay there with the kids until Harry had time to sell the hardware store and come east to join them.
After adding Debbie’s willed money to Cindy’s own finances, she had access to a little better than thirty-five thousand dollars. That
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