Brainstorm by Margaret Belle Read Free Book Online Page B

won’t get another shot at you.”
    Fueled by fury, I went home and loaded stuff I thought we
would need into Nelly. I dug out paper plates, and plastic forks, spoons, and
cups, from last year’s Labor Day picnic. Harley was about my size, so I threw
some extra clothes and PJs into a bag, and grabbed a bunch of washcloths and
towels from my little linen closet. As I carried my small TV out to Nelly, a
sense of panic began to set in that I was taking too long. What if Carl did
show up to take Harley home? Moving as quickly as I could, I packed a box with
some non-perishable food, and then put everything salvageable that wasn’t
coming with me, into the freezer. The rest went into a garbage bag, which I
threw into the dumpster on the way out. I stopped into the saloon to tell my
landlord I’d be out of town, just in case anyone asked.
    By the time I reached Harley’s room, she had her
paperwork in hand. I was relieved beyond words that Carl was not there. “I’m
ready,” she said. “Let’s go before I lose my nerve.”
    Back at the office, with Harley safely inside, I began
emptying Nelly. I carried the small TV upstairs and set it on a table, then
pulled the sheets and blankets out of the plastic bags and made up the cots. I
settled her into her makeshift bed and then gave the bathroom a quick wipe
down. The place looked almost livable. Almost.

Chapter 9
    By the time I was done, it was past dinnertime. “I’ll hook
up the cable,” she said, “why don’t you go get some takeout.”
    “You should stay in bed,” I said, “and I don’t want to
leave you here alone.”
    “Better now than after Carl realizes I’ve left the
hospital. And I do not intend to stay in this bed!”
    “Okay, what sounds good?”
    “Surprise me,” she said.
    Before I went out I checked and double checked the
parking lot, vowing to park closer to the building on my return. It didn’t help
that I was in a neighborhood where an extra gunshot or mugging would go
unreported for a good amount of time. Now, with Carl about to learn of Harley’s
disappearing act and Danny Stearns on my mind, I decided to have Miller add
some lights in the parking lot.
    A quick trip to a nearby pizzeria, netted me a large pie
with everything and a six pack of soda. I nestled Nelly in close to the door,
locked her up, and went inside with our hot and aromatic dinner. We ate and
watched the news. Within half an hour, coverage of Sean’s press conference
began. He was great – emotional, angry, and deadly serious all at the same
time. But when the camera pulled back, I was horrified to see myself standing
near the platform, next to the podium.
    When I gasped, Harley asked, “What?”
    I explained the whole story about Danny Stearns running
into me, how I’d recognized him on TV, and how now maybe he’d seen me. “Do you
think he’d recognize me after all this time?” I asked. “Because if he did, and
he knows I could be the one to ID him, I think he’d come after me. And seeing
me on the news in Syracuse would certainly narrow the search area for him.”
    “Why didn’t you say anything about this before?” she
asked, looking more upset that I’d expected her to. I didn’t want to add more
stress to what she was already shouldering.
    “It’s not exactly a story I’m fond of telling,” I said.
“It’s one I’d hoped would stay in my past.”
    “So you just happened to be standing in his path,” she
said, almost to herself. “How does a thing like that happen? I mean, what are
the odds?”
    Talking to Harley made me more convinced that Danny
Stearns would try to find out who and
where I was. I could only hope that he hadn’t seen the report, but these 24/7
news outlets replayed the same stories over and over for days. He would have
lots of chances to see me. I got up and examined my two medicine bottles,
trying to decide which one to take. I went with the happy pill, knowing that
anxiety was my worst enemy, and that I didn’t really