The Key by Sarah May Palmer Read Free Book Online

hoped that her agitated state of mind and the brightness of her bedroom would not stand in her way.
    It may have taken a little while longer, but the CD did its job . C arly was in a deep sleep and starting out on her travels once more.

EIGHTEEN
     
    The next thing that Carly knew , she was standing across the road from the Cabbage Tree pub. Her fake orange-strapped Millage Luna watch indicated that it just after 9 a.m. She at first wondered if Scott had already left the pub , but then reasoned that so far she’d never arrived too late to sort out a problem.
    Waiting anxiously for Scott to appear from the pub, Carly wondered what she would do if he spotted her. Realizing he would probably be extremely angry with her, she decided to go with her gut inst inct and stay well out of sight.
    When Scott did appear from the pub entrance, large duffle bag in hand, he looked furious. Carly had indeed m ade the right choice not to approach him. When he saw that he had a flat tire , he cursed it, kicked it, and then scurried away.
    Carly follow ed behind at a safe distance. “Oh, he looks really pissed. The flat tire hasn’t helped him, but it sure helps me,” she whispered to herself.
    She watched him enter the railway station and then make his way onto the platform. He obviously planned to buy a ticket when he was on the train. “Brilliant!” Carly muttered to herself i n a sarcastic tone, “now he’s going to jump on a train, and I’m going to end up who knows where. Let’s hope it’s not too far and I’ve got enough for a ticket.”
    Checking the train timetable on the wall she could see the re was only one train due , and that was in five minutes time . Thankfully the last st op on the train was to Sunholme , so even if she had to follow Scott all the way there , it wasn’t too far .
    Sunholme was a fairly large town; a town where a stranger would go unnoticed and where most people kept themselves to themselves. M any of the inhabitants had had ‘run ins ’ with the law ; it was a place that wouldn’t be at the top of your bucket list of places to visit.
    Lurking behind a pillar , Carly felt like a criminal herself , but she knew that she couldn’t let Scott see her . The five minutes waiting for the train seemed to last an eternity. When it eventually pulled into the station , she let Scott board first. S he climbed aboard the adjoining carriage and positioned herself where she could clearly see him; a place that had a favorable balance of risk; a very small chance of being seen, but a clear line of view were it would be unlikely that she lost sight of him.
    Usually Carly enjoyed riding on a train, but today was different. She barely noticed the colorful green fields and other splendid views, because today she needed to keep her eyes on Scott .
    With only two stops of the journey remaining, Carly wondered what was in Scott’s mind. And w hen he didn’t leave his seat as it approached the penultimate station, she knew for sure that they would be getting off at Sunholm e . Bloody marvelous be moaned Carly , just where I didn’t want to be !
    It was almost 10. 20 a.m., and that meant there was just over thirty minutes before the news broadcast would hit the airwaves . Pondering on whether to make the call to the police while they were still on a moving train, Carly checked her cell phone.
    Damn it. No signal. I hate this damned phone. Never works when you need it. Trains, subways, shopping malls, no signal . I n the apartment when I don’t need it , I get a perfect signal; now when I could really use a signal . Nothing! T ypical. I’ll just have to wait till he gets off in Sunholme and see where he goes from there.
    When the train pulled into S unho l me ten minutes later, Carly waited until Scott stepped off the train, and then she followed. She’d never been there before, so the fear of losing him was now greater than the fear of being spotted.
    Thankfully, it wasn’t long before Carly discovered Scott ’s