RULES FOR DISAPPEARING
BY WITNESS PROTECTION PRISONER #18A7R04M:
Lay a false trail. Make it look like you’re going this way. Then everyone looks that way. Then when they’re going that way, you really go the other way. When everyone gets to where they thought you were, you’re somewhere else. Pretty simple, huh?
I throw myself at him. “What are you doing?” I should be pissed he’s here, but I’m not.
“Meg, what’s going on? I’ve been watching these dudes come in and out of your house for the last twenty minutes. I checked that tracker and about freaked when I saw it heading down Front Street. After seeing your mom tonight, I knew it couldn’t be her. I never even saw you leave.”
“I’ll tell you what I can, but we have to get out of here first.” I run to his truck.
He gets in and throws the truck into drive.
“I’m gonna ask a big favor. You can say no. I need you to drive me to Shreveport.”
Ethan slows down. “You have to tell me what’s going on.”
“I can’t, but don’t stop.” I wave my hands, urging him to keep going forward.
He stops the truck on the side of the road. “Bullshit. I saw your mom half dead outside. I see all these people in and out of your house. Then your vanishing act. We’re not going anywhere until you tell me everything.”
I keep checking out the back window. “Okay, but just drive.”
He doesn’t move.
“You know I’m not Meg Jones,” I begin. Ethan nods. My heart races. I can’t believe I’m about to say this out loud. “Well, I’m not Avery Preston, either.” Ethan’s head drops forward slightly. “My name is Anna Boyd. I’m from Scottsdale, Arizona. Right outside of Phoenix.”
I’m getting the what the hell look, and he hasn’t even heard the worst part yet.
“My family is in the Witness Protection Program. All those suits you saw at my house are part of the U.S. Marshals Office. We’re under their protection from some really nasty bad guys. The marshals will be looking for me soon, and I was hoping to get a little farther than two blocks down the road.” I put my hand over my mouth. There’s no going back now.
Ethan’s jaw drops, but at least he starts driving. He glances at me a few times. “Okay, spill it.”
“I can’t give you any details that will hurt you later. I’m sorry I’ve gotten you this involved, but trust me, you don’t want to know any more than necessary. I need to get out of this town. I need to get to Shreveport.” I’m almost sitting backward in the truck, keeping a lookout for any activity behind us.
“Why are you running from the marshals?” Ethan asks.
“I can’t tell you that. Even if you stop the truck again.” We stare at each other for a few seconds before he turns his attention back to the road.
“Will they be looking for you because they’re worried about you and want to make sure you’re safe, or really looking for you, using every resource the government has to track you down?”
I bite my bottom lip. “Probably closer to the second one.” The suits know I remember. They know I can testify now. They’ve been waiting me out for months and months. They won’t let me just run away.
“Where are you going once I take you to Shreveport?”
“Ethan, please. It’s better if you don’t know.”
He looks at me squarely. “Tell me or we stop right here.”
It looks like he means it. “I’m taking a bus to Scottsdale. I’m going home.”
The truck swerves. “Are you crazy? Why are you going to the first place they’ll look for you?” His voice is incredulous.
“You can let me out here, but I’m not telling you. I’ve told you too much as it is.”
Ethan shakes his head. “So U.S. Marshals are gonna be looking for you. Soon. Maybe even whoever these bad guys are, too. And you’re gonna get on a bus and head to Scottsdale?”
Okay, the way he says it does shoot a few holes in the competency of my plan. “Yes. I did have a really good plan, but everything got screwed up. I wasn’t planning on leaving until Friday. Things have changed, and I have to go tonight.”
“Do you have any money?”
There’s cash in my bag. Between what I already had and what I stole from Dad, it’s about one hundred seventy-five bucks.
“Yes.”
Ethan makes a couple of turns as I continue to stare out the back windshield. I get that creepy hair-standing-up-on-the-back-of-my-neck feeling when a black Suburban a few cars back makes every turn with us.
“Uh-oh.”
Ethan’s head swivels around. “What do you mean uh-oh?”
It looks like the same Suburban that was in the parking lot the night the power went out in the laundry room and that was behind us on the way to Ethan’s last night. “There’s an SUV following us. I think I’ve seen it before.”
“Is it the marshals?” Ethan makes a quick right turn, and a few seconds later, the Suburban does the same.
My palms get sweaty. “Don’t know for sure.” It’s physically hard to get my next sentence out. “Maybe not.”
Ethan swears under his breath and makes a quick left turn, the speed of the truck increasing.
I twist in my seat, scanning the area for any other vehicles. Shit! What are we supposed to do now?
“Hold on.” Ethan throws an arm across me and makes a very sharp turn.
“Where are we going?” I glance at the speedometer, which is inching up to seventy miles an hour. The Suburban isn’t far behind us.
“The farm.”
The farm! What are we going to do at the farm? Sic the hog dogs on them? I don’t say what I’m thinking; I just hold on and watch for the SUV.
When we get close, Ethan pulls out a square device from under his seat. He clicks it, and I see the slow mechanical gate start opening.
The tires squeal when we make the turn onto the farm road. He clicks it again, just as we pass through the opening. The Suburban slows in front of the gate. It’s almost all the way closed now. A few seconds later, the Suburban pulls away. I collapse in the seat.
“What do we do now?”
“We’re going out the back side. It takes five or six minutes cutting through the farm, but twenty if you have to go around. And that’s only if you know where the other side comes out.”
The farm is pitch-black. The crop rows flicker past the window, and I’m mesmerized watching them.
We finally get to the other gate, and Ethan clicks it open. We sit at the road for a few seconds but don’t see any lights either direction.
Ethan peels out of the farm. We drive for a few more minutes before pulling into a dark, gravel driveway. It’s long, probably half a mile.
“What are you doing now?”
“Saving your ass. You won’t make it out of Louisiana if I put you on a bus.” He grabs his phone and his coat and hops out of the truck. My body is glued to the seat until he pounds on the hood of the truck to get me moving.
This is more than I bargained for. I can’t put him right in the middle of my disaster. “Wait. Ethan, this is too dangerous. Maybe you should take me home.”
He stops and turns to me. “If I take you home, will that stop you from trying to get to Arizona?”
I don’t answer for a few seconds. “No. I have to go back.”
He spins back around and heads toward a house next to the driveway. He’s walking fast, and I have to hurry to keep up.
He says over his shoulder, “I don’t think that was the marshals. The gate wouldn’t have stopped them. If it is whoever is after you, I don’t know why they didn’t bust through the gate. Maybe they’re waiting us out. Thinking we couldn’t get off the farm another way. I’m guessing the marshals don’t know you’re missing yet. When do you think they’ll figure it out?”
I think for a second. “Probably around six in the morning. They’re planning to relocate us first thing. I don’t think they’ll come in my room until then.”
This makes Ethan stop cold.
“They’re moving you?”
I almost run into his back. He sounds pissed. “That’s why I have to go tonight. Tomorrow will be too late.”
He looks at me a moment, then turns around and starts walking again. He glances at his watch. “It’s about eleven thirty now, so six and a half hours.”
We walk up a few steps to the back door. Ethan knocks loudly.
A light pops on just as the door opens. It’s Pearl.
“What in the holy hell are you two doing out here?”
“Pearl, we need a car, some money, maybe pillows and blankets, food, and water.”
She eyes Ethan carefully, then looks at me. “Are you in some kind of trouble?”
I nod. “Yes, but I didn’t do anything bad.” I feel guilty, the way she’s looking at me. “My family is in some trouble, and I’m trying to get us out of it,” I say softly. “I wish I could tell you more, but I can’t.”
She holds her stare for a few seconds. Probably the longest few seconds of my life. She’s either going to help us or try to turn me in.
“Well, come on in and let’s get you what you need.”
Ethan and I follow her in to the kitchen, where she grabs a small ice chest from the pantry and starts filling it with food. Ethan grabs several bottles of water and a few Cokes. Pearl hands him a paper bag to put them in. They work together in silence, Pearl never asking a single question.
I’m shocked. We could have just robbed a bank, or killed someone, and she’s making us lunch to go.
She digs around in her purse. “I guess you only want cash.”
“Please,” Ethan answers.
She pulls out several one hundred dollar bills and hands them to Ethan. “This is all I have on me here.”
“That’s enough. We both have some money, too.” He shoves the bills into his back pocket.
I look at Pearl. “I’m so sorry to show up here like this. I’ll pay you back.”
“Just get yourself back here safe.” She puts her hand on Ethan’s shoulder. “You’re a good boy. I trust you, maybe more than I should. Don’t make me sorry for it.”
He hugs her tightly. “I won’t. I’ll explain everything when we get back.”
Pearl lets him go and turns to me. “Is Mary all right?”
“Yes. She’s with my dad.”
Pearl looks back at Ethan. “What about your parents?”
“I’ll send them a message once we get going.”
She hugs him one last time. “You’re positive this is something you can handle?”
I look between them. There is so much Ethan doesn’t know. I start to speak, to tell them both I’ll do this on my own, but Ethan looks directly at me, and his expression tells me not to say anything.
He whispers to Pearl, “Meg needs me.”
“Well, let’s get you a car so y’all can get out of here.”
We follow Pearl to a barn out back. Ethan helps her open the two huge double doors. There are three different cars and one truck inside.
Ethan walks to a black car in the back. “This one still in Fred’s name?”
Pearl’s left eyebrow pops up. “Yeah.” She walks to a cabinet on the wall to get out the keys, then tosses them to Ethan.
“What kind of car is that?” I ask.
Two sets of eyes flicker to me. “Girl, that’s a 1970 Ford Mustang. I shouldn’t even let you ride in this car if you don’t know what it is.”
“Sorry, cars aren’t really my thing.” I let out a small, nervous laugh.
Pearl comes close and hugs me. Her embrace is so warm and tight, I can hardly make myself let go.
“If I can, I’ll call Fred to get a message to you. I’m gonna drive my truck around to the old barn,” Ethan says.
Pearl nods. “I’ll try real hard not to be scared watching the two of you pull out of here like this.”
“Pearl, we’ll be fine.” I hug her one more time.
We throw our things in the back of the car, including the ice chest and drinks, and get inside.
Pearl steps up to the car, and I roll the window down. She pokes her head in. “I’ll tell whoever’s asking that I haven’t see you.”
It’s hard to swallow. These two people I didn’t even know a month ago are now risking so much for me. “Thanks, Pearl. I’ll explain everything as soon as I can.”
She ambles back off to the house. Ethan pulls up next to his truck. “Follow me in the car.”
He cranks his truck, and we drive into the back pasture. There’s an old barn that looks like it will fall down at any moment. He jumps out and opens a side door. Once the truck is inside, he stacks some square hay bales in front of the door. You can’t even tell there’s an opening now.
I climb over to the passenger side as Ethan opens the door. “We’ve got one more stop to make before we hit the road.”
I wrap my arms around my waist and stare out the front windshield. “Where are we going?”
“Ben’s.”
Okay, definitely not what I was expecting. Ethan dials his number as we pull into the driveway.
“Hey. Can you come outside a minute?”
Ethan hangs up the phone, and we both hop out of the car. “I don’t get why we’re here.”
Before Ethan can answer, Ben comes out of a side door.
He’s in pajama bottoms and a Natchitoches Football T-shirt. He rubs his hands together, blowing out a puff of warm air. “You better have a good reason for dragging me out here.”
“I need a favor. Forget all the stupid shit, I really need your help.”
Ben gets serious. “What do you need?”
“We have to get out of town for a while. A couple of days. I need everyone to think me and you are headed to the cabin. Drive your truck there and stay until Sunday.”
Ben folds his arms across his chest. “What’s wrong?”
Ethan shakes his head. “It’s not my story to tell. Just do this for me.”
Ben waits a few seconds, then says, “When do you need me to leave?”
“Now if you can. Here’s my phone. I got a text waiting to be sent to Mom. I need you to send it and one to your mom when you get there.”
Ben takes the phone from Ethan. “Anything else?”
“No. That’s it.”
Ben and Ethan stand there looking at each other. “You’re gonna owe me big-time.”
Ethan nods. “Yeah.”
They shake hands, then Ethan motions for me to get back into the car. I just witnessed hell freezing over.
We stop once right on the outside of town to fill up with gas, grab a map, and use the bathroom.
Ethan spreads the map across the hood and studies it. “Scottsdale is a helluva long way from here.”
I stand next to him. “I can still take the bus.”
He laughs at me and says, “It’s far but it’s almost a straight shot. It’s all interstate from the minute we leave Louisiana until we get to Arizona. If we don’t make too many stops, we can probably make it in a little less than twenty-four hours.”
I nod, looking at the path he traces with his finger along the map.
He glances at me. “It’s gonna be a hard trip doing it that fast.”
The last eight months have been hard, but this trip is the only thing I have any control over. “I’m ready.”
Ethan folds the map and pulls me in for a hug. “It’s strange to look at you and not think of you as Meg. Or Avery.”
I giggle into his chest. “Think about how I feel. Before I open my mouth, I have to think, Okay who am I and what’s my story?” I giggle again. I’m half delirious.
He shakes his head, like he still hasn’t quite absorbed all of this yet.
We get back in the car and hit the interstate. I spend the first hour riding backward, looking for the Suburban. About ninety percent of this trip will be on interstate, and while that’s great for making good time, it’s awfully boring out the window. Especially in the middle of the night.
We’ve been in the car about an hour and a half and haven’t spoken once since we left the gas station. And neither of us has touched the radio. The silence is thick.
I’m still in awe of Ethan. He jumped into this road trip with me blind and has more sense about it than I do. He’s left this awesome fake trail, and I was just going to grab the earliest Greyhound out of Shreveport. And I know what we’re up against. My plan sucked. He’s right, I’d have never made it out of Louisiana on the bus once the suits started looking for me.
I grab a pillow and lean it against the door to watch him drive. “Who’s Fred?”
Ethan frowns and then smiles. “Fred is Pearl’s boyfriend she thinks no one knows about.”
“Where’s the cabin?”
“South Mississippi, near the Gulf. It’s a fishing cabin Pearl’s husband had before he died. She lets me go there whenever I want.”
“What made you pick this car?”
He cocks his head and looks at me. “Blame it on all the movies I watch, but I’m trying to drop us off the face of the earth. The Feds can pull credit cards. Cell phone records. They can track us through OnStar or GPS. They’ll probably go to Pearl first, then me. They know what my truck looks like. Even though this car is a little flashy, it’s Fred’s. Not many people know him and Pearl are an item, so hopefully they won’t be looking for his car. And when Ben gets to the cabin and sends that text, that’s where it will look like we are.” He chuckles after he says this. “They may pick us up on the street cameras if they go back and look at tonight’s tape, but there’s not much I can do about that. There’s hardly anybody else on the road right now to blend in with.”
Good Lord. He’s thought of everything.
“What does the text to your mom say?”
“If I keep answering these questions, you have to answer some of mine.” He smiles and the dimple digs deep in his cheek.
I would have never gotten this far without him. He deserves a few answers.
“Okay, deal.”
“The text says, ‘Heading to the cabin for a few days. Everything’s fine. Don’t be pissed. See you soon.’”
“I can’t believe you thought of all of that. So, basically your phone will send a text from somewhere in Mississippi, and Ben will be there waiting. You know once they get to him, they’ll know what we did.”
He laughs. “Yeah, but they’ll be over in Mississippi scratching their heads. It’ll buy us some time. They can jump on a plane or whatever. We need all the help we can get.” We drive a few minutes before he asks, “Why’s your family in Witness Protection?”
I stare out the windshield. “It’s nothing we did. It’s not like I’m part of some crime family. It’s just one of those being-in-the-wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time kinda things.”
The only protection I can give Ethan is his ignorance. Maybe when this is all over, I can tell him everything.
“How many times have you moved?”
I curl up in the seat. “Natchitoches was our sixth placement since the beginning of June last year.”
He lets out a quiet laugh. The kind of laugh that you do not because something is funny, but because it’s all too much to take in. “Everything makes sense now. All these nagging little things I had in my head about you. You seemed so normal one minute, and then you’d wig out the next.”
I playfully slap his arm. “I think I held it together pretty well.”
“What was the original plan? I’m hoping it was a hell of a lot better than the one you concocted tonight.”
I let out a huff. “It was a good plan. Catherine and I were going dress shopping in Shreveport on Friday. I was going to give her some lame excuse and get on a bus to Phoenix. I was going to take care of what I need to take care of there and then head back to Shreveport on Sunday. I could have been back in class by lunch on Monday.”
Ethan laughs. Loud. He looks at me and shakes his head. It’s actually a few minutes before he quits laughing. I stare out the side window, trying to ignore him. It was a good plan until Mom fell apart.
“So they were gonna move you in the morning. Would I have ever seen you again?” His voice is serious now.
I look at him. “No. There would’ve been no sign we were ever there.”
He reaches for my hand. We both seem content for the moment to just watch the miles drop away in front of the headlights.