Half an hour before midnight, I hugged and thanked Diana who held me for a little longer. “I’m so sorry,” she said again, and when she looked at me, her eyes were wet, just as mine were.
“Thank you for helping me.” I squeezed both her hands. “I won’t forget this.”
“When you get to where you’re going, will you contact me?” I recognized the note of fear in her voice. She was a true friend. She feared for my life.
I wanted to say yes. She had proved to be a good friend. After what she’d done for me, it would only be fair to inform her of my plans. But one more person knowing could mean death for me. “I’m sorry, I can’t.”
She nodded. “I understand. Be safe.” She got a call from Antonio then, and left my room to answer it.
At midnight, I stood on the curb of Smithson Street, waiting for my car to arrive. My foot wouldn’t stop tapping. I was more nervous that I’d expected to be. Fear literally poured out of each of my pores. Even with deodorant, my armpits were damp. What if he found me before I had the chance to leave town? What if after all this, I ended up back at the house of horror? I wouldn’t survive the torture. Not this time.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
My plans changed before the rental car arrived. Taking the train would have been safer. I hadn’t quite thought that through. How would I return the car to them without exposing myself in some way? I wasn’t planning on returning to Madison anytime soon, if ever.
Just as I saw a car slowing down as it headed in my direction, I spun on my heel and headed in the opposite direction, walking as fast as my feet could carry me. Ten minutes later, I arrived at a grocery store with a public phone box outside. I slipped inside it. Trying not to gag at the stench of urine and vomit, I used the location app on my new phone to find the nearest train station. When I found the information I needed, I left the phone cubicle and dialed the number that I had memorized. I walked over to the dark side of the grocery store, where the garbage cans were kept, litter crunching under my feet. As the phone rang, my nose wrinkled at the rotten garbage and mildew.
After what seemed like forever, someone with an ambiguous voice answered. He or she informed me that a train passing through Serendipity had just left ten minutes ago, but another was scheduled to leave in an hour.
No problem. I’d just kill time. But I wouldn’t wait at the station, just in case Jude happened to be watching it for signs of me. The less time I spent there the better. I’d waste enough time so that as soon as I arrived there I’d just buy my ticket and slip onto the train.
I sank down on a piece of cardboard on the ground next to one of the bins—an empty liquor bottle at my feet—and pulled up a map of Madison on my app.
After studying it for a moment, I learned that the station was only ten minutes away. Good. I’d wait here until close to the time I had to catch the train.
Forcing myself to breathe, I sat on my money-filled purse and hugged my knees to my body, listening to a dog barking, cars honking, and the faint sound of classical music drifting from the open window of a nearby apartment building. I watched a dog rooting through trash.
Very few people walked by. The few who did, didn’t bother talking to me. Thank God for the transformation. I was just another homeless person. It didn’t stop me from being afraid though. I was on the open streets and there were some crazy people out here with me. But fear of Jude trumped the fear of strangers. The distant wail of a siren also comforted me. So, I kept my head down while still keeping an eye on passersby, grateful for the jean jacket as the temperature started to drop.
A harsh ringing made me jolt so hard my head slammed against the wall behind me. Luckily, the bun underneath my wig cushioned me from cracking my skull.
I pulled the phone from my pocket. The number was familiar. It had to be Joel from the car rental place. Feeling like an ass, I waited until the ringing stopped and then switched the phone off.
Nothing hindered my plans. An hour later, I sat on the train as it rumbled out of the station, driving me to my freedom.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
At 3 a.m., Mrs. Drawbridge welcomed me into her inn with warmth. She accepted cash, no questions asked. Then she led me to a small, but clean room with worn vintage furnishings. Just stepping inside made me feel immediately safe. Since leaving Jude just a few hours ago, I finally breathed out.
“Nothing lasts forever, you know,” Mrs. Drawbridge said with a kind smile. “Not even pain. After a while, heartache disappears and only leaves a footprint that fades with time.”
The hurt must have been written all over my face. From her words, she had obviously seen many people in pain.