Page 11 of Caleb's Cause
“Great. I want to you take your ID, and the cash. Leave all your credit cards here. I’ll take them to work with me tomorrow and keep them safe until we meet up again. Remember, you did absolutely nothing wrong.” Ilsa paused and let out a big breath, and rubbed her forehead.
“What’s wrong?”
“We’re putting you into something like witness protection without involving the government. We don’t know who we can trust, but you need to get out of here. You need to leave the city. After tomorrow, Lyle is going to go to your boss and explain the situation. You’re still out on medical leave, correct?”
Katherine looked at the white bandages that ran from her wrist to above her elbow on her left arm and sighed heavily.“Yeah, the doctor’s think it’ll be another month or two before I can get back to work.”
“This works perfectly, then. You’ll meet Lyle tomorrow morning at nine at the Third Street Diner.”
“Where’s that? I don’t think there’s a Third Street in town.”
“There’s not, you probably remember it as the Polka-Dot.”
“Down by the train depot? The one with my favorite vanilla milkshake?”
“Yes. When you meet with Lyle, he’s going to have a backpack for you. If he hasn’t already, or does it on his way to meet you, he is going to purchase you a ticket, I don’t know the mode of transportation he’s going to use, and I don’t know anything more than that. It could be by train, by plane, or by bus. Hell, it could be by boat for all I know, but I do know that you can trust him. I do, that’s why he’s doing this for you.”
“In case Larry gets wind of you helping me escape and tries to get information out of you, you can say you have no clue where I am. That’s why I’m meeting Lyle?”
“Correct.”
“Okay, Mom, I agree with everything so far, but it’s midnight, I have nine hours before I have to meet Lyle, where am I to go?”
“Go to a hotel and pay in cash. I’ll go with you in your car, and I’ll get an Uber to come home. Oh, and you’ll want to give your keys to Lyle. He’ll take care of your car.”
“I only have one question.”
“What’s that?”
“Where the hell am I supposed to go?”
“I don’t know if you know this, but I didn’t live here in California my entire life. I grew up in the mid-west. I was eleven when I moved away. I had a best friend and we lost touch over the years. It wasn’t anything sinister, it was just that life happened. I met and married your father, she married, we hadkids, got jobs, and it wasn’t conductive at the time to meet in person.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“I want you to go to her. Tell her you’re my daughter, and that you’re in trouble. Tell her everything, and if I know Emily, she’ll welcome you with open arms and keep you safe until I can come to you. Talk to Lyle tomorrow to see if you can’t get the case number for your trial. That will be proof that you’re innocent. Until you reach Emily, trust no one.”
“But where? Where does this Emily even live, and what’s her last name?”
“Emily Riceman, from Fool’s Gold, Colorado. Commit it to memory, do not write it down. I don’t have to tell you that until you’re safe with Emily you trust no one.”
“I won’t. One more question,” Katherine put her foot on the floor after tying her sneaker and started stuffing more clothes into the pack. She grabbed her purse, looked through it, stuffed a few things inside the pack, put her license in her back pocket, put everything back and handed it to her mother.
“What’s your question?”
“Can I stop at the bank and withdraw more money?”
“What’s your daily limit?”
“Fifteen hundred.”
“I don’t see why not,” Ilsa nodded and they quickly left. They drove around until they found a branch of her bank on the opposite side of the city from her apartment, then went as close to the meeting point as possible to find a hotel. Once she had a room, they hugged, and Ilsa had tears streaming down her face and neck. “I love you, you stay safe. You have a good head on your shoulders, Katherine, use it. Remember, if you don’t, you’ll be in the same boat as Stephanie. I know that was harsh, but you need to know the severity of what could happen if George and Larry find you. Oh, and before I forget, Riceman is Emily’smarried name. I forget her husband’s name, but I do know they lived on a ranch, no clue what type, or where exactly it is.”
“Do you know the name of the ranch?”
“No, all I remember is that she’s Emily Riceman and she lived outside of Fool’s Gold. Last I heard, which I have to admit is over a decade ago, it was a very successful ranch.”
“Okay, Emily Riceman, Fool’s Gold, Colorado. Got it. When do I contact you?”
