Page 13 of Caleb's Cause
“Yes, that should be fine. That’s what’s inside this bag, they are untraceable.”
“Great.” She looked at her watch, and they looked up when the waitress brought her order. When Katherine went to pay, Lyle laid his hand over hers, gave it a gentle squeeze and shook his head at her.
“I got this. How are you going to get to the bus terminal from here? I took a cab from the office, and had my driver bring me to work this morning. I’ll take your car back home, hide it, then have my driver meet me there again. I left him at the office earlier.”
“I’ll take the bus there.”
“Good, just remember that there are cameras on the bus, you might want to get a hat before you board it. I’m not saying they’ll be checking, but it’s just an added precaution. I wish you luck, Katherine, if you need anything, and if you are followed and in any danger, call the number already programed into the phone. Please, stay safe, and if you get to your destination and feel safe, tell whomever you’re with everything. I feel that the more people that know, the more people the bad guys have to take out, and though I don’t want that to happen, maybe they’ll realize it’s too big of a task and give up on trying to get you.”
“We can only hope.” They stood, and because she’d known the man most of her life, due to him being her mother’s boss, she gave him a hug, and left before he did. She walked half a block away and saw the newsstand there, she purchased a hat, a set ofsunglasses, and several magazines and books. It would give her something to do on the long bus ride, then she was able to catch the correct bus to her destination. As she looked at the schedule, she sighed heavily. It was going to be a long twenty-four hours. By the time she reached the terminal, she only had to wait for twenty minutes. She didn’t know why, but she opted to keep the bag with her instead of having it stowed beneath the bus. Armed with her sandwiches, books, and several bottles of drinks she’d purchased, she settled in a window seat toward the back of the bus and waited until they were out on the open highway before opening her first book.
CHAPTER 5
Weeks later,Katherine stood in the center of the road and looked up at the sign that read, “Erin’s Way.” She shook her head and grabbed her last full bottle of water, took a healthy sip, returned it to her pack, and started walking again. She prayed that she would find what she was looking for here, because so far, the trip has been hell.
The first problem had been when the bus had broken down in the middle of nowhere, and it had taken three days for a replacement to arrive. Because of where they were, there were no hotels, no restaurants, nothing but desolate land. When the replacement bus came, they switched to the new bus, and twenty miles down the road, the driver pulled in to let them off, and the passengers, all fifteen of them, made a beeline to the nearest restaurant and store. The driver had said they had two hours, but when they came out, he was starting to pull out. They all ran after him, and got him to stop. His only excuse was that he had forgotten how long he’d given them and thought after the previous bus had broken down, the passengers had opted to find different accommodations. What it boiled down to was that the driver didn’t want to continue the journey, and thought if he deserted them, then he didn’t have to drive to Denver. IfKatherine had had her own phone, she would have joined the others when they’d called the office and complained, but she didn’t want to pull out the phone and use it until absolutely necessary.
Katherine was the one that yelled at him and said he had given them two hours, and only an hour and a half had passed. The driver was pissed, but they continued to their destination. One of the smartest things she had done while on that stop had been to go into a general store that seemed to sell everything, and she was able to purchase camping gear. She had never gone camping in her entire life, but she took the word of the man behind the counter, and would later want to find that man and kiss him for what he had told her to do in certain situations. His ramblings had saved her life.
Upon arriving in Denver, she looked for Fool’s Gold on the map, and because she didn’t want to spend any money, and also because she really didn’t know what she would say to Emily Riceman when she found her, and she didn’t have a credit card on her to rent a vehicle, she did the only thing she could think of, she started walking. But not before she went to a store and purchased energy bars and water, it made her pack heavier, but if it would keep her safe and alive, she could deal with the extra weight. Once she put one foot in front of the other, she enjoyed herself. It wasn’t until she learned she had another hour, by car, to go before reaching the Riceman Ranch, did she break down, and opt to get a room and a local Bed and Breakfast in the small, but pleasant town of Fool’s Gold. She ended up staying for two nights, because after a hot shower, and a good meal, she’d fallen into a deep sleep and had slept for eighteen hours. Thankfully, she had told the woman at check-in that she was exhausted, and might sleep for a long time. No one checked on her. That morning, she’d risen, she had another hot shower, grateful that after breakfast, she was walking through town and was ableto find a laundromat. With clean clothes, a full stomach, she replenished her snacks, and water, and headed out again on foot.
Now she walked beneath the sign and looked at her feet as she walked. There had been a couple of times where she had thought she’d seen a snake or two, and now she looked ahead on the ground to keep an eye out. As she rounded the bend in what she considered a driveway, she stopped and stared at the sheer size of the ranch before her. She finished her water, because though it was mid-September, it was still pretty hot out. After putting the empty bottle away, she continued forward. As she stood in what seemed like a parking lot, she let out a small startled sound when someone called out to her.
“Help you?”
“Oh,” Katherine cried out, and studied the man standing there. “Sorry, you startled me. Is this the Riceman Ranch?”
“It is, how can I help you?”
“I’m about to blow your mind with a tall, tall tale, but it’s all correct, and I have proof to back me up, however, do you have a ladies’ room I can use first?”
“Follow me,” Duane said as he turned on his heel, and that’s when Katherine swallowed hard when she saw the gun strapped to his side. She hurried after him, and sighed in relief when she was able to relieve herself. When she went to wash her hands she shook her head and wrinkled her nose at herself in the mirror. Her face and neck were sunburned, as well as her left shoulder, the part of her chest that was exposed above the tank top she wore, as well as her entire right arm. With the bandage still on the left one, she knew she was going to look bad for days to come. There was nothing she could do, so she finished up and went out and saw the man standing less than five feet from the door.
“Before we get into your wild tale, how did you get here?” The man’s expression gave Katherine the vibe of not to mess with him, so she didn’t.
“I walked.”
“From where?”
“Originally, from Denver. I stayed over in Fool’s Gold for a day and a half to rest, then left the Bed and Breakfast there around seven this morning.”
Duane looked at his watch and raised his brows at her. “Damn, I don’t know if that’s good time or not, it’s been six hours.”
“Well, my feet feel like it’s been six months. Do you have somewhere I can sit down.”
Duane nodded and took her to his office. He quickly took all the papers on top and shoved them into the drawers and locked it, then sighed in relief when he didn’t see anything on Tom’s desk. As he studied the woman, he turned on his best FBI persona, leaned his hips against the desk, and gripped the sides of it by his hips.
“Who came with you?”
“No one.”
“Who are you here to see?”
“Emily Riceman.”
Duane felt his brow raise, and didn’t correct her. Something made him pause. He looked around, nodded, then stood to his full height. “I’m going to go talk to the owner. I’m going to lock you in this office. Only because it’s suspicious that you walked here, and you say you don’t have anyone waiting outside the gates. I don’t like it.”
“Yeah, me either. Do what you have to, I’ll wait here until you return. May I help myself to a cup of coffee while I wait?”
