Hidden Sins (9 page)

And then it occurred to me. What if she still had an old phone? They could track her.  I opened another window and logged onto the database. Entering my credentials, I began searching for any sign of Hannah Walker or Martin. I prayed that she’d only used disposable once starting this whole move, but I couldn’t be sure.

“Damn it,” I muttered, seeing a cell number with her name pop up.

I transferred her number to another system and watched as the pings triangulated, giving me her approximate location.

If I could find her this easily so could they.

Hannah

The police cruiser pulled in front of the house behind my blue truck. The officer got out of the car and walked around to let me out. The police had managed to catch up to the guy who threatened me. They had the entire conversation recorded thanks to my phone, which I was told would give them enough evidence to request a search warrant. His name was Donald Jamison. And, at least for now, he was in custody.

“Thank you,” I replied as the officer closed the door. I knew the most I’d probably get out of this ordeal was a restraining order against Donald, and we all knew how well those worked.

“If you have any questions, call or email. All my information’s on the card,” the officer replied. “I’ll reach out to Mr. Fletcher since he’s also considered a target by Donald Jamison.”

“Will do and thank you.” I nodded.

The officer got back in the cruiser and pulled away as I heard the front door open. Nancy pursed her lips together and shook her head.

“You have brought more attention to this house and the people in it in less than twenty-four hours than any of the other occupants ever have,” her voice angry, as she glared at me.

I glanced at her, analyzing her reaction. Was it genuine? Did she really care about the people at the house or did she just care about the payment she received in the beginning? She herself said that there were always strings attached. After all, someone had to have told the people back home that I was here, and she was the only one who knew I was coming.

I pushed my way past her and walked to my room. I needed to let Luke know that he was in danger, and now more than ever I was certain I’d be taking the job tonight, if it was offered. This location was no longer safe, and I needed to get out of here as quickly as possible. Sitting on the bed, I looked around the room full of boxes and wondered if escaping this nightmare was even possible.

I heard Nancy’s footsteps and looked up.

“You signed a full disclosure agreement, Hannah,” Nancy said. “Would you mind telling me why the police felt the need to escort you home?”

“They found me,” I replied.

Nancy’s face fell and her eyes widened.

“What do you mean they
found
you, Hannah? Who did you tell you were coming here?” Her brow arched.

“Absolutely no one. You’re the only one who knew I’d be arriving. So you can imagine my skepticism as you stand here trying to act surprised that I’d been found.”

Nancy took a seat on my most prized possession, the wooden chair, and looked at me. She bit her lip and her expression softened slightly. “I didn’t tell anyone anything. I don’t have anyone to tell, but there is no reason why you should believe that, which I understand. All the women who come here are hiding from something or someone. I’ve learned to never ask questions that I don’t want answers to, but I’m telling you now, whoever wants to find you is dangerous, and I don’t mean only dangerous to you. To all of us.”

“I know that.”

“Is he in custody?” she asked.

“For now,” I replied, my mind drifting to Luke. I had to let him know. I had to get rid of Nancy. “But I don’t know if he was the only one or if there are more.”

She nodded. “When someone’s running from a boyfriend or a family, the fear in their eyes is different than yours. I think it’s based on some sort of acceptance or knowledge that they’re one step ahead of the person they once loved. You don’t have that. There’s a fierceness behind your gaze.”

“Your point?” I asked.

“You need to watch your back, and I want you out in two weeks,” she replied.

“Understood.”

“I was once in your shoes.” She pulled her sleeve up to reveal a long gash up her arm. “This should have killed me and almost did. If you’re running from something and not someone, they will stop at nothing until they get what they want. They think I’m dead so I’ve been able to live a life, if you can call this a life. But I’ve accepted my fate. No husband, no family. It’s a lonely way of existing, but at least I’m alive, and it’s a concept you’d better get used to.”

My mind flashed to Luke. She was absolutely right. The first person who I’d become acquainted with in my new town was already in danger. I couldn’t let Rikki become the second, but I needed a ride tonight. Donald would be in custody for at least twenty-four hours so it should be okay. As long as he was working alone…

“If you can find out how they found you, it will help you hide better next time.” She stood up and walked out of the room.

I opened my netbook and dug Luke’s card out of my wallet. No matter what I put in the email I was going to sound crazy, and there was a big chance he wouldn’t believe it anyway, but I had to warn him. And I had to disappear. Again. I would no longer text him, but I would hold onto the phone until I got a new one.

I created a new email account, specifically for this purpose, forgetting the password as soon as I entered it. After several failed attempts at writing, I decided to keep it short and simple.

Dear Mr. Fletcher,

Thank you for your kindness and generosity. It means more than you could ever imagine. But your kindness has put you in danger. I have received a threat, and unfortunately because of your interaction with me, you have become a target. I’m so sorry. I never meant for this to happen. I have attached the detective’s information who is handling the case. He said he’d be reaching out to you, but I felt it necessary to warn you myself. And again, I apologize.

Kind Regards,

Hannah

I wanted to add a P.S. I’m not crazy, but I didn’t think that would help my cause. I hit send and logged out of the email. I looked up Buttons and found the most rudimentary website ever. There was a homepage that was burgundy with the word Buttons scrawled in fancy script across the website. That was it. No information about what it was. In tiny black font at the bottom of the page there was an address. I guess the only way I’d know what Buttons was all about was to go there. I was about to text Rikki, but she popped her head in my room. She must’ve just gotten back from her errands.

“Hey, how’d you get here?” she asked, smiling.

“I had a bit of an issue.” It was only fair I told her. “An officer brought me home. I think my location was compromised. There was a man who confronted me at the beach…”

“Oh no.” Her jaw dropped open.

“He’s in custody for now, but the long and short of it is that I think I found a job, but I need to go there tonight. I need to leave the house as soon as possible.”

“I’ll drive you,” she offered. “Or better yet, you can borrow my car. Then you don’t have to feel rushed during the interview or whatever it is you’re doing tonight.”

“You’d do that?”

“Of course.” She tossed me the keys and smiled. “You’ve seen my car. It’s not like much more could happen to it.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. She had a valid point.

“Thank you so much. I think this’ll be a good job or at least one that pays decent.”

“Where’s it at?” she asked.

“Buttons?” my voice went up an octave. “Have you heard of it?”

“Of course I’ve heard about it. It’s the place to be. How in the world did you get an in there?” she asked, perplexed.

“I ran into a girl who works there, and she found out I was looking for work…”

“Wow. Well whatever it is you have to do tonight, I’d say do it because jobs like that don’t come around very often.”

“She said it was like a club and she promised it wasn’t like stripping or anything…” I was hoping for confirmation.

Rikki smiled. “It’s just a place where people want to be. There are all kinds of stories about what goes on there, but it’s all urban legend. You’ll have to tell me all about it.”

“Deal. Now I wonder what I should wear,” I said, feeling extremely anxious about what I’d possibly gotten myself into.

“Something stylish and revealing.”

My stomach sank. I owned neither.

“I’ve got something that might work,” she said, leaving my room.

I groaned and fell against the mattress.

Rikki came back in holding a tiny black dress that I didn’t think would stretch enough in any direction to cover any one part of me. “What shoe size are you?” she asked.

“Eight.”

“It’s meant to be,” she said, waving a pair of strappy, black heels. “I’ve heard there’s some sort of dress code there.”

“Well, I haven’t been hired yet so…”

“Once you put this on, it’ll be a done deal.”

I laughed. “I hope so. Do you know how far away it is?”

“About an hour or hour and fifteen.”

“Seriously? What time is it?” I glanced at my phone. “I better get ready. I’m supposed to meet her before her shift.”

“If you need any help let me know. I can’t wait to see you before you head out.”

“Thanks,” I said, grabbing the dress from her before she walked away.

I quickly stripped out of my jeans and shirt and pulled the dress over my head. Somehow, it managed to cover—just barely— all the vital parts. I walked into the bathroom and did a spin, surprised by my new look. We’d always been told to dress modestly and this was anything but. I kind of liked it.

My hair was a bit unruly after a day at the beach and a ride in the police car, but there wasn’t much I could do about it without a shower. And God Forbid I took a step in the tub.

I heard a whistle from the hallway, and Rikki grinned. “You clean up nice. I printed off the directions to Buttons. Do you have a curling iron or flattening—”

I shook my head.

“I’ll be right back.”

I began dotting on some foundation in a vain attempt to make me look like I was a solid sleeper and not running for my life. It wasn’t working.

Rikki reappeared and plugged in her curling iron. “Should heat up in a minute or so.”

“Thanks again for loaning me the dress.”

“It’s gotta get some use somehow,” she laughed, testing the iron. “It’s ready.”

Without skipping a beat, she began wrapping chunks of my hair around the rod, and I looked steadily in the mirror as I drew on eyeliner heavier than normal.

“You’ve got this,” she said, working her way around my head. “You’ll be out of this dump in no time.”

I smiled, hoping she was right, but also knowing I’d only stay at Buttons long enough to save enough to leave town. This city was no longer safe.

“You look breathtaking. If they don’t hire you to do whatever it is they do, they don’t deserve you.”

I smiled at her in the mirror and laughed. “I guess I already have one strike against me.”

“What’s that?” she asked, unplugging the curling iron.

“I’m a blond.”

“Hairism? In this day and age? The nerve.”

I started laughing and dabbed a bit of gloss on my lips.

“I shouldn’t be too late. And if you need me to come back for any reason—”

She held her hand up to interrupt me. “I’ve got the Housewives to watch.”

“What the heck are the Housewives?” I asked. “I keep hearing about it.”

“A bunch of women who fight with each other over petty things, go on shopping sprees, and handle real life problems, while living in mansions. You know just living life like the rest of us.” She rolled her eyes as she pointed to our surroundings.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Sounds hopeful. How do I sign up?”

“Marry a rich guy or divorce one,” she teased.

“How about I just make it on my own?”

“Nah. That’s not interesting. Then you can’t be called a gold-digger,” she laughed, as I grabbed my purse. “Besides, we all watch it so we can feel better about ourselves.”

I laughed at the irony and wondered just how low the housewives went. It sounded intriguing.

“Well, have fun with the housewives. And I owe you big for this one. I’ll pay back gas money too.”

Rikki pushed me out the front door, waving one last time as I walked down the steps toward the street. I glanced around the neighborhood, looking for anything suspicious, as I walked to Rikki’s car and got in. So far so good. Maybe Donald was the only one out here, for now. I turned on the engine and memorized the first few instructions on how to get to Buttons. As I drove out of the neighborhood and onto the highway, I wondered what was waiting for me at Buttons. Liv said it wasn’t a strip club and there was no hint of that on the website. Although, there was no hint of anything on the site. I guess it added to the mystery and intrigue.

After a wrong exit and two missed turns, I finally arrived at Buttons. The square building was stucco and brick with Tudor style windows showcasing wrought iron scrollwork.  The glass had been blacked out, which only added to the mystery. The parking lot had a gate and a parking attendant stationed at it.