The Chase (30 page)

“Can you tell Mrs. White you understand the bus rules?” Kendall asked, facing backwards in her seat towards the kids.

“Yes, Mrs. White,” the girls said in harmony.

“All right, then.” Zelda turned the bus onto the road.

They hadn’t traveled more than a mile when Zelda thought she heard the shrill ring of a telephone.
Ring-ring
. There it was again.

She glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Kendall put a cell phone to her ear.

“Hello.”

Damn it. She should have figured the camp counselor would have a cell phone
.

“Hi, Kevin,” Kendall said. “No, I just left Fox Run to take the girls on a field trip, and I won’t be back until late this afternoon, but the shoe is hanging on Wellington’s door.”

Kendall listened and nodded. “That’s wonderful. Thanks so much. He took a big chunk out of his hoof when he pulled the shoe off, so I hope you have enough hoof left to nail the shoe to.”

She nodded some more, frowning. “How expensive are glue-on shoes?”

More nodding. “Okay, just do whatever you need to. And thanks so much for calling me back so quickly. I really appreciate it.”

Kendall lowered the cell phone from her ear and punched a button, then looked up and caught Zelda’s eyes in the mirror.

“I don’t tolerate no cell phone conversations on my bus,” Zelda said. “I guess I forgot to mention that earlier.”

“I’m sorry,” Kendall replied. “I was just talking to my blacksmith.”

“I don’t care who you was talking to, honey. The call was distracting to me, and I take my driving responsibility seriously.” Zelda took her right hand off the steering wheel and held it out. “Why don’t you leave that phone up here with me for the drive? I’ll give it back to you when we get there.”

“You don’t have to take the phone away from me, Connie. If you don’t want me to use it on the bus, I won’t.”

Zelda set her mouth grimly and shook her head. “Nope. I want it up here. I know a driver who got in an awful wreck because someone’s cell phone kept distracting her.”

Kendall’s expression tightened. “I need to have my cell phone with me when I’m chaperoning the kids, in case something happens. It’s part of my job.”

“It’ll be right up here if you need it.” Zelda wiggled her hand in an impatient motion.

Kendall sighed loudly and rose from her seat. “
Fine.”

Zelda took the phone from her hand and deposited it in the cup holder on the dash. “You can have it back when we get to Gettysburg.” She shifted her gaze in the mirror to the back of the bus. “None of those kids have cell phones, do they?”

“They’re five and six years old,” Kendall said with a laugh.

“I didn’t ask you how old they was,” Zelda snapped. “I asked you if any of them had a cell phone.”

Kendall flinched and took a step backwards. “No, they don’t.”

Zelda flashed Zach a look of triumph in the mirror as Kendall walked back to her seat. She’d shown that bitch who was boss.

“
I
wish I could go with you when you pick up Chancellor,” Anne said as she watched Doug lean down and run a rag over his paddock boots.

Doug looked up at her. “I do, too. Are you sure you’re okay with me doing this today? I can put it off until tomorrow if you want me to take Sam to the doctor.”

“Don’t be silly. Of course I want you to get Chancellor today. I’ll take Samantha to see Dr. Russell and, depending on how she’s feeling afterwards, maybe we’ll stop by Richard’s and see Chancellor. It would probably cheer Samantha up. She’s so disappointed about missing the field trip.”

Doug straightened up and tossed the rag on the boot rack.

“You look like you’re feeling better today,” Anne said.

“Much better.” He leaned towards her for a kiss. “Give me a call when you leave Dr. Russell’s. I’m going to drive to Richard’s now and ride in the van with him to the EMC.”

“Did you decide to take Jake up on his offer to help?”

“I called Fox Run a little while ago, but Margaret hasn’t seen Jake yet this morning. Maybe I’ll swing by on my way to Richard’s and see if he’s around and wants to come along.”

Anne studied Doug for a moment, then slipped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest. “Every time you leave, I can’t help but remember the day of your accident. Samantha and I waved good-bye as you left for the trail ride that morning, totally unaware of what was about to happen to you.”

Doug wrapped his arms around her, but his embrace was stiff. “Anne, you can’t worry every time I walk out the door. We have to get on with our lives.”

She nodded. “I know.”

He pulled back and leaned down to look her in the eyes. “Hey, speaking of getting on with our lives, two weeks from today we’re going to have a baby.”

Anne gave a small shake of her head. “I don’t know about that. When I saw Dr. Sommers yesterday, he said I’m not starting to dilate at all. Besides, first babies are usually late.”

Doug grinned and placed one hand on her belly. “Not ours. We’re both lawyers. Our baby will understand the importance of a deadline.”

The baby kicked against his hand and Anne smiled at the look on Doug’s face.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“I was just thinking how much you’ve changed in the last nine months.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Really? Tell me how I’ve changed.”

“You were a carefree playboy when I met you. Hardly the daddy type. Now look at you. You get all misty-eyed just feeling your baby kick.” She fingered his wedding ring.

Doug smiled. “The reason I was a playboy was that I hadn’t met you yet.” He lowered his lips to hers for a long kiss.

“Umm,” he mumbled against her lips. “Maybe I should forget about picking up Chancellor and we should go back upstairs.”

Anne laughed and pulled away. “Hold that thought.”

“I was afraid you’d say that.” Doug grabbed her hand as he walked towards the door. “Give Sam a kiss for me when she wakes up from her nap.”

“I will.”

He gestured towards the empty puppy crate next to the door. “Is Rascal upstairs, sleeping with Sam?”

She nodded and held her hand up. “Don’t say it. I know. The puppy’s a great baby-sitter.”

Doug chuckled, then paused with his hand on the doorknob. “I want Ben to ride in the car with you and Sam today, not follow behind like he has been.”

Anne’s smile faded. “Okay.”

He kissed her one more time. “I love you.”

She nodded and squeezed his hand, resisting the urge to caution him to be careful.

T
he girls were entertaining themselves, playing cheerfully with their Breyer horses, and Kendall leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes. The faint vibration from the glass was hypnotic, and as the bus rolled smoothly along James Monroe Highway, Kendall began to settle down from the frenzy of the morning. Her thoughts drifted to Jake, and she wondered for the hundredth time why she had let Stephen touch her so possessively at the polo match, especially in front of Jake.

She had planned on stopping by Jake’s cottage to talk to him when she’d driven Margaret home after the match, but the cottage lights were off and his truck wasn’t there. And she’d arrived at the farm early that morning, hoping to catch him then, but there was still no sign of his truck. She’d even knocked on the cottage door, but there was no answer.

Kendall felt the bus make a sharp left-hand turn, and she opened her eyes in time to see the driver turn off the highway and onto Harmony Church Road.

“Excuse me, why are you turning here?” Kendall asked, sitting up straight in her seat.

“I’m taking a shortcut,” Connie replied, straightening through the turn and stepping on the accelerator.

“To Gettysburg?”

“That’s right.”

Kendall frowned. “I don’t think so. James Monroe Highway is Route Fifteen, which is a straight shot north to Gettysburg.”

“I’ll hook back up with Route Fifteen later,” Connie said. “I’m just avoiding the traffic around Leesburg.”

Kendall frowned at her in the mirror. “I’d prefer it if you’d keep to the main road.”

“Honey, why don’t you concentrate on your job and let me do mine, okay?”

Kendall bit back a retort. Connie obviously felt the need to run things her way, and there was no sense getting into a power struggle with her. On the other hand, they couldn’t afford to take some detour that might cause them to arrive late.

“Do you mind telling me what route you’re taking?”

Connie didn’t answer her.

“Miss Waters, are we lost?” Emma Horton asked.

Kendall looked back at her. “No, sweetie. Mrs. White is just going a different way from the one I’m used to.”

“How much longer until we get there?” Emma asked.

“It will be a little while yet.”

Harmony Church Road was hilly and full of turns, and the spongy suspension of the bus bounced the girls off their seats as they crested a hill and leaned into a twisty curve.

“Whee, that was a pee-pee hole bump.” Caitlin Dunning giggled, sending the rest of the girls into peals of laughter.

Kendall smiled at them and winked at Todd.

“Miss Waters, my tummy hurts,” Emma said, holding her hand over her mouth. “I think I’m going to throw up.”

Kendall took a deep breath.
Oh great, that was just what she needed to top the morning off
. “Are you carsick, sweetie?” Kendall asked, putting her hand on Emma’s arm.

“Uh-huh.”

Kendall grabbed a picnic blanket off the seat next to her and held it in front of Emma. “If you have to throw up, do it in here.”

She looked at Todd. “Do you mind sitting here and holding this for Emma? I’m going to talk to the driver about going back to the main road. This is ridiculous.”

Todd’s lip curled in distaste, but he moved over and held the blanket gingerly. “Sure.”

“Thanks.” Kendall stood and started up the aisle.

“Take your seat, hon. I don’t want nobody walking around when the bus is moving,” Connie called.

Kendall ignored her and continued walking towards the front of the bus.

“Look, Connie, the girls are getting carsick on this curvy road. Besides, I know this area very well, and I’m quite certain you’re not saving time by going this way. I’d prefer it if you’d turn around and go back to James Monroe Highway.”

Connie took her eyes off the road and glared at Kendall. “I told you to sit down.”

“This is crazy!” Kendall reached for her cell phone. “I’m going to call Margaret at the farm and have you speak with her.”

Connie’s hand shot out and grabbed Kendall’s arm. “I wouldn’t do that if I was you.”

Kendall jerked her arm back and snatched the phone from the cup holder.

The bus leaned precariously into a sharp curve and Connie grabbed the wheel with both hands and shouted, “Zach.”

Kendall sensed a movement and spun around. Todd stood right behind her, so close that she could feel his breath on her face.

He spoke in a low voice. “Just do what we say and none of you is going to get hurt.”

Kendall frowned. “What’s going on?”

Todd shoved a hard object into her side and motioned down with his eyes. “I don’t want to use this, but I will if I have to.”

Kendall lowered her eyes and saw the gray metal barrel of a gun. “Oh, my God.”

“Hand over the phone.”

“Miss Waters, Emma threw up,” a small voice called from the back of the bus.

Kendall swallowed. “I’ll be right there.”

Todd held out his hand. “Give me the phone and you can get back to the kids.”

Kendall handed him the phone and held her hands up in a gesture of surrender. “My God, Todd, what are you doing?”

“Zach, get her back there with the kids,” Connie ordered.

Todd tossed the phone to Connie and grabbed Kendall by the arm, pulling her past him in the aisle. He shoved her towards the back of the bus, walking behind her with the barrel of the gun pressed against the small of her back.

Kendall turned her head towards him. “Why is she calling you Zach?”

His breath was hot on her cheek. “Because that’s my real name. Want to know my real last name?”

Why was he asking her that? Why did it matter what his last name was?