The Devil To Pay (Hennessey.) (17 page)

She had chosen Tallahassee rather than Montgomery, which was closer, because the latter was closer to the place where she had met Olivia.

She went into the boutique and bought two pairs of jeans and six T-shirts of assorted colours in a pack, and a sweatshirt. She then bought a white blouse with blue flowers, a pale blue summer dress and a dark blue jacket plus assorted underwear and socks. She was tempted to get a complete wardrobe of dresses and jackets and tops, but if Olivia wanted to travel fast it was best to travel light. But she did go to a shoe shop where she bought a pair of trainers and a pair of sandals.

Then onto the pharmacist where she bought toiletries, deodorant, moisturiser, sunscreen and a hairbrush plus sunglasses and a new sun hat not forgetting the brown hair dye of course.

All her shopping done she then went to the bank and withdrew thirty thousand in dollars and Euros. She received some strange looks but managed to smile and say she had bought an antique ring and the guy wanted cash. She didn’t think they believed her and why would they, but still it was not their business what she did with her own money was it.

She was on her way to the travel agent when she suddenly remembered that one had to declare any monies over £10,000 dollars. She silently berated herself for being so stupid. Then she recalled what she had said to the bank teller about an antique ring. She smiled to herself and made her way to the nearest jewellers where she purchased a $15,000 watch, the most expensive they had. She paid with her credit card because even if by the very slim chance her card was being tracked buying a watch would not arouse any suspicion.

When she had finished her business in the travel agent she booked a hire car to be delivered to Mobile tomorrow. She also asked for some more information that would set the third part of her cunning plan into action.

Well satisfied with her morning’s work she then went to meet Luke, who was in the exact same place where he had dropped her off two hours and five minutes before. She apologised for being late but he shrugged it off and they chatted like old friends.

When they arrived back in Alban she asked him to drop her where she could not be seen by anyone. She paid him, giving him a thirty dollar tip, ten dollars for meeting her again so promptly, ten for taking her mind from her concerns and ten for his accent. He shook her hand and for a moment Adela thought he was going to kiss it.

She then called in Rose Hosewater’s store and told her should would be leaving very soon and might not have another chance to say goodbye. Mrs. Hosewater thanked her for her custom and wished her well for the rest of her vacation. Then Adela went to see several other store owners she had become friendly with and said the same thing. She did this because if anyone did come asking questions she didn’t want the townsfolk to tell them she had left suddenly and without even a goodbye, that would certainly make them suspicious.

As she walked through the woods her heart began to beat uncomfortably in her chest. She walked quickly but cautiously between the trees to the cabin. She tried the door of the cabin but it was locked so that was a good sign, Olivia must still be here, unless she’d gone and locked the door behind her. She knocked and whispered, ‘Olivia, it’s me, Adela.’

Her relief was intense when she heard the key turning in the lock and the door opened. She hurried in dropping her packages on the floor and locking the door saying, ‘you’re still here, thank goodness.’

Olivia looked white and strained and her hands were shaking. Adela co
vered them with her own, ‘come and sit down before you fall down, I’ll make some tea.’

Olivia did as she said and sat on the sofa. Adela watched her as she moved about the kitchen. She asked, ‘did anything happen, did anyone come knocking?’

Olivia shook her head, ‘no. But it seems like hours since you went.’

Adela smiled, ‘I know, there’s nothing worse than waiting for something or someone, I’d rather be the doer than the waiter.’

Olivia returned the smile a little tremulously.

When they were each seated with their tea, Adela tried to take Olivia’s mind from the last few hours or so by going through the bags, showing Olivia what she had bought and asking if she liked her choices.

Olivia shook her head and Adela’s face fell, ‘oh I'm sorry, I just thought they might suit your colouring, well the colour you’ll be when we’ve dyed your hair.’ She gave a nervous little laugh.

Olivia was quick to reassure, ‘no no, Adela, they’re lovely, perfect, it’s just that…’

‘Just what?’

‘Just that you shouldn’t have gone to this trouble and spent so much money on me like this. I know these are designer jeans, a cheap pair and a top would have done.’

Adela was relieved, ‘what, and deny myself the pleasure of clothes shopping? What a spoil sport you are.’

Olivia smiled and Adela said, ‘well, go and try them on, see if they fit all right.’

Olivia rose picked up the bags and went into the bathroom while Adela leaned back in the armchair and let out a long breath. Despite her outward calm she had been frightened today. Frightened that Olivia might leave while she was gone and get caught by those two goons. Frightened that she would meet them herself in the town, or worse still in the woods. She was relying on the thought that if she did meet them they would not recognise her from the other night. Her accent giving her away did not worry her, she knew what she would do if that occasion arose.

Olivia came out of the bathroom in the jeans one of the T-Shirts and the trainers, they all fitted perfectly. She did a little twirl.

Adela smiled, ‘that’s better, now you look like a woman instead of a giant in dwarfs clothing.’

Olivia chuckled
, ‘the other things fit too. Thank you, Adela.’

‘You’re very, very welcome, Olivia,’ Adela replied softly and for the first time since they’d met Olivia’s lips trembled as she fought back tears.

Adela leapt to her feet and said cheerfully, ‘so now the really fun part,’ she picked up the hair dye, ‘off with the old and on with the new.’

It worked and Olivia rolled her eyes and the trembling lips t
urned up in a grimace, ‘come on then, let’s get it over with.’

They went into the bathroom and Olivia sat in the wicker chair while Adela began to cut her hair. Olivia’s shoulders were very tense and Adela had the feeling that this time the tension was not caused by the thought of those two men
showing up. She laughed, ‘please, Olivia, relax, I’m not going to hack it to pieces, neither your hair nor your ears.’ 

Olivia said, ‘have you ever done this before, cut someone’s hair I mean?’

‘Of course. I cut my mother’s all the time. Although of course she was unconscious or drunk most of the time so didn’t really care what she looked like, but
I
quite like the buzz cut.’

Olivia swung round to look at her and saw the dancing lights in Adela’s eyes, ‘oh you’re funny.’

Adela laughed, ‘come on, doubting Thomasina, let me work my magic. Olivia gave her an impatient look.

When she had finished Olivia stood and looked in the bathroom cabinet mirror which hung on the
wall above the sink. Adela asked, ‘well, what do you think.’

Olivia looked through squinted eyes at her hair then her eyes opened wider in surprise. Adela had cut her hair into a bob that came just below her chin and grew shorter at the sides and even shorter at the
back. It was very modern. She said, ‘oh, oh it’s nice, I like it, yes, I like it a lot. You’re a jack of all trades, Adela.’

Adela was grinning very pleased, ‘see, oh yea of little faith.’ Olivia’s smiling face reflected back to her in the mirror as she moved her head from side to side letting her new hair swing gracefully back and forth.

Adela said, ‘right, now for the piece de résistance.’ She snapped on the gloves then opened the first box which contained a solution that would strip the black from Olivia’s hair; this had to be done before the brown colour could be applied.  While they waited Adela laid out the rest of her plan.

‘The first thing we have to do is drive the hire car over the state line, I don’t want to risk a taxi, the less people who see us and can be questioned the better. But the only problem with that is that is I can’t drive, well, I can but I don’t have a licence, and you need either a drivers licence or credit card to hire a car. It’s possible to pay with cash but a lot more difficult and there will be a delay while they check my credentials.  I don’t want to risk being pulled over by the police and asked awkward questions, but I’m willing to drive if I have too. I don’t suppose that this Glissando person ever allowed you to have a licence.’

Olivia was silent for a moment then said, ‘look there in my old clothes.’

Adela did and to her amazement found a passport and drivers lice
nce. She looked at Olivia, ‘but how and where did you get these?’

‘I had them done just before the last time I ran away, a man I knew and trusted did them for me.’

Adela looked inside the passport and saw that it was made out to Orla Rushkova as was the driver’s licence. She asked, ‘who is this person?’

‘She’s me, or was going to be, and maybe now still will be.’

‘But this man who made these for you, who I take it is a forger, are you sure you can trust him, how do you know he won’t give you up and Glissando won’t be checking the airline manifests for this name?’

‘Glissando knows nothing about them; I managed to hide them from him last time because I had two passport’s and drivers licences in different names. He found one set, but not this one.’ She gave a small smile, ‘I planned ahead just in case.’

Adela was impressed but still uneasy, ‘but how can you be so sure this forger won’t betray you.’

Olivia looked down at her hands and her voice was very low as she said, ‘’because he’s dead.’

‘Oh I’m sorry.’ When Olivia did not elaborate Adela asked, ‘did…did Glissando kill him.’

Olivia nodded, ‘he found the passport and discovered who had done them. I tried to tell him that he was wrong but it was no good. I think he would have killed him even if he had not been the one who helped me, just to make a point that anyone he even suspected of aiding me would pay dearly.’

‘Good God, that man is evil.’

‘Adela, you have no idea.’

Adela said nothing to this. Sometimes when her mother ranted and raved and said awful, horrible things to her she had thought that her evil, but this Glissando was in a league all of his own. She said, ‘so you have a passport, a driver’s licence and a new name, that makes things much easier. I’m afraid my knowledge of creating new identities is cutting and dyeing hair and buying clothes. I wouldn’t know where to start with false papers.’

‘And why should you. I bet when you set of on this vacation you never expected to meet someone like me did you?’

Adela managed a smile, ‘well, I’ll be better prepared next time.’

Olivia laughed and Adela said, ‘I’m relieved I must say that you have that licence, it would have been hard enough to drive anyway, but on the wrong side of the road would have been almost impossible for me. So we just need the car to get us out of the state. I’ll hire the car in my name and we’ll drive to say, Tennessee. My guess is that Glissando will think you’ll go for the quickest and easiest route out of the country and you’ll head for Mexico. But we’ll fool him by going the other way, north.’

She stopped speaking because Olivia was looking at her in consternation. Adela said, ‘I’m sorry, I’m doing what that man did and organising your life for you, I just thought this would be the best way. But I’m sorry I…

Olivia interrupted her, ‘no, no, Adela it’s not that.’

‘Then what?’

‘It’s just that you keep saying “we.”

‘Yes, that’s right, we, as in you and me.’

‘But surely you don’t intend to come with me.’

Adela smiled, ‘not to wherever it is you’ll eventually end up, but to Tennessee? Yes, of course.’

Olivia shook her head emphatically, ‘Adela, you don’t know what you’re saying, you can’t do this, you can’t break into your vacation time like this and travel across the country with me. And much more importantly it’s dangerous, if they catch us, they’ll…they’ll…

It was Adela’s turn to interrupt, ‘I can’t let you go alone, Olivia, and what’s more I’m not going too. I have to make sure you get away safe and sound, otherwise I’ll never have another moment’s peace,’ she smiled, ‘and you wouldn’t want that would you?’

But Olivia did not smile in return instead she looked angry and snapped, ‘what is wrong with you, did you not hear a word I said? Did you not hear what I told you about Dashiel? He’s a mad man, a lunatic, a psychopath.’

Adela’s smile vanished and she said softly but seriously, ‘I heard you, Olivia, but it changes nothing I’m going with you and that’s all there is t it.’

Olivia leapt to her feet and yelled now, ‘don’t you get it, he’ll
kill
you, he’ll hurt you and take great pleasure in it, then he’ll kill you, slowly, as an example, to me, to anyone that might be thinking of turning against him, just like Grady, the passport guy. Would you like me to describe what he did to him just as Dashiel described it to me?’