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I didn't pull out the note Helen passed me until I changed into my pajamas. Before I read it, I pulled out one of my pads and wrote down everything she said to me. I even wrote down what she was wearing though I had no idea how that would be useful. Once I was sure I'd captured every detail I could, I opened the note and read it. I read it again. Chance was camping in the Everglades. He would have spotty cell reception but would call or text when he could. We'd talked about it before he left, I knew it was hard for him to talk when he was leading a hunt. He either needed to be spending time with his clients or staying quiet so as not to scare away their prey.
I considered calling Jim to pass long some of the information in Helen's note, but I couldn't do it. I needed to figure out what was going on with him before I was willing to trust him with any more information. I could talk to Tom about seeing Helen and the note, but he wouldn't be able to do anything about it on his own.
In the end, I decided to keep the information to myself. I made a copy of the note and stuck it underneath the pressed powder in the compact in my makeup bag. I'd keep the original in my bra, or in my pillowcase at night. This methodology had worked with the location information, so I saw no reason to reinvent the wheel. The flash drive was more difficult to conceal. For now, I thought it was safe in my makeup bag until I could come up with a better hiding spot. I was glad Chance and I could decide together what to do with the new information from Helen.
In a futile attempt to shift my thoughts to something other than my bathroom meeting with Helen, I pulled out my notepad and titled a page for each of the major projects that I needed to work on—Hairy's, BITES, the museum, my life. That last one is where I listed things like sell Snickety and figure out what life with Chance was going to look like. I sent Chance a short text about my day and crawled into bed. Talking to him would have been nice, but it wouldn't change the fact that none of us could do much about the BITES situation until we got back home.
XXX
In the morning when I checked my phone, there was a nice photo of Chance holding a huge snake. I was glad his hunt was going well, but the image was not destined to become the background on my cell phone. The brief text message from him sent my mind reeling. It said, "Sleep well. I love you, Babe."
I sank back onto the bed. Chance and I had talked about building a future together, but we both carefully avoided the L word. He’d called me “my love” at the tea room, but this was more straight-forward. Maybe part of me was disappointed that he didn't tell me for the first time when we were face-to-face so I could melt into his arms. If I'm being honest, I knew Chance loved me, and I loved him, but I was still trying to be cautious because of my ex. At one point in time, I thought Jamison and I were in love too. I knew Chance wanted to move our relationship forward, I had been the one holding back. After my kidnapping, I told myself I was going to live each day to the fullest. It was a lovely sentiment, but I hadn't been following my own advice. That changed today.
I slept later than I planned but there was no rush. My flight to Dallas wasn't until late afternoon. I found Leif in the kitchen drinking coffee and reading something on his laptop. "Morning."
"I'm headed over to the hotel soon. I want to check on Farraday before Johnson drives them to the airport. Want to come along?"
"Sure. I just need to grab some tea and something to eat.
XXX
"Has anyone checked on her this morning?" I asked as Leif drove.
"I haven't heard anything. I suspect everyone's letting her sleep as long as possible. They need to leave for the airport in an hour or so. Crap."
"What's wrong? I asked, looking up from my cell phone screen where I'd been checking my messages.
"Looks like the police have one lane blocked."
It was a small country road, so there were only three cars lined up waiting to get passed the accident site. There were a couple of police cars pulled off the side of the road. A policeman stood in the middle of the road directing traffic. When it was our turn to pull up to the officer, Leif rolled down his window. "Hi, Trent. What happened?"
"Bad accident last night. A fatality. They’re just finishing up the forensics. We're almost done. The road should be open in few more minutes."
"Anyone local?"
"No, but that's about all I know. I've been out here on traffic duty since I came on shift."
"Thanks, Trent," Leif said as the officer motioned us into the other lane to pass the crash site.
"It was Helen," I said, then put my hand up to cover my mouth when I realized I'd said it out loud.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing. Just thinking about something I need to check on when we get back." I don't know how I knew but I knew Helen was the person who died in that wreck. "Are you friends with the local police?"
"It's kind of a requirement for my business."
"Can you find out who died in the wreck?"
"Probably. Why?"
Realizing there was no way to explain without sounding crazy, I backpedaled. "I just hope it's not one of your trainees."
"That's a morbid thought, but no it wasn't any of our people. Johnson dropped them off at the hotel last night, and he wouldn't have been on this road."
I thought about texting Jim to have him find out when the victim's name was released, but I still wasn't sure I could trust him.
Johnson was waiting in the hotel parking lot beside the Viking Survival SUV. Leif pulled in beside him. "Have you checked on Farraday?" Leif asked as he got out of the truck.
"Not yet," Johnson said. "I figured you'd want to do that yourself. We've got about an hour before we need to head to the airport."
I followed Leif to Farraday's hotel room door. It took a while for her to answer. She was pale and looked exhausted. "How are you this morning?" I asked.
"I've been better. Are you OK?"
"I'm good."
After a brief conversation with Farraday about the accident, Leif and I said our good byes and headed for the door. "Everly, can you stay for a minute?"
"Sure." I hung back as Leif closed the door behind him.
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry I was such a bitch to you. You helped me when I needed it. I won't forget that. If you ever need anything, just give me a call." She handed me a business card.
"Thanks, Farraday. I hope the leg heals quickly. Have a safe trip home."