Finding Anna

Chapter Seven

Anna rested her head back on the bed, the phone to her ear later that day. It was a phone call she had been dying to hear for the entire day. Would her journey be continuing today?

"Hi, Anna, it's Xander from Harry's House Repairs." The familiar voice answered as she picked up.

"Xander, hi! What's the news on my car?" She sat up and launched straight into business. Everything by this point was superficial. Every moment she spent waiting here was time for him to close the distance she was trying to put between them.

"I was afraid you might ask." Xander sounded deflated.

At that moment, Anna felt her heart sink. Was her plan really going to come unstuck like this?

"Oh god, what's happened?"

"Well I have some good news and some bad news. But mostly bad I'm afraid." He sounded almost as disappointed as Anna felt.

"Tell me it how it is, what's the damage?"

"Well, the good news is, your car isn't a write off. It can still be driven, so don't worry about that. It seems to have developed two faults. One is the seal on the oil reserve in your engine. Good news is, I have this part here today, so I can fix that without issues. That'd be $80 for the fitting on it." Xander explained.

$80 wouldn't be a terrible bill…

She still had plenty of savings and reserve funds, so she could definitely afford that. Maybe she wouldn't be stuck too long here after all. But he also mentioned bad news…

"And the bad news?"

"The second fault is your water pump. Now the problem is, your car is pretty old, I'm afraid, so I can't get the part here for at the very least, seven days. They're also not that common so I had to get one from my supplier in Canada."

An entire week? A whole week without the car? That would be enough time for him to track her down, find her and destroy her in the time it would take to fix that heap of junk!

"A week!? But I don't have a week!" She loudly protested desperately, just momentarily forgetting who she was talking to.

"I am sorry to hear that, but that's the earliest I can do."

Okay, okay. Just suppose he doesn't find you in that week. Suppose you can make a clean getaway in seven days just by keeping your head down, she started to think. She might just be able to get away with it. But she couldn't see his face again. He'd kill her for sure.

"And how much is this going to set me back?"

"Again, to be honest, I was hoping you wouldn't need to ask that question. The part is quite rare, and it retails at $220 now. It'll need the bearings and everything with it. Only my supplier in Canada has one. They also need to ship it down here and then there's the labor. I won't lie to you, Anna, you're looking at nearly $700, parts, packing and labor included."

Nearly $800 to fix the car!? With the cash she had, and even with the emergency money in her savings account, that would set her back so far. It would almost clean her out. That was a hell of a lot of money! She wouldn't have enough for the fuel, or her food and motels to keep travelling with that kind of loss for more than a few weeks.

A few weeks was a while, but it wasn't enough! She needed a few months!

Oh god, am I really running out of road already? Am I really at the end of the line? I'm doomed…

"$780! Oh god!" Anna could feel the hot rush of tears coming to her face, and hastily wiping them away.

"Yeah, I know. If I am 100% honest, I feel like a bit of a crook having to hit you with that price. If there was anything I could to bring it down, I would. But that's the absolute minimum I can do to fix it for you. It's just that make of car, you see."

Anna couldn't bear to keep talking. She was going to burst into tears any minute and probably blow her cover and everything she was trying to hide. She couldn't let that happen. Quick. An excuse!

"I'm really sorry, Xander. My mother is on the other line, and she'll literally kill me if I don't pick up this time. Though good timing, considering the bill. She might be able to help me out. I'll ring you back as soon as I can, okay?" She quickly made her excuse. Of course, her mother wasn't on any line about to come through.

"Yeah, sure, you can pop back to the garage whenev…"

And just like that, she hung up, the line going dead, resisting the urge to throw her phone in frustration straight into the wall. Though considering the huge financial setback, the last thing she needed now was to completely annihilate her lucky, water-sodden phone.

Why me? She suddenly thought to herself.

Why did it have to be my car that breaks? Why did it have to be my car that developed the stupidly expensive fault? When she bought the Ford in Vegas she thought she got lucky with the price and the kindness of the guy that sold it to her. He said it was in perfect condition, and had never once developed anything more than a flat tire in it's entire service history. Anna never looked at the service history herself though. Oh, God. It's in the dash compartment, what if Xander sees it, and the papers to say she just bought the car.

He won't, Anna told herself calmly. Xander had no reason to go through the car when he was fixing the engine.

But the car, it had run like a dream and got her this far. She never had any problems with her Honda Civic, the car she fell in love with the day she saw it. The one time, the one very time she needed it to come through for her, to be her legs in a deadly race, it had to give up the ghost like this!

But what choice did she have? She needed to run. And despite wanting to cry, and in some cases, accept her fate that she would meet her end at the hands of that terrible man, she stayed remarkably calm as she tried to think. Having been so used to his violent, controlling ways, she knew how to think through it now.

A bus. There had to be an interstate bus that ran through here. It would be so much cheaper than paying for the car. But… She had to rely on their timings and having no knowledge of the buses around here, she'd have to ask someone because she had no computer and the phone was too old to google things. And if she did get cornered, she'd have no quick way of escaping if he did catch up. Having that safety net, that vehicle she could flee to, start up and run for her life if needed was important.

But for $800… Maybe someone in town was selling an old banger of a car they could part with for less than that. It might not be a supercar or anything amazing, but it could get her on the road and on the run again, right? But she didn't know anyone in town beyond professionally. They could sell her anything; stolen property for all she knew. Then she'd be arrested, and he knew police officers so it would take no time at all for him to find her. Or what if it was faulty, and it just got her to the next town and pulled another stunt like the Ford? Then she'd be out of pocket and without a car. She had the momentum though, and she couldn't let it die. To stop moving forward was inviting pain, death and suffering…

It was then her eyes were drawn to her coat.

"Ah, now that is a shame! A real crying shame. You would make such a perfect fit! This town is rather charming. You might want to stick around for a while. You'll find opportunity has a funny way of finding people." Nate smiled as he smartly put a business card on the table, sliding it across the surface to rest in front of Anna.

Nate would be able to pay her. Pay her a wage for a few shifts. He didn't seem to care that she wasn't there for the long haul. But she dare not have any money paid to her bank, just in case. He seemed like an understanding guy. And if his business card was anything to go by, he'd have more than enough money in cash to pay, right?

As quickly as the idea came, she was out of the motel door, barely stopping to swing her coat on. She zipped it up hastily as she rushed down the stairs and out towards the street. She needed this money. Even if it was just a shitty job at a shitty wage, she would only need to do it for a week, and hopefully make enough to keep her journey going.

It took just a few minutes to make her way back to the diner. As she walked in, there were several customers tucking into their meals, most of them on lunchbreak from the nearby shops and offices. The waitress, Becca, seemed immediately delighted to see her come back in so soon.

"Could I speak to your manager, Nate, please?" Anna asked.

"Of course, you can, sugar! Oh Nate!" She shouted loudly, going back behind the counter, staring into the kitchen before disappearing. "Nate, that pretty girl from earlier is back!" Anna could clearly hear her speaking from the back of the counter.

"Excellent! Now run along and keep the oven running. I will attend to this personally."

And at that, Nate emerged, straightening up his suit jacket with a smile. "Miss Jones! What a wonderful sight to see. I didn't expect you back so soon!" He greeted her.

For a moment, Anna was confused by his use of her name, and it took her a few seconds to remind herself of the increasing web of lies that she was constructing around herself to try and stay safe.

"Thank you… Mr. Watson…" She replied, just about remembering his name too.

"I assume you're not here for another bite to eat, or a cup of Becca's wonderful coffee?"

"No, actually. What I came here for…" Anna hesitated. Was this really what she wanted to do? There were other options. The bus was still valid, and there must still be ways out of this…

"Go on, my love." He smiled quite endearingly.

My love, Anna didn't like that at all. But she ignored it, reminding herself that he was trying to be friendly.

"I did some thinking over about your offer of a job…"

"Ah yes, of course! Such a great proposal. Would you like to take me up on it? It has, as promised, been left open specifically for you!"

"I would love to hear about it, first. I need some extra money to pay for my car..." she chortled nervously and embarrassed. "Repairs are going to be expensive. And…" Anna began to explain, but decided to shut her mouth completely. The less Nate knew about the situation, the better. She just needed the money before she blew down. She didn't need to take anyone else along with her. After all, it's not like she'd see them ever again once she was speeding away past those country hedgerows on her way to the next hiding spot.

The next hiding spot.

This is what her life had boiled down to. Running. Running just to stand still. Over and over again. When would it all stop?

"Say no more, say no more!" Nate began to loud happily, putting his arm across the top of Anna's back with a smirk. For some reason, the contact felt ever so slightly uncomfortable. But Anna wasn't in a position to refuse. "Let me show you the way, right through here." And with that, he began to walk Anna back through the counter to the office beyond. "Becca, you'll be a good girl and run this place in that oh so smooth way you have with the customers, won't you?"

"I sure will, Nate!"

Everyone's so chipper, Anna groaned inwardly with wide eyes and sigh.

"Thank you!" Nate responded, closing the door behind him, leaving Anna and himself alone in the little office. "Now, now, I don't believe in interviews, so let us cut to the business, what do you say?"

In all of the excitement of getting Anna on board his team, she hadn't even been given the chance to speak.

"That… Sounds good." Though as she said it, it just occurred to her the prospect of her needing to sign paperwork, to become a 'legal' worker, get a payroll number and enter the system. She couldn't afford to do that. It was like putting a pin in a map for her ex to see. That just couldn't happen. She may as well just send him her location right now.

"Good, good. So what kind of documents do you have, Miss Jones?" He began, brushing his hand gently down her arm, looking her up and down with a smirk.

"Umm… Well, you know, honestly… I don't have any…" She confessed. She did, in one way, tell a lie; she did have her driving license with her.

"Nothing at all? Well my dear, how on Earth would I pay you?" Nate began to laugh, walking around to the other side of his desk. He took a seat behind it, putting his feet up on the top.

"Look, can I level with you, Mr. Watson?" Anna asked. She knew she would need to give him at least some answers. But if he thought she'd confess the lot, he was mistaken.

"Why of course you can. And please, call me Nate!"

"Look. I can't tell you why. I can't explain why, but if I need to work for you, it will need to be in cash. I need money for my car, and I need to get it in cash."

"A lady on a journey, eh?" he raised his brows and leaned back into his chair.

Oh boy, if only he knew half of what journey she had been on these last few weeks.

"Let's just say I can't afford to deal with my bank at the moment… You know… Err… Debts and all that." She swiftly lied. It sounded more believable than anything else she could come up with.

"Oh, I completely agree with you. Dealing with the bank is nasty business at times. I might say they're crooks with pens in their pockets, it's just not good for the good old, classic American businessman! Much like myself!" He suddenly piped up at her false hatred, slamming his fist happily on the table.

"Look, Mr. Wats… I mean, Nate. I really need to be paid in cash. I'll even let you keep tips or anything else, I just need cash."

"Well now, that shouldn't be a problem! And as for tips, well, we don't get many of those around here, so you may keep them. Though I'm afraid I'll have to pay slightly less for the convenience…" He lowered his voice, as though making a bargain. "The legal minimum in Washington State is $11.50. But I'll only be able to give you $8. I keep off the tax man's radar, you keep your money, and everyone's a winner, what do you think?"

$8… Anna fought to keep her eyes from going wide.

$8 was all she could make. But if she got just a single decent week of work, 30 hours? It might only be $240 for the end of the week, but that'd cover enough for at least six more nights of travelling… It would take her quite a long way, and soften the repair bill somewhat.

Either way, she didn't have a choice. And drawn by the appeal of putting a little more money in her pocket, plus her tips, she shook his hand. The deal was done, and with a uniform in the bag, and a promise to return at 7AM for her first day, she was out and ready to go.

It might not be much, but it was something…

***

Though Anna was in for slightly more than she bargained for as she came back to the motel. It was starting to rain again now, and just as she was pulling the keys from her coat as she came into the parking lot, she immediately caught sight of someone outside her room. And it wasn't just another guest.

Dressed in a pair of jeans and a coat blacker than night with the hood pulled up, he had his face pressed against the window of her room, one hand against the glass to look inside. He paced between the door and the window, slowly but deliberately.

Anna was quick to duck beside the entrance of the parking lot, next to the arm that allowed vehicles to enter. She contemplated making a run for it. To turn on her heel, dash and not look back. After this morning, she learned her lesson in being careless and now had everything on her. Her money, ID and her driving license. She had everything that was precious to her. If she ran for it now, she'd lose nothing valuable… And she'd keep her life. Her heart pounded and mind raced as she watched the shadowy man, the figure suddenly reached into his pocket, removing a smartphone, and idly began texting.

While he did it, he turned around to face the parking area.

This was no intruder.

It wasn't him.

In fact, it was just Xander, trying to pay Anna a visit. Though why he had decided to pay the motel a visit rather than just give her another call was a mystery to Anna. What was he really after?