Page 50 of Gone Tonight
I crept to the bathroom and collected my toothbrush, toothpaste, and hairbrush.
I knew my mother kept jewelry in a velvet box on her bureau—a pair of real diamond earrings she’d inherited and an opal ring. But I couldn’t bring myself to sneak into my parents’ bedroom. I felt certain they’d bolt upright in bed, somehow knowing what James and I had done.
I emptied my piggy bank of the bills and the two quarters it contained and put the money in my pocket, then carried my duffle downstairs, avoiding the creaky step. My limbs felt slow and heavy, as if I was moving underwater. It took every ounce of my will to keep going forward instead of falling to the ground and curling into a ball.
My mother’s purse sat on the kitchen counter. I took all the cash she had, sixty-eight dollars. No credit cards, James had instructed me. Nothing that could lead the police to us.
My father’s wallet was in a dish by the kitchen door, along with his car keys, but I couldn’t bear to steal from him.
I looked at the gold watch James had put on my wrist. Fifteen minutes left. It would take me ten to get to our meeting spot.
It was so hard to think. My mind felt like it was shutting down.
What else might I need?
My school backpack was on the kitchen table. I reached into it and grabbed whatever my fingers touched: a pen. A green spiral notebook, the one I’m writing in now. A pack of tissues. An apple I hadn’t eaten at lunch. I added it all to my duffle bag.
I looked at the phone on the wall. All I had to do was lift the receiver and dial 911. James wasn’t here to stop me this time.
I took a step toward it. Then another.
Headlights cut through the darkness, briefly flashing into our kitchen as the driver turned the corner adjacent to our house.
Maybe James knew what I was thinking. Maybe he was coming for me.
I held my breath.
The car moved on. And I moved away from the phone.
Tick-tock, Coach’s watch whispered.
My time was up.
Just as I opened the door to go outside, I saw a tube of cherry ChapStick next to Timmy’s backpack. Timmy loved the sweet smell, so Dad bought him a tube at the drugstore every now and then. I couldn’t bringany pictures with me or say goodbye to my little brother and dad. So I put the ChapStick in my pocket.
I walked out of my house for the final time and stood on the front walk in the soft night air.
Step two of James’s plan: You’ve taken what you can carry. Now it’s time to disappear.
Where would you go?
I slipped into my car, started the engine, and pulled away, praying the noise wouldn’t wake anyone.
I reached the stop sign at the corner. A left turn would take me toward Pizza Piazzo. James would be there, waiting.
I twisted the wheel to the right.
My foot stayed steady on the gas pedal, but my hands trembled on the wheel. Two miles, five miles, ten… I kept going until I passed the city limits.
Logically I knew James could have no idea where I was going. I didn’t even know where I was heading. But every time I saw another vehicle on the highway, I couldn’t breathe until it passed.
I’m not sure how long I drove, but I think it was probably an hour or more. I’d seen enough crime shows on TV to know I couldn’t stay in my car, with the license plate as connected to me as my fingerprints.
I might have been able to switch my plates with another car’s, like I’d seen a bank robber do on one of those shows, if only I’d thought to bring a screwdriver instead of an apple.
Up ahead was a brightly lit twenty-four-hour Denny’s, with several trucks and a few cars in the parking lot.
I pulled in at the last second and rolled to a stop as far away from the highway as possible, in a dark spot at the far end of the lot. My car might not be noticed for a day or two. In any case, leaving it here felt safer than continuing to drive.
