years old. Then she hadn’t known -what evil was. No, don’t
think about him. He would never find her. She looked back at herself.
The glasses changed her looks quite a bit, as did her darkened
eyebrows.
She looked over at her small portable television and knew that
during the news they’d soon show another photo of her. They did.
It was from her driver’s license. She was grateful they hadn’t gotten
a more up-to-date shot. She didn’t much resemble that photo, except
maybe on an excruciatingly bad day. With the slight alterations
she’d made to her looks just before coming to Riptide, she
felt reasonably sure that none of the townspeople would find her
out. Only Tyler would make the connection, and she felt she could
trust him. Now that her story was being flashed on CNN, she’d
have to tell him the truth. She should have told him right away, but
she couldn’t, just couldn’t, not then, not at first. Now there was no
choice.
But Tyler beat her to the punch. Not fifteen minutes after her
story aired, her doorbell rang.
“You lied to me.” It was Tyler. He stood on the front porch, stiff
all over, so angry he nearly stuttered.
“Yes, I know. I’m sorry, Tyler. Please come in. I need to throw
myself on your mercy.”
She told him the whole story, and was amazed at how relieved
she was to confide in him. “I still don’t know why the cops didn’t
believe me. But I’m not hiding because of them. I’m hiding because
of the madman who’s been terrorizing me. Maybe he wants
to kill me now, I don’t know.” She kept shaking her head, saying
over and over, “I can’t believe he actually shot the governor. He
really shot him.”
“The cops could protect you.” Tyler wasn’t standing so stiffly
now, thank God, and his eyes had calmed. Just a minute before
they’d been flat and very dark.
“Yes, probably, but they would have to believe I was in danger
first. They would have to believe there really was a stalker. There’s
the rub.”
Tyler fell silent. He pulled a small wooden carving of a pyramid
out of his pants pocket and began fiddling with it. “This isn’t good,
Becca.”
“No. Is that Ramses the Second’s tomb?”
“What? Oh this. No, I won it in a geometry competition when
I was a senior in high school. You changed your name to Powell.”
“Yes. You’re the only one who knows the truth, about everything.
Do you think you can keep it quiet?”
“You’re not married, then?”
She shook her head. “No. Also, I would have run sooner but I
couldn’t leave my mother. She was dying of cancer. After she died,
there was nothing holding me back.”
“I’m very sorry, Becca. My mom died when I was sixteen. I remember
what it was like.”
“Thank you.” She wasn’t going to cry, she wasn’t. She looked
toward an ancient humidor that sat in the corner and jumped to
her feet. She just realized what she’d done. “Oh God, I can’t believe
this. I’m a jerk. This is a big mistake. Listen,Tyler, you’ve got to forget
all of this. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t want
you in harm’s way. And I just thought of Sam. I can’t take a chance
on anything happening to him. It’s too risky. Whoever this maniac
is, he’ll do anything, I’m convinced of it. Then there’s the cops. I
don’t want them to arrest you for keeping quiet about me. I’ll just
go somewhere else that isn’t on the map. Jesus, I’m so sorry I spilled
my guts to you.”
He stood, taller than she by a good five inches. No more anger
in him, just determination. It calmed her. “Forget it. It’s a done
deal. I’m now up to my neck in this with you. Don’t worry, Becca.
I don’t think they’ll ever find you.” He paused a moment and
looked down at the pyramid lying in the palm of his left hand.
“Actually, I’ve already told a few folks in town that my old college
friend Becca Powell has come to live here. Even if someone thinks