Mariah Stewart - Cry Mercy

“Just a heads-up,” Stephanie said when she called Emme's disposable cell phone the next morning. “I did get a call from a Mallory Russo from the Mercy place wanting to know about Emme Caldwell.”

“What did you tell her?”

“I told her that she'd have to submit her request in writing, along with the release of information you agreed to when you filled out your application online, but that I could tell her that you were one of the best officers I ever worked with and that I was much saddened by your resignation.”

“Thank you, Stef.”

“It's true.”

“I appreciate it. More than I can say. I know you're going out on a limb for me.” Emme paused. “Did she send in the release?”

“She faxed it over. She'll have my recommendation by this time tomorrow.” Steffie added, “Maybe sooner, if no one gets shot between now and six o'clock today.”

“I hope my chance for future employment doesn't really hang on that little detail.”

“Don't worry. I'll take care of it. But she did seem really curious about the fact that you'd already resigned.”

“What did you tell her?”

“That she'd have to speak directly with you because there were some personal issues involved. I didn't know what else to say.”

“That's fine. I'm sure she'll ask me. I'll have something prepared.”

“By the way, how's my baby girl doing?”

“She isn't a very happy girl right now,” Emme admitted. “She misses school and her friends.”

“She'll be okay. She'll adjust as soon as you get settled and she has a new school. She'll make new friends.”

“We can only hope.”

“She will. Think positively.”

“I'm trying to.”

“So what's your plan from here?” Stephanie asked.

“I'm hoping to get as far as Missouri today. Tomorrow, hopefully, Indiana. I'd like to be in Pennsylvania by Monday.”

“You should be able to make that.”

“The drive has been pretty hard on Chloe. She gets pretty fussy. I have to look for places to stop for lunch where there's a playground or a park nearby so she can run some of it off. Then at night, we look for places that have indoor pools. It slows us down but we both need some exercise after sitting in the car for the entire day.”

“Flying would have been faster.”

“I hate to fly. Besides, I'll need the car once we get out there.” She walked to the window and peered out through the drapes. Even though she knew positively that they had not been followed, she suspected that she might never stop looking over her shoulder. “Thanks, Stef, for everything. The reference, the credit card…”

“We couldn't have you leaving a paper trail from one state to the next. We don't know what connections he has, or who he's bribed. Using your own cards would have been the equivalent of dropping crumbs behind you as you trekked across the country.”

“No one's ever had a better friend than you, Stef.”

“I could say the same to you. Emme.” Stephanie laughed. “God, that sounds so strange.”

“Imagine how I feel. I have to remind myself to think of myself as Emme. But it isn't the first time I had to get used to a new name, so I'm okay with it. It's just a word, when you get right down to it.”

“What are you going to tell Chloe?”

“I haven't decided yet. I'm thinking maybe that we'll make a game of it, a secret game between us. Not great, I know, but that's all I've been able to come up with. The thing is, once she's Chloe Caldwell, she has to remember that she's Chloe Caldwell.”

“Chloe is a smart girl. She loves to play pretend. She'll remember.” Stephanie paused, then asked, “Do you have enough cash?”

“I do, thanks. I've been saving for a rainy day for a long time. Somehow, I always knew that something like this would happen.” She added, “I'm not saying I foresaw this, just that I felt there was a good possibility I'd be pulling up stakes quickly at some point. Like I said before, as a kid I always needed to be able to leave at the drop of a hat. I've kept cash in the house for when I'd have to leave again, and I've been adding to the stash for years. So we're good. We'll be good for a while.”

“Do you think you should call this Mallory Russo before you get to Conroy? I don't know if just popping up and saying ‘Hi, just thought I'd drop in’ is the best way to deal with this. Russo sounded like she was all business on the phone.”

“I'm thinking if I'm already there, she's more likely to give me an interview.”

“What are you going to do if you get there and she tells you that she's already filled the job?”

“It's hard to believe anyone could have acted faster than I have. And they did say they wanted to be fully staffed in less than a year, so they have to be looking for more than one investigator. If worse comes to worse, I'll see if the local police have an opening. The one thing I won't be doing is heading back to California. But we should be in Conroy by Monday night, so I'll give her a call on Tuesday morning and see if she can fit me in.”

“Look, if she says no, we'll think of something else. Over the past few years, I've met a lot of law enforcement people, other police chiefs, at conferences. I can make some calls, see who needs a good cop.” Steffie paused before adding, “A great cop.”

“Thanks, Stef. If this falls through, we'll do that. But I have a good feeling about this. Like it's meant to be.” She walked to the window and looked out, ignoring the lump in her throat. Steffie had been kinder to her than anyone in her life ever had. Would she ever see her again? “We'll be okay. But thank you. You'll never know how much I appreciate everything you've done for me.”

The lump was still in her throat after she quietly snapped shut her cell phone. She lifted one edge of the curtain and stared out on the busy highway where cars buzzed by and the lights from a dozen fast-food places and gas stations obscured the stars. She thought of all the nights she and Chloe had taken a blanket to the backyard and lay back, looking up, watching for shooting stars.

Maybe in our new town, we'll be able to see the stars , she told herself as she dropped the curtain and put the phone down on the bedside table.

She tried to remember everything she'd read online about Conroy. Beyond the town proper, it had looked to be somewhat rural, so chances were good that they'd have a backyard again, and stars overhead at night.

She finished in the bathroom and plugged in the little nightlight she'd brought with them so that Chloe wouldn't be in total darkness if she woke up in the middle of the night. She carefully crawled into the bed next to her sleeping child and tucked the blanket around her before resting her head on her own pillow. She stared at the ceiling and tried to calm the doubts that plagued her when she was alone with her thoughts. She drew on that well of strength she'd drawn from since she was a child in foster care and moved from home to home. As an adult looking back on those days, she'd not been able to remember the number of times she'd been moved.

And always, she'd been the girl without a name.

Well, now she had a name, she reminded herself. Not one that had been chosen for her, but one she'd chosen for herself. Emme Caldwell.

From this day forward, she would be Emme Caldwell.

So what's eating you this morning?” Trula bustled into Mallory's office with a mug of coffee in one hand and a napkin wrapped around a freshly baked muffin in the other. With a slight hint of accusation, she added, “You didn't come for a second cup of coffee with Susanna and you didn't follow your nose to the kitchen for a muffin.”

Mallory forced a smile and reached out for the napkin and the mug. “You didn't have to do this, but I thank you.” She sniffed the muffin. “Ummm. You put pecans in these, didn't you?”