Stormbound - pt 5 - by Gun Brooke

Tiffany looked gloomily out the window. The storm had seemed to abate a little, only to resume full force an hour ago.

“I should've left when I had the chance,” she murmured.

“And gone where?” Izzy looked up from her pots and pans. She was making her bath salts concoctions and the whole cabin smelled divine of vanilla, lavender and sandalwood.

“I could have walked, or you could've driven me to whatever the next town was called.”

“Farlow's Creek?” Izzy shook her head. “Calling it a town is somewhat misleading. Population is less than five-hundred.”

“But they have electricity. Phones.”

“True.” Izzy stopped stirring and wiped her hands on her lab coat. “I'm sorry, Tiffany. I thought we'd have more time. The storm looked like it was going away. I merely wanted to make sure it was safe to leave.” She looked sad, and something Tiffany interpreted as shame, which had to be a mistake, flickered over Izzy's face.

“I don't mean to sound ungrateful.” Tiffany wanted more than anything to erase that expression. “I don't mind being here. It's not that.”

“Then what is it?” Izzy rounded the kitchen table but kept her distance with the guarded look on her face that she'd had initially.

“I...I just don't think it's safe.”

“What do you mean?” Izzy's face hardened.

“I can't go into detail, but that bad dream I had? Well, I had it for a reason. Things have been going on and it seems there are individuals out there who are quiet ruthless. I could be endangering you.” Tiffany made an excusing gesture, palms up. “You've been so great to me. How could I repay you by placing you in danger?”

“I see.” Izzy's expression softened. Her mouth had been a fine line and now it retook its luscious form. The green in her eyes became a warm nuance, rather than a cold forest hue. “Do you have any reason to suspect they know where you are?”

“Well. No, not really. Or maybe.” Tiffany moaned at her own indecisiveness. “I don't think it's a secret that I flew in to San Francisco. I rented a car and I started driving, and I figured once I left California I would get off I-5 and stick to the back roads. I rented the car for 30 days. I thought I could simply ditch it somewhere and buy another one for cash.” Tiffany thought her plan sounded weak when she explained it out loud.

“Where were you headed to?”

Tiffany felt rather sheepish. “Canada?”

“Canada? I hate to tell you but you're going the wrong direction.”

“I know, I know. I thought just thought I would head west a little bit and then go north.”

“What? How on earth did you end up out here?” Izzy asked incredulously.

Tiffany sighed and began to explain last night's misadventure.

“I thought if I stayed off the beaten track, they'd lose track of me, in case I was being followed. So I headed west along 140 and I knew at some point I had to turn north somewhere around Klamath Falls but I got disoriented so I just kept going along the highway. I realized I was headed the wrong way when I hit Beatty and I figured I just turn around but I ended up on this dirt road and well...here I am.”

“Exactly who or what are you running from? Did you break the law?”
“No!" Tiffany spat. “But there are people who want to kill me.”

Izzy was stunned. Who would want to harm such a gentle soul? “Tiffany, tell me what's going on.”

“In the past three weeks they've attempted to kill me twice. The last time, two days ago, they nearly succeeded.” Tiffany hugged herself and felt her legs tremble at the thought of it. “They're not going to quit. They're relentless.”

Izzy's face was a stark image of sharp planes and angles. The scar, which rendered her face a diabolical look, now made her look positively devilish. Her eyes glimmered a fluorescent green.

“I never meant to endanger you,” Tiffany managed, her eyes prickling.

“You haven't.” Izzy spoke shortly, folding her arms across her chest. “Who are these people who want you dead?”

“I can't talk about it. If I do, I'll only make it worse.” Tiffany sobbed and wiped at her eyes. “I just want to get as far away from these people as possible.”

“You can't do this on your own. You have to report them to the police.”

“Please.” Tiffany was growing angry. “I tried that already. I went to the police, but with no evidence, no witnesses, and going up against men and women who are the pillars of their community, I didn't have a chance in hell. When the authorities questioned them it all came back on me, like I was some paranoid little thing who had lost it because of my father's death. Oh, I forgot to mention, the woman in question is married to the mayor. They own that city, lock, stock and barrel.” Tiffany glared at Izzy, challenging her to question her intelligence again, like so many people had over the years. Being petite, with blond curls and big blue eyes had its disadvantages when it came to credibility. Then she realize none of this was Izzy's fault. Tiffany's shoulders slumped as she exhaled shakily. “Sorry,” she murmured. “Guess you can tell my nerves are a bit frayed.”

“Yes, I can see that. I'm sorry about your father.” Izzy walked up to Tiffany and took her by the hand.

“Oh...” Tiffany saw a full range of emotions pass over Izzy's damaged features.

“I think you need to sit down. I don't know if you're aware of it, but you're trembling and looking like you're going to topple over any second.”

Tiffany had a strange feeling she ought to object, but she also knew Izzy was right. She held on to Izzy's gratefully hand as she guided her to one of the kitchen chairs.

“Thank you,” Tiffany said her voice soft. In her anger she had said much more than she had intended to.

“When did your father pass?”

“A few weeks ago. Please Izzy,” Tiffany begged, “I don't want to talk about it.”

"Understood. Just relax for a little bit,” Izzy said turning back to her work. “I'll just finish this last batch. I need to ship all of this as soon as the weather eases up.”

“You'll be going into this place you mentioned, Farlow something? Shoot, I can't seem to remember the name.”

“Farlow's Creek. Yes. Closest post office from here and it's where I stock up on my supplies.”

“I see. That would be a good opportunity for me to catch a ride, I suppose.”

“Hm.” Izzy poured vanilla into some essential stirred. The scent of vanilla filled the kitchen. “Tiffany, I just want you to listen to me for a bit before you say anything,” she said as she glances up at the girl sitting across from her. Tiffany nodded and Izzy continued. “I have no idea where you originally came from but I can only assume that you've taken several flights before you landed in San Francisco. You rented a car, which means you've left some type of paper trail.”

Tiffany's eyes got large. She had paid cash along the way but she had traveled under her own name. How could she be so naive?

“Since you left San Francisco have you used a credit card or used your name for anything?”

“No.”

“Good.” Izzy continued to stir the ingredients in the bowl. “So even if the people who are after you were able to follow you to San Francisco, the track goes cold from that point forward. That doesn't mean it's impossible to track you, but it becomes harder, a lot harder. Now, about this plan of yours...”

“Not much of a plan,” Tiffany said and then held up her hands “Sorry, sorry, I promised not to say anything till you finished. Go on.”

Izzy nodded and continued. “Like you said, not much of a plan, but let's assume you have a jump on the people who would do you harm. Maybe hours? Maybe a day? Why did you decide to run to Canada,Tiffany?”

“Because it seemed like a logical destination. I just wanted out of the country.”

“"Precisely, and since I-5 runs north and south your enemies are likely to come to the same conclusion. So, why not do something unpredictable? Stop running. You say you want to hide. What's wrong with staying here for a while? This is as far off the beaten track as you can get in these parts.”

“I can't do that?” Tiffany raised her voice in fear Izzy just wouldn't understand. “What if someone spots the Nissan? They'll run the plates and figure out that I'm in the vicinity, or were, at least. They'll start knocking on doors, asking questions.”

“We can easily hide the car. It's small, it's messed up, it's well off the road and the woods provide enough coverage so it isn't visible from the air. The license plates can disappear. So can the WIN plates. Hell, we can strip the damn thing down to its bones.”

Tiffany's eyes grew wide. How could Izzy be so informed about such matters? She was living out here, hiding herself, no doubt, and apparently supporting herself by making bath products. How would she know about getting rid of cars and paper trails and all that other stuff? Tiffany squinted as she regarded Izzy, saw how she worked with quick, sure hands when she added salt or sugar to the mix. “What's the sugar for?” Tiffany asked, distracted.

“Body scrub. It doesn't sting the way salt does if you have sensitive skin.”

“I'm still not sure it's a good idea.”

“The sugar?” Izzy looked up.

“Funny. About me staying here.”

“OK,” Izzy said, “Let me convince you. Tiffany, where are you?”

“What?”

“Tell me where you are? What town or county are you in?"

“I...I have no idea."

“Exactly, and once you left the highway there was no way to track you. It was too dark and the weather was too treacherous for anyone to spot your car. Once you entered the gravel road how many cars did you pass."

“None."

“Tiffany, you need time. You need time to really think things through and come up a solid plan. Be honest with me, have you even had the time to grieve for your father?”

“No, but I don't want to put you at risk.”

“Listen.” Izzy went over to where Tiffany was sitting knelt beside her chair. “I promise, you are not putting me at risk. So, what do you think? Are you ready to stop running, for just a bit?”

Tiffany looked at the woman kneeling before her. Izzy's arguments were so rational, so logical and appealing. She wanted to say yes.

“Say yes, Tiffany,” Izzy said starring into the blue eyes before her.

“Yes.” Tiffany said quietly.

“Good. Now that's settled I have one question. Who did you want to call?”

Continued in part 6