No, she had enough to take care of them for a few weeks, until she could stop long enough to put together a new identity. Goodbye, Helen, hello... Who knew? Whoever that woman was, she’d have light brown hair, Helen had already decided. Blond was too memorable. Her natural color was out.
Once Jacob had gotten up from his nap, Helen did her absolute best to keep him from guessing that anything was about to change. She played a game with him, helped him build with his plastic blocks, even watched a Disney movie with him after dinner. Tucked him in, set her alarm and went to bed herself, hoping she could sleep but failing.
At midnight, she got up, packed the last few things—including the connecting blocks—and slipped out to the garage with a flashlight. Shuddering, she had to shake a big spider off one of the duffel bags before she could lift them from hiding and carry them out to stow in the trunk of her car. The remaining packaged food in the kitchen went in the trunk, too. She closed it as quietly as she possibly could, and looked around for any movement in the darkness. Her skin prickled with her nerves, and her chest ached with regret she tried to shake off.
Last was the ice chest, which would ride on the back seat next to Jacob.
She hadn’t turned on her porch light, of course. Her eyes had adjusted some to the darkness, but she still had to watch her feet carefully so she didn’t trip on the front steps. That was why she’d almost reached the car before she saw the tall man leaning against the back fender, arms crossed.
He shook his head. “Not happening.”
Chapter Six
Seth straightened, took the ice chest from her and inclined his head toward the house. Without a word, Helen turned and retraced her steps.
Inside, he set the ice chest down on the kitchen counter. Face pinched, she’d gotten only as far as the doorway.
“You’ve been spying on me.”
“I have.”
“How did you know...?”
There was no easy answer to that. “You only had a few alternatives. I could tell you weren’t going to open up to me.” He shrugged. “There was something about the way you thanked me.” As if she was really saying goodbye.
She wrung her hands together and pleaded, “Please let me go. Richard won’t give up. He’ll keep coming after me.”
“You?” He cocked an eyebrow. “Or his son?”
He lost sight of her shocked stare when she gave an anguished cry and spun to present her back to him.
“Helen.” Seth went to stand right behind her. He hesitated before setting his hands on her shoulders and gently squeezing. “Let me help you.”
He had no idea whether she saw him as anything but the detective who’d become a major obstacle. Until her secrets were laid bare, he couldn’t let himself feel more. She sparked something powerful in him, though. His one certainty was that he needed to keep her close where he could protect her and her son.
With his hands still on her, Seth felt the shuddery breath she drew. “I didn’t want to go,” she said, so quietly he just heard her. “But I’m scared to stay.”
“You have to talk to me, Helen.”
The quivering tension in her body relented, and her shoulders sagged. Finally she nodded and, as his hands fell away, faced him. “You haven’t left me any choice.”
No, he hadn’t.
Once she sat at the kitchen table, he pulled out a chair and did the same. “Jacob asleep?”
“I was going to wake him last thing.” Her eyes looked more like bitter chocolate than caramel right now.
He couldn’t afford much sympathy. “Where did you live before you came to Lookout? You must know I haven’t found any background on you before you moved here.”
“We did live in Southern California. I told you the truth about that. The thing is...” She looked away, then back to his face, the jut of her chin defiant. “I changed my name.”
“I didn’t find a divorce decree.”
“It wasn’t in this state, and...I mean, I did legally go back to my maiden name after the divorce, but later when I had to run, I took on a new identity. When he found me in LA, I did it again. I wasn’t Helen Boyd until the day I left.”