See Tom Run (19 page)

“I don’t think a nuclear blast could’ve woken me. I
feel pretty good—just a little tired and groggy.”

Tyler got up, ran over to his father and gave him a
big hug. “I’m glad you didn’t die, daddy!”

Tom held him tight. “Thanks, son, so am I.”

“Did you dream any while you were asleep in the
Jeep?”

Tom said, “Hmm. That’s a very good question. If I
did, I don’t remember anything.”

“The doctor said breathing gasoline fumes can cause
hallucinations,” Peg said.

Tom let go of his son and went over to give Peg a
peck on the lips. “Is that so? I don’t remember doing any of that,
either.”

Peg threw her arms around him. “Tom, I’ve never been
so scared my whole life! Every time I think of how close you came
to dying, I realize how much I truly love you—and how I could never
make it without you.”

Tom hugged her tight. “I’m sure it was pretty
frightening for you. But I’m fine, no permanent damage, and I’m
afraid you’re stuck forever with my naturally deranged mind.”

She laughed. “And I wouldn’t have it any other
way.”

Tom went over and sat down on the sofa. “Who found
me, anyway?”

“One of the employees—a young man named Justin
Spencer. He was collecting shopping carts out in the lot when he
noticed you slumped over the steering wheel.”

“I’d like to thank him for saving me. Is he a local
boy?”

“Yes, a Thomas Worthington High student. His family
lives just a few blocks from us, over on Selby.”

“I’ll call him later today. I’d like to give him
something for what he did, too. You know, a reward or
something.”

“I think that would be a nice gesture, honey.”

“Man, what a weird thing to happen! I still can’t
believe I couldn’t smell those fumes.”

“Like I’ve been telling you, you need to get those
sinuses looked at.”

“I know, I know. I’ll make an appointment—I promise.
Did the doctor happen to explain why I passed out so quickly?”

“Actually, he never mentioned anything about that. He
must have assumed that the fumes were strong enough by the time you
got back into the Jeep that a few breaths was all it took to knock
you out.”

“Hmm, that must have been the case then.”

“And how many times have I told me not to keep the
car running while it’s parked, Tom? That was really a stupid thing
to do!”

Tom shook his head from side to side. “I know. It was
just so damned cold and I knew I wasn’t going to be very long in
the store. I guess I really screwed up there.”

“You sure did—you’re lucky you didn’t kill
yourself.”

“Honey, I admitted I screwed up, okay? I screwed up
over my sinuses and I screwed up with keeping the car running in
the parking lot. Now, can you just let it drop so we can move on
with our lives and not badger me anymore about it?”

Tom realized that he’d raised his voice and could see
that Peg was pissed off now. She glared at him, glanced down at
Tyler lying on the floor staring at the two of them then turned her
back to Tom. She resumed her dusting without a word.

“Sorry,” he said.

“No you’re not,” she replied.

Screw this! he thought. He decided to change the
subject. “I wonder when the Jeep will be ready.”

“Not today, it’s Sunday,” Peg replied with enough
edge to remind him he was skating on thin ice. “Why do you
ask?”

“I need to go down to the school and catch up on some
work. Mind if I take your car?”

“Of course not. When do you think you’ll be
home?”

“Maybe a couple of hours or so.”

“Eat some breakfast, first.”

“I will.”

With that, Tom stood up and returned to the kitchen.
Kelli was putting her dishes in the sink when he entered.

“Good girl,” he said.

“I know,” she replied before heading out.

Tom fixed himself a bowl of cereal, some toast and
warmed up his coffee. When he was finished, he took a shower,
shaved and got dressed. He kissed Peg goodbye on his way out the
door.

During his shower, Tom had come to the conclusion
that he simply couldn’t take any more of this any longer. He backed
Peg’s Accord out of the driveway, booted up his cell phone and
punched in Frank Warren’s number resolutely.

CHAPTER 17

After filling Frank in with the details since
regaining consciousness at the hospital the night before, Tom asked
him to meet him at the Panera on High Street in fifteen minutes and
not to tell Julie of their meeting. He said he would explain later.
Frank, obviously intrigued by this unusual request, agreed and told
his wife he was going to run a couple of errands.

Tom was tired of the guilt he was
feeling for not reporting the incident he and Tracy had witnessed
on that fateful night. He wanted to—no,
needed
to get this off of his chest.
He wasn’t sure yet if he was going to tell Frank the whole
story—about Tracy being pregnant—he figured he would play that part
by ear.

After Tom went inside the popular cafe, he hung out
near the entrance to await Frank’s arrival. Five minutes later, he
saw his friend come through the door.

“Thanks for coming,” Tom greeted him.

“No problem. I’m dying to know what all of this
mystery is about! I don’t suppose it has anything to do with your
near-death experience, does it?”

Tom led the way to the counter. “Indirectly, I guess
you could say. What would you like—I’m buying.”

“Just coffee. I’ve already had breakfast.”

Tom ordered two coffees and the pair made their way
to a table near the fireplace in the center of the shop.

Frank took a sip and looked over at Tom. “So what’s
up?”

Tom wasn’t sure exactly where to start. All of a
sudden, he wasn’t sure that this was such a good idea after all and
nearly changed his mind about confiding in his friend. Then he
realized it was too simply too late to turn back now.

“First, let me ask you a theoretical question: if
someone witnessed a crime and wanted to report it, could he do so
anonymously?”

Frank was clearly taken aback by the question and Tom
knew that he was already itching to know what this was leading up
to.

“Well, yes. Of course he could. A lot of the tips the
police get are from anonymous callers responding to public pleas
for information on various crimes. Why do you ask?”

“But what if the police wanted the anonymous caller
to pick out a potential suspect from a lineup or a mug sheet? How
could he do that without getting involved with any litigation that
may eventually come up?”

The attorney was clearly mystified about this line of
questioning. “What in the hell has happened, Tom? And why do I have
the sneaky feeling that you are this theoretical anonymous
caller?”

Tom smiled uncomfortably. “Okay, so I’m asking on my
own behalf. Now, what about the question?”

“It’s difficult to say, really. I guess
realistically, the police would plead with you to come to the
station with the info and to testify in the case if it became
necessary. It really all depends on the conditions of the
particular crime in question. So level with me, Tom. Tell me what
you are referring to here.”

“In strict confidence, as my friend?”

“Of course. Shoot.”

Tom knew there was no going back now. He could only
hope that Frank was leveling with him as well. “Well, remember the
girl that was raped and dumped out of a car about a month ago?”

“Yes, of course. They’re still working that
case.”

“I saw the guy do it.”

Frank’s eyes widened. “No shit?”

“No shit. I not only saw him dump off her body but I
got a good look at his car, too.”

“That’s great news. But tell me, why in the holy hell
have you waited this long to tell anybody?”

“Hell, Frank. I can’t tell you that. All I can say is
that it certainly hasn’t been pleasant not coming forward with this
before now, but unfortunately there are some, uh, complications
that have made me hesitant to do so.”

“What do you mean?”

“Can’t tell you. Let’s just say that there have been
some personal reasons not to, and now that I have, I’ll probably
regret it.”

“I don’t understand. I don’t see how reporting that
you eye-witnessed a crime in progress can be anything but a good
thing. I’m sure the victim will attest to that after they nail the
guy.”

“Can’t we just drop the reasons why and go from
there, Frank? I really just want to do my civic duty because it has
gotten on my conscience. The rest is irrelevant to the case,
anyway. Believe me.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll back off. But if you change your
mind, I’ll be all ears, okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind. So where should I go
from here?”

“Well, if you really don’t want to get involved, I’d
just go ahead and call the police, anonymously, and tell them
whatever it is you want to tell them. Describe the vehicle—make,
model, year, color. As for the suspect’s appearance, give them a
clear description—approximate height, weight, build and so on. Tell
them what you saw; be as thorough as you can. They will be forever
grateful to you, I’m sure. They don’t have squat on this case from
what I’ve heard. Your info will no doubt give them the break
they’ve been hoping for.”

“That’s great to hear. I feel better already,” Tom
said.

“Have you told Peg any of this?”

Damn! Tom thought. Why can’t Frank just let it
go?

“No, of course not. Why else would I be meeting you
covertly like this?”

Frank grinned knowingly. “Aha! Now I’m starting to
get the picture.”

“What do you mean?”

“Tom, it’s more than obvious what’s happening here.
And I don’t know why you’re so worried talking to me of all people
about it. The reason you don’t want anyone to know about your
witnessing this incident is because you were somewhere where you
weren’t supposed to be! Am I right?”

Screw it. “You got me there, Frank.”

Frank chuckled. “Gotta admit, I didn’t know you had
it in you! Peg’s no slouch and you guys seem to be really tight for
an old married couple. This gal must really be something
special.”

“She is, or I should say, was. So now that the cat’s
out of the bag, can we just move on and never mention this
again?”

“Mum’s the word.”

“Good. Well, I’m going down to the school and catch
up on some work I put off before the break. Thanks for everything,
friend.”

“No problem. And don’t worry about any of this—things
always have a way of working themselves out.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Tom killed the last of his coffee and stood up. The
two left and Tom thanked Frank again for his advice before heading
to campus.

Alone in his office, Tom debated whether or not to
call Tracy and tell her that she wouldn’t have to talk to the
police after all. He could at least spare her that
inconvenience—not that she would have followed through with it,
anyway.

He picked up the phone and punched the first four
numbers to her apartment then promptly hung up.

What am I doing, here?
he thought. All he would do is stir everything up
again. Tracy had decided to let him off the hook for getting her
knocked up and told him to go fly a kite. Why couldn’t he just be
content with that and be thankful that he could still have his
life?

Could this have come out any better, you nitwit?

With a smug grin on his face, Tom decided to make a
call after all, but not to Tracy. He opened his cell phone, pressed
“send” and scrolled down to his home number. Kelli answered.

“Hi, kiddo. Is your mother around?”

“Hi Daddy. Guess what I did,” his daughter said.

“What?”

“I cleaned up my room all by myself!”

“That’s awesome, sweetie! I’ll bet your mom is very
proud of you.”

“She is—she’s gonna let me have my own birthday party
next month!”

“That’s really great, Kelli.”

“Well, I’ll go get Mom now,” she said.

“Thanks.”

“Yes, dear, what is it?” Peg said.

“Just letting you know that I’m on my way home. You
want me to pick up anything on the way?”

“Yes, now that you mention it. We’re almost out of
milk and if you want any beer tonight, you’d better pick some up as
well.”

“Christ, I’m glad you remembered the beer! Anything
else?’

“That should do it for now. I’m going to go to the
store tomorrow and will get the rest of what we need.”

“Okay. I’ll swing by the market and be home in about
fifteen minutes or so.”

“See you then.”

Tom cranked up the volume on the
Accord’s CD player. As he listened to
New
Year’s Day
by U2, he was reminded of the
party that he and Peg were going to on New Year’s Eve. One of Peg’s
friends was having a fairly good-sized get-together at their house
and he was dreading the very prospect of it. He would be much more
content drinking beer at home and watching the ball drop in Time’s
Square with Dick Clark than facing an evening of socializing with a
bunch of yuppie Bush lovers. Peg sure knew how to pick ‘em, he
thought.

Five minutes later, he pulled into the parking lot of
the supermarket. He avoided parking anywhere near where he had
parked the day before, still reeling from the fact that he had
almost lost his life in this very place. He found a spot near the
entrance, shut the car off, got out and entered the store.

After he’d picked up the milk and a twelve pack of
Michelob Ultra, he got into the express line. As he placed his
items on the counter, he took one look at the cashier and did a
double-take.

The young girl looked oddly familiar. She was about
eighteen or so, had brown hair and was quite pretty. He glanced at
her name tag, which had Erin written in black Sharpie on it—