Not Our Daughter

Twenty-Six

Cole pulled the van into the parking lot of the Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso around eleven the next morning. It was a gray day, and sprinkling. A thunderstorm hung in the distance. The remainder of the drive from Colorado, through New Mexico, and then into Texas, had been thankfully uneventful. No unexpected police traps. No car chases. No anxiety-fueled moments. Both Lisa and Jade had slept most of the way in the back of the van. Like him, they were physically and emotionally exhausted. While driving through the night, Cole had begun fantasizing about lying in a hammock on a warm Mexican beach and sleeping all day while the ocean breeze blew over him. They had endured some harsh winters while living in Colorado, and he looked forward to the dramatic change in weather. At least, that’s what he kept telling himself in order to spin things positively in his own mind.

They’d almost made it. Within the hour, they should be across the border and hopefully home free. But first a quick stop to grab new burner phones while they were still in the United States. He wasn’t sure he’d have great phone-purchasing options once they were inside Mexico and traveling through random small towns. He wanted them to be able to always communicate, especially in a country where they would need to quickly learn a new language. Plus, Cole wanted GPS mapping so he could follow the fastest and safest way to get to Sayulita. He didn’t need to be driving off a jungle cliff somewhere.

He parked the van in between the mall and a separate Red Lobster restaurant situated in the mall parking lot, which stirred Lisa awake in the back. She popped up and quickly scooted next to him in between the seats.

“Where are we?” she asked, rubbing her eyes.

“El Paso.”

“Wow, already? I must’ve been sleeping hard.” She stared out the windshield. “Why are we parked in front of Red Lobster?”

“Thought you guys might want some shrimp and biscuits.”

She frowned at him.

“Look to your right,” he said.

She glanced over. “We’re at a shopping mall?”

“I want to pick up new phones before we cross the border.”

“Oh, okay.” She peeked behind her. “She’s been tossing, turning, and restless all night.”

“This has been understandably traumatic for her.”

“We need to tell her the truth, Cole. We can’t continue to keep her in the dark, or she’ll stop trusting us. We’ll lose her.”

“I know. I just want to protect her.”

“She’s tougher than you think.”

“Yeah. I guess I still see a little girl reaching out with her tiny hands, wanting her daddy to pick her up and hold her. I wish we could’ve stayed in that place with her forever.”

“Me too. Speaking of truth telling, what really happened with the gash on your arm?”

He swallowed. “I got shot,” he whispered.

Her eyes went wide. “What?”

“Yeah. While I was in town trying to evade the FBI. I ran from a cop. But then something even more frightening happened I’ve been needing to tell you about.”

He checked to make sure Jade was still fully asleep and then went on to quietly explain his traumatic encounter with the stocky guy in the alley, and how he’d confirmed it was the same man by reviewing the home security video he had kept. Lisa’s mouth dropped open, and she cupped both hands in front of it.

“How is this even possible, Cole?”

“I have no idea.”

“You could have been killed.”

“I know.”

“How did he find us? And why is he coming after you all these years later?”

“Questions I’ve been asking myself the past few hours. I can only think we’re somehow a threat to someone. But I’m not sure how or why.”

“We need to tell the FBI about him. He killed a cop. Maybe it could somehow help us.”

“We tried that before, and it got us nowhere, remember?”

“Right. You’re positive it was the same man?”

“One hundred percent. Seeing him up close and personal was surreal. But I didn’t want to say anything in front of Jade that might scare her even more.”

“Yeah, I’m okay leaving that part out—for now. But we still need to tell her the truth about everything else.”

“Agreed. As soon as we get across the border, we’ll stop and have that conversation.”

“Okay.”

“I need to go grab these phones now. Stay here.”

Cole got out of the van, pulled the top of the gray hoodie he’d put on during the night over his head, and walked across the parking lot toward the two-story mall. He entered through the glass doors of a Dillard’s department store and crossed through the various clothing, shoe, and makeup sections, until he found his way into the main mall corridor. The shopping mall was busy, but then he remembered it was still only Sunday. It felt like a full week had passed since they’d celebrated Jade’s birthday in Grand Lake yesterday. He was grateful for all the extra faces around. It was easier to blend in and made him feel less exposed. Still, he kept the hood up to cover as much of his face as possible. He stopped at a mall map, spotted an electronics store on the upper level called Cellular Tech Works, and then made a beeline for the nearest escalator.

While ascending, he shook his head. It was hard to believe the plan had worked. All the years of preparation—purchasing the van, keeping it running, constantly updating supplies, clothes, cash, phones, fake passports—had actually paid off. It had been emotionally draining for him to stay in plan mode for the past ten years. But it had saved his family.