No Way Out - Fern Michaels Page 0,1

with technology. That was the reason she was able to live a quiet, solitary life. It also enabled her to communicate with her mother and best friend, Kara.

Before moving to the small town of Hibbing, Ellie had purchased dozens of burner phones to use to make calls. She also changed her Internet service provider address every couple of days. She didn’t want anyone to be able to trace her location. If anyone asked, which was usually only her mother and her friend Kara, she would tell them she was working on a government contract and being sent to various parts of the world and would not be able to return until all the aspects of the project were complete. It was all “very top secret.” So far, she had been able to pull off the deception for two years. As much as she missed the two of them, she had no other option.

Ellie also didn’t use any of the video-calling technology. No FaceTime, Zoom, Skype, or anything where they could see she had cut her bangs, chopped off her hair, and bleached it blond. That was another thing Ellie missed: going to a salon and getting her hair and nails done professionally. She had learned how to do both by watching YouTube videos. She remained isolated from any direct human contact. For the moment, there was no way out.

Chapter Two

Colleen was a second-grade schoolteacher at the local grammar school. Colleen had recently separated from her abusive husband, Mitchel. She and Jackson spent their weekdays at the same school. They would walk to school together until the last few blocks. Jackson didn’t want the kids to make fun of him for “walking with his mommy.” The routine reversed going home. They would meet up at the same corner every day. Once they got home, Jackson would do his homework, then go outside to play. He was particularly interested in the dog down the street, the one who lived with the strange lady who never went outside. Colleen tried to explain to Jackson that the lady was nice, but she wasn’t well. She didn’t go into any detail about what the word “well” meant because she didn’t really know, but it seemed to satisfy her son’s curiosity. And Colleen was grateful that Jackson had a new way of spending his time, playing fetch with Buddy. That was, at least, one thing she got out of her brief conversation with Ellie through the intercom. Colleen recalled the encounter.

“Hello, Ellie. How are you today?”

“I’m OK. How are you?”

“Very well, thank you. Listen, I wanted to see if you’d like to come over for tea?”

“Uh, thank you, but I’m on a deadline,” Ellie answered.

“OK. Perhaps another time?” Colleen offered.

“Maybe,” Ellie lied.

“I hope you don’t mind my son, Jackson, stopping by to say hello to your dog.”

“No. Not at all. Buddy can use the company since I’m so busy.” Ellie was calm and collected.

“Well, thank you for indulging him. He’s been through a rough patch lately. His father and I recently separated, and he’s having a bit of a hard time adjusting.” Colleen could have stayed there and chatted for an hour, but Ellie cut the conversation short.

“I have to get back to work, but thank you again for your offer. And tell Jackson he can stop by anytime Buddy’s in the yard.” She smiled and pulled the curtain back in place.

Colleen turned her thoughts back to the job at hand—grading papers—while Jackson finished his homework.

“Mom? Can I go visit Buddy now?”

“Of course. But remember, don’t bother Ms. Bowman. She is terribly busy with work.”

“Mom?”

“Yes, honey?”

“Why do you think she never comes outside? I mean, like never.”

“Honey, I’m not really sure, but I think she may have some health issues and can’t go out. But let’s not dwell on that, OK? She’s totally fine with your tossing the ball over the fence to Buddy.”

“Goodie! I really like Buddy. He’s one smart dog!” Jackson grabbed his baseball glove and a ball he set aside for playing with Buddy. He pulled on his cap and headed out the door. “Bye, Mom! See ya later, alligator!”

“After a while, crocodile!” Colleen said in return, chuckling.

Once Colleen finished grading the papers, she went into her bedroom to finish sorting out Mitchel’s clothes. She had a court date to get the temporary restraining order made permanent. The custody battle was just beginning, and she was anticipating that it would be brutal.

As it stood, Mitchel’s visits with Jackson had to be supervised. He