Quiet Servitude Pt. 06a2

When they cut back to the studio and began covering other local stories, I breathed a sigh of relief and immediately threw twenty dollars down on the table and gathered my purse. It was fortunate that they hadn't broadcast a picture of me or I would have had a group of restaurant patrons holding me for the police. I slipped out again, retrieved my bad from the locker, tossed the other three keys in the trash and stepped into the cool, fall air.

I couldn't believe he had done it. I wouldn't have had it in me but he had managed to make it look like an innocent fight and suicide. The story wouldn't hold up long and it was only a matter of time before someone started showing photos on the news.

As luck would have it, the bus arrived on schedule and I had the exact change ready. I took a seat in the rear of the bus so no one was facing me and sat down. I knew now why Hal had me stay at the mall and sit where I had outside the bank. No matter what happened, the police wouldn't be able to pin any of it directly on me since I was clearly in view of the bank's security camera while the crime was committed. Hal wouldn't have such an alibi. I was pondering if Tommie could have been involved but realized that thinking about the past no longer had merit. It was the future I needed to be concerned with most. I worked through various scenarios in my head and they all came down to two elements. Get away and get Christa. The warm thoughts of meeting up again with the bitch helped keep me focused as the bus rolled slowly across town.