The report had to be in the early morning mail and her boss had asked her to stay and finish typing. He had been good to Gail since she had gone to work for him a little over a year ago. In spite of her husbands warning that her boss was slightly on the shady side of the law she had never known him to do anything wrong. When he asked her to stay late she called Pete and told him she would be late getting home.
It was after nine when they finally finished and they walked out together. Gail told him goodnight and walked to her car on the opposite end of the parking lot. She had just got in her car when a car turned into the parking lot and came to sliding halt just as her boss was about to get in his car. Two men jumped out of the car and confronted her boss. Gail didn't know what to think when one of them pushed him up against his car. She could tell they were arguing but then one man pulled a pistol and struck him on the side of the head
Her boss went down and was trying to get back up when the man shot him. Gail was in shock. She just set there looking at her fallen boss and the two men standing over him. She saw them look around and point towards her car. She instantly knew that they wouldn't hesitate to shoot her also. They couldn't have a witness to the killing.
They were about half way across the parking lot before she could get the car cranked and in gear. They yelled for her to stop but she pushed her foot to the floor and the car jumped ahead and out of the drive onto the city street. Then a bullet came through the back glass and hit the dashboard in front of her. She was screaming as she kept her foot on the gas. She looked back to see them running for their car.
Gail knew that she could not outrun them in her little car. She had to get off the street before they caught her. A McDonald's was just ahead and she whipped into the parking lot and cut off her lights. They weren't expecting her too stop and they went flying by. What was even more surprising was the car had a blue light flashing on it. She had just witness cops killing another man in cold blood!
Gail was still shaking as she found her cell phone and called Pete. Pete was also a cop. He was an investigator for the homicide department. When he answered he knew at once something was bad wrong. "What is it?"
"Pete, John is dead! He has been shot!"
"Where?"
"In the parking lot as we were leaving. They shot at me too but I managed to get away."
"Are you hurt?"
"No, but Pete it was cops that shot him!"
"Did you know them?"
"I haven't seen them before but I would know them if I saw them again."
"Gail, that is not good. They can find out who you are and come after you. Can you get home alone?"
"Yes."
"Then get to the house and stay out of sight until I get there. Don't open the door for any one."
"What are you going to do?"
"I have to find someway to get you out of town quick. Until they are caught you are going to have to stay out of sight. I will be there as quick as I can."
Pete hung up the phone. He had known that working for him was going to be trouble when Gail took the job. He made a quick phone call and then looked across the room at his partner. "Todd." Todd looked up and Pete motioned for him to follow him.
He went out the back door to an empty lot behind the station with Todd following him. He stopped and turned to Todd. "Todd I got real problem." He told him what Gail had just witnessed. "I have got to get her away from here fast. I need your help."
"Sure Pete, what do you want me to do?"
"I have a friend that has a cabin down in Florida back on an isolated lake. I want you to take Gail there and stay until we get the shooters behind bars. It may take as much as a month. Take all the food you need to last a month. No phone calls at all. I will get pictures of the police force and let Gail look at them before she goes. If she can pick out the cops then I will start putting the case together."
"Why me, Pete?"
"I can trust you to watch after her. You aren't married and don't have a family to worry about."
"You want me to spend a month out in the boondocks with that sexy little blond wife of yours? You must really be in trouble."
"I can't help that right now. I need her alive. Nothing you could do to her could be as bad as loosing her for good." Pete knew Todd's reputation with women, both white and black. Right now he was willing to take the chance of her being alone with his black friend than being hurt or even worse killed. Knowing Todd would give his own life before he let anyone hurt Gail, At the same time he wasn't about to spent a month with any woman and not try to go to bed with her.
Pete told Todd to get his clothes and meet him at his house as soon as he could pack and bring your girl friend with him.
"Why bring her?"
"We have to get you away without being followed. You come with your girlfriend and you leave with Gail. I will take her home after you leave."
Pete left for home. Gail's car was in the drive when he pulled in. He also saw a car a block away with a couple of men in it. He drove in the drive and went in the house. He found Gail upstairs crying in the bathroom. He held her as she stopped shaking.
He opened the photo album and Gail soon found the man that did the shooting. She didn't see the other one.
Pete told her what he wanted her to do. That she had to go with Todd and get out of town until they could find the other man. She was afraid not to do what Pete told her to. She had only missed getting hit by inches earlier. She started packing. "Make it light, they can't see you leave with a suit case." She packed in an over night bag while Pete set out the large suitcases.
"What are you doing with those?"
"I am going to load them in our car so they think we will be using it."
Todd showed up a few minutes later with his current girlfriend. They came in the house to find Gail ready to go. She looked like she was the worse for wear. He tried to cheer her up. "Just think how much fun it will be to have me by yourself for a month." His girlfriend elbowed him in the ribs. "I was just trying to cheer her up."
Pete told them. "I am going to load up the suit cases in the car. Then Linda and I will get in the car and leave. You all wave at us as we leave. Todd, make them think it is your girlfriend that is still with you. They should follow us. As soon as they leave you take off. By the time they realize that it isn't Gail with me you should be long gone." He pulled Gail to him and kissed her.
The kissed lasted a long time as neither one wanted to let go. Todd spoke up. "You better stop kissing my girlfriend and get on the way before they get more help here." Pete turned her loose.