Everything was blackness as Tom Lauren secretly ran out the back way. He held Violets clammy hand while they darted into the spine-tingling winds. It was almost morning. And Vi screamed again. The sky turned a blood red with the sun rise and under the shadow of the trees the grass had a bluish effect. Vi kept staring at her feet as to not look into the sky exploding with fury. Then, she could not help it. She glanced up and then shot back down to her toes, which were now being turned red by the sun. It was her dream.
The dream she had only a few nights before. And what day was more appropriate to be discovered and live her dream than Friday the thirteenth, 1934.
It all played back in Tom's mind. It was the night of his pre-wedding party. His mind could only think that one day Errol would want his old position of stockbroker back, and he would try and overtake Tom's position. Tom was proudest man in the world of his current position, and to lose it would kill him inside. So the night that would seem most innocent and inconspicuous, he took his handmade wonderfully detailed pistol to the goat-pen, where the lowly Errol spent his days, and silently crept along the path. Errol heard him however and Tom stepped behind a bush, and gently prodded the pistol through the branches. Errol walked out of the goat-pen, and in front of the bush. This was Toms chance. He pulled back the trigger and Errol fell dead to the floor. Blood coursed down the hillside and with the shock Tom let his gun burst out of his hands and it ended up flying into the pen.
In his fear and haste Tom darted back inside and thankfully no guests had arrived yet. He had his brother George help him carry Errol's body into the study to the death would seem most inconspicuous. When Vis friend fainted just a few hours later after seeing a dead man in the study, Tom, filled with his hatred for Errol opened the window, and shoved the body through, causing the now deceased Errol to break his neck on the way down, and eventually ended up at Elis feet.
While the party continued Tom had dialed up a detectives office, and the next morning, the forceful little man marched into Toms house and began questioning the two. The truth was, Dr. Lee scared Tom out of his head, and the way he tossed that little ball back and forth irked him even more. Vi later explained to him that as she fell apart the only way to regain herself was to run away, so she did just that. If you remember, this is the part of the story where Eli and Colin go on the great chase for Vi.
After the murder, Tom had slight reactions to anything that reminded him of the murder —The Dancing Boat was one example. Tom was just a confused man, he himself could still not believe he had killed another human being, but then again, his worries of his job being taken away were gone. However, it wasn't like he was going to stay a stockbroker either. He and Vi were running away, Tom would have to find a new job now, and a new place to live. The depression wasn't only affecting America though, and Tom had no worries about finding at least a cheaper house to live in.
Yet Violet Smith was scared. She was scared by everything now, but what scared her most was that the dream she had a few nights ago was now becoming real. It showed her she was guilty. She was guilty of following Toms lead, and she felt troubled. Troubled by the fact that she was just going along with her husbands bad judgement and never thought about what she wanted. Her dream in life was to become a model, but that career for her was only second-rate. To her, she could not do anything but let herself be dragged along to the bus station with Tom where the two would hopefully find some ship to take them to Europe. Maybe that would be a new door for Vi to open. New country, new job, anything could happen. Opportunities to change her life.
