A Pack of Lies

"Are you sure you'll need your summer clothes, dear? It's a cold drive to Ohio." Alice spoke cautiously.

"Never heard of indoor pools? A lot of the hotels have them."

Alice could tell Frank was beginning to get agitated.

"Well, yes, but you are taking so few of your business clothes, for a week."

"Have you finished packing yet, bitch!" Frank's grip tightened on his coffee cup, but with unusual self restraint, he resisted throwing it at the wall, or at Alice. With two strikes against him, the last thing he needed was another conviction, and the mandatory life sentence that came with it.

"Almost done, dear." Alice quickly scurried upstairs. She carefully folded the last of the socks, placed them neatly into their own mesh bag, and placed that bag alongside all of the other neatly arranged bags in the suitcase, exactly as Frank liked it.

She then went to Frank's secret draw and carefully lifted out his secret gun. She gently ran her fingernail over the filed off serial number, and, just for a moment, considered what life would be like without him. She dropped the gun into a mesh bag, and nestled it snugly inside the suitcase, then enjoyed the satisfying sound of the suitcase locks clicking shut. She then struggled to get the case downstairs, and told Frank it was all done.

"About time. OK, I'm out of here. See you in a week. Doubt I'll have time to call you. I'm going to be too busy with sales calls and driving all week."

There was no kiss, and Frank left without looking back. Alice watched him drive away, then slowly closed the front door, and went to the phone. She called Carol, her one and only friend, then went upstairs and packed her own suitcase.

Carol arrived a little while later. Alice turned off all the lights, closed the front door for the last time, and jumped into the car.

"Done?" Carol asked, as she drove her to the station.

"Done," replied Alice.

"Oh, God, I hope it works."

"It has to work, or he'll hunt me down, and probably kill me."

Carol gripped Alice's hand. "OK, well you know you'll be safe with my sister for as long as you want to stay there. That'll give you time to figure out your life... So, what did he tell you about the trip?"

"The usual. Driving to Ohio. Sales calls all over the state. Business meetings. No time to call me." Alice took a deep breath, finally coming to the realization that she was really doing it. "Oh, and he must be expecting good weather because he had me pack half his summer gear."

They both laughed.

Alice smiled. "He should be getting there around now."

"Yes. Where did you say he's going?"

"Aruba. I only found the one ticket in his secret draw. I guess his girlfriend already has her one. I wish I could see his face when airport security pulls him aside."