Ill Take Forever

There was no sign of the tall man dressed in black.
    Jenny pulled up before the police station and stopped. Turning off the engine, she sat and stared into space. What good would it do to go in? Would they believe her? If he wasn't in the phone booth, would they be able to find him? He hadn't really hurt her, only frightened her to death. There was no lasting harm done.
    Jenny frowned. Didn’t she want him caught? He’d terrified her, damaged her phone, kept her prisoner, forced her to drive to facilitate his get away.
    Her mind relived the kiss, a small smile involuntarily tugging at her lips. It had been a long time since she’d been kissed. What nerve! Not that it meant anything. Anyway, he was gone. She shook her head and sighed. Reaching for the key, she started up and headed for home. Reporting would only be an exercise in futility.

    ***
    Kyle watched as the jeep sped away. Going for the cops, would be his guess. Quickly he called his office and arranged for someone to pick him up. Then he got off the street. In case the cops gave credence to what she had to say, he wouldn’t make it easy for them to find him.
    As he waited in the shadow of a doorway several blocks from where he’d been let off, he thought about the assignment. The next time some bureaucrat decided a winter foray was a good idea, Kyle would take him along. And make sure he double-checks the weather. If he hadn’t found Jenny’s house, he could have frozen to death in the storm.
    Or taken his chances with Nate Fisher and Jim Sellers.
    He almost smiled when he thought of his reluctant hostess. He hated scaring her, but it had been necessary to make sure she didn’t try to give him up to Nate.
    He’d waken in the night and hear her breathing as she slept. It’d been too long since he’d shared a bedroom with anyone. Sometimes he wondered if he’d ever find a woman to change his mind about being single. His mother never gave up hope for grandkids, but that wasn’t something he saw in his future.
    For a moment he wondered if Jenny Warwick wanted children? She’d gotten a raw deal to have her husband die so young. Still time for her to find another man and raise a big family. She was pretty and smart enough not to try something stupid when threatened. He’d be there were men waiting for her to notice them once her initial grief had passed. She’d be perfect with a family. While he would continued with assignments like this one, most likely.
    He tucked his hands in the jacket pocket and wondered how much longer his ride would be. He was still cold, but the shadows were safer than sunlight. He’d come too far to get caught now.

    ***
    The dishes in the sink were waiting when Jenny entered the kitchen some time later. Without much thought, she slowly washed and dried them. Turning, she glanced to the table where Kyle had sat that morning. Gone for good.
    She shook off her reverie and headed for the den. It was cold, but once the small space heater was on, the room grew warm enough to work.
    Jenny loved being a bookkeeper for several small businesses in Palmer. Most of her work she did from her own home, going into town several times a week at her convenience to the various offices she worked for. Granted, it was lonely sometimes, yet working on her own gave her a freedom she would not have had were she tied to an office from nine to five every day. And she had friends she’d known forever. Still, they had families to care for, husbands who came home every day. Lunches out were the extent of her social life. But she wouldn’t trade any one of her friends for anything.
    When Jenny went to bed that evening, she rechecked all the locks in the house carefully, though wondered why she bothered when there was only cardboard in the small square near the back-door knob. She should have taken care of that today. She could feel the chill coming in the opening. Though unless the snow melted soon, it would be a long time before someone from town could make it through. She should have cleared her driveway that afternoon, but hadn’t wanted to be out in the cold feeling exposed. Kyle Martin had a lot to answer for.
    Flicking on the light in her room, she caught sight of a small pile on her pillow. There was her phone wire, neatly coiled. Beside it was a folded note surrounding a folded hundred-dollar bill.
    Jenny reached out and picked it up.
    'For the downstairs phone, and the broken window. Kyle .'
    The note was short, the handwriting bold and