" Alright. I'm going to take two minutes and see what info we can get right now, and then I'll call you back," he said.
"Sure thing."
I cut off the call and waited for Everett to call me back. After around a minute, the phone rang.
"The kids have skipped town. They're apparently hiding out in LA."
"So, what are you going to do?" I asked.
"Well, right now I'm going to go over and see Jane…"
"Can I come with you?"
"Of course. I'll pick you up on the way."
"Alright, see you soon."
I hung up the call and turned to Jimmy.
"Everett is on his way over," I said. "Do you want to stick around and say hi to him? He and I are going to the hospital right away, so there won't be much time to relax and talk."
"I need to have a few beers with him and have a good chat," replied Jimmy. "But I guess that will have to be another time. Still, I'll wait here until he gets back, and then I'll say a quick hi and bye, and after that, I'll head on home."
"Alright."
We carried on chatting until we heard Everett's truck pulling into the driveway.
"You stay inside," Jimmy instructed. "Remember, we don't know if Simon is watching the street. You'll have to be pretty secretive about things until he's caught."
"I know," I replied with a sigh. "It makes things difficult, though."
"Yeah, it does," he replied with a sympathetic look on his face. "But there really isn't anything we can do about that right now. Anyways, it was nice to meet you, and I'm sure I'll see you again soon."
"Likewise. Thanks for everything, Jimmy; I owe you one."
"Forget about it!" he said with a cheerful laugh.
He headed out, and I heard him and Everett talking in the driveway, and after a minute or two I heard Jimmy's car leaving. After that, Everett walked in. We stared at each other for a moment, and then I ran up to him and threw my arms around him. He wrapped his strong arms tightly around me, and I instantly felt safer.
"I'm so sorry about this thing with Simon," he said. "You must be feeling pretty on edge right now."
"I was ... until you came back. Now I feel safe and protected."
He smiled, and we kissed briefly.
"I'm glad you feel that way. And I'm going to do everything in my power to keep you safe from that maniac. I'm not going to let him get within a mile of you; I promise you that."
"Thank you, Everett."
"What do the police know about him? How much have you told them?" he asked me.
"I told them everything."
"All of it? About the name change and having to move across the state, all of that?"
"All of it. They seemed very sympathetic, and they assured me they'd pick him up and bring him in if he was seen anywhere, as he is now the primary suspe
ct for the break-in at my daycare."