Chapter 3

Ocala Florida

4:13 pm

Marylyn

I looked in fear, as the man tightened his finger on the trigger.

Then I snapped out, "You kill me, and you will have every cop in the country after your ass. I'm a Federal Judge, and you have been photographed holding the weapon on me."

"What you mean, photographed," the man asked as he looked around nervously.

Raising my hand I pointed at the camera on the bank and then at the one on the light pole for the intersection and said, "Firstly, there is one over there on the bank wall. Secondly every intersection in the city has a camera on it. They use them to catch speeders, and they have a good track record for reading license plates. I think they will catch your face quite nicely."

I watched as the man turned, and looked at the lights and the bank and then he looked back at me.

"You may be a judge. I kill judges before, back at home, that is. So you have until tomorrow to tell us where girl is, or we kill you and your family," the man said as he holstered the pistol and walked away.

I watched the man climb into a black Chevy Suburban and take off. Yanking the camera out of my purse, I flicked it on, and let it record the license plate of the car as long as it was insight. Shutting the camera off, I leaned back in the seat, and felt pain shoot throughout my body.

Mathew

I turned the blinker on, and we headed out of town. Hopping onto I-75 I headed towards Gainesville, Florida. An hour later we went passed the city, and headed for I-10. I kept watching in the review mirror for anyone following us, and I prayed we were clear.

The girls made me a sandwich, and brought it to the front as we drove. Judy sat in the passenger seat, and Anastasia had pulled the desk chair to be near us. She had her feet curled up under her hips in the chair as we drove. We ate ham sandwiches that Judy had made, with glasses of ice-cold coke. We listened to a soft rock station as we drove away to our new life.

We passed through Tallahassee, and headed for the border of Florida and Alabama. We stopped for dinner at a Flying J truck stop. The food was excellent, and I was determined we were going to eat at as many of these restaurants as we could.

"Mathew, I have a request if possible," Ana said as she sat down in the passenger seat.

Looking over at her, I smiled and replied, "What's your request, my Russian princess?"

Ana felt her cheeks go warm at Mathew's complement and she said, "Can we go to the Crater of Diamonds State Park, up in Arkansas?"

"What's that?" I asked.

"It's where we can dig for our own diamonds," Anastasia said.

"No Way!" I said as I maneuvered around a slow moving car, and saw the sign for the Mobil Alabama.

"Yes! Way! I can prove it," Ana replied and I looked at her in surprise.

"Ok, would you like to see a ship from World War 2?" I asked.

"Why would I want to see a rust bucket from fifty years ago?" Ana asked.

"I think you will be surprised," I said as I took the exit for the USS Alabama memorial.

I followed the road to the Wal-Mart that I remembered when I came through last time. Pulling into the parking lot, I stopped the RV next to a Jamboree GT RV, and shut down. Ana was ahead of me, as I extended the slide-outs as we stepped out of the vehicle.

"Shit, forgot my wallet," I said as I went back inside, and picked up my wallet where I left it.

Going to the back, I went up top to the bedroom, I lifted the bed and picked up a several small bundle of hundreds and removed the bands. Rolling about a thousand up, I stuck it in my front pocket, and put the rest in my wallet. Stepping out, I set the alarm, and we walked across the parking lot to the store.

I handed Judy and Ana a thousand each, and they put it in their purses. We pushed the doors open and we grabbed a cart each.

"Remember, buy what we can only take with us," I said.

The girls giggled and ran off. Shaking my head I went into the food area and started dropping cases of canned food inside. I swung by the liquor section and picked up several wine coolers and a case of Budweiser Dry for me. I took my full cart up to the front and asked the door greeter to watch it for me. She said she would and I grabbed a second cart and went back to where I was when I filled the first cart. Stopping at the deli I looked over the selection and started ordering enough for dinner.

Judy

I motioned to Ana and we grabbed a pair of carts. We headed back to the lingerie section and started going through the clothes. I knew that Ana didn't have much, so I grabbed stuff for her and a few items for me. I found a very nice black spaghetti strap dress that would fit me as well as a slip and looked for a second one for Ana and pulled it out. Ana was looking at some blue jeans and I went over and said, "Go try this on."

Ana looked at the dress and smiled. She carried it into the changing room and as I waited, I pulled out a dozen blue jeans I could wear as well. Hearing the door open to the changing room I turned and smiled as Ana stepped out.

"How do I look?" she asked.

"Fantastic, now we just need shoes for them," I replied as she went back in and changed to her normal clothes. I looked at the jeans that Ana had dropped in the basket and pulled several more pairs out for her. I was tossing socks in for both of us when she came out and laid the dress in the cart.

"Damn, I wish they had flannel shirts," I said as I went through the warmer clothes and pulled some sweat suits out and tossed them into the cart as Ana rejoined me and we went to the shoe department and found some shoes to go with the dress. I also picked up some sturdy hiking boots as well for both of us.

We went to the beauty section and I picked up some things we needed, that I had forgotten. I looked at Ana, and then at the box I was holding. Tossing the hair dye in the basket, I grabbed some shampoo and conditioner as well.

Ana was looking at all the toothpaste and I grabbed my usual and she asked me if it was good and I nodded. She grabbed one and a new toothbrush as well.

We left the beauty area and walked towards the sporting area. I stopped and looked at the fishing gear and pulled out six poles and reels. I also picked up three tackle boxes, and tons of gear with Ana's help. "Ana, have you ever fished?" I asked.

"No, is it hard?" she replied.

"No, and it's fun. Grab six rolls of that fishing line and so you know some people can't stand baiting their hooks, but you can ask Mathew or me to do it, if you can't," I said as I dropped three fish strings and several nets into the second basket.

"Can't wait to try. Judy, where are we going?" Ana asked as she set the six rolls of fishing line in the basket she picked up.

Mathew

I set the container of salad in the basket and headed for the butter section and picked up a tub of Healthy Choice spread to put on the loaf of hot French bread I picked up. My last stop was at the cooler, to pick up some milk. I was looking at the gallon jugs and the one-quart containers and decided to grab some of each. Setting two one-gallon containers in the basket, I grabbed six of the one-quart milk cartons and four of the one-quart chocolate milks for the girls.

I was turning away when I saw a news flash on one of the roof mounted TVs. The blood ran from my face as they showed a picture of Marylyn and I reached for my cell phone but stopped. I knew it had to be about Ana and I couldn't call. The report said she was alive and under guard.

I quickly went through the aisles and filled my cart with the items off my list and then started walking through the store, pushing my cart and looking up and down the aisles for the girls. I finally found them in the sporting goods area. They had just placed several hunting outfits in their carts, when I joined them.

"Come on, we have to go," I said as I stopped.

"We're almost done," Judy replied as she picked up a hunting knife.

"Judy, hurry. We'll meet you at the register," I said as I reached over to Ana and tapped her arm and continued, "Come on, Ana, let's go."

Ana looked at me and nodded her head. Grabbing her basket, she followed me to the register. I pointed to the next register, and Ana slipped in line while I ran over and grabbed the cart and dragged it over as well. It was stacked with canned goods and I put that in front of us and we started checking out. I was piling stuff on the conveyer belt as the lady used the hand scanner on the cases of food I had stacked up.

Judy came up and got in the next lane, and waited for the elderly lady to finish with her stuff.

Then she walked over to me, and asked, "What's going on?"

"Did you look at the TV's?" I said.

"No. Why?" she replied.

"Marylyn was hurt. I don't think it was bad, but the report says she is under guard at the hospital. I think we better get some more distance from Florida," I said as I set the milk on the counter.