Call Me Jane by Ryan Maitland

Author:Ryan Maitland [Maitland, Ryan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-06-21T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Peter

This time I came prepared for the long bus trip. I had my essentials, namely my phone, a book I was reading, and some snacks which, naturally, included some jerky (doctor’s orders). I also had some spending cash, plenty enough for anything I might need. If I needed more, the local bank was affiliated with the major bank that was holding most of my winnings from the foundation. I also had enough clothes to last me several days, if need be.

Summer in the heartland tends to be on the unpredictable side. Temperatures can range from cold in the morning, to blazing hot at noon, to chilly in the evening, with sudden storms that seem to come out of nowhere. The key is to dress in layers. For me, that consisted of a pair of comfortable jeans and a t-shirt with a sweater over worn over it. If I got too hot, which was a rarity if I’m being honest, I could take off the sweater and tie it around my neck or waist. I also wore one of my favorite sun hats, since I figured I’d be doing a lot of walking and the sun and I aren’t exactly on good terms, which is to say that I liked the sun, but the sun didn’t seem to like me very much. I was still on the pale side, though no longer skeletal, and I tended to burn easily. The sun hat was an added layer of protection.

Sarah dropped me off at the main terminal. I found the bus I needed and boarded with my small bag over one shoulder. I took an empty seat, getting no more scrutiny than anyone else, which was a refreshing change for me, given my experience with my last bus trip. I settled in for a long ride by pulling out my book after checking that my backup book was still packed.

The trip was uneventful, this time without a ghostly presence, and when we were about an hour away from the station, I called up the real-estate agent, let’s call her Beth, to let her know that I would be arriving at the bus station, so she could meet me and give me a lift to show me the house, telling her to look for the girl with the sunhat. With that done, I started getting anxious. This was a big step, but I had a safety net in place this time, so even if it all went wrong, I’d still be okay.

I disembarked in Iowa City and walked to the front of the terminal, looking for someone that might fit the voice I had been speaking with on the phone, but not finding them.

“Jane?” a woman in a pink skirt with matching purse, shoes, and top asked me. She was wearing low-heeled shoes and had sensible, shoulder-length, hair held in place with a pink hair barrette. Her entire ensemble was a mass of pink and I hoped this wasn’t the fashion for the town.

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