Darby wrapped a blanket around me and held me close until I finally stopped shaking and had my crying under control. He got up and handed a box of tissues to me. I blew my nose – loudly.
“Can you talk about it now?” he asked.
I nodded my head.
“Start at the beginning,” he said. “Why are you up at two thirty in the morning?”
“I couldn’t sleep,” I told him. “I was thinking about everything that’s happened this week, and I’m homesick, and I miss Mick, and,” I hesitated and looked at him sheepishly, “and I thought I would run down to the lobby and get on a computer to see what his wife looks like.”
“You’re kidding, right?” he asked incredulously.
“Noooo,” I replied slowly, embarrassed by my actions. “But Darby, she looked nice, and it didn’t bother me to see her picture, and I realized I was being snoopy, so I went to close the page, and I saw Skinny Guy, Wicker Barnes.” I rolled my eyes at the name. “He was in the same picture with her.”
“Wicker Barnes?” he asked. “What kind of a name is Wicker? Are you sure it was the same guy?”
“I’m positive,” I said emphatically. “I’ve seen him enough times now, I’d know him anywhere. The curly hair, the face, the build - it was him!” I was getting worked up again. “He doesn’t know you. He knows Jenny. That means he probably knows who Mick is, and for some reason, he’s after me. But I don’t know why or what this could possibly mean.”
“You know, Susan, we could just find him and ask him what he wants,” he said.
That was typical Darby, always logical.
“No, we can’t.” I said and pleaded my case. “He ran us off the road on Tuesday. He wanted to hurt us. He’s been following us. He gave me four flat tires. Talking to him isn’t going to resolve this.”
“Then we need to go to the police,” he said.
“Oh my gosh, no!” I shrieked. “We’re leaving Saturday morning, and I’m not getting involved with the police here. I don’t want to risk being delayed for any reason. I’ll call Mick in the morning and tell him about Wicker. Maybe he can find out what he’s doing in Florida.”
“I talked with Johnny this evening,” he said. “The girls said they didn’t see anyone acting strangely or looking around during the show, and he never saw Skinny Guy, well, Wicker Barnes, again either.” He thought for a moment. “Johnny invited me to go out into the gulf tomorrow to do some fishing. Come with us. I don’t want you to be here alone.”
“No,” I shook my head. “You go. I’ll be fine in my room. I’ll watch television, pack my bags, and get ready to leave.”
“Are you sure?” he asked. “You’re welcome to come with us.”
“Positive,” I assured him. “I’ll probably sleep anyway. I’ll be ok.”
Darby looked at the clock. It was three in the morning. “You might as well stay here with me. You’ll be able to rest better. Try to get some sleep.”
I nodded. I was still wrapped in Darby’s blanket. I kicked off my shoes, settled myself on a pillow, and closed my eyes. He turned off the light and climbed under his own blanket.