ESCAPE
Chapter Thirteen
Charles Nafin watched the train come to a
halt. It was a short while until the first passengers began to get off, and he
took the time to withdraw his glasses from the inside of his jacket. He didn’t
usually use them, but he wanted to take every precaution necessary. He was a
bit jittery because it was still his first week working for Mr. Hockley. His
dad, Phillip Nafin, had been one of Mr. Hockley’s best men to look after Mrs.
Hockley and make sure she didn’t ruin his reputation. Charles felt sorry for
Mr. Hockley; he was a good man but made the noble decision to stay with his
wife even after she was pronounced insane. When Mr. Hockley found out that she
had escaped from the asylum, he had been frantic to make sure that she wasn’t
in any danger. It brought tears to Charles’ eyes to imagine how much the
husband cared for his wife. Anyway, Mr. Hockley had felt the need to post more
men, and Phillip had recommended his son, Charles. Since he was inexperienced,
he had been sent to the Philadelphia train station with just one other man to
catch Mrs. Hockley before she was hurt. It was unlikely that she would show up
here, but Charles was determined to be the best watchman Mr. Hockley had ever
seen, nevertheless.
*****
Charles came to attention as the passengers
began getting off of the train. He watched closely, not missing a beat. His
eyes were hurting from straining so hard by the time the last passenger had
long gone on their way. He sighed.
Paul, the other man posted at the station,
walked up to him and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Don’t worry.
We weren’t expecting her to be here anyway. And I saw how hard you tried. I’ll
be sure to tell Mr. Hockley that you’re a good kid and are worth keeping on
board."
Charles listened to the bittersweet words
attentively. When Paul had finished, he managed a wry smile. "Paul, I may
not have caught her today, but one of these days I will. Take my word for
it--I’m gonna catch Mrs. Rose Hockley."
*****
Rose irritably pulled the man’s overcoat off
and threw the hat onto the ground. She was sick to her stomach for having to
steal, but surely it wasn’t bad if your life depended on it.
She realized that it would be a good idea to
keep the clothes in case they would come in handy later, but she couldn’t stand
the sight of them, and besides, she didn’t want to be weighed down for the next
part of her mission.