The Devil To Pay (Hennessey.) by Marnie Perry Page A

narrow brim and no flowers. It was certainly not as nice as the one she had given to Olivia but it would suffice until she could get into the next town where they had more shops therefore maybe more choice. She paid for her purchases and walked down the street to her favourite place, the book shop.
    She spent half an hour and thirty three dollars fifty cents in there then made her way back to Mrs. Hosewater’s shop where she picked up her order, including the compass; she was assailed by a warm feeling as she was told to “have herself a nice day now.”
    She made her way back to the cabin where she put her usual things into her backpack, adding one of the books she had just bought from the little book shop in the town earlier. This one was the latest Fenn Llewellyn story. Her fantasy hero, charming, witty and romantic as well as sensitive, but very tough when the need arose. Her perfect man.
    She would walk a while then maybe go back to that café she had found yesterday and sit outside with a cup of ice tea and read some of her book, maybe she would have some lunch there, it would be nice to see Jill and Sammy Know It All again.
    As she walked, and as was to be expected, she thought about Olivia, wondering where she was and if she was all right. Indeed, she had not been far from her thoughts all morning, even when she had been laughing in Rose’s shop, the image of Olivia’s sad, scared countenance was still paramount in her mind. She felt a little odd, spaced out as Daniel would call it, no doubt the aftermath of the previous night’s events. She finished her tea then left for her walk.
    She wished Olivia had stayed, she wished she had let her help her. What was it that she was running from? Or more to the point from whom was she running? An abusive ex husband or boyfriend? Were the would-be abductors his friends? Is that what they'd meant by, “ He wants to see you?” All questions she desperately wanted to know the answer too but now never would. She said out loud and with feeling ‘be safe, Olivia.’
    Adela had walked maybe an hour and saw several foxes and a raccoon; she was very pleased to have seen that, it was so cute. But her mind was distracted and this time she did not really notice the beauty of her surroundings, or the ever present noise that was part of this place.
    She had not seen Jonas Lando, but thoughts of him suddenly brought her up sharply, she must not let her mind wander and get lost again. Oh gosh, the thought of having to rely on that surly man to help her out once more was enough to clear her head. She looked around, no thank goodness, she was not lost, she knew where she was. She looked at her watch it read 12.30; she reached into her backpack for her water. It was not quite as hot today but still hotter than she was used too.
    She decided to head back and get some lunch. She turned around and made her way back along the path. She was about a quarter of a mile from her cabin and quite close to Jonas Lando’s place when she heard a noise to her left; someone was running through the tre es…fast. She expected to see Lando emerge maybe in pursuit of an animal. But to her shock the figure emerging through the trees was not Lando, but Olivia.
    Adela gasped in astonishment. Olivia had not seen her because she was looking over her shoulder into the trees so careered straight into her. She let out a small scream and began to flail her arms pushing at Adela and gasping. Adela grabbed her upper arms, ‘Olivia, Olivia it’s me, Adela, calm down, what is it, what’s happened?'
    Olivia continued to struggle as though she had not heard her. She was sweating and obviously very frightened. ‘Olivia,’ Adela said firmly, ‘please, it’s all right, it’s only me.’
    This time she must have got through because Olivia became still then her eyes opened wider still in panic as she gasped, ‘they’re here, the…they’re coming, we have to ge...get out of here.’
    ‘Who, who is coming, those two