◆ SpookStack

on ai € Berane: sy Se brat eet SL £2 cairn: e oo ee week ee le ne ke Te wits i aco ilo reostt of hers to (NEw ‘they would pkant it > Lon Angeles apartment und K, oT the police in an arOny Meus call, While the government marshalled its forces in Southern California, the new team would pick up the fugitives and ferry them to a new hideout, The Seatts and the fugitives prepared for their departure, wiping away fingerprints from the farmhouse and tidying up other details. Buoyed by the new plans, the Harrises dectded to risk sending a Ictter to Bull's mother, who had continued to gefend her son desnite his in- : €9olvemcat with the SLA. f I i 1 A procedure had to be fol- lowed in sending a letter. A carbon copy had to ho typed i---and -thea-photographed to fuzz - icethe typing and prevent the fet ter from being traced to a type- writer, The photocopy would be mailed to a friend who wouid forward it in a separate envelope to change the post- mark, Emily drove to Scranton for the nearest scif-service photo- copier. She inserted three dimes and hurried back to the car. There she made a quick check to sec that cach page was read- able. The photocopies were fine. She deublecheckcd the erizinzls—tike final pase of the original was missing! She'd left it in the photocopier. And it was signed Teko and Yolanda. A gold-plated clue to whoever discovered it. “What am | going to do? I’ve fucked it— totally fucked it!” Her head switnming, Ennly started to drive away. No. She'd try to relrieve the page. Slowly she walked back. She changed her mind agaiz. Being on foot was too risky, The police might already have becn alerted. She returned to her car and circled the biock, pecring through the store window each time around. Tears streamed down her checks. She jad to go back inside. It was the only way to know for sure. Furtively she moved to the Xcrox machtie and lifted the cover. Nothing, She glanced at the clerk. He was busy wiih a customer, She rummased through the waste- basket. Still nothing. Summoning her remaining strength she epprouched the S ageterk and asked if he'd found the missing page. “Surry,” he sotiled. Emily foughi back the painic surging through her. She “touldn't warn the others bee cause there was no phone al the farmhouse. She retui ried to the car aad ruced back to the familiar dirt road. She started cryseg, anains as she arrived aml esplaned what had bippeowad. Bll woes durivis, hicking a chaig and shoutirg. | = Oberiia, “L think we shouht all ¢ ut af here,” said Micki, “We a eet a meted sontewhere.” (LL - “Fim sorry.” Emily kept her acad town, “Yelling won't heip now, [ feel bad enough about it.” Patty intervened. “Don’t blame Yolanda. She's the one who's heen come te town all j summer, She's the one: who's taken al] the risks.“ [t was 2 new role for Patty: coolness } under pressure. But nobody noticed. There was an hour ‘of hysteria before the athers calmed down. They decided their bese siratesy was to stay put. there was more dancer on a road swarming with cops. The Scotts and the fugitives Spent the nisnt in sulien, ner- | | $ —vous silenee:Hy- morning there was stil no mention of bill's letter on the radio. If the miss- ing page had been discovered, } it must have bzen discarded s | a joke. In the end, the police | apparenuy never learned of | Emily’s absent-minded mistake, The six farmhouse residents were now anxious to Icave Pennsylvania bchind. The Scotts packed the van they'd just bought, closed down their New York apartment and waited for the new team to ar : rive for the fugitives. Septen:ber Ist came and ] went, The redio reported no i word that Paity Hearst par- ephernalia hat been found in I Los Angeles, The SLA mem- 3 bers began to worry, Bill drove to a pay phone and caHed the West Coast. “There's been a hangup,” he | was told. “Give us a few more | days,” i | | The delay meant that the Scotts bad to extend the farm house rent for another month. In all, the Scotts calculated, the SLA nad now cost them | almost half the $<0.000 they'd | received in selilement } fram ! Jack's patience was al an end. He said his goadbyes and | Rew to Portland. Micki planned | to follow in the van. Pro bas- Ketball camp opened in a fi month and Jack wanted to | spend September with Walton | aad be wanted to begin work | 4 on his autobiography. It was time to resume his own career. A Week passed. The fugitives’ were still at the farm. The: Harrises and Patty were begin- Bing te. quarrel, iheie worry spiBing aul into pelty disputes. ‘The only worl from ‘the new Toa was mere proccomtHnruen, The ekeeoy operation ineaptica-- | i t bly had been cvtled af. | “Do you think they'H ever | show up?" Aficki asked the PEharrises. — Eavly shrurged. Bul started foosty “of course” Pia then paused and didm't ate.wer, ee ee them * ders “BOL SCA over the RE, x hath. { J drepped “pic” from her Gey socubulary, She had spent tong hours reading history books, especially on the carly days of the fabor movement in the U.S. She was quist: she Stopped x-ing the New York Times: she scemed te be pre- paring for a long-term life in the underground, Each day Patty practiced watking with a pillow stuffed under her dress. She was dis- guised as a pretnant tecnuger with freckles. Throughout the summer the fugitives had stud- ied the art of disguise, reading beoks on techniques for dvciag wad styling hair, aifecting lisps and fimps, attaching artificial moles, scars and tattoos, wear- ine reversible clothes, Within —fiinutes they-could switch fronr— the hippie mode into the young professional. from seedy bum to roughreck Ailbidly, Rut the prepuration seemed beside the point—tncie West Coas: friends were having see- ond thoughts, Finally, Bil in- Sisted that the new team level with him about its problems. Reluctantly they explained the hitch: Patty Hearst. Bill was unable to convince thst Patty's disguise would be Sesend suspicion. Wendy and the Harrises were vkas. Dut the aew tram did not want tne Nowsivces cover Birk to be in ‘the car when they entered the territories of high- way petroimen, toll attendants, mole] mianarets, g2s Station operators and restaurant cash- who renuate a cross: country adiomabiie uip, 17 Patty could get to the West Coast by herself, they told Bill, they would provide her a his. ing place, but she was on her own until then, J2ck 260 was getting ag- itated. He wanted Miskito meet Watton befare the basket- bail seazen opened. Rut she couldn't icave until the fugi- tives were cone. Then came a phone calt from Pennsylvania ta Orcgen. “We need your help again.” Bill's voice sounded urgent. “There's no other way we can do it. We need you te drive a friend across country. Na one else will do it,’ ff Patty were ever to fzase the farm, it seemed, Jack wetkd have to drive the getaway car. He hesitated, Tier tisks wert incaleuladte. Aud tis dist trip with Patty was a bad memory. But Pauy led changed avi? the sununer. She seldom com- Phined—and never abut phvs- teal Usconarcts. Ard she hast the halfepoktus oeitesigsm of a daurcdosi Hit Sack aaloriredt. STs dat beck. votas. UH arise Sear dain” ‘Thaice duys later Jack, Matty, ts ee ee rs