New Beginnings

Chapter 1

A Greyhound Bus slowed to a stop in front of the general store and a young woman wearing a lightweight jacket got off. She had one suitcase that the driver retrieved from the luggage compartment and a carry on bag. After unloading her luggage, the driver got back on the bus and continued on to his next destination.

The young woman just stood looking around for several minutes as if trying to decide where she was or what to do next. She finally picked up her luggage and entered the general store.

“May I help you?” asked the woman behind the counter. “My name is Kate Swenson.”

The young woman smiled back at Kate and stepped closer to the counter.

“Yes, thank you. My name is Susan Grant. I just got off the bus a few minutes ago and I think the first thing I need is to find a hotel or boarding house. I would be grateful if you could direct me to one.”

“The only hotel we have is the Freemont Inn, located three blocks down to the left and two blocks over. You can’t miss it. Their restaurant serves good food at reasonable prices.”

The sound of the front door opening appeared to startle her and made Susan turn around quickly. As a man entered the store, Susan seemed to freeze in her tracks. He was a nice looking man who looked to be maybe two or three years older than herself, but there was something about his eyes that seemed to command her attention.

“Hello Tim” called out Kate. “You saved me a call. The supplies you ordered just came in and are ready for you.”

“Thanks, Kate. I’ll get them before I leave.” Just then, Tim noticed the girl standing near Kate. He wasn’t sure why, but he had the feeling that she was trying not to be noticed. His gaze moved from the girl back to Kate. “I’m sorry if I interrupted your conversation.”

“You didn’t really” said Kate. “This is Susan Grant. She just arrived on the bus and was asking about the hotel.” “Susan, this is Tim Hardy, our local minister and all around nice guy.”

“Hello, Susan. Welcome to Hopewell” said Reverend Hardy.

“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you Reverend Hardy” replied Susan.

“If you’re going to the hotel, I am heading that way and would be happy to give you a lift, he said. I just need to add a couple of things to my order and put everything in the car and we can go.”

“Thank you. That is very kind, but I don’t want to put you out of your way.”

“It’s no problem. I go right past the hotel on my way home. Actually, it will help to boost my “all around nice guy” image that Kate mentioned” he said with a broad grin. Tim noticed that Susan wasn’t wearing a wedding ring. He also noticed that she had very little to say on the way to the hotel. When asked a specific question, she responded in an easy and friendly manner, but stopped short of volunteering any additional information beyond what was specifically asked. Perhaps she was just a little shy until she got to know a person, he thought. But, for reasons he could not explain, he felt like there was more to it than that.

Reverend Hardy pulled up to the entrance of the Freemont Inn. He got Susan’s suitcase from the trunk of the car and carried it to the front desk.

“Thank you so much for your help” said Susan.

“It was my pleasure” said Reverend Hardy. “I hope you enjoy your stay here in Hopewell” he said with a smile. He turned and left just as the desk clerk walked up to where Susan was standing.

“Good afternoon” said the desk clerk. “May I help you?”

“Yes,” replied Susan. “I would like to get a room.”

“Certainly. And how long will you be staying with us?” asked the desk clerk.

Susan paused a moment as if she hadn’t thought that through. “I’m not really sure” she said. “I would like to move here if I can find a job and a place to live. I expect that I will need a room for at least a week. It may be longer depending on what kind of luck I have.”

“I believe that we can accommodate you with no problem” said the desk clerk. You will find a copy of our town paper in your room. That should give you a starting point, at least.”

After she was checked in and shown to her room, Susan picked up the paper and began searching the ads for employment when she heard a rumbling sound and realized that it was her stomach reminding her that she hadn’t eaten anything all day. With that, she put down the paper and headed for the restaurant.

When she had finished eating, Susan returned to her room and picked up the paper to resume her search for employment. It was then that the reality of her situation hit home.

She had been traveling on the bus for the past several days. When she began her trip in Sacramento, the only thing she could focus on was her need to leave the area. The police detective who had been helping her had emphasized the need for speed and secrecy on her part.

Susan had been happily married for three years, or so she thought. One day, the police came to her front door and, within the space of about one half hour, her world crumbled around her. She learned that the man she thought she knew so well and loved so much was a complete stranger who had deceived her and was now in jail awaiting trial for robbery and murder and that was just for starters. Unknown to Susan, the police had been watching and gathering evidence against Jerry Bennett and his friends for several months, but when they killed his employer in cold blood everything changed in a hurry.

The detective had assured her that they knew she was in no way involved with her husband’s activities. In fact, they were very concerned for her safety. Jerry was deeply in debt to some dangerous men with mob connections and now that Jerry was in jail, there was concern that those men might come after her. The best way to assure her safety was for her to change her name and move away from the area; preferably to a place she had never visited or talked about wanting to visit. The police were able to present enough facts to a judge to obtain a speedy divorce decree for her without the usual waiting period. After she was gone, the police would notify her husband just that the marriage had been terminated. They also assisted her in legally changing her name to Susan Grant. Only the detective in charge of the case would know her new name and where she was going. It just wasn’t safe to let anyone know her plans.

When Susan resigned from her job, the reason she gave was that she was needed to care for an aunt who was critically ill and she randomly picked a city and state where this aunt supposedly lived. Her employer had given her a glowing letter of reference and said that when Susan was able to return to Sacramento, she would be welcomed back to work there. Susan also had a copy of her most recent performance appraisal. The problem was that the letter and the performance appraisal talked about the work of a person who no longer existed. On her last day of work, she packed up the things from her desk making a point to include 2 or 3 blank sheets of company letterhead stationary. On her way home, she purchased a bottle of white out from a local store. She carefully removed her former name from the documents and typed in her new name so that she could use them to gain employment wherever she began her new life and hoped that no one would call to verify their authenticity. She then photocopied the corrected documents onto the company letterhead. She told herself that this was not really wrong since the information describing her work performance had not been altered