Perfect Pitch

They split the money and painstakingly went through the process of counting it. It turned out that there was almost $28,000. Unable to leave Melanie alone for long, they decided that Renee would go back to the apartment and stay with Melanie until she knew the doctor was on her way home. At that point, she would tell Melanie she'd forgotten to take some trash out and was going to do that and be right back. The trash would really contain more of her belongings and she would really head next door and into hiding with Aisha to figure out where they would go from there. Renee was nervous all day as a million possibilities went through her mind, including the possibility of Deanne returning early. She'd already gathered a bag in which she threw her stuff, so in the event of her returning early, she could say she was about to run down to dump the trash and would be right back, but of course, she would never return. Then there were other questions, like how much she could really trust Aisha since she barely knew her. Also, there was the question of how they would spend the money and how to go about it without getting caught. Renee knew she couldn't go on living her life as usual. She was going to really have to go off the grid and hide well for a while. She tried to act normal for the remainder of the day so Melanie wouldn't sense anything was wrong, but the brat wouldn't shut up. It was hard trying to keep up with her and pretend to listen to what the child was saying when her mind was wandering in a million other directions. Finally, the time came, and she nervously told Melanie she would be right back before she ran next door. For a split second, the thought of Aisha disappearing with the money crossed her mind, but before it could really set in and torment her, Aisha’s door opened. “Come on,” she said with a smile. Renee stepped inside the apartment and immediately hugged Aisha. “Thanks for not taking the money and running on me.” “Oh, no problem. That would be no fun,” Aisha laughed, gazing down at her. Then after a moment of awkward silence, she said, “You know I really like you, don't you?” “No,” Renee blushed with flattery. “The only thing I knew was that I liked you.” The two women laughed and embraced each other again. “I know we don't know each other well but I figured we could get to know each other while we figure out what to do with the money and how to keep myself hidden,” said Renee. “You're going to have to go off the grid. Like literally. No more social media, no more nothing. At least for quite some time to come.” “I understand that much. But if my silence could get me a hefty down payment on a home of my own with the money, then it's worth it.” “You can't do it in your own name unless you change your identity.” “How do I do that?” “There are ways. Unfortunately, I know firsthand. I had to change my identity to escape my abusive ex. See, my real name is Zara Tamin. It was actually a close friend of mine who helped me change my identity. I'll get him to help you as well, but you have to tell him it was for the same reason as me. You can't say it's because you stole thousands of dollars from your employer.” “Well, of course not,” Renee said with a nervous chuckle. “Maybe we can get a place in your name and you could move in with me unless you’d rather stay here.” “Perhaps. But you still need to change your identity. You're going to be a wanted woman and you can't use your real name for at least a decade, maybe more. You should also change your appearance. You're likely going to be featured on the news, including a picture or sketch of yourself, so you might want to cut and dye your hair.” Renee nodded. “The police are bound to go to the neighboring apartments asking if anyone witnessed anything, so you must keep your voice down at all times and run and hide in the bedroom closet when anyone comes to the door.” “Okay,” said Renee, finding it kind of amusing and exciting that she was hiding out just a wall away from the boss from whom she’d embezzled so much money. The boss that she liked, but that was also showing more and more signs of a non-mutual fondness for her.