“We have to go back!”
“It isn’t safe, Tammy, so just drop it. We’ve got to get out of the state before the highway patrol finds us. I’m sure they’ve figured out by now whose car we’re in.”
“No! We have to go back. If we don’t, I’ll go back alone.”
Marie cursed. “Hell no. You’d be arrested immediately.”
Tammy huffed. “We’ll find a different car. Please! We can’t leave the state yet. I’ll act like you forced me to go with you if we get caught. Anyway, we won’t.”
“Damn it, Tammy. Then help me find another car.”
With renewed hope, Tammy leaned forward in the seat. “Okay, let’s go to a gas station. That’ll be the easiest place to snatch a different vehicle.”
After pulling into a nearby gas station and watching people come and go, Tammy saw an elderly man fill his tank and walk to the building, and she exited the car. She leaned in the open passenger window and told Marie, “If the keys are in the ignition, I’ll jump in and take off. If he took them inside with him, I’ll climb into the back seat, wait for him to get in the car, and drive away. That’s when I’ll make my move.”
“Okay, then, but hurry up before he comes out.”
Tammy nonchalantly walked past the people filling their tanks. When she closed in on the vehicle, she scurried to the driver’s-side door, opened it, and climbed in. She’d gotten lucky and wouldn’t have to deal with the old man. She turned the key, shifted into gear, and drove away without attracting attention. Once on the road, Tammy turned down a side street and pinned the gas pedal to the floor. Within seconds, Marie was on her rear bumper. She pulled around Tammy and waved her down.
After lowering the window, Marie yelled out and told Tammy to follow her. They needed to get rid of the Encore first, then they’d continue on.
Fifteen minutes later, Marie turned down a street that dead-ended at a ravine. She jumped out, and with Tammy’s help, they emptied the Encore and filled the back of the blue minivan Tammy had just stolen. With the Encore shifted into Neutral and pushed down into the ravine, Tammy and Marie climbed into the other vehicle and headed to Chicago.
It was a dangerous move but something Tammy demanded. If they were lucky, they’d slip in and out of the city completely unnoticed.