I found the conversation with Mrs. Leech perplexing. She mentioned several different people investigating the robbery, but not much mention of a police involvement. I started to call Jensen. Then thought better of it, and dialed a cab instead.
The driver was intently listening to Middle Eastern music so I had time to consider my next step until we reached McCarran departures. I went to a coffee shop, sat in a corner, and considered what I knew. I was trying to concoct some story that would take all this input and put it into a believable scenario. After half an hour it was hopeless. I called Jan.
“I was wondering if I was going to have to make a ‘Chloe call’ to an old friend, and enlist some help in recovering you, Mr. Stanton.”
“I’ve been busy and out of harm’s way.”
“That’s reassuring. What now?”
“I’m going off the grid for a bit.”
“What?”
“I’m going to rent a car. It’s about a 16-hour drive to Seattle. I need the time to think.”
“You don’t think well in my arms?”
“That’s a fact and you know it.” I added a chuckle to try and lighten the moment.
“I’d like living proof; that’s not ‘proof of life,’ either.” She chuckled back at me, and I knew we were all right.
“I’ll call you if I’m not going to make it there by Monday night.”
“You taking your sweet time?”
“I’m taking some time, sweetie. I’m suffering from information overload. I need some silent contemplation time. I probably won’t drive past a single ‘historical marker ahead’ sign. You know how I am.”
“Just keep it between the ditches, okay?”
“How are you getting along with Agent Street?”
“Oh,” and I could hear the smile in her voice, “she’s a wonder! You need to sit across a cribbage board from her.”
“Tough?”
“And so nice about it, you can’t really hate her for averaging double-digit hands.”
“I could hate that, really I could.”
“I know, that’s why I want to see you two play. I love you, Jim.”
“I know. I’ll check in if I find myself sidetracked.”
The sun was sliding behind the Spring Mountains as I drove away from Vegas on I-15 south. I had stopped at a Wells Fargo branch and used the ATM to stock my wallet. I wasn’t going to be using my credit card on this trip. I had been very explicit with the rental agent that I was taking a few days to drive to Seattle. I asked him if there were any restrictions on where I could take the SUV I was renting.
The young man was eager to help, and he knew his stuff. It’s a sign of my age, I guess, that all of these customer service agents look to be just out of high school. As he went over the contract with me, I appreciated how he stressed that this was an SUV and not an ATV. “You could face some issues if you take it out in the dessert to do donuts and ended up crashing the truck, but if you stay on roads that are open to the public, you won’t hear anything from us ’cause we’ll never know. It’s not like we’re tracking all our cars in real time.
“We could, if we had reason, crack open the GPS tracker after you turn in the vehicle, but that would only happen after the fact. We don’t have the technology to look at it while it’s en route.”
Armed with cash, I figured I could visit San Jose, find “Craig something or something Craig” and still make Seattle before Monday night. I knew this deviation from the plan would upset Jensen, but I also knew that Jan wouldn’t be lying when she told him she had no idea where I was or how I was getting there on Monday.
“Better to apologize than ask permission,” I thought to myself as I settled into a 40-dollar motel bed just after nine on a Tuesday night. My eyes closed as an unsettling thought flashed through my brain, “Who would Jan turn to if I disappeared like Charley?”
Sleep saved me from further contemplation.