The hills accomplished what the wind and blowing sand yesterday hadn’t been able to do: separate the runners. Drake and Melody had taken the lead on the hill at the start of the run and hadn’t relinquished it. It gave them a chance to talk without anyone overhearing. Drake was trying to figure out how to contact his father.
“Even if I could reach him by phone, the chances of us having an intelligent conversation are nil.”
“Then we’ll have to go to where he is.”
“You don’t have to go. This is my job.”
“I know how hard it is for you. The least I can do is give you moral support.”
“If we just show up at Giganticorp, what then? I’m sure Casey has a full schedule planned for the troops, including dinner. We can’t just cut my dad out of the herd.”
“Maybe that’s what we’ll have to do. Now let’s see if we can gain some time on the leaders.”
Slick picked up Drake and Melody near their motel in Daly City and drove them a few blocks to a rental car company. Their drive on to San Jose was complicated by the pre-rush hour traffic heading south out of San Francisco on Interstate 280. Drake grumbled as he had to slow down for a number of large trucks.
“Now I know why I chose to live in Idyllwild. There aren’t any freeways there.”
“We need to put a plan together on what to say to your father.”
“If we even get to talk to him.”
“We will. If necessary, we’ll enlist Casey’s help. He needs to stay on our good side.”
“Does he? Not if he’s already won Dad over.”
Their discussion continued until they arrived at what was called the Giganticorp campus. It looked like a college campus. They drove in the main entrance between two square, brick posts with a sculpture of the Big G logo in dark metal standing on top of each one. Multi-storied buildings sat in isolated splendor in front of them, separated by large expanses of manicured lawn, dotted with carefully tended trees. The buildings were modern and not ivy covered, but they gave the effect of wealth and stability.
Signs with arrows pointed toward various buildings. Drake and Melody followed the direction of the arrows as they drove along the blacktop roads. A number of sprinklers came on as they passed one section of lawn, showering the grass and creating miniature rainbows with the help of the afternoon sun. They arrived at the administration building and parked in the ample lot.
They climbed the marble steps and went through the glass doors into a reception area that featured a round counter directly in front of them. Two men and a woman walked briskly past them wearing suits. The woman’s suit consisted of a blue skirt and jacket combination and a white blouse with a red sash instead of a tie.
Drake and Melody wore their Running California jackets. Drake wasn’t wearing a tie, and Melody wore slacks. Drake felt under-dressed. A pretty young lady sat inside the circle of the counter. As they approached, she stood and greeted them with a bright smile. She asked how she could help them.
Drake said, “I’m Oliver Drake, and this is Melody Jefferson. We’re part of Running California.”
“Oh, yes.” The woman’s smile grew even brighter. “I recognized your jackets when you came in. Now I see that you look just like your pictures, except you’re not in running clothes. It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Thelma. We’ve been following your progress in the Giganticorp newsletter. A lot of us are rooting for your team. How did you do today?”
“Thank you.” Drake turned on his smile. “We finished first. We’re very close to the second place team, overall, within two minutes, I think. I don’t know how the first place team did today, but we weren’t within striking distance of them this morning.”
“Good luck tomorrow.”
“Thank you again. The reason we’re here is because we heard that one of the participants in the meeting that’s taking place is my father, Admiral Drake. We came to see him.”
“Right. Let me call Mr. Messinger’s executive assistant. Just a minute. Have a seat.”
Thelma pointed to several chairs in a nook a few feet away. When Drake and Melody started toward them, Thelma sat down at her desk and made a short phone call they couldn’t hear. Then she came out from behind the counter and walked over to them.
“Melinda is coming down to help you.”
They thanked her. Thelma turned to Melody and started asking her questions about the race. It was obvious that her interest in their team was because of Melody. Several elevators stood in a row on the wall behind the round counter. Within a few minutes, one of the elevator doors opened, and a perfectly groomed, middle-aged woman with dyed blond hair stepped out wearing the skirt-and-jacket uniform.
She came toward them with her hand out.
“Hello, Mr. Drake, Miss Jefferson. I’m Melinda Gage. I’m very pleased to meet you.”
Drake and Melody stood and shook hands with her.
“Congratulations are in order. I hear that you’re only five minutes behind Tom and Jerry going into tomorrow’s final run.”
Drake was stunned. “Where did you hear that?”
“We get a report from Fred immediately after each day’s run. Tom and Jerry got lost in the wilds of Pacifica, and by the time they sorted themselves out, they had given up a lot of time to you and the Phil and Brian team.”
Melody was ecstatic. “I don’t wish them any bad luck, but it’s nice to have a shot at the big money.”
Melinda smiled. “It will be an exciting finish, with three teams vying for the crown. Now, how may I help you?”
Drake suspected she already knew the answer to that. “We’ve come to see my father, Admiral Drake.”
“Did he tell you he was going to be here?”
What should he say?
Melody spoke first. “When we heard about the meeting, we assumed he’d be here.”
“Who told you there was going to be a meeting?”
Her tone was matter-of-fact, but her overall demeanor had chilled considerably. Drake was on his guard. “Can’t remember. Did we get it wrong?”
“I’m afraid so. I’m sorry you came all this way for nothing.”
“Is Casey, er, Mr. Messinger here?”
“Mr. Messinger is out of the office. But, of course, he’ll be at the finish of Running California tomorrow. A big celebration is planned. You can talk to him then. Good luck tomorrow.”
“Thank you.”
Drake and Melody exchanged a quick look. Melody made a barely noticeable movement of her head toward the door. There was nothing more for them to gain here.
They thanked Melinda again and made as graceful an exit as possible. Once outside, they headed for the rental car. They climbed into the car, which was facing the front door of the building.
“What do we do now?” Melody asked.
“Maybe Slick had his information wrong. We should probably go back to the motel and get ready for tomorrow. Not to make too big a deal out of it, but we’ve got a million dollars riding on whether we win or lose.”
“Let’s check in with Slick or Blade first and tell them what happened. I saw some pay phones inside.”
“Bad idea to go back in there. Melinda’s already suspicious of us. In fact…who’s that coming out the front door?”
It was a stocky man in a somewhat ill-fitting suit. Melody put their thoughts into words. “He’s another Peaches, and I don’t think he’s a friendly Peaches. He’s looking for us. I think he just spotted us.”
“I think we’re outta here.”
Drake backed the car out of the parking spot and slowly but steadily drove away. They exited the Giganticorp campus and headed for a commercial part of town a few blocks away, stopping in front of a small restaurant. Once inside, Melody procured a corner booth while Drake went to a payphone and called the number he used for Slick collect.
The operator was told that Slick wasn’t available. Was there a message? Drake said no. He gave the operator
