sigh.
“It wasn’t that funny.” Nick smiled over at her.
“Why didn’t you quote the line from that movie you really like? Go ahead and say it. I’ll give you the lead in…‘How do you write women so well?’”
“Okay…‘I think of a man, and I take away reason and accountability.’”
“Feel better now?”
“Surprisingly, yes. How about you?”
“I’ll be okay.”
“I’m hungry,” Jean spoke up from the back.
“Sarah!” Rachel whipped around. “I asked you if you were hungry before we left.”
“I wasn’t hungry then.”
“Give me about forty-five minutes, Sarah, and we’ll stop, okay?” Nick checked his rear view mirror every few seconds. He had swept the Malibu for bugs before they left when he had been alone.
“Okay,” Jean agreed.
“It won’t be safe to stop, will it?”
“If it’s not safe in forty-five minutes, it won’t be safe at all,” Nick stated matter-of-factly.
“I’ll have to start reading your novels. Your main character, Diego, must be like a superhero.”
“He’s a cold-blooded psychopath with only a thread of humanity left.”
“Oh…”
“You’d be surprised how many people read the novels and start rooting for Diego as Tim admitted to doing. We have a mean streak in us and sometimes a character like Diego touches the black part of our souls. There are other readers who would like to have a book burning with my novels as the guests of honor.”
“Grace really likes them.”
“Yeah…well…Grace is a psycho.”
“She is?” Jean popped up past Deke to get closer while the dog jammed in behind her with his head out the window. “What’s a psycho?”
“If you want to stop in forty-five minutes you’ll have to ignore anything you hear me say.” Nick grinned back at Jean for a moment. “I live alone. Sometimes I say things better left unsaid because I think I’m talking to myself.”
“How about after the forty-five minutes?”
“Sarah!” Rachel reached around attempting to tickle Jean who started squealing before the hand reached her. Deke interceded, grabbing Rachel’s wrist lightly in his jaws. “Deke!”
Nick started laughing, while glancing over at the interchange. Hearing the tone in Rachel’s voice, Deke released her and plopped down with head in Jean’s lap, ready for another attack.
“You didn’t tell me Deke was an attack dog.”
“He attacks me without any problem. I’m not sure about anyone else. He’s been doing it since he was a puppy. If I reach quickly for Jean in any way, Deke grabs me. If I escalate, he escalates.”
“Neat.”
“Figures you’d think so.” An enigmatic smile formed as Rachel looked over at Nick.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Nick asked rhetorically, recognizing a setup when he heard one.
“Men and dogs recognize abhorrent behavior, think
“You know us so well it’s scary, right Deke,” Nick prompted the dog and earned a ‘grrruuffff’ in response. “Hey, let’s play the women and cats game now.”
Rachel giggled. “I don’t think so.”
Twenty minutes later Rachel noticed Nick watching the rear view mirror even more than at the start of their trip.
“You’re looking worried.”
“Did Grace or Tim mention anything about putting a tail on us to you?”
“No, I thought they wanted only the two of them to know we were headed to your place.”
“That’s what I thought. We’re almost to Gilroy. There’s a McDonalds near the exit where we can get something to eat. In the dark, I’ll know if the car I’m suspicious of follows us off.”
“Yaaaaaaaaayyyyy, McDonalds!” Jean cheered.
“You will have a salad and glass of milk, young lady,” Rachel told her.
“Yeah, right, Mom.” Jean gave Rachel the wave off. “I’m having a Happy Meal and a milkshake.”
“Do you have kids, Nick?”
“No.”
“Want one?”
Chapter Four
Nick drove off the exit he knew led to the McDonalds and noticed the pair of headlights he had been watching leave the freeway too. In the McDonalds parking lot Nick, watched the car go past. It was a tan colored late model Buick Lacerne. The Buick kept going without slowing down and Nick could not get an angle to see the plate. He ordered and paid for the food after only a slight debate between his charges. They took the order over to a table Nick had picked out away from the front windows. Nick let Rachel divvy up the drinks and food, staying on his feet while sipping from the iced tea he’d ordered.
“Let me have Deke’s leash and one of his waste bags. I’ll take him for a walk.”
“They came off the freeway with us, didn’t they?”
“I’m going to see if they’re parked where they can see who gets into or out of my car. Relax, I’ll be right back.”
Rachel nodded hesitantly and handed Nick the dog’s leash and a baggie she had brought with her, planning to walk Deke after having something to drink. Nick took his iced tea with him. He leashed the overjoyed Deke and walked him out of the parking lot. Nick stopped every time Deke sniffed anything, allowing the dog to stay engaged with whatever aroma appealed to him. Nick drank his iced tea, looking around as Deke proceeded slowly up the street. The Buick was parked in the darkness nearly fifty yards away, facing Nick from across the street. After continuing another thirty feet, Nick took a look up at the sky casually and tugged Deke toward the parking lot.
Rachel smiled at Nick in relief as he walked toward their table after returning Deke to the car. “How we doing?”
“Not so good.” Nick sat down. “I’m going to take them for a little ride. I’ll call Grace while I’m doing it. If I’m not back in half an hour, call a cab and have the cabbie take you to a hotel. I’ll have to take Deke with me.”
“Why not call Grace right now?”
“You’re not going to hurt Deke!” Jean chimed in.
“Calm down you two,” Nick urged. “Deke and I will lead these clucks away, ID them, and be back in no time. I’m covering all our bases. If they’re dangerous people, Deke and I will lead them on a wild goose chase until Grace and Tim get here.”
“Okay…okay, we’ll wait,” Rachel agreed, picking up her cell-phone. “You’ll call me, right?”
“I’ll have Grace call you. Sorry this trip’s taking longer than we figured but we need to be careful.”
Nick walked out to the Malibu and opened the trunk. He moved luggage out of the way until he could reach the rear trunk area. Lifting up a section of fiber board, Nick took out a small leather case. He reloaded the car and took the case up front with him. Deke looked at Nick from the front seat expectantly. Nick laughed and opened the rear passenger door. Spreading the bags out on the floor and seat, Nick evened the surface before motioning Deke into the rear passenger compartment.
“Deke, buckle up, you’re in for a bumpy ride. Sorry, but no hanging out the window this trip, buddy.”
