On the other side of the automatic exit doors was the service road for drop-offs and pick-ups. Beyond that was the car park, and in the distance, under a brilliant blue sky, were lush green rugged mountains. Out there was virgin ground to me, and unless I had no choice, I never liked entering the unknown with out having a look first.
'Where are we going?'
I was still checking out the car park. I didn't know if he was looking at me or not as he answered, in a very low voice, 'That kinda depends on, er ... my wife is-' That's Carrie, right?'
'Yes, Carrie.'
I'd forgotten to introduce myself.
'Do you know my name?'
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his head turn towards me, so I turned as well. His blue eyes seemed jumpy, and focused slightly to one side of mine.
'No, but if you don't want to tell me, that's fine. Whatever you feel safe with, whatever is best for you.'
He didn't look scared, but was definitely ill-at-ease. Maybe he could smell the fuck-up value on me.
I stopped and held out my hand.
'Nick.' Better to be friendly to the help rather than alienate them: you get better results that way. It was a small lesson the Yes Man could have done with taking on board.
There was an embarrassed smile from him, displaying a not-too-good set of teeth, discoloured by too much coffee or tobacco. He held out his hand.
'Aaron. Pleased to meet you, Nick.'
It was a very large hand with hard skin, but the handshake was gentle. Small scars covered its surface; he was no pen-pusher. His nails were dirty and jagged, and there was a dull gold wedding band and a multicoloured kids' Swatch on his left.
'Well, Aaron, as you can see, I haven't packed for a long stay. I'll just get my job done and be out of the way by Friday. I'll try not to be a pain in the arse while I'm here. How does that sound?'
His embarrassed grin gave me the feeling that it sounded good on both counts.
Still, he was generous in his reply.
'Hey, no problem. You did kinda throw me, you know. I wasn't expecting an English guy.'
I smiled and leant forward to tell him a secret.
'Actually I'm American, it's a disguise.'
There was a pause as he searched my eyes.
'Joke, right?'
I nodded, hoping it would break the ice a bit.
'I was expecting to see Carrie as well.'
He pointed behind me.
'She's right here.'
I turned to see GI Jane approaching us. She greeted me with a smile and an out thrust hand.
'Hi, I'm Carrie.'
Her hair was dark, cut into the nape of her neck. She was maybe mid- to late thirties just a few years younger than me. There were a few lines coming from behind the lenses of her dark glasses, and small creases in the side of her mouth as she spoke.
I shook her firm hand.
'I'm Nick. Finished your Pepsi, then?' I didn't know if she'd seen me waiting, not that it really mattered.
'Sure, it was good.' Her manner was brisk, sort of aggressive, and wouldn't have been out of place on Wall Street. Like Aaron's, her voice was educated but then, anyone who pronounced their aitches sounded educated to me.
She stood by Aaron and they certainly made an unusual pair. Maybe I'd got this wrong. Maybe they were father and daughter. He had a slight pot belly and showed his age; she had a body that was well toned and looked after.
People poured in and out. The sound of aircraft and a gust of heat enveloped us each time the doors slid open.
Carrie shrugged.
'What happens now?'
They were waiting for instructions.
'You haven't done this before, have you?'
Aaron shook his head.
'First time. All we know is that we pick you up and you tell us the rest.'
'OK do you have any imagery yet?'
She nodded.
'It's satellite, I pulled it off the web last night. It's at the house.'
'How far away is that?'
'If the rain holds off, four hours maybe. If not, anything over five. We're talking boondocks.'
'How far to the other guy's house?'
'An hour thirty from here, maybe two. It's the other side of the city it's in the boonies, too.'
I'd like to see his place first, then back to yours. Will I be able to get close enough to have a good look?'
There wasn't enough time to spend maybe ten hours on the road, or even prepare myself for a day under the canopy. I'd have to get on and do the CTR of the house first, since it was so close, and then, on the way back to their place, get planning what I was going to do next, and how.
She nodded, confirming with Aaron at the same time.
'Sure, but like I said, it's in the forest.' She turned to Aaron.
'You know what? I'll go pick up Luce from the dentist and meet you two at home.'
There was a pause as if there was more to say, as if she expected me to pick up on what she'd said. But I didn't care that much who Luce was. It wasn't important at the moment, and I was sure to be told soon anyway.
'Ready when you are.'
We headed outside and into the oppressive heat. I screwed up my eyes against the sun, which burned straight through the cheap acrylic of my sweatshirt on my shoulders and the back of my neck.
She walked the other side of Aaron. There was no wedding ring, no watch or any other jewellery on either of her hands. Her hair was beyond dark, it was jet black, and her skin was only lightly tanned, not dark and leathery like Aaron's.
Her armpits were shaved and, for some reason, I wouldn't have expected that.
Maybe I'd been harbouring images of New Age travellers from the moment I saw Aaron.
The service road was jammed with mini-buses, taxis and cars dropping off passengers, with porters hustling the drop-offs for business. The noise was just as loud out here as it had been in the hall, with vehicle horns sounding off and taxi drivers arguing over parking spaces.
The dazzling sunshine felt as if I had a searchlight pointed straight into my eyes. I squinted like a mole and looked down as they started to feel gritty.
Aaron pulled a pair of John Lennon sunglasses from a pocket of his waistcoat and put them on as he pointed to our half right.
'We're over here.'
We crossed the road to what might have been a parking lot in any US shopping mall. Japanese and American SUVs were lined up alongside saloons and people carriers and none of them looked more than one or two years old. It surprised me: I'd been expecting worse.
Carrie broke away from us and headed towards the other side of the car park.
'See you both later.'
I nodded goodbye. Aaron didn't say a word, just nodded with me.
The ground was wet with rain and sunlight glinted off the tarmac. My eyes were still half closed when we reached a blue, rusty, mud-covered Mazda pickup.
This is us.'
