He headed back, sticking his head into the shack to make sure Katie was still OK, and then repeated the procedure by following the backup escape path to the other road, which ran perpendicular to the first and showed the same tendencies.
Next he checked the car, finding he’d been correct the night before. It was a Chevy Malibu coupe, probably a 1973. It was a hideous metallic green color, but when he popped the hood he saw the small-block 350 engine in very good shape. It would probably punch out a lot of horsepower. Although he hoped tonight’s escape required more stealth than speed, knowing that pressing his right foot down would push the speedometer to triple-digits in short order was reassuring. The tank was nearly full, meaning he could get far before stopping. He closed it up and went back inside.
Katie sat on the cot, staring blankly at the television, and looked up when Carson entered. “What’s up?”
Carson shook his jacket out and hung it from the doorknob. “Well, there’s no one around. That’s good. They probably figure I’m not going to do anything stupid, so they’re not watching us, at least not as far as I can tell. I figure we’re only a couple miles from the Maryland state line, so we get out of here, bang west, and just go. Once we reach a road I recognize, we can really navigate and make decisions. I figure we get to a city, like D.C. or Baltimore – it’s a lot easier to hide out among millions of people. We have to make one stop to buy a bolt-cutter – you can’t exactly be inconspicuous in hand- and ankle-cuffs – and then I drop you off at the police.”
“And then what?”
“I’ll contact the police as soon as I feel secure and tell them everything I know about Chops and his team so they can go after them. I think it’ll be enough to catch them. They’re probably going to have to involve the FBI because this whole deal crosses state lines, but whatever. The cops will pursue them and they won’t even think about coming after you ever again, so you’ll be out of this mess and you can get back to your life, whether it’s here, Vermont, Guam, or the South Pole.”
Katie looked a little troubled by all this. “And you’ll what – disappear?”
“Yeah. I know how to do covert, and I’ll just start over somewhere else and try to make better decisions. So, remember, you got released by some guy who had a change of heart. You never saw his face, you don’t know a thing about any of them, and as far as you and I were concerned, the last time you talked to me was when I called you to go to my sister’s. Got it?”
She considered all he said and then nodded. “You know, I was able to tell when you were lying in the past, but I didn’t for a second think you were lying to me about that. I just trusted you,” she told him, her voice filled with accusation and regret.
Carson blew out his breath. It was his go-to tic when he was edgy, and he seemed to be doing that non-stop. “Yeah, I didn’t like it when I did it, and I’m going to stop doing that wherever I end up.”
“Why don’t you just talk to the police? Tell them what happened. You’ve got like 16 years of very important military service – they’ll give you a break,” Katie protested. “Especially if you can help them catch the real kidnappers.”
“Or maybe they won’t. I am one of the real kidnappers, at least as far as they’ll care. Maybe they’ll consider me a dangerous felon and give me 20 years.” Carson didn’t say it like it was a possibility. Perhaps he was being pessimistic, but he just couldn’t see a prosecutor letting him off the hook so easily.
“Well, if you run, they’re not going to be lenient at all,” Katie told him. “And maybe local cops or even state troopers won’t be able to find you, but if the FBI gets involved, do you think you can outwit them all? You’ll be running for the rest of your life. What kind of life is that?”
“The kind I deserve for the stupid shit I’ve done!” Carson snapped back. “Plus, I thought you wanted me out of your hair, and I can’t say I blame you. Why do you care if I end up working at a 7-11 in Dubuque, Iowa as Ted Smith?”
Katie squirmed, making Carson think she was searching for the right words. Stupid. They’d agreed to stay on the business of getting away, but they were drifting off topic. He wanted her to concentrate, to get back to what they should be worrying about.
“I just think you made a mistake, that’s all,” she finally said, “and the only way you can make things right is to admit what you did, offer your information, and then hope for the best. You’re not a bad person. You’re someone who fucked up and deserves a chance to redeem himself.”
Carson pulled a frown. “The best way I know how to redeem myself is to get you to a safe place and then – well, I’m not sure what comes next.” He shook his head, angry for having gotten pulled into such a pointless argument. “Look, this is all well and good, but it’s not getting us anywhere, OK? So drop it.”
“I don’t want to drop it!” Carson was surprised at just how loud such a petite woman could be, and he cringed imagining her voice carrying beyond these crumbling walls to lurking ears.
“Would you shut the hell up?” he hissed. “I don’t know who might be out there. In case you forgot, you’re supposed to have that hood and gag on!”
“I don’t care!” Katie lowered her voice
