Jackknife 18
Chapter 18 Change of Plans
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Cray trekked through the parking lot in the dark. The ground was slippery, the air drier and colder. It was very still. The calm before the storm feel.
Rick’s truck was parked diametrically opposed to where Rhea sat. Same thinking, opposite directions. The fog was so thick still be couldn’t make it out until he was right up upon it. It had the same profile, bore the same markings, but something was off.
Cray climbed into the cab and pulled the door closed. The difference was stark. Rick’s rig was an older model with a face job. It felt thin and tinny where Rhea was solid and insulated. He touched the wheel and gearshift. She was a manual. Rick’s estimation went up a couple ticks in Cray’s book.
He exited the cab and went to the back trailer. It had a standard lock set up. Cray went through Rick’s keys but couldn’t find a match. No more leads here.
The inspection suggested Rick was a decoy, but was inconclusive. It left only two options to Cray’s plans. Drop it it entirely or drive it south and leave it parked somewhere interested parties would notice. Armed with Rick’s corporate credit card, he could rent transportation back to send a misdirecting message to Silver Label, putting Rick on the scene, all in one fell swoop.
Cray wasn’t sure in his mind even as his body finished the walk down, got in the cab and fired her up. I can’t believe I’m doing this, he thought as his hands grasped the wheel and gearshift again. Hope I’m back in time to use the diner.
The going was slow as expected. There was no traffic to speak of leaving Cray’s only worry that the state police would have checkpoints up to tell stupid people not drive in this weather. The only thing going for him was he was pointed south, away from where the weather was the worst.
His luck held out for more miles than he could have reasonably hoped for. There were multiple checkpoints on the opposite side for vehicles heading north, but he hit a checkpoint in the end.
The officer had the look of being on duty in the cold, asking the same questions and fielding the same answers, for too long at a stretch. They went through the preliminaries, paperwork and small talk, with Cray on pins and needles because he was trying to pass using Rick’s paperwork. If he got too nervous the police would suspect amphetamine use and from there things would go downhill.
“Bad night to be out in it.”
“Yeah, going north earlier was a mistake. Now I just want to get south of it.”
“Things don’t get better soon south either I’m afraid. There’s a rest area a few miles south that can handle double trailers. I recommend using it.”
“Thank you officer.”
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