I believed her.”

“So you started driving to the hotel, but wound up in the van?”

“Yeah.”

“How’d that happen?”

“We got kidnapped.”

Jimmy’s eyes grow wide. “Holy shit! Wait. You swear this is true?”

“Swear to God.”

“How’d someone kidnap you while you were driving?”

“Sadie didn’t know it, but someone had put cameras in her car. While I’m driving her to the hotel this guy started talking to us through a speaker. Said he’d kill us if we didn’t do what he said.”

Jimmy frowns. “C’mon, Mike. Talking cars? Cameras?”

“It’s true!” Mike says. “I nearly shit my pants.” He notes the skeptical look on Jimmy’s face and says, “You know those TV shows where they rig cars with hidden cameras and wait till crooks steal them?”

“Like Dateline, or whatever?”

“You’ve seen that, right? The kids jack the car, start driving, suddenly the sound comes on and the TV guy starts talking to them? They can even shut the cars down remotely.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen those shows. So who was the guy?”

 

 

 

4.


 

MIKE LOOKS AROUND, lowers his voice. “I assume he was one of the terrorists. He told us to drive to a certain place, park the car, and a blue van would pick us up.”

“You saw them? The terrorists?”

“Just the one in the van.”

Jimmy’s eyes grow wide. “You can identify him?”

“I should damn-well hope so. I was with him the better part of an hour.”

“Wait. Is that why you abandoned your car?”

Mike nods. “Took me days to hitchhike here.”

“No fuckin’ way!”

“It’s true.”

“No. I mean, no fuckin’ way are you staying at my place.”

“Two days is all I need,” Mike says. “There’s no way they can find me in two days.”

“Sorry.”

“How about one night? C’mon, Jimmy. I’m in a bind.”

“Out of the question.” He looks around the room carefully, seeking terrorists. “I shouldn’t even be here with you.”

“There’s nothing to worry about. If I thought there was, I sure as shit wouldn’t be here myself. First of all, the terrorist is dead. I doubt anyone even knows I was in the van that night.”

“I’m not stupid, Mike.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your life’s in danger. You left town, showed up on my doorstep. You may not be worried about the terrorist that’s dead, but you’re sure as hell worried about the one you talked to in the car, on the speaker.”

Mike says, “Wouldn’t you be?”

“Of course. I’m even scared for myself, just being in public with you.”

“Then imagine how I feel! Let me stay the night, Jimmy. Just tonight. I’ll leave first thing in the morning, and you’ll never have to see me again.”

“If it was just me, it’d be different. Maybe. But I can’t put Millie in danger.”

“She doesn’t have to know.”

“Yeah, Mike, she does. I’m sorry.”

They’re quiet till Jimmy says, “You saw the bomb?”

“Yeah. At the time it didn’t register.