Redemption by Jack Jordan

Author:Jack Jordan [Jordan, Jack]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-06-20T00:00:00+00:00

23

Evelyn

I head out of the car rental place in Hawthorne with the keys to a navy Buick. I’d chosen it after seeing a same-coloured Buick parked up across the street outside a diner, and as I cross the forecourt I’m glad to see it’s still there. If I’m going to switch the plates without being seen, I need to act fast.

I put my bags in the trunk, get behind the wheel, and cross the road towards the diner, parking in the space beside the second Buick.

There’ll be a paper trail between me and the rental. When the police find their colleague passed out in his own boot, they’ll come looking for me, and it’ll be this registration they’ll be keeping an eye out for. Switching it will buy me some time, keep me under the radar for a little while longer. The run-in with the cop has changed things: now I’ve not only got Tobias on my tail and Aaron on the run, but law enforcement will be hunting me down too. I need to get control of the situation, and fast.

I get out of the car, grabbing a screwdriver from the holdall and crouching down by the rear bumper to get to work.

After jogging through the desert beneath the afternoon sun, I’d stopped at a bar on the outskirts of town to wash away my sweat in the cramped bathroom and change into clothes that weren’t drenched. I’d run for so long that my thighs were chafed from the friction and the underwire of my bra had cut into me until it had drawn blood. My feet are nothing but blisters and welts now, stinging and weeping with each step.

After I’ve switched the plates, I head into the diner. It’s cramped and reeks of oil and fat from the fryers on the other side of the kitchen hatch. Most of the booths are empty but for a few truckers down the far end; a couple of lone men perch on stools at the counter, watching the old TV protruding from the wall.

I can’t remember the last time I ate. My stomach feels like it’s slowly gnawing away at itself, but I can’t imagine keeping anything down. Even if I could, I’d have to get it past my aching teeth.

I order a black coffee to go and drum my fingers on the counter. It’s more of a trick to keep myself focused rather than a sign of impatience. My attention drifts towards the television. The wildfires are getting worse.

Having started in Spring Valley and San Bernardino National Forest, the fires burned through the night with embers starting new blazes in Sequoia and Gold Point. Towns in the surrounding areas are being warned that they may have to evacuate due to drifting smoke and the risk of further spreading.

I’m just about to turn my attention away when the anchor cuts to the next story, about another fire in the desert. The shell of my burnt car fills the screen, still being devoured by flames.

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