The next morning, I rent a car.
Even though I told her she didnโt have to, Wendy gave me the cash value of the rental, but Iโll be using my credit card to rent the car. I donโt want this rental to be connected to her in any way.
Of course, thereโs a reasonable chance that Douglas Garrick will suspect that I have something to do with his wifeโs disappearance. But I will never, ever give her away. Even if he tortures me, which I honestly wouldnโt put past him. A man who could do that to his wifeโs face is capable of anything. โHello, welcome to Happy Car Rental,โ a girl at the front desk chirps,
who doesnโt look old enough to rent a car herself. โHow can I help you?โ
โI reserved a gray Ford Focus,โ I tell her. โI put in the reservation online.โ
The girl types my information into the computer while I drum my fingers on the desk. As I stand at the counter, I canโt help but notice a prickly feeling in the back of my neck. Like somebodyโs watching me. Again.
I turn around. The store front of the rental car place is all picture windows from ground to ceiling, so somebody could easily be looking in. I almost expect to see a man with his face pressed against the glass, staring at me. But thereโs nobody.
I shiver involuntarily. According to Mrs. Randall, Xavier Marin is in jail. No bail, she told meโsheโs evicted him. So why do I still get the sensation like somebodyโs watching me? And this isnโt the first time. I have felt this way at least half a dozen times since Xavier was arrested.
The truth is, I donโt know who has been watching me all this time. What if it really is Douglas Garrick who has been following me around town? It doesnโt quite make sense, because I felt these eyes behind me even before I started working for him. But I canโt discount the possibility. Heโs the one I saw when I was at that outdoor restaurant.
What if Douglas knows exactly what weโre up to? What if heโs out there,ย watching?
โSo Iโve got your car,โ the girl says. โItโs the red Hyundai.โ
โNo,โ I say impatiently. โI put in a reservation for a gray Ford Focus.โ Being anonymous and not drawing attention to ourselves is key. I learned that from Enzo.
โI donโt know what to tell you. It says red Hyundai here. We donโt have a gray Ford Focus in our inventory right now.โ
โThis is unbelievable. I put in a reservation, and you donโt even have the thing I reserved?โ
She shrugs helplessly. This isnโt even the first time this has happened to me. What is the point of placing a reservation if they just give away the thing you reserved? โI donโt want a red car,โ I say tightly. โHow about a gray Hyundai?โ
She shakes her head. โWeโre low on sedans. I can rent you a gray Honda CRV.โ
I spend a moment debating whether an SUV would stand out more than a red sedan. Finally, I agree to the red Hyundai. Truthfully, I just want to get out of here. The purpose of this trip is to get Wendy out of town, but I donโt think it would be so bad getting out of town myself.