The Protector

2

Cavanaugh woke to the rhythm of the car. As headlights flashed past, he found himself lying on the backseat on a blanket, one of the items that Jamie had bought from Wal-Mart. Then he was alert enough to see the imitation sheepskin covers on the front and rear seats, which Jamie had bought from Wal-Mart as well and which concealed the bloodstains he'd left. The car was brand-new, but already it was on its way to being trashed. Somehow he found that amusing.

"Where are we?" he murmured.

"I thought I heard you moving back there. We're south of Poughkeepsie. Did you sleep okay?"

"Yes." He slowly sat up. The headlights passing on the opposite side of the highway hurt his eyes.

"How's the shoulder?"

"Stiff. I passed out?"

"You passed out."

"And you said I was tough."

"Are you thirsty? The bottles of water are on the floor back there."

Cavanaugh peered down and saw them in the shadows. He opened one.

"Hungry?" Jamie asked.

"For a thin woman, you sure think a lot about food."

"Just for that, you can't have any doughnuts."

"Doughnuts?"

"Chocolate-covered. You can't expect me to drive all night without something to eat to keep me awake."

"What time is it?"

"Around one."

"Did you have any trouble cleaning the motel room?"

"Nope. I did what you told me and put all the bloody towels and clothes into the garbage bags I got from Wal-Mart. I threw the bags in a Dumpster at a construction site. The towels don't have the motel's name on them, so nobody can trace them to us."

"Fingerprints?"

"I wiped the room clean and left the key, along with a tip. Just the way you told me."

Cavanaugh studied the sporadic traffic. "Tired?"

"Getting there."

"Find a place where we can switch places. I'll drive for a while."

"Are you able to?"

"I can steer with my right arm. Once we get into New Jersey, we'll find another motel."

"And then?"

"As soon as I get organized, I'm going after Prescott."