Desperate Measures

4

“Four hundred dollars?” Jill shook her head, skeptical.

“I know. I’m not crazy about it, either, but I think this is the best deal we’re going to get,” Pittman said. “Every other used car on the lot costs more than the cash we have.”

The car salesman, gangly, wearing a bow tie, watched with interest from the window of his office as Pittman and Jill circled the gray 1975 Plymouth Duster. The two-door sedan had what was once considered to be a sporty outline, but the rust on the rear fenders and the cracks in the vinyl top were evidence of the hard use that the vehicle had received.

“Then let’s forget about paying cash,” Jill said. “I’ll write him a check and get something decent.”

“Can’t.” Pittman recalled an interview he had once conducted with a private detective who was an expert in tracing fugitives. “An out-of-state check. The salesman will probably decide to call your bank to see if the check is good. The police will have put the bank on alert about reporting any attempt to get money from your account. My guess is that the grand counselors will have used their influence to get the same information. They would all know where to focus their search. It’s the same reason we can’t rent a car. To do that, we need to use your or my credit card. The moment either name is in the computer, we’re blown. The grand counselors would immediately figure out why we’re in Vermont. They’d have men waiting for us by the time we showed up at Grollier Academy.”

“Four hundred dollars.” Jill bleakly surveyed the rusted automobile.

“I know. It’s a fortune when the only money at our disposal is a thousand. But we don’t have an option. At least we bargained the salesman down from four hundred and fifty.”

“But can we be certain the car won’t break down when we drive it off the lot?”

“Well, the best thing I can tell you is, this car has a Chrysler slant-six engine. It’s almost indestructible.”

“I didn’t realize you knew about auto mechanics.”

“I don’t.”

“Then how-?”

“I once did a story about used-car lots and ways to tell if the buyer was getting cheated.”

“Remarkable. I’m beginning to realize you’re the sum of all the interviews you conducted.”

“Something like that.”

“And if we buy this heap, you think we’ll be getting a good deal?”

“Only if the salesman gives us a free tank of gas.”