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healthier. It would have been nice to write it all off as a dream, but he knew
he couldn't do that. He was nothing if not realistic. To run a nationwide
business you had to be. No, they hadn't dreamed any of it.
Perhaps the worst was behind them. Maybe Mouse's singing had frightened off
any other potential assailants. Or maybe Evil was hunting for them elsewhere.
Maybe even on another line of existence. Hadn't their passenger told them that
Chaos was bad at organized pursuit?
They passed another sign indicating they were coming up to Hades
Junction. It didn't matter whether it was the renamed, misplaced Baker or not
because he had no intention of stopping. Not until the sky was stained with
neon. Having filled the motor home's tanks at the threatening old man's
station, they could cruise straight in to Vegas without a break.
The desert sky was bright and reassuring. No fog, no rain clouds, no unnatural
dimness. It was ninety-five degrees outside, baking hot, and that was how it
ought to be.
So relaxed had he become, he didn't even get excited when the engine began to
cough and sputter and the big vehicle started to slow. Pumping the accelerator
only intensified the coughing from beneath the hood.
Alicia eyed him uneasily. "Frank?"
"Relax, sweetheart. Sounds like a clogged fuel line. Maybe the gas that old
fart sold us was as old as he was. It's starting to mix with the good stuff we
bought in Barstow. No big deal."
Of course, if they'd been close to empty when they had filled up at the
ancient station with bad gas, the motor home would have died a mile or two
east of it. Could that have been what the old man had had in mind all along
for them?
If so, he'd miscalculated. Frank had only stopped to add a few gallons to
tanks more than half full.
"Could be the filter, too," he said cheerfully. "Whichever, should take just a
minute or two to clean it out."
He carefully checked all three rearview mirrors, expecting the highway behind
them to be empty. It was actually more of a relief to see the big rig coming
up fast behind them. It rumbled past as he pulled off onto the shoulder. A
packed station wagon followed close on the heels of the truck.
Both were additional signs of normalcy.
He set the emergency brake, rose from his chair. "Have a cold drink or
something, darling. I'll have us back on the road in a jiff."
She was trying hard, he saw, not to panic. "All right, but don't take any
longer than you have to, Frank."
"Don't worry. I mean, it's hot outside, right?"
She moved to join him. "Would you like something cold when you finish?"
"Anything with ice and caffeine." He gave her a quick kiss and they exchanged
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ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
smiles. As he headed for the door she moved to the refrigerator.
The hot sun felt good on the back of his neck. Maybe, he mused as he
made his way around to the front of the vehicle, I shouldn't get on Steven's
case so much about all the junk he eats. He glanced in the direction of his
own inescapably mature gut. It wasn't that many years ago that he could still
see his belt. Now, even when he inhaled deeply, it was difficult to locate the
leather band that held up his pants. Whoever had made dining so enjoyable had
a lot to answer for.
Slipping his left hand under the Winnebago's hood, he flipped the security
latch and raised the metal cover. A single support rod held it in place. The
big engine smelled warm but not overly hot. Ignoring his suspicions for the
moment, he took the time to check the oil level, coolant overflow tank, even
the brake fluid. Only then did he hunt for the fuel filter. If it was just the
filter, they'd be back on the road in a couple of minutes. If he had to clean
out the line they might have a problem.
The little plastic cylinder looked like the carbon-loaded filters
Alicia used on the den aquarium. Using a pair of pliers he detached it from
the line, resisting the urge as he worked to look over his shoulder every
thirty seconds. But there was no elderly, grinning gas station attendant
hovering nearby ready to offer advice of an uncertain nature. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]