Chapter 31

Rural Michigan

“I don’t know how you do this,” Yoko whined as she adjusted herself for the umpteenth time. “It’s not that this fine seat isn’t comfortable, but sitting for such a long time and dealing with all these distracted drivers . . . I swear, I think I’d ram them off the road. You have the patience of a saint when you’re driving, that’s for sure!”

“Put a lid on it, would you?” Kathryn joked. “I’m immune to it. After all these years hauling cross-country, you get to know the roads, for sure. Surprisingly, you get to know a lot of people, too. There are thousands of drivers like me. Well, not exactly like me.” She laughed. “We have a network and keep each other apprised of any situations. As soon as I hit the road, I call in to anyone who is on the same route. We look out for each other . . .” Her voice trailed off. “Except for that one time.”

“I really admire your grit. I don’t know if I could ever get back behind a wheel after what happened to you,” Yoko said with compassion.

“It somehow, in some weird way, keeps me connected to Alan.” Kathryn sighed, remembering her husband, who had died, and trying not to remember how she was brutally raped as he was forced to watch from his wheelchair.

Noticing the expression turning dark on Kathryn’s face, Yoko asked, “So you never wanted to go back into engineering?”

Kathryn slapped the dashboard of the eighteen-wheeler. “This is all the engine I need!”

Both laughed. The mood was lifted. They were on a mission.

Yoko pulled out the road atlas. They did not want any electronic trail on the GPS. “According to this, the property is about thirty miles northeast of where you make your delivery.”

“We should be arriving at the drop-off in about half an hour. I’m leaving the rig at the truck stop and borrowing a car. This big thing may be too obvious. We’ll stop for lunch, then head in that direction.” Kathryn shifted gears and pulled into the passing lane on the interstate. “I swear, drivers get worse every year,” she mumbled as she cranked up Donna Summer’s “She Works Hard for the Money” on the radio. They both sang along at the top of their lungs.

When the song was over, they burst into laughter. “I can’t remember the last time I did that,” Yoko exclaimed. “That felt really good!”

“Another reason I like hitting the road.” Kathryn moved back into the right lane. “I can sing whatever I want, as loud as I want, and there’s nobody around to tell me to shut up!”

“You must get some crazy looks,” Yoko replied.

“That ain’t all!” Kathryn howled.