Now he put on a hurt face. “Seriously?”

“Don’t take it personally, I just don’t like beards.”

He rubbed his stubbled jaw. “No?”

“They chafe my thighs.”

She quickly closed the door to hide an evil grin.

Let him take that to bed.

TUESDAY—MAY 16

HARI

“Do you feel as bad as you look?” Hari said as Donny dropped into the passenger seat.

She knew she probably didn’t look so hot either. She never slept well in a strange bed, and last night had been especially restless.

“Worse,” he mumbled. He looked around. “Hey, I don’t remember having an SUV yesterday.”

He looked different somehow…and then Hari realized he’d shaved his stubble.

Oh, no. Did he really think they might “hook up,” as he’d put it? She’d always hated that term.

She decided not to mention the facial hair. The truth was, part of her restlessness had involved wondering if she should have let him into her bed. She might have fifteen or so years on him, but they were both adults, far from home, as he’d said. Where was the harm?

The harm was in getting involved with a co-worker. Highly unprofessional. And, bottom line, Hari considered herself a professional.

And even if they weren’t co-workers, he didn’t recognize Deputy Dog or the B-52s.

Hey, Nineteen had started playing in her head again.

“I switched cars first thing this morning,” she said. “Deputy Dog—if he’s really a deputy at all—might remember our Taurus if he sees it again. Also, the Tahoe here has off-road capability.”

Donny didn’t seem to be listening. “Can we get some coffee?”

“You read my mind.”

Hari already had a couple of cups percolating through her system, but she could always do with more.

They stopped at the same strip mall as yesterday. Hari got four coffees at the espresso shop while Donny hit the Taco Bell for breakfast Crunchwraps, whatever those might be. Then on to the FedEx lot where they set up watch on the Sirocco building from the same spot as yesterday.

The Crunchwraps turned out to be delicious, but she’d barely finished hers before the trucks started rolling, each tractor hauling a new semi.

“Good thing we got here early,” Donny said.

Hari started the Tahoe and followed the third truck out of the industrial park.

“We’re not gonna wait for the whole convoy?” he said.

Hari shook her head. “I’m operating on the assumption they’re going back to Norum Hill. We’re going to get there way ahead of them, even before Deputy Dog arrives. He can’t keep us off the mountain if we’re already there.”

“Yeah, but he can kick us off when he finds us.”

“Not if he doesn’t know we’re there.”

“I sense that someone has a plan.”

“You sense correctly. Let’s just hope it works.”

She stayed with the convoy until it reached 787, then passed the leaders and raced north to Route 2 where she pushed her speed as much as she dared until they reached Norum Hill. No sign of a sheriff’s unit as they wound their way to the top.