For Christmas several decades ago, I’d bought my parents a clunky computer and set them up online. I wanted to be able to stay in contact with them wherever I was in the world. It worked out perfectly. I was able to maintain contact throughout all my tours and my mother became a champion Lexulous player. I have been paying for it ever since, literally, and it remains among the best investments I’ve ever made. After my father died in 2014, I refused to cancel his account. That seemed just too final for me. Instead I kept him alive in cyberspace. When I realized the marshals would be tracking my account, to avoid detection I had Cher log on to the net using my father’s account. I had no trouble remembering his password, because it was what he had always called me. Ironically, it was Sonny.

Cher took advantage of Sonny, providing all the necessary background information I needed. I got the details about the crossing points, what to expect at customs, anticipated traffic and wait times, currency restrictions, and local trivia. For example, seven people have gone over Horseshoe Falls (one of the three falls and the only one belonging to Canada!) in a barrel. Four of them lived, three died.

There were four bridges between the United States and Canada. The Lewiston-Queenston Bridge was three miles north of Niagara Falls. The Whirlpool Rapids Bridge probably was the quickest to get across, but using it required a NEXUS card; so it was mostly for residents commuting back and forth. My Homeland Security badge (Thank you, Dickie) might work, but I wasn’t sure it was a chance worth taking. The Rainbow Bridge was limited to noncommercial traffic and permitted pedestrians to walk across, while the main highway, I-190, led directly to the Peace Bridge.

Corbin had been quiet for quite a while. His head was pushed back against the headrest, his eyes were closed, and he had an amused smile on his face. “What’s so funny?”

He opened his eyes and looked at me. “I’m listening to what she’s saying and I’m wondering how you think you’re going to get across the border. By now it’s crawling with cops.”

I agreed, “I was just thinking that myself.” I smiled at him. “That’s when I started wondering if you can float.”

His smile disappeared.

I checked my mirror. Laura was right there, right in position where she was supposed to be. I wondered what was going on in her mind. At this point any woman not shaking in her ’Boutins would have to be a little crazy. She was doing an amazing job. When we met, she was a well-meaning supporting stage witch, and in only a few hours she’d become an accomplice in the kidnapping of two federal agents and stuck a loaded gun up a federal agent’s behind. She was currently driving a stolen government vehicle assisting a wanted fugitive attempting to escape to a foreign country with evidence that might overthrow a president.