But that, he reminded himself, was a fairy story.
10
The attendant looked to be just out of high school, and trying to come to terms with the prospect of spending the rest of his life on the outskirts of Morrison, Illinois. He had earbuds and looked like an intern with a stethoscope, but Keller could see the iPod in the bib pocket of his overalls, and whatever he was listening to was evidently more interesting than Keller.
Hed lowered the sun visor and positioned it to block the upper half of the side window, which gave the kid less of a view of his face. He asked for forty dollars worth of regular; hed have just as soon filled the tank to the brim, but didnt want to have to wait for change. The kid got things going, then came back to ask him if he wanted the oil checked. Keller told him not to bother.
I had one just like that, the kid said. That lil bucket? With the yellow puppy dogs on it? For the beach, you know?
My kids crazy about it, Keller said.
Wonder what ever became of it, the kid said. He went away, and the next thing Keller knew he was wiping the windshield and making a surprisingly thorough job of it. Keller wanted to tell him to skip that, too, but then the boy would have to wonder what Keller was doing in the full-service section if he didnt want any service. He let him continue, and studied the road map, shielding his face with it.
He wiped the rear window, too, and when hed finished he came over to the drivers side and Keller handed him a pair of twenties. He thought of offering him a third twenty for his cap, which said OshKosh BGosh in flowing script that matched the logo on his overalls.
Yeah, right. Or maybe he could trade him the beach bucket for it. A good way to avoid attracting attention.
Hed have welcomed the chance to pick up a few things in the stations convenience store. Or use the mens room. But he had the tank filled, or mostly filled, and that was going to have to be good enough for now.
He kept going eastbound on Route 30,
holding the car to fifty-five miles an hour on the stretches of open road, and slowing to the posted speed limit whenever he came to a town. Right after he crossed I-39 he spotted a Burger King with a drive-up window, and he ordered enough burgers and fries and shakes for a whole family. He didnt get a look at the server, and didnt think anyone could have gotten a look at him, and in no time at all he was back on the road.
The next town he came to was called Shabbona, but before he got to it he saw signs for Shabbona State Park, and there he was able to eat at a picnic table and use a restroom, all without encountering another human being.
There was a pay phone, and he was tempted.
According to the radio news, his license plate switch had been successful; the prevailing opinion was that Holden Blankenship had somehow managed to board a plane at Des Moines International Airport. Predictably, there had been sightings. A woman whod flown from Des Moines to Kansas City was certain shed spotted Blankenship in the flight lounge adjoining hers, waiting for a Continental departure to Los Angeles. Shed been this close to saying something to somebody, shed told reporters, but they were boarding her flight and she was anxious to get home.
Other helpful citizens reported catching glimpses of the elusive assassin in locales ranging from small towns in Iowa to large cities on both coasts. A man in Klamath Falls, Oregon, swore hed seen Blankenship or his twin brother standing in front of that citys Greyhound bus terminal, dressed like a cowboy and twirling a lariat, with a six-shooter on each hip. Keller had never dressed like a cowboy or twirled a lariat, nor could he recall a visit to Klamath Falls. But he had been in Roseburg, Oregon, and remembered it well. It seemed to him that Roseburg wasnt all that far from Klamath Falls, and he had a map of Oregon in his door pocket, and was reaching for it to check the precise location of Klamath Falls when he reminded himself that he really didnt care where the town was. He wasnt going there, after all, wasnt even heading in that direction, so the hell with it.
Suppose he used the phone. He couldnt call Dots cell phone, which he presumed had received much the same treatment hed given his. But he could call her land line.
To what purpose? She wouldnt be there. Al might or might not know Kellers real name, and where he lived, but he knew Dots phone number. Hed called it a couple of times. And he knew her address, having sent FedEx parcels to it, some of them containing cash.
And Dot would know that he knew, and act accordingly. Ditch. The. Phone. Repeat. Ditch. The. Damn. Phone. She wouldnt have sent that message if she hadnt had a good read on the situation, and in that case shed know what she had to do, which was Get Out of Dodge.
So if he called her, no one would answer. Unless the cops were there, or Als people. If the cops were on the scene, and he called, they might be able to trace it. Als minions probably couldnt, but he didnt want to talk to them any more than he wanted to talk to the cops, so what was the point of calling?