MacArthur's Freehold

Chapter 4

Chapter 4 -- WGKNYZYMSVZNRDOV

"I got everything you should need for a few days" Jessica said as they reentered the freeway. "As soon as we're clear of the city we'll stop at one of those truck stop places that has a motel and restaurant. You can finish cleaning up, get some food and sleep. Hopefully by tomorrow your past experiences will begin to fade."

Carter looked over at her. She was a careful and attentive driver, seldom looking at anything other than the road and the mirror, and occasionally over at the other lanes beside the car. He was already beginning to sense that she was not quite like most women he had been around.

"OK if I ask some questions?" he asked.

Jessica gave him just a quick glance.

"Sure."

"I knew Tommy for a while and we talked, but mostly about our past lives. He never said anything about this, except for a hint when he visited the last time. Where do you fit in?"

"I'll explain more later, but for now just say that Tommy and I are both part of an operation you are likely to have some interest in. We're on our way to, I guess, our base of operations. It's somewhat complicated, so it may take a while.

"There are some more people you'll meet later. For now I'm just here to get you to your destination."

Carter looked at the signs along the highway, mostly indicators locations of fuel, food, and lodging. Before long Tommy signaled a turn, and they exited the freeway near what looked like a sizable collection of these facilities.

They followed Tommy to a relatively new-looking motel and parked. The parking log was not yet crowded - that usually would be the case in a couple of hours as more travellers stopped for the night.

There were some large fuel stations with accommodations for large trucks, several fast food restaurants, and a reasonably attractive restaurant next door to the motel.

"This is a good place to stay." said Jessica. "We always look for a big place like this, with a fairly new motel. Let's get checked in."

Inside Jessica got them three rooms and they went to get their luggage. Jessica and Tommy got theirs from the trunk and Carter brought in the shopping bags with his clothes.

"We'll wait while you get cleaned up and changed." Jessica said. "There's no need to hurry."

In his room, Carter dropped the bags on the bed and stood, silently, in the quiet room, experiencing solitude, if only for a while, for the first time in years. He walked into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Having for so long had nothing more than a small mirror for shaving, he found a complete image of himself unfamiliar, as if he were looking at a stranger.

In a way, he thought, I am a stranger. To myself and to the world. If Tommy hadn't showed up, I would have had no idea what to do, where to go.

But he did show up, and he apparently has some sort of plan that involves me, he thought. Since there is in any case nothing else to do, I might as well get on with it.

Jessica had brought the necessary toiletries for him to shave and brush his teeth, which he immediately began to do. Each stroke of the razor, the toothbrush, removed a little of the prison residue. A shower and fresh clothes completed the process. As he tossed the prison clothing into a corner of the closet for the motel staff to clean up, then washed his hands again, he felt for the first time as if there was hope.

Leaving his room he knocked on Jessica's door. When he entered he saw Tommy was there as well.

"Ready?" Tommy asked.