Chapter 13

“I’m here Mom,” Tara said as she walked into the room.

She was dressed in a simple pink sweater, pleated navy skirt which stopped at the top of her knees, and sensible but dressy navy shoes. Her hair was pulled back in a large silver clasp at the back of her head. The overall impression was tasteful and beautiful. She would have looked right at home in a glamour magazine spread about casual office fashion. She went and kissed her Mom on the cheek, then came over to me and hugged me tightly, kissing me on both cheeks.

“Good morning, er, afternoon, Seth. My, don’t you look great today!”

At that point, Mr. Hawthorne strode into the room and gave his wife a quick, yet heartfelt peck on the lips. He then turned to Tara.

“I’m so glad you’re home, Sweetie,” he said as he hugged her. Then he came over to me and shook my hand warmly.

“Hello, Seth. I’m glad to see you looking more rested. I see that Lawrence’s skill with clothing is as strong as ever. You look like a man who could set any woman’s heart ablaze and who could easily win the respect of any man. I must say, young man, that you have already won my respect. You do realize that the clothes Lawrence brought you this morning are our gift to you, the first of many ways that my wife and I hope to demonstrate our gratitude to you.”

“Thank you, sir,” I said. “But I want you to realize that your daughter here was, in many important ways, more instrumental in saving our lives than I was.”

“Son,” Mr. Hawthorne said, “your modesty is refreshing, but never make the mistake of selling yourself short. Modesty is an important trait, but one should take credit when it’s due. Have a seat, everyone. Let’s have lunch.”

A young woman brought us soup, salad, entree, coffee, and a light desert in perfectly timed succession. Our conversation during lunch was light, almost superficial, with Tara’s Dad grilling me on my preference in sports teams, and his wife asking Tara about her classes and exams. After the table had been cleared, Mr. Hawthorne got down to business.

“I’ve been busy on the phone this morning,” Mr. Hawthorne said. “Let me tell you what I’ve learned and what I’ve accomplished so far.

“First, the vehicle you drove to the warehouse this morning no longer exists. All identifying paperwork and personal belongings of the owner were removed and destroyed. The vehicle itself was crushed and is, by now, in the blast furnace of a scrap metal recycler I know of. That was accomplished discretely by someone who owed me a favor. He is reliable, trustworthy, to me at least, and knows that I can and will cause him to be permanently silenced with one phone call if he has been at all careless.

“Second, the weather has cleared completely along the route you took from the university to here. I know of someone who was able to trace the route by helicopter. Although the road through the forested area where your vehicles are has not yet been cleared, he has made arrangements to have both your cars flat-bedded here at the first opportunity. He located the remains of the cabin. It was virtually destroyed in the fire. There is, at this time, no evidence that anyone has been to the scene to investigate the fire, and in fact, no one in the area seems to have noticed it.