Chapter 9

On the way home I made a couple of stops. First, I picked up some red hair dye. Next, I stopped at a used car lot where I was known. I sold my car. I asked them to hold it for a few minutes and I would be back to get my things out of it. They said it was no problem.

There was a car rental place just down the street. I walked down and rented a good sized van for one week. I told them I would drop it at their dealer in another town. That would be fine. I put it on my credit card so I didn't have to sign anything when I dropped it off. I could just park it and go.

I returned to the car lot and picked up my personal things. I hated to let that car go. It held a lot of memories.

I stopped by my bank and deposited the check from the sale of the company. I was lucky they stayed open late and just made it before closing.

My last stop was to pick up some boxes to pack what I was taking with me from the house. I didn't need many.

When I got home, I found a note from Mother telling me she had picked up all of Ginger's things. If I found anything they had missed I was to leave them on the couch in the living room and they would get them later.

I needed to get that picture to Stew as soon as possible, so I went in and stripped. I took the dye into the bathroom and dyed my hair red. After I showered, I dressed in sweat pants and a fairly plain sport shirt. I dug around in my dresser and found the blue contacts I had used when I was undercover on a case a while back. After putting them in, I looked at myself in the mirror and was satisfied I didn't look like me.

I set up my digital camera with the remote and took my picture standing in front of a blank wall. I took off the shirt, removed the contacts, and put on a tee shirt. I took the camera out to the computer and downloaded the picture. I Photoshopped it so it looked like the ones they do at the motor vehicle department and then sent it to Stew.

I got myself a big mug of coffee and sat back down at the computer. I pulled up the file on Rose's case and wrote up a detailed report of everything I had done or had ordered done. When I finished I sent it to Beth. I then copied all my files that related to the company and sent the whole thing to Amber.

Next, I sent an e-mail to Dale Paulson telling him the case was closed as far as I was concerned. I indicated that I was leaving town and any further contact should be made with Beth Cantrell at the office. I told him I wished Rose the very best and hoped Dr. Webber would be able to help her.

The computer and all the peripherals belonged to the company and would be picked up the next day. I had a very powerful laptop of my own, so I got that and moved all my files to it. When that was done, I ran the special wipe program that the Geek had given me a while back. With the computer clean, I hooked up my laptop so I could access the internet.

Several years before, I had opened a private bank account offshore for a case. I never closed it, just in case I needed it again. It was not connected to the company in any way. I accessed my local bank account and transferred a large part of my funds to the offshore account. I left more than enough to cover the other things I needed to do. The account would remain open for now so Asherton could make deposits if he needed to.

I had several credit cards. I accessed each account online and paid them all off and closed them, except the one I was using for the van. I would close that one after the rental charges were posted.

I jumped when the phone rang. It was Dale Paulson.

"Hi, Dale. What can I do for you?"

"Dr. Webber brought Rose home, and they told us everything. The doctor has promised to keep seeing Rose as long as she feels the need. I think Rose will be okay. We owe you a lot, Sam. We have the funds, so please send us a bill and we'll gladly pay what ever you think is right. You gave us our daughter back and that's priceless."

"I'm no longer with the company, Dale. I suggest you call and speak to Grace about what you think you should pay."

"But, what about you, Sam. Where are you going? Can Rose call you if she needs to? Is there anything we can do for you?"

"I'm fine, Dale. I'm leaving town and will not be reachable. In case Rose thinks she was in some way responsible for my leaving, please make it clear it had nothing to do with her. Please give her my love."

"Okay, Sam. Thanks again."

We ended the call, and I went back to my chores. That meant packing. I went through each room and packed what I wanted in one box and what belonged to the company in another. Everything else I left where it was. Mother could have the extra household items. As I filled a box, I marked it and set it next to the front door.

After a couple of hours, I took a break and checked my e-mail. There was one from Dr. Webber. She agreed to handle things as I had asked and quoted a retainer. She also attached a letter of understanding, which she had signed. There was a place for me to sign as well. I sent a reply saying that I would sign the letter and send it, with a check for the amount she quoted, tomorrow. I printed out the letter and signed it. I wrote a check for her and sealed them in an envelope. I decided not to wait for tomorrow and called a courier service for a pick up. When they arrived I gave them the envelope with the Doctor's office address on it and asked it be delivered the next day. I paid the courier and was satisfied that I was done with that.

In order to save time the next day and make more room, I loaded the boxes I was taking with me into the van. I made another run through each room and found a couple of items I had missed. I put them with my clothes and started packing my clothes and personal items that I would not need while I traveled. I put my luggage in the van and sat down for a rest. I reviewed what I had done and what I wanted to do the next day.

There was one thing I had left out. The new car, or I should say, the replacement car I was going to buy in the town where I dropped off the rental. I would not have credit in my new identity, nor would I have a bank account in that name. How was I going to pay for a vehicle under those circumstances? I decided to use the internet to do a little research.

I knew I wanted a van about like the one I had rented. Maybe not as new, but running good. I checked out several car dealer sites to see what was available and for how much. I found a dealer in the town where I would be making the purchase who had a web site. He had two vans that looked to be what I wanted. I thought the price was within reason, so I made a note of the address and amount he was asking. That meant two more stops at banks after I met with Stew. My plan was to withdraw a few thousand more than the asking price from my current account, then go to another bank and purchase a certified check for that amount with my new identity. That should cover my purchase. If the check was too much and they didn't want to give me the change, I'd load up on extras.

I was ready for bed. I'd left out the bedding and my clothes for the next day, along with a laundry bag for what I was wearing. I also left out a wool watch cap to wear when the Geek or whoever he sent, came by in the morning. I didn't want my hair seen by anyone yet.

I turned everything off and locked everything up, then went to bed. I didn't sleep well. The bed felt empty, and I hated being alone. I missed her so much.

I was up early, and since I'd packed a lot of my kitchen supplies, I got dressed and went out for breakfast. I wore my cap so nobody would see the new hair.

As I was driving back to the house, I saw a utility company truck and it reminded me I hadn't done anything about that or my mail. I could handle the utilities online, so I would let Mother have a few days to decide what she wanted to do with the house before I had them shut off. I would then pay them as I always had, online.

The mail was a different matter. I gave it some thought and decided to put in a change of address with a forward to Asherton at the office. He could screen it, and if there was anything important he could handle it as my lawyer. When I got to the house I e-mailed him with my plan so he would know what I was doing.

I was getting impatient. I wanted to get my errands run and get on the road. If I managed to get started by early afternoon, I could probably make it to the first stop on my trip by evening. I'd rent a room at a motel and get the van deal taken care of the next day. In a day and a half I would be on my way to wherever I was going to start my new life. All I had to do was decide where that was going to be. With all the planning I had done, I hadn't really decided where I was going. I was just going to head toward the northwest and see if some place caught my eye as I traveled.

It was still fairly early when the Geek showed up with a van from the office. I helped him load everything and told him I was sure it was all there. I had checked the list he gave me as I was packing.

"I'm sure it is, Sam. I'll check it all in and clear the record. Before I go, there is one thing more. You know I have worldwide connections. I can and do communicate with folks all over the world. I want you to know that if you ever need anything, anything at all, you can e-mail me at this address, and I'll handle it." He handed me a card with his name and an e-mail address on it.

"Thanks, Walter. I doubt if you will ever hear from me again but it is nice of you to give me a way to get help if I need it."

We shook hands and he left.

It was about time to leave. I sat down and wrote a note to Mother.

Mother,

Here are the keys to the house. I'll leave the utilities on for the rest of the month so you have time to decide what to do and also time to get the things I left in the fridge. I'll pay the final bill on line when I put in the stop order on the first of the month. You'll need to go down and arrange for the change that day or soon after.

I've left a few things I don't need as well as some food items. It's all yours now.

Thank you for all you have done.

Tell her I love her.

Sam

I addressed an envelope to her and put the note in it along with the keys to the house. I'd use the courier service again to get it to her.

I made one more inspection of all the rooms and took my last bag out with me as I closed and locked the door. I didn't look back as I got in the van and drove away.

The first stop was the Post Office for the change of address. Next was the courier service, then it was late enough for the banks.

My bank was a little hesitant to give me the amount of cash I wanted, but a talk with the manager about my years of being a customer and the company accounts that I had opened convinced him I should get what I wanted.

The second bank was no problem since they were getting cash in return for the certified check made out to bearer. I was warned to be very careful, as anyone could cash it.

It was still too early for my lunch date, so I went to Wal-Mart and bought a small cooler that would hold some drinks and snacks for the road. It was a Super Wal-Mart, so I was able to get some sodas and sandwich makings along with ice. I put it all in the van and sat there in the parking lot, going over all my preparations. I couldn't think of anything else I needed to do.

I drove around a while looking at places that meant something to me. I went past the High School to see what was going on. It looked normal. I guess if there was still anything going on it was inside behind closed doors. It was still a little early, but I decided to go to Mason's and have an early lunch. I didn't think they'd mind if I took a while to eat. At least not unless they were busy. They weren't. I ordered a nice lunch and took my time eating and drinking my coffee.