“There were two loaves of peach bread.”
“You ate the whole loaf?”
“I was hungry.”
A rare event becoming more common.
Luca twisted his mouth up. “Why are you grinning?”
Nox stopped himself. “I really love peach bread?”
Luca rolled his eyes and knee-walked closer. “Here’s the water.” He indicated the plastic bag with a nod.
“Thanks.” Nox opened a bottle and drained it. He took out a second one. “So, what are you reading?” He jerked his chin at the laptop.
Luca pinched his bottom lip under his teeth.
Nox opened the second bottle of water.
Luca put a hand on the laptop lid like might close it. “You promise you won’t get mad?”
Why would Nox get mad? He drank some water. “Sure.”
“I tracked down Dr. Markus.”
The mouthful of water didn’t want to go down.
Luca rubbed his fingers along the edge of the screen. “I know you don’t want to talk to him, but he’s not that far from here.” He fiddled with the power cord leading to the cigarette lighter. “I thought even if he knew a little bit, it might help. Eventually, we’re going to run out of road or break down and not be near a repair shop. And if—”
“Okay.”
“Okay?” Luca looked up.
Nox took another swig, then replaced the cap. “You’re right. He could have answers.” He cleared his throat. “We need answers.” And if Dr. Markus could answer even one of them, Nox had to take the chance. Not for himself, but for Luca. “So, you said something about him not being far from here?”
“Yeah, according to his speeding tickets, he’s in Montana.”
“How do you know he’s got speeding tickets?”
“Public records. Some states are more giving than others, but there are a number of states that publish everything from criminal records to marriage licenses. Montana happens to be one of them that pretty much shares your shoe size.”
So much for privacy. “How do you suggest we contact him?”
Luca tugged his bottom lip. “If we call, we won’t know if he’s lying. It would probably be best to go see him in person.”
“Showing up at his door will almost guarantee he calls the cops.”
“Not necessarily. What if he wants to help? I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say he’s not a friend of New World Genetics.”
“And what if you’re wrong?” They wouldn’t stand a chance getting far enough away before the cops showed up. Nox didn’t want to think what would happen if they wound up in jail.
“You can smell a lie, right?”
“Yeah.”
“We’ll ask him if he plans on turning us in, and if he does, we’ll duct tape him to a chair. Then once we’re out of the state, we’ll call the police in his area and tell them they need to go rescue him.”
Nox eyed Luca. “I’m beginning to think you’ve done this before.”