It was also wonderfully private, with thick stands of pines blocking off the cabins on either side of us, all of which were some distance away and standing empty in the off-season. The hillside location provided sweeping views of the sapphire blue lake and the surrounding snowy mountains, and soon after we arrived I went out onto the deck and took it all in. The only sound was the wind rustling through the trees, which was also fairly brisk. It felt good though, waking me up a bit after the long car ride. Leaving the city had been every bit as crazy as we’d anticipated. The press and paparazzi probably would have trampled us in their quest for a soundbite, if not for the dozen security guards that helped us reach Officer Nolan’s department-issued SUV. They then followed us, of course, in cars, news vans, and even in the news helicopter, which seemed like complete overkill. Fortunately though, Finn Nolan had planned everything well, pulling off a getaway worthy of James Bond. With the assistance of two well-placed SFPD roadblocks that only we were allowed to cross and a slick move where we switched vehicles inside a parking garage to lose the helicopter, we managed to get out of town undetected.
