He cooperated with the agents and was released with the warning that they may want to question him again later. He was told not to leave Denver. Mel left the building and immediately contacted Portman to warn him of the raid. From there he went immediately to the Spartan National Bank, where he emptied the contents of the safety deposit box into his backpack. He rented a car using a forged credit card and driver’s license from the SD box. He drove for two hours to a secluded mountain cabin that John Portman owned. He planned on waiting at this location until John could return to Colorado. He attempted, unsuccessfully to contact John at any of the cell phone numbers that he had. This raised his level of concern. He waited twelve hours for a reply before he finally decided that he should go into hiding. If John was apprehended, Mel was sure that John would give him up to make a deal. He knew that he would. Friendships don’t transcend one’s freedom. He wasn’t going to wait around to find out.
