Elaine had dropped him off and then took off for Las Vegas for some serious grocery shopping. Eggs, bacon, and frozen things past their expiration dates had gotten old…literally. He’d forgotten what a fresh veggie even looked like. It was amazing how elastic a month-old carrot could become without hydration. But this life wouldn’t be for long. He had enough work for the next three days and then if the doc released him to drive—which he was pretty sure he’d do—he’d wrap things up and be outta here within a couple weeks. So, what was first? He needed to chat with the other box holders who had reported losses. That should probably be next. And a quick call to the sister office of United Life & Casualty in Hobbs—find out if anyone had known his itinerary that morning. It was still tough to believe someone had set him up with Chet Echols. There was a chance that it had all been a mistake. Wrong place, wrong time. Yeah, the cut hoses were a stretch to call a mistake but there was a chance that someone got the wrong car.
