How easy it was to imagine Charles in pursuit, Charles who had deceived him into writing a check for one hundred thousand dollars! Zeros seemed to trail away from that innocent 1 as he emerged from the garage and got into the traffic. Where was he going? Into seclusion. For how long? Block after block he drove, and as he did the sense of urgency drained from him. Was Tuttle any more trustworthy than Charles? Why didn’t he go to Amos Cadbury? Cadbury and Jane Devere had underwritten his great project, although Carl had felt the lawyer’s skepticism as the terms of the agreement were drawn up. At the time, he had dismissed it as a lawyer’s caution. What would be Cadbury’s reaction when he heard of Argyle House and that damnable check for a good portion of the money granted the project? He couldn’t go to Amos Cadbury. If only he had more confidence in Tuttle. When he got onto the Northwestern Tollway, he headed toward Rockford, why he didn’t know. He settled into the right-hand lane and let other cars zoom past him, their drivers having a destination.
