Over the past week I’d been putting a lot of thought into how we would get to Arizona. I’d stared at maps for hours, made notes, calculated how fast we could move and made lists of equipment we’d need to carry once we left the relative security of the boat. Rachel had asked to see what I was doing a couple of times, but lost interest quickly and found something else to occupy herself. I was touched by the level of trust she was showing me, but then after what we’d been through if we couldn’t trust each other now there was not much point in continuing on together. Even before hearing Max’s broadcast I had already decided that our best route was to make our way north to Nashville and pick up Interstate 40. I-40 was like the belt of the continental US, running coast to coast right through the middle of the country. As it got closer to the west coast it dipped down into New Mexico and Arizona and ran within about 150 miles of my home where I had a continuing hope that I would find Katie safe and sound and bored out of her mind.
