The Chemist

“Um, yes? It’s just a silver SUV, Alex. It looks exactly like every third car on the road.”

“I know! Isn’t that fantastic? And look at this!” She towed him around the car and pointed to a little chrome plaque by the taillight.

He stared at her, totally confused. “It’s a hybrid? So?”

“It’s a hybrid!” she half sang, throwing her arms around him. “This is like Christmas!”

“I had no idea you were so green.”

“Pssh. You know how many times we’re going to have to stop for gas in this thing? Twice! Maybe three times, max, all the way to DC. And look – just look at those gorgeous plates!” She pointed with both hands, part of her noting that she must look like a game-show hostess.

“Yes, they’re Virginia plates. The McKinleys live in Alexandria most of the year, Alex. That’s not a huge surprise.”

“This car is going to be invisible in DC! It’s like a stealth bomber. If anyone manages to follow the trail we left in the Texan Batmobile, they’ll hit a dead end now. This is a beautiful thing, Daniel, and I don’t think you’re fully appreciating what amazing luck this is.”

“I don’t like stealing from friends,” he grumbled.

“The McKinleys are nice people?”

“Very nice. They were lovely to my family.”

“So they probably wouldn’t want you to die, right?”

He gave her a dark look. “No, probably not.”

“I’m sure, if they knew the whole story, they would want you to borrow this car.”

“Borrow implies we’re bringing it back.”

“Which of course we will. Unless we’re dead. Do you think anything but death could keep Kevin from retrieving his favorite ride?”

Daniel was abruptly much more serious. He folded his arms across his chest and turned to face the car rather than her. “Don’t joke about that.”

Alex was a little confused by his mood shift. “I’m not actually joking,” she clarified. “I was trying to make you feel better about taking the car. We’ll bring it back if we can, I promise.”

“Just… don’t talk about dying. Not like that. So… casually.”

“Oh. Sorry. It’s just, you know, laugh about it or cry about it, that’s the only choice. I’d rather laugh while I can.”

He looked down at her from the corner of his eye, his posture still rigid for a moment. Then suddenly he softened, freeing one hand to place it on the side of her face.

“Maybe we don’t do what Kevin wants. Maybe we just stay here.”

She put her hand over his. “We would if we could. They’d find us eventually.”

He nodded, almost to himself.

“Okay, then. Shall we start loading?”

“Sure; let me call Kevin first.”

Daniel started shifting bags from the Humvee to the Toyota while Alex enthused about the car to Kevin. Kevin wasn’t much more excited than Daniel, but he got it immediately.

“That’s great, kid. Now hurry up. The clock is ticking.”

“We don’t want to get to Atlanta before nine, so we don’t need to leave here till, what, two a.m.?”

“All right. So I’ll expect you here around five p.m.”

“Counting down the seconds,” she gushed facetiously. The car – or the afternoon with Daniel – had put her in an ebullient mood.

“I’m glad you’ll be driving all night,” Kevin said. “I think I like you better sleep-deprived.” With that, he hung up on her again.

“I should probably walk Einstein,” Alex mused. “Redo Lola’s bandages. Pack up the food. Then we should try to force ourselves to get a nap. We’re flipping our sleeping routine again.”

“I suppose I’m not allowed to walk the dog,” Daniel said.

“Sorry, America’s Most Wanted. My sad little face is better than yours right now, beard or no beard.”

“It’s dark out – are you sure it’s safe for you to go alone?”

“I won’t be alone. I’ll have a supernaturally intelligent attack dog and a SIG Sauer P220.”

He almost smiled. “Tough luck for the hungry gators.”

She hid her frown. Alligators. She hadn’t been thinking about things like that. Well, she’d stay away from the water. And hopefully Kevin had trained Einstein for more than just human attackers.

The walk wasn’t long, just enough for Einstein to stretch his legs a little. She couldn’t stop thinking about giant reptiles. The road was black, but she didn’t want to use a flashlight. She saw no headlights or house lights, heard nothing but swampy noises. It was still hot enough to have the perspiration rolling down her temples, but she was glad she’d brought the hoodie – the mosquitoes were definitely active.

When she returned, the Toyota was in front of the house and the Humvee invisible inside the garage. Daniel had taken care of everything but Lola’s dressings. Alex did that, trying to make her work look professional. Hopefully the boarding place would believe a vet had tended her. She stroked Lola’s ears sadly. It would be better for Lola to be somewhere people could take care of her, but Alex would miss her. She wondered what would happen to the dog if they weren’t able to come back for her. Lola was beautiful. Someone would want her. Alex remembered imagining taking Lola home with her in some safe, unlikely future. If only.