Chapter 12
Four hours later I took a random exit off I-95 just outside of Rocky Mt., North Carolina. That put us about two hours away from Lejeune. Close enough and far enough away all wrapped in one. Bear and Jessie slept. Each had had a rough night of their own. The silence didn’t bother me. I welcomed it. It was much better than the uncomfortable silence between me and Jessie when she was awake.
The exit looped in a circle before leading us to a blinking red stoplight. To the left, the road crossed over the interstate toward town. To the right I saw a gas station and not much else. I turned left. The empty road was in stark contrast to the tall neon signs, each shouting, “Stop here for gas, food, coffee and lodging!” Some places had all in one. Nothing looked promising in this section of town, though.
I recalled the sign just before the blinking red light. Gas .5 miles. Lodging 1.5 miles. I made a U-turn in the middle of the road. I panicked for a second. Whipping around like that, crossing the median, could be enough for a cop to pull me over and run my ID. How would that look? Big bad Jack Noble taken down by a country cop for making an illegal U-turn. I shook my head and grinned. The rear-view mirror revealed no such encounter would take place tonight, at least not yet.
We rolled across the interstate overpass, past the open-all-night 24-hour gas station. The motel appeared suddenly after a curve in the road. The neon sign placed near the parking lot entrance blinked on and off. When switched on, it read “vacancy,” which was enough to convince me to pull into the parking lot.
I parked the Tahoe by the front office then opened the door and hopped out of the vehicle and made my way around the front. I heard another car door open and close. Jessie made her way to the lobby entrance and waited for me.
“You don’t need to come in,” I said.
She shrugged. “Tired of sitting.”
“It’s best you’re not seen with me.”
“Whatever, I’m going in.”
I opened the door and gestured her through first. A middle aged man with a shaved, pointed head sat behind the desk. He propped his chin upon his open palm, fingers wrapping back along his jawline to his ear. He opened his eyes and blinked repeatedly at the chiming of the string of bells hanging from the door, shaking and clattering together as we walked into the small dimly lit lobby. It smelled like mildew and pine tree car air fresheners. The odor lingered in the back of my throat.
The desk clerk sat up and tugged at the shirt hugging his barreled chest, straightening it out. “How can I help y’all?”
“Need a room for a couple nights,” I said.
“Two rooms,” Jessie said.
“No,” I leaned against the counter and turned my head to her, leaning in so we were eye to eye. “One room.” I emphasized each word equally.
“Excuse me,” she said, poking a finger in my chest. “If you think I’m about to spend the night in the same room as you and your partner—”
I placed my hand on her shoulder. “Jess, think about this for a minute.” Out of the corner of my eye I could see that the desk clerk had placed an arm on the counter and was leaning over it, a smile on his face. “We’ll talk outside.” I stood and turned toward the clerk. “One room. Two beds. Three nights.”
The clerk stood, sniffed and wiped his nose with his sleeve. “That’ll be two hundred fifty.”
I pulled a wad of cash from my wallet and dropped it on the counter.
“We don’t take cash,” he said.
I pulled out another fifty, dropped it next to the pile of cash.
“Ok, room 114, ‘round back.” He slid two keys across the counter.
We turned and left the lobby. The moment the door closed behind us, Jessie ripped into me.
“What the hell was that, Jack?” She jockeyed for position in front of me, walking backwards and poking me in the chest. “I don’t know what you are thinking, but if you think, for one moment, that you and I are going to—”
“I don’t think any of that,” I said. “Damn, what the hell do you think is going on here? You are riding with two fugitives. We got CIA, MPs, and probably the damn NSA on us. You want to be in a room by yourself when those guys show up? Do you?” I stepped back and turned sideways, extending my arm toward the lobby door. “Well then march right in there and get your own damn room.”
She opened her mouth to speak, but said nothing. She threw her arms in the air, turned and got back in the Tahoe.
I smiled and then climbed back inside and turned the key in the ignition.
“Just like old times,” Bear said.
“Shut up,” Jess and I said at the same time.
I shifted into drive and pulled around the back of the building, parking in a spot a few rooms down from ours. I wanted to leave as much visibility through the front windows as I could. I didn’t like the fact that we were at the back of the building. The only thing it had going for it was that we weren’t in the front, and were shielded from the road. But the positive fed right into the negative. We could easily be ambushed.
I put the key into the door and turned the knob. Felt along the wall to the left until I found a light switch. A dim, yellowish overhead light flickered on and off for a few seconds before staying on and flooding the room. The room was barely larger than the lobby and had the same moldy, pine tree infused smell.
Bear pushed in from behind me. “Five star all the way, Jack.”
I shrugged.
“Seriously, man. Weren’t there better options in town?”
“Yeah.” There were. But there were also more people in town. More cops in town. More chances of being spotted in town. “We’re national celebrities right now, Bear. Further we are from town the better.”
“I suppose,” he said, moving to claim a bed for himself.
“You two bunking together?” Jessie asked.
I spun on my heel, ready to rip into her for the remark. She stood inches from me, looking up and smiling. The yellow light above us reflected off her dark brown eyes. Her olive complexion absorbed the light and radiated it outward.
“What?” she said. “No witty come backs?”
I forced a smile. I felt a burning inside that had disappeared a long time ago. I wanted to be with her again. Lean in and kiss her. Make love to her. Talk all night afterward.
“Ja-ack,” she said, singing my name. “Snap out of it.” Her hand slapped across my face lightly.
I smiled without having to force it and took a step back. “I’m going toward town. Saw a store that was open on the way in. Need to grab a few things.” I moved to the door, opened it and stopped. “Keys to the Tahoe are on the nightstand if you need them.”
“You’re not taking it?” Bear asked.
“No,” I said. “I need to take a walk.”