Crimson Highway by David Wickenhauser (i can read with my eyes shut txt) 📕

night, Hugh” Jenny said. “You really are a good man. No matter what happens, I just want you to know that’s what I think.”

Confused because of the sudden changes in temperament that this girl seemed to be capable of, Hugh could only mutter, “Good night.”

As soon as Hugh heard Jenny’s slow, steady rhythm of breathing meaning that she was asleep, he booted up his laptop and signed onto the Internet. He had a subscription for the travel plaza wi-fi account..

He was determined to get some questions answered.

First, he did an Internet search for the name Jenny McDonald. There were way too many of those, and none of them seemed to be “his” Jenny. He tried Jennifer McDonald, with the same results.

Then he accessed his Facebook account. He didn’t participate in all of the Facebook activities, or keep his main page updated, but he liked to be able to see what the few “friends” he had on Facebook were doing on their pages.

A search revealed that there were no Jenny, or Jennifer, McDonalds who looked like they would be the girl who was sleeping above him in his truck right now. She apparently wasn’t tuned in to social media, or plugged in, or whatever they called it these days.

Failing to find anything about Jenny, he then did a search for the attempted hijacking near Susanville.

There was an article in the Lassen County Times, which covers Susanville news, about the attempted hijacking. Hugh didn’t learn anything new from the article. But, one detail caught his attention. According to the reporter, law enforcement personnel put out a “be on the lookout” for four men traveling together.

The only description of the men was provided by the truck driver, who was able to say that he saw only two of the hijackers. They were described as being in their 40s, and large. They had caps pulled down low, partially obscuring their faces, so the driver couldn’t provide further description of the two guys.

Hugh then signed off of the Internet, and shut down his laptop.

What he didn’t know, couldn’t know, was that if he had pursued the McDonald lead a bit further he might have discovered an obituary from fifteen years ago for a Sam McDonald that was archived on the Bakersfield Californian website.

Cause of death was not mentioned, as was often the case when suspicious circumstances were involved. But, the obit notice did state that he was survived by his seven-year-old daughter, Jennifer, a one-year-old son, Jimmy, and a brother, Adam.

Chapter Six

Hugh’s cell phone alarm woke him at the time he had set—6 am.

He yawned and stretched, swiveled his butt on his bunk and turned so he could sit with his feet on the floor. Movement in the bunk above reminded him that he had company … female company … so he quickly ducked back into his bunk to put on his pants and a T-shirt.

“Good morning, Jenny. Up and at ’em,” Hugh said when he was finished getting dressed.

Further stirring in the bunk above told him that Jenny had heard him, and was probably ready to come down. Hugh went forward, making a pretense of checking his GPS in order to give her the chance to climb down from the bunk and adjust in privacy any clothing that she might need to.

“We’re rolling out at 7 am sharp,” Hugh said, turning and seeing that she was down, and had herself all together. “We have time for a quick breakfast, and a restroom visit, and then off we go.”

“Restroom visit first,” Jenny said.

As they had done before, Hugh and Jenny walked together to the travel plaza and went into their restrooms.

They met again outside shortly afterward, and walked back to the truck.

Breakfast consisted of cereal in paper bowls with plastic spoons, and milk from the fridge.

There was no small talk. Hugh couldn’t blame Jenny. She had been through a lot lately, most of which he was sure he didn’t even know about. And she was probably fretting over being left behind once they got to Burley.

He tossed their bowls and spoons into his trash bag, and then took the bag with him to throw into the nearby trash barrel. Then he did his pre-trip inspection. Everything checked out OK, so he entered his “on duty” into the Qualcomm, and cranked up the engine.

As usual, despite the unusual things that had happened since yesterday morning, Hugh had a feeling of well-being once he heard the pleasant diesel rumble of his truck’s engine coming to life. He really, truly enjoyed driving, and was most comfortable when he was in the driver’s seat behind the steering wheel of a moving big-rig truck.

Jenny remained silent, moody, caught up in her own thoughts.

Once on the highway, Hugh broached the subject of what was going to happen today—before noon, in fact. “We’re about three hours from my delivery at Burley,” he said.

“I’ll drop you anywhere you want me to once we get there. Or I can pick a travel plaza and set you down there.”

She nodded without looking at him.

“I know you’ve got a cell phone, and I know you’ve been in contact with someone. So, it’s not like I’m abandoning you way out in the boonies all alone. Right?”

She shrugged her shoulders.

“Look. Don’t think this is easy for me either,” Hugh pleaded. “In some strange way, despite the rough start since you came on board, I feel protective toward you.”

Jenny’s eyes started tearing up at that, and she wouldn’t look at him.

“It’s just that I can’t let you stay with me. I’ve got a job to do, and you’ve no doubt got somebody looking for you. It’s time we both return to our normal lives.”

Hugh could tell that those last words shut Jenny off completely. He realized he probably wasn’t going to get through to