Road Test by David Wickenhauser (most read book in the world .txt) 📕

Hugh put his hand over the microphone.

“OK, Charlie. If I put this on speaker, can you talk to Jenny, and not like an investigative reporter? Explain in your own words what has happened? Help me out here.”

Charlie nodded.

Hugh told Jenny he was going to put her on speaker. He heard nothing from her. But he handed his phone to Charlie, and gestured for her to speak.

“Hi Jenny, it’s me, Charlie.”

Nothing from Jenny.

“Jenny, are you still there?”

“Go on,” Jenny replied, her voice as cold as ice.

“Jenny, it’s a long story, but the short version is some very bad people were forcing me to get onto Hugh’s truck so I could find out things about him they could use in a lawsuit about the accident you guys were in.”

Silence from Jenny’s end of the phone conversation.

“How they arranged it doesn’t matter right now. But the point is Hugh has rescued me from those bad people.”

“That’s how Hugh is,” Jenny said.

“Yes, exactly, and that’s why doing anything against Hugh or you is the furthest thing from my mind. Hugh put one of those guys who were holding me into the hospital. He was so brave.”

“That’s definitely my Hugh,” Jenny said, with an emphasis on the word “my.”

Hugh signaled to get Charlie’s attention. When she looked his way, he made the palm-down gesture, meaning “cool it.”

“OK. I’ve got to go now. Back to Hugh.”

Hugh took the phone back, and put it into Bluetooth mode.

“It’s me. The speaker is off,” he said.

“Hugh, I mean, really? What the fricken hell is going on?”

“There’s too much to tell right now. But one thing you should know is if it weren’t for Charlie I wouldn’t know anything about the danger we are in.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s about the lawsuit. It’s for a huge amount of money. I’m guessing fifty million. They don’t have a case, and they know it. So, they will stop at nothing to change the odds in their favor, up to and including kidnapping someone, like you, to force me to testify the accident was my fault.”

“Are you serious?”

“As a heart attack. Right now, and for the next few days they are going to think their ploy to get Charlie to snitch on me is still working. But once they find out she’s on our side now …”

Hugh looked over at Charlie for confirmation. She nodded yes.

“ … they are going to put what I’m guessing will be their plan B into effect.”

“That’s a lot to take in,” Jenny said.

“I know. We’ll talk more later.”

“Where are you now, and where are you headed?”

“We’re going north on 95 outside of Las Vegas, eventually delivering in Portland.”

“I’ve got to go,” Jenny said. “Be careful, and stay out of trouble.”

Hugh caught her drift. She wasn’t talking about hijackers, or other bad guys. “Don’t worry, honey. I love you. Bye.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Shortly after hanging up with Jenny, and well into the long stretch of sparsely settled desert landscape traversed by Highway 95, Hugh heard Charlie ask, “So, what does one do for a restroom around here?”

“Does one need to use a restroom?” Hugh answered with a question.

“Yes. Pretty badly.”

“Well, one climbs back to the sleeper and uses a jug.”

“No. Seriously. I mean I have to use a restroom.”

“Look around. There are no restrooms. Only a wide shoulder on the road. If you don’t want to use a jug, I’ll pull over and you can squat underneath the trailer like Jenny has had to do.”

“When’s our next stop?”

“Next truck stop would be Fallon.”

“How long.”

“About four and a half hours, give or take.”

Hugh could see Charlie fidgeting in her seat, and he guessed it was not only from the pressure on her bladder. He was watching the visible effect of when everything Charlie believed about her own high station in life was being stripped away, and she was reduced to peeing in a jug by the side of the road like a common trucker.

As much fun as it would be to keep teasing Charlie, if truth be told, Hugh realized he needed to stop and get rid of some coffee himself. He throttled down, and rolled to a stop onto the wide shoulder.

“This is how it works. You can use Jenny’s jug in the sleeper. I’ll pull the curtain, and I’ll use my jug in the cab. Sound like a plan?”

Hugh saw Charlie shake her head, and mouth a silent, “No.”

“You really don’t have a choice. So man up and get to it. Jenny cleaned and sterilized her jug for storage while we were staying at the resort, so it’s like brand new.”

Hugh reached into the cabinet and brought out his and Jenny’s jugs and Jenny’s urinal gadget. Charlie hadn’t moved out of the passenger seat.

He handed her Jenny’s jug and urinal. “What’s this funnel thing for?” she asked.

“I think it should be fairly obvious once you start trying to pee into the jug. Some things shouldn’t need explaining. Now get up and move to the back!”

Charlie still refused to move.

“OK. Fine. We’re not going to stay parked here all day. I’m going, even if you won’t,” Hugh said, as he reached for the zipper tab to open the fly of his trousers.

“No. Wait!” Charlie vaulted out of her seat and into the sleeper.

Hugh pulled the curtain, did his business, then waited for Charlie to announce she had finished.

“Hugh?”

“What.”

“Could you stand outside, please? You’re making me nervous. I can’t go.”

Hugh was quickly losing patience. But he really did need to get off the shoulder and back onto the highway. “OK. OK. I’m leaving.”

After what felt like an interminable amount of time, Hugh heard Charlie’s rap on the side window, and saw