Page 57 of Hidden Ascent

And then what? “All right. So, do you have a car stashed around here?”

“Nope. I didn’t know we were coming here, remember?”

“But God knew.”

“Listen to you.”

“I’m trying.”

“Well, youarea federal agent. You could commandeer one of these vehicles, couldn’t you?”

“Do you know how much paperwork that would require? We’ll just get an Uber.”

“Suit yourself. But that Corvette over there is calling my name.”

She scrunched her nose. “Really? You’re a Corvette guy?”

“What’s wrong with a Corvette?”

“They’re pointy.”

“I see. You’re a Mustang kind of girl, aren’t you?”

“When I was a little girl, my dad had a 1978 T Top Pontiac Firebird Trans Am.”

“Trans Am, huh? What color?”

“Black, of course. He would take me through the McDonald’s drive-thru to get a soft serve cone.”

“Sounds like a great dad.”

“Not really. That’s the only good memory I have of him.”

“Oh.”

“He didn’t abuse me or anything. He was just never there.”

“Is he still alive?”

“No idea. The day he left us for good was the last I heard from him. He called my mom a couple of times for money, but when she didn’t give him any, he had no more interest in us.”

“You ever think of trying to find him?”

“Why?”

“Never mind.”

“Did you know your dad?”

“No. He died in a construction accident when I was a baby.”

“I’m sorry.”

“That’s life, though, isn’t it? My mom worked three jobs, and I found a family for myself on the street. In case you were wondering how I got mixed up in a life of crime.”

“I wasn’t.”

Chapter13

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