Double Doublecross (13 page)

“When do we leave for Lake Tahoe, Rick?” Sara said quietly.

“Tomorrow, after work.”

“How long does it take to get there?”

“Just about three to four hours, depending on the weather and road conditions,” Rick said taking a sip of coffee.

“I'm looking forward to it. Should be exciting. I've never been on skis before. What's it like?”

“It's great fun. We'll start you off with a lesson, then I'll give you some unprofessional tips,” he laughed sitting at the table waiting for the dinner Sara had prepared for him.

“Tastes great,” he said after a mouthful. “Where did you learn to cook like that?”

“I taught myself with the help of a few cookery books. When you're a single girl, you have to look after yourself. Thanks for the compliment.”

“I meant it. This is very good. You can cook this again anytime.”

Sara smiled at him. She stood up and stretched.

“I think I'll start getting some things together for the trip tomorrow. What should I wear for skiing? Anything special?”

“Just some warm clothes. A warm, short, zip up jacket and a pair of jeans. Better bring a change of clothes just in case you get wet. We'll see if we can find you a pair of ski pants. I'll call Rita. I think she has a spare pair and she's about your size. Goggles, hat and gloves are my department. No problem there. That's just about it I think.”

“Well, I'll say goodnight Rick. See you in the morning.”

Sara went to her room and sorted some clothing from her closet. She placed them on the bed. Reaching for her suitcase, she flung it on the bed. Unzipping it, she remembered the Tourister bag that was inside the case.

Cautiously she lifted it out and placed it on the bed next to the large suitcase. Slowly she unzipped it and stared at its contents with apprehension, trying to grasp what she had gotten herself into. She had never in her wildest dreams expected to see such a large sum of cash. Inwardly she felt disaster coming her way. Carl had obviously stolen it from the drug lords that he worked for and that meant big trouble if they were caught.

She picked up one of the bundles and flicked through the notes. Then, with a hasty movement, she thrust the bundle into her purse.

“Something extra for a rainy day,” she muttered to herself.

Without warning there was a knock on the door and the
handle started to turn. Sara's heart skipped a beat, and she instantly zipped up the smaller case and tried to look calm.

“Come in,” she said with a startled look on her face.

“Sorry I startled you. Just thought I'd mention that you don't have to bring anything formal. There's nothing formal about ski people. By the way, I don't think you'll need that case,” he said pointing at the Tourister. “Try to pack everything in the big one, including your makeup and all the other little extras you ladies need. I have to pack boots and skis, so room is at a premium. By the way, I like the idea of tying a yellow ribbon around the case handles. Makes them easy to identify.”

“Yes, I know. Thanks for the advice. Now I really better finish packing,” she said in a hasty tone.

“Okay, sorry about the interruption,” Rick said closing the door.

Sara stood frozen to the spot. ‘That was too close,' she thought. Opening her closet door, she pushed the bag into a corner and put three pairs of shoes on top of it, hoping that it looked unobtrusive.

Opening his bedroom door, Rick went to his closet picked up his case and was packed in fifteen minutes. He had done this so many times before that it was almost a habit.

R
ick went to the office and informed Stan that, as business was still slow, he would be leaving early for Lake Tahoe. This was fine with Stan who also liked to get off early on Fridays to take Helen out for dinner.

“Going with Alec and Rita?”

“Yes, Sara's coming too. Be a weekend out for her. Don't worry, Stan, we have separate rooms. Just thought it would be a break from her routine, whatever
that
is! She can keep Rita company on the bunny slopes.”

“Hope you have a good time. Don't go breaking any legs and that goes for Alec as well. You never know when you might need a dentist.”

Rick laughed. “He can take care of himself. He's a better skier than I am. I'll get him to give the girls a lesson or two. That'll slow him down a bit. By the way, Janet and Tom Hughes will be in town Tuesday. Have Pat do a search for me and draft out an itinerary. She knows the criteria.”

“No sweat. I've got a couple of parties to show around next week. Let's hope we get a bite.”

Pat James turned her head toward Rick.

“Same area for the search, Rick? We didn't turn up much the last time. Want to try any other areas.”

“No, not really. I'll play it by ear when the time comes.”

“Rick, why don't you take off now? It's almost midday. There's not much going on and you can come in fresh as a daisy on Monday, barring any accidents of course,” Stan said.

“Thanks, think I will. I'll just clear my desk.”

“That won't take a minute,” Pat James said with a smile. With the parting humorous shot, Rick left the office and headed home.

Arriving home, Rick heard Sara moving around in her bedroom. Last evening she seemed very perplexed when he had knocked and entered her room. He went over to her door and knocked gently but didn't attempt to enter.

“Thought I'd let you know I'm home early. How are you doing in there?” he shouted through the door.

Sara opened the door, and to his surprise, she invited him in.

“Come on in. I've nearly finished. Everything I need is crammed into this case,” she said, pointing to the case on the bed. “I'm just going to put a few bits and pieces in a small makeup purse and I'll be ready to hit the road.”

“That's wonderful. We can get an early start. It's always a good idea to get a head start on a Friday. The roads get crowded with the early birds leaving for the mountains. I know a great little place in Auburn where we can grab a bite. Then we'll make for Truckee and head on down to Tahoe from there.”

“I'll be ready in about ten minutes if that's okay with you.”

“Give me about twenty minutes. I want to get out of these duds and put on something more casual for the drive up there. As I mentioned before, it takes roughly about three to
four hours to get there and I want to feel comfortable. See you in twenty.”

Rick hurried to his room, stripped, showered and put on a pair of jeans and a checkered shirt ready for the trip.

“All set,” he declared. “Here are the spare keys to the Land Rover. Back it out and I'll pick up the bags after I check the doors and windows. Just pop the trunk door so that I can shove the cases in. I'll be with you in a minute.”

Rick checked the garden's sliding doors then went around the house closing the bedroom doors out of habit. He opened the front door, closed and checked it before going to the Land Rover and putting the bags in the luggage area.

“That's seems like a little overkill checking all the doors and windows, then coming out through the front door when you could have used the garage door,” said Sara.

“Force of habit, I guess. You can't be too careful these days. Why don't you drive to Auburn, and I'll take over later. We should be hitting the snowline in about two hours. The driving might get a bit tricky if it snows and it starts getting dark. Just get on the I-80 all the way. So let's go to the mountains and have a good time. I think you'll enjoy learning to ski. Rita and Alec are always good company.”

Crossing the Benicia Bridge, she made her way to the I-80 North interchange. The first thing she noticed was the change in the countryside. Gone were the continuous concrete ribbons of highway and masses of buildings crisscrossing the area south of the bridge. The view opened up to rolling hills, small ranches and marshland. Everything looked so peaceful to her. Reaching the I-80, they headed north to Sacramento via Fairfield, Vacaville and the university town of Davis.

“This is beautiful, Rick. I don't think I've been here before.”

“When we get to Sacramento, stay on I-80. As you were saying, it is a contrast from the built up areas. It gets even prettier once we are past Sacramento and start climbing towards the foothills and then on into the Sierras.”

Soon they were approaching Auburn. Rick turned to Sara.

“Take the next off ramp, head for the town center and park in the nearest spot you can find. Just take a look around you at the cars. Nearly all of them are carrying skis, and you're going to join them tomorrow morning,” he said.

Sara took the off ramp and slowly made her way through the center of the picturesque town. She thought about how calm and peaceful the place looked with its streets lined with little shops and office buildings. It was a welcome sight after the large office blocks and high rises that she was used to.

“Pull into that lot over there, and park by the green café. We'll get a snack there before we set off for the high country,” he remarked quickly. “They do a great hamburger and fries.”

Sara smiled. “You should try eating something more wholesome like a tuna salad or even a ham salad, instead of cramming all that cholesterol into your system. A burger is alright now and again, but you should try something other than fast food.”

“Okay, I get your point.”

Rick took over the driving as they climbed upward to Blue Canyon and into the snowline. Reaching Blue Canyon, he was halted by the California Highway Patrol and told to put chains on his tires, as the road was becoming snow covered due to the early onset of a storm.

Continuing on to Soda Springs, the weather became bleak with driving snow almost to blizzard conditions. Rick had to strain his eyes to see the road ahead. They were now on the edge of the Sierra Nevada Range and the road was becoming
more difficult to navigate.

Sara was on the edge of her seat with an apprehensive look on her face.

“Does it get any worse than this? Will we make it to Squaw Valley before night fall?”

“This is nothing,” Rick assured her. “The snow isn't too deep and we do have chains and a four wheel drive animal here. I've been in worse conditions than this. The fresh snow will make ideal skiing conditions. Soon we'll be heading down Route 89 and that will lead us straight into the ski areas.”

After a few miles Rick turned off the I-80 onto Route 89.

“Only about another ten miles and we'll be at the Village Lodge. That's where we will be staying. Alec managed to get us rooms there.”

“What about Alec and Rita? Will they make it through the storm?”

“Alec will drive through anything. He knows every inch of this area. Besides, the roads are clearing and the CHP do a great job keeping the roads open up here.”

They arrived at the lodge twenty-five minutes later. Sara got out of the vehicle and unloaded the luggage, leaving Rick to park the Land Rover about fifty yards away. Reaching the motel lobby, he noticed that Sara had almost finished checking them in and had arranged for the bags to be taken upstairs.

“Nice going—and thanks,” Rick commented on his arrival at the front desk.

“Put this on my tab,” he said to the desk clerk.

“Now, I can I have a drink. I think I need something a bit stronger than coffee after that ordeal. Could I have a whiskey sour?” Sara said.

“Sure,” Rick declared. “Sounds like a good idea. I didn't know you liked alcohol other than a glass of wine now and again.”

“After that drive, I need it as soon as possible!” she exclaimed.

“Come on, it wasn't that bad. Wait until tomorrow morning. The slopes will be wonderful and it'll be much easier for you to learn on fresh snow.”

The bags had been taken to their rooms. They had arranged to meet in the lobby an hour later, after they had unpacked and freshened up.

The telephone jangled in Rick's room.

“Rick here. Who's calling?”

“It's me, Alec. I'm in Truckee and I'll be with you in about half an hour. What time were you going to have dinner?”

“As soon as you're ready,” Rick replied.

“I'll give you a buzz in about an hour. See you then.”

Sara sat in her room thinking about the bag stuffed with money in her room back at the house. Was it safe left there? Of course it was. The thought of the money made her feel anxious. What was Carl playing at? What was his next move? How involved would she be? How dangerous was it to have the money in her possession? Should she call him and see if he was all right? No, he had specifically told her, in no uncertain terms, not to contact him, but to wait for his next call.

She called Phil. He didn't appear to be home either.

She suddenly felt lonely and helpless. Somehow she knew she was in danger if she was caught in possession of the money, but she didn't know who the enemy was. Sara thought about the amount of money in the bag and the things Carl and
she—or better yet,
Phil
—could do with it.

How you handled that amount of cash puzzled her. Obviously Carl had the answers; after all, he must have been planning this for some time. They couldn't haul it around all their lives. ‘Carl probably has everything figured out,' she thought, ‘so stop worrying about a problem you can't fix.'

The phone gave a metallic jangle as she sat contemplating her situation.

“Who is it?” she said.

“It's me, Rick. Alec and Rita will be dining with us later. Want to meet in the lobby for a whiskey sour before they come?”

“I'll be with you in five minutes. Go on down and I'll meet you at the bar.”

Rick caught the elevator in the lobby, made his way to the bar and ordered two whiskey sours.

He sat at a small table by the fireside and thought about his strange relationship with Sara. Here they were in Lake Tahoe, one of the country's most romantic spots, and their relationship was on a
good friends
basis. Rick knew he was not in love with her. The one factor that really agitated him was the fact that she had lied to him on several occasions when he wanted to hear the truth.