He moved restlessly on the bed. “I’d like to flush him out–if he’s there.”
“After we get a little sleep,” she countered.
“Are you stalling?”
“You know I am. But I’m also exhausted. It’s not a good idea to go into a situation that could be dangerous when we’re not at our best.”
He took her point. He was also grappling with the impulse to drive right past Houma and keep going, but he had the feeling they would never be safe if they kept running. And he knew from her churning thoughts that she agreed.
Despite his eagerness to get the search over with, he settled down beside her on the bed.
He’d thought he was too keyed up to sleep, but maybe time travel took a lot of energy.
They were both asleep within minutes and stayed that way for several hours.
And she was right. When he woke up, he was feeling better able to cope with whatever was in Houma.
While Rachel took a shower, he did some more research on Houma.
“What do we know about the place?” Rachel asked when she came out of the bathroom.
“The population is around 33,000. You can book swamp tours and fishing expeditions, eat spicy Cajun food, walk bird trails in the wildlife park.”
“It’s not all that large.”
“But it has a long history and an historic downtown area. The Terrebonne Parish courthouse is located there.”
“No mention of a Solomon Clinic?”
“No.”
“Maybe we should change our appearance before we go there.”
“You mean more than a change of clothing.”
“Yeah. As you pointed out, it’s a small place. I don’t want to be recognized.”
They stopped at a big-box shopping mall where he told her to see if she could find a blond wig. Meanwhile, he bought work boots, a cowboy hat and a denim shirt, which he tore the sleeves off of and wore open down the front.
“Nice,” she murmured when she saw him.
“So are you,” he answered, taking in the wig.
“You like me as a blond?”
She answered her own question.Don’t bother to lie. I’ll get rid of the damn thing as soon as I can.
They both put on sunglasses as they drove away from the shopping center. They stopped for burgers, which they ate as they drove toward the town.
He’d looked at some pictures on the Web, but it was a strange experience driving into Houma.
“Do you recognize anything?” she asked after they’d entered the city limits.
“I’m not sure. Maybe I have some vague memories of coming to a place like this, but it has to have changed over the years.”
The area was bounded by rivers and bayous. They had to cross a bridge to get into town and another soon after. They headed for the downtown area. As they drove past art galleries, tee shirt shops and restaurants, they kept an eye out for the man who had tried to take them captive twice.
Finally they passed the Waterside Restaurant.
