He may have helped Madelaine gain entrance to the Secret Keeper, but she had definitely saved him from his rock-and-hard-place choices yesterday.
Jack decided to go with the flow regarding Madelaine and her errand. He did not want to fight with her. He did not want to have hard feelings, because they were useless.
Jack made a new personal vow—heeding the whispered message from the Secret Keeper—to do whatever he could to help Madelaine. He figured that meant there was no point asking questions she wasn’t at liberty to answer. It wasn’t helpful. He’d stop pressing and simply be available if she needed him.
He really hoped she would need him.
Madelaine and Jack headed for her rental car. Her mind was spinning about a thousand revolutions a minute.
“Want me to drive?” Jack asked. Madelaine considered his offer. He added, “I mean, you drove all the way up here. The least I can do is drive us back. Seems only fair, right?”
She nodded. “Yes. Thank you. I’d appreciate it.”All the better to let my mind spin without endangering us.
They buckled in and Jack drove the sedan out of town the same way they’d come in, briefly stopping on the outskirts to get gas and some truck stop food and drinks.
After they ate and had settled into the return trip, Madelaine silently plotted all the steps required to retrieve the key from the Tractor Beam Credit Union safety deposit box in Alienn, Arkansas.
She would have to wear a disguise so no one would recognize her. That sent her down the rabbit hole of trying to decide whether she needed to do a full-on transformation makeover, including prosthetics, or if she should simply slap on a wig, a floppy hat and some large, dark sunglasses.
She didn’t know how long she mulled over her various choices before Jack asked, “Want a sounding board?” The sound of his voice almost made her jump out of her seat. She’d forgotten he was driving. She was living in her own little world of plotting the next step for this dire mission she was on.
“Maybe.”What can I tell him?The cabal leadership would unequivocally say, “NOTHING!” And they would likely spell it out in capital letters and shout the word at her repeatedly.
“I’m happy to listen if you just want to talk out loud. And I know you have secrets, Madelaine, but I promise not to tell anyone anything that you say. You can trust me.”
Madelaine almost teared up at his offer. She knew she could trust him. Some of the secrets she kept were partly to keephimsafe. But she didn’t see the harm in sharing her next step. At least partly. He couldn’t know what the contents of the box were once she opened it, but maybe it would help to voice her thoughts aloud for clarification in her own mind.
“For the record, I know that I can trust you, Jack, but thank you for offering to be a sounding board.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Okay.” She glanced his way, but he was focused on the road. Good.
“I received a small metal box from the Secret Keeper. It has a keyhole on top. The Secret Keeper also gave me a safety deposit box key.”
“Let me guess,” Jack said. “You have to take the safety deposit box key to a bank and open a special safety deposit box in order to retrieve a different key to open the secret box you got from the Secret Keeper. Am I right?”
Madelaine smiled. “Yes. You’re absolutely right.”
“Okay. Which bank? Where is it?” Jack asked.
“It’s the Tractor Beam Credit Union in Alienn.” The bank had not escaped the fun naming process in town right down to its slogan: “Where your money doesn’t just get deposited, it gets securely pulled in.”
Jack shrugged. “Well, the credit union will be open when we roll into town, so we won’t have to wait around.”
Madelaine nodded, more to herself. “As it stands, the problem is that I don’t want anyone in Alienn to know I’m in town.” Jack straightened up as if he were about to volunteer. “And before you offer—which I do appreciate, by the way—the Paladin Courier is the only one who can access the safety deposit box to retrieve what’s inside.”
He settled back into his seat, eyes straight ahead. “So, you’re looking at a disguise?”
“Yes. I’m arguing with myself about how elaborate it should be to keep my identity secret. I suspect there are lots of people in Alienn who would remember me.”
“Are you sure I can’t do this for you?”
“I’m sure. I have to do it, but I’d love for you to accompany me into the bank while I’m in disguise. I think it could lend more authenticity when I sell it.”
Jack glanced at her and grinned. “Everyone would likely think you’re my bachelor auction date and, with a disguise, your identity would remain secret.”
“Yes. That would work. But I’m already well past your twenty-four-hour date obligation.”
He shrugged. “We can extend our date for as long as you need to, okay?”
