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After the clearing the corner, he turns onto what looks like more granite, but it’s actually a hidden, narrow road. Turning off the engine, he turns to me and motions for me to be quiet.
I can hear the three cars that were chasing us speed past.
A victorious smile crosses Jeb’s face.
“One of these days, that trick isn’t going to work for you.”
“Well, that day isn’t today,” he says unconcernedly.
“Doesn’t keep us from being stuck on this damn mountain,” I carp at him.
As usual, he ignores my crabbiness. “There’s a mining road a half a mile from here. Once I’m sure they think we escaped down the mountain, I’ll backtrack and get us out of here.”
“Fine,” I huff.
“But since we’re just killing time, we should make plans. What do you want to do tomorrow?”
Shaking my head, I'm equal parts exasperated and awed at the way he can shift from fleeing dangerous men to planning the sightseeing excursions he insists on.
A look of boyish excitement crosses his face. “How about we mine for gold?”
I don’t bother telling him no. He’ll charm or con me into participating. So far, six weeks into this road trip, we’ve robbed or otherwise impeded eight of Patriots Now’s laundering operations. On our ‘days off’, we’ve gone to see the ‘World’s Largest Ball of Twine’, ridden a rollercoaster atDollywood, watched the mermaid show in Weeki Wachee Springs, attended the Poteet Strawberry Festival, and now it looks like we’ll be panning for gold.
Every time I try to protest that all these extracurricular activities are a waste of time, he tells me it’s part of my job as his partner to go with him and have his back.
It’s not a very rational response, but I don’t call him on it—because I’m having fun.
I’m not sure I ever really hadthatbefore.
I’ll never admit it to Jeb, but seeing all these unique, quaint spots of America I didn’t know existed, while pulling jobs like a modern-day version of Robin Hood and Little John, is better than anything I could have ever imagined.
As much as I want to destroy Patriots Now, I’m dreading the day we take Leland Banks and his cohorts down because that will mean the end of this road trip and the end of my time with Jeb.
I’m not sure I’ll know how to say goodbye to him.
* * *
“We’re here,” Jeb says, his voice full of excitement.
“Is this another one of your five-star hotels?” I ask, looking up to see a sprawling, red-roofed, white hotel set against a backdrop of majestic mountains. There seems to be something familiar about it. “Or are we going to be robbing it? Should I be preparing myself for another escape down a treacherous mountain road?”
“It’s theStanley Hotel,” he says, and watches me for my reaction.
When he doesn’t get one, he repeats himself. “The Stanley Hotel. It’s where they filmedThe Shining?”
“Oh, cool,” I say, studying the hotel anew. That’s why it looked so familiar. I saw a picture of the hotel in an interview once. In the interview, Stephen King said that he and his wife stayed here one night, and that’s what gave him the idea for his novel.
“I never saw the movie, but I read the book,” I tell Jeb. “How about you? Have you read the book, too?”
“I’m not much of a reader.” A hard-to-decipher look flits across Jeb’s face. For a second, he looks vulnerable, but before I can question him, the look vanishes, and the cocky thief is back with a vengeance. “Always had too many better things to do.”
Then, like he’s in a hurry to change the subject, he opens the car door. “Come on, let’s go check in. I signed us up for a tour, and it should be starting soon.”
The tour covers a lot of facts about both the movie and the book, as well as the local history of the hotel Jeb is mainly interested in the axes Jack Nicholson used in the movie, while I’m interested in the history of the industrial tycoon who built the hotel and Estes Park, the surrounding town.
Afterwards, when we get back to our suite, there’s a room service tray waiting for us. Shaking my head at Jeb, who seems to be always ready to eat and equally insistent that I join him, I open the lid to find an array of candy and snacks, including some hot buttered popcorn.
“You must really like popcorn.”
