(34) I am what I am

~ Quinn ~

Jack got it immediately. “Whoever Blair’s afraid of could have found him and is trying to send him some sort of message. The question is, has he gotten it and is that why he ran?” He looked at me. “Or did he get it and was he afraid you’d be next if he stuck around?”

“Too many questions,” I growled, “Too many questions and no answers. I have to find him.”

“That’s not going to be easy. Do you even know if the information you have in that file is legit?” He tapped the one containing the copies of the papers Blair had filled out when Bonnie had hired him.

“No, but I can find out. There’s a social security number and a photocopy of the ID he gave Bonnie to prove he wasn’t an illegal.” I shook my head as I took that out and looked at it. “I wonder how many people actually do more than check the picture on these things.”

Jack looked and chuckled. “It’s marked with an ‘M’ right there under ‘sex’. Of course as battered as his ID is, if the photocopy’s any indication it’s barely legible.”

“Which may have been what he was counting on.” I checked the address. “Utah.”

“Bet he had a hard time if that’s where he grew up.”

“The big ‘if’ because he could have gotten this at any time, even after he went on the run.”

“But it’s a place to start looking.”

“Jack, he could be anywhere in the country. I’m never going to find him.”

“Depends on how he’s traveling. If he took a bus then you’re out of luck because they don’t require ID. But if he’s really trying to get away fast, he might have flown or taken a train and then we can track him.”

I was on the phone almost before he stopped talking. Yes I’d been stupid, I knew ID was required for trains and planes, I was just too damned involved in this or I would have remembered. Twenty minutes later I slammed the phone down angrily. “I’m shit out of luck.”

Jack looked over at me and shook his head. “Call the airport here.” He slid a slip of paper across the desk to me. “He took a bus out last night and got off there this morning around eight. And he didn’t buy another ticket. At least we’re lucky about one thing, he stands out. It’s how I found out which bus he took out of town.”

I nodded, smiling slightly. “That he does,” I said, remembering the first time I saw him. Well, the only time. I realized how unbelievable this whole thing was. I’d known him only a few short hours and yet he’d become the total focus of my life now. Was this a fool’s errand? What if I do find him and we’re wrong. What if he is the killer? Or just a bad, what if I find him and he doesn’t want me in his life? All those thoughts and more ran through my head as I began calling airlines again.