Chapter 35

“Well, then,” I said. “Let’s get some chicken out of the trunk and keep on keepin’ on.”

Missouri unfolded without fanfare, but we had only been in Iowa for twenty miles when the rusty chocolate cake smell became too distinct to ignore. Thumper wrinkled his nose. “Do you smell that?”

I turned my own nose up and nodded. He consulted the dashboard and said, “Looks like the temperature’s pretty high.”

“Oh, that,” I pooh poohed. “That’s a piece of cake, even I know what to do about that. Pull over when we find a gas station, or even a restaurant. All we need is to add some water. Cool it right off.”

“Didn’t Ryan already do that?”

“That was hours ago. It’s hot, we’ve been driving pretty much non-stop. We’ll put some water in the radiator, have a cup of coffee, and git along, little doggy.”

Thumper laughed. “Do you even know what the radiator looks like?”

“I couldn’t draw a picture of it off the top of my head,” I allowed. “But I’ll know it when I see it.”