“That the balloon went up,” Neil said. “It seems it’s time for us to stop playing games and get down to business.”
Noah nodded. “I was just telling Moose. I found out today that we’re flying out of Denver tomorrow afternoon, and meeting Jefferson in El Paso tomorrow night. He’s supposed to have everything ready for us when we get there. I got our plane tickets. Our flight departs at twenty after four.”
Noah had the grill parked close to his patio table, so that he could watch it from his chair. The four of them were sitting at the table, looking at each other. The mood was somber, and each of them was lost in their own thoughts.
“Well, we knew it was coming,” Moose said. “It’s just like anything else; sooner or later, you have to pay the piper.”
Sarah nodded. “Yeah,” she said. “Jefferson had me driving around Hollywood in a Chrysler. He said it’s identical to the one I’ll have down there. I can drive anything, but it’s nice to be familiar with your vehicle.”
“I’m taking my own computer,” Neil said. “I might be able to use a different one, but mine already knows me. That’d be like cheating on a girlfriend.”
Moose laughed at him. “Neil, did you honestly just compare your computer to a girlfriend? Dude, we’ve really got to get you out more often. Have you ever even been laid?”
Neil rolled his eyes and sunk down into his chair. “Of course, you idiot,” he said. “Didn’t your mom tell you about us?”
Noah held up a hand. “Okay, that’s enough. Let’s try to have a good time tonight, just relax. I think if we all meet here around noon, we can be at Denver International in plenty of time to check in and go through security. That sound okay to everyone?”
“Fine by me,” Moose said. “I’m probably the only one that’ll have to drive over here anyway.”
Sarah grinned, and kicked him under the table, and Neil just rolled his eyes again. “I don’t have to drive anywhere, I just walk across the yard. On the other hand, since I have the biggest vehicle and plenty of room for all the luggage, why don’t we all ride to the airport together in mine?”
Moose looked at him for a moment, then shrugged. “Why not? Maybe you’ll kill us on the way; then we won’t have to put up with this mission after all.”
They talked about little things until the chicken was done, then Neil and Sarah brought everything else out from the house and set the table. It was a nice afternoon, and they decided to enjoy the weather. From everything they knew, it was likely to be hot in Juárez.
When dinner was over, they sat and visited for a little while, but then Moose said he wanted to go and spend some time with Elaine, and Neil decided to go to his trailer and make sure his computer and gear were properly packed. That left Noah and Sarah alone, so they cleaned everything up and loaded the dishes into the dishwasher, then sat down to watch some TV until they felt like going to bed.
TWENTY-ONE
Their flight was uneventful, and landed in El Paso at just after six. They had all been sitting together, so they all came off the plane in single file and found Jefferson waiting for them inside the terminal.
“Noah, good to see you,” he said, shaking Noah’s hand. “Good flight, everyone?”
They all smiled and nodded, agreeing that it was an easy flight. Jefferson led them toward baggage claim to pick up their luggage. “I brought a van with me,” he said, “since I didn’t know how much baggage you might have. I got vehicles for each of you back at the hotel, but I just thought the van would be easier for right now.”
“No problem,” Noah said.
It took them about twenty minutes to gather up all of their luggage, and Moose snagged a cart and loaded it all up. “Lead the way,” he said to Jefferson, and pushed the cart as he followed along. The van was in short-term parking, and the walk took about five minutes.
Everything was loaded, and they were all inside and headed for the hotel. “I put you at the Holiday Inn, it’s pretty decent. Has a nice restaurant, too. I thought you guys would like that. Pool, weight room, all the goodies.”
“That’ll be fine,” Noah said. “I understand you’ve got everything else we need?”
Jefferson smiled. “It’s all at the hotel. If you guys are hungry, we’ll get you checked in and put your things in your rooms, then meet at the restaurant and have dinner. After that, we can go to my room and you can start looking it all over.”
Noah glanced at the other three, who nodded. “Yeah, I think we’re all hungry. We ate lunch early, so we could get going to the airport.”