In Colorado

Michael

I was glad Sandra had the forethought to rent an SUV upon our arrival. There was a threat of snow for Saturday and I knew how rough it could get there. In my mind, it was late when the plane landed, even though the time difference gave us an added two hours of daylight. We ate fast food for dinner—something I rarely did—and it was delicious. We were both exhausted by the time we made it to Natalia’s lodge and barely had time to unpack our meager belongings before we went off to our separate rooms to sleep.

I stayed awake for a little while, my mind buzzing with what was about to happen. Natalia’s liquor cabinet was stocked and I sat down in the dark living room, staring at the unlit fireplace while sipping on a twenty-one-year-old scotch. Everything was going to work out perfectly. Demetri had given me enough time to get out before I had the chance at having someone point the finger at me for being involved with Sal Rossi before he died.

I drank two more scotches before my min