Vetted Further

by K'Anne Meinel

  * * * * *

  She’d found it! She’d found exactly the vehicle she wanted for Fey. She’d been ready to settle because Fey kept asking what she had found, but she was glad she had waited. She couldn’t believe they could afford it either. It was a truck Allyssa had seen one or two of the more affluent veterinarians using. She knew they could never afford this vehicle new because it cost over four hundred thousand dollars; however, by chance, and by diligently watching the ads daily and sometimes twice daily, she came across someone getting rid of one that could be converted to their needs. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Fey had been pressing her to buy another box truck and find a camper to go on the back since the checks had come in and cleared. But Allyssa had held off in the rush of spring work, sure she could do better, and Fey had made do with the Jeep and a blow-up mattress, especially as it got warmer and she could even use her sleeping bag outdoors.

  As soon as she saw the ad, she called the woman, who assured her the price was correct and asked if she was interested?

  “Yes, definitely. Could I come see it and write you a check?”

  “I’d prefer a bank check,” she said cautiously, suddenly sounding unsure.

  Allyssa wheedled her down a bit, and she finally agreed to a bank check for the deposit. If Allyssa bought the vehicle, the woman would take a business check for the balance.

  She left a note for Fey on the desk and ran out to the old, dilapidated Ford truck that had cost them a fortune to get running that spring. She couldn’t believe the price on the other truck. It was so ridiculously low, she kept pinching herself. She was nervous at the bank as they prepared the check for her.

  “Are you okay, Mrs. Herriot?” the teller asked as she typed it up.

  “What? Yeah, just lost in thought,” she excused her nervous finger tapping, hoping they wouldn’t hold the check up, but after last year’s fiasco, she was certain the staff at the bank didn’t want any trouble with those two lesbians from the Falling Pines Ranch. Still, it was a large amount, and she was nervous and excited and afraid of the disappointment if it turned out to be a hoax. She had left a note for Fey, but she wasn’t sure how long it would take her to travel across the state. She knew her wife would worry, but she hoped the surprise would be worth it. She was so excited.

  She drove steadily for four hours until the directions the woman had given her became more intricate, then she slowly made her way to the woman’s home. She only hoped the drive wasn’t fruitless. The old Ford was barely holding together. She didn’t know if it was going to make it. It had already overheated once, forcing her to stop and fill the radiator when it cooled enough to add water. She’d kept the heat on high and the window cracked open to cool down the hot cabin and make the engine work cooler. As she pulled into the woman’s driveway, she was astounded to see an EarthRoamer XV, as it was called, parked there, just like in the picture.

  She pulled up behind it, hid her gun and its holster under the front seat, and got out of the uncomfortable, old truck. The woman, who must have been watching for her, popped out the front door.

  “Hello. Are you Allyssa Herriot?” she asked, hopefully, looking around as though she were expecting someone else.

  “I am. Are you Mrs. Delaney?” she asked, respectfully, hoping this deal was legitimate. If not, she had just wasted a lot of time and gas and gone through a lot of hassle for nothing. The check in her pocket was burning a hole. She had worried the entire drive.

  “I’m so glad you made it. When you told me where you were driving from, I thought you’d never get here,” she smiled her welcome, looking curiously at the young woman and wondering if she really had the money needed to buy this monstrosity. She saw Allyssa’s eyes stray back to the truck. “Do you want to have a look? I’ve had several calls since yours came in, but since I promised it to you, I wouldn’t even talk to them about the truck. I even had to take down the ad on the internet.” She had worried about doing that. What if Allyssa Herriot wasn’t going to buy it? Now, seeing how young she was, what if she couldn’t afford it?

  “I’m surprised they didn’t offer more,” Allyssa admitted.

  “Yes, a few started with that, but you and I made a deal on the phone, and I don’t renege,” she asserted stoutly, sounding outraged at the idea. “But I did take down a couple names in case you didn’t show up,” she admitted.

  “Well, that was wise, but I’d like to take a look.” She gestured at the large truck, and the woman produced a set of keys.

  Allyssa caressed the hood of the Ford king cab as she walked by it. It was nearly new. It had only fifty thousand miles on it, was in excellent shape, and had very little dirt on it and much less wear. She again wondered at the price, just as she had when she saw the ad. These vehicles went for over three hundred thousand used. She understood why as she looked it over. The EarthRoamer XV was a compact, energy-efficient, solar-powered luxury home. It was built on a go anywhere, four-wheel drive, Ford commercial duty truck chassis and was powered by a quiet, efficient, powerful turbo diesel engine. She knew the diesel part might get expensive at some point, but they were built to go for a long time. Unlike conventional RVs that depended on noisy generators and campground electrical connections for power, EarthRoamer Xpedition Vehicles used massive solar panel arrays, huge engine-driven alternators, and large battery banks to provide quiet and environmentally responsible power. At least, that’s what the sales brochures had said when Allyssa originally discovered them and drooled over them. She had never thought they could afford one, much less one this well built and well-maintained. That was why she had been so skeptical and tried so hard not to get her hopes up as she drove to check it out. She was sure there was a catch somewhere. Still, she had to try. As she went into the RV area, she admired how compact and energy-efficient the unit was. The whole thing was strong, lightweight, attractive, and its one-piece, molded and seamless composite body would ensure that Fiona was well taken care of as she worked or slept. There was plenty of room for all her medical supplies too. Some of them, not this one though, had granite countertops, maple cabinetry, and options for satellite TV and radio. This one had a combination of stainless steel and laminate tables, and cabinets that were pleasing to the eye and would be perfect for a vet.

  “Ma’am, I’m sure you know that your asking price is a bit low. May I ask why?” Allyssa couldn’t resist asking.

  The woman looked thunderously angry at the question. She had watched as Allyssa looked at everything the luxurious vehicle offered and checked that everything worked, right down to the high tires. She’d started it and the sound, despite being diesel, was relatively quiet.

  “Hey, if you don’t want to tell me, I’m fine with that.” Allyssa put her hands up in surrender. “As agreed, I have your deposit here,” she said, hastily pulling the bank check from her front pocket and reaching for her checkbook for the balance. “I’ll take it, if you’ll get me the registration papers.”

  The woman seemed mollified, her anger leaving as quickly as it had come. She took the cashier’s check, read it, confirmed the amount, and murmured, “I’ll get the papers and write you out a bill of sale.”

  Allyssa stood there, wondering why the woman was selling, her thoughts taking in the nice home. They obviously could afford such a vehicle, and the woman on the phone had said it was her husband’s. Maybe he had passed away? That was it. That’s why the woman was so angry. She must have been widowed and left this painful and expensive reminder.

  When Mrs. Delaney returned with the registration, she hastily signed the back and dated it. Allyssa handed her the business check from the Falling Pines Ranch account, having warned them at the bank that there might be a large check coming through the account. She also gave Allyssa a second set of keys.

  “Is there anything in the truck you need to take out?” Allyssa offered, her heart beating hard at the fact that she had spent so much money that day.

  “No,” she assured her. “I cleaned that out as soon as you phoned.” />
  “Well, I’ll back my truck out of the drive and then drive this vehicle to get a car trailer. Do you know of a U-Haul around here?” She glanced down the drive at the now ridiculous-looking old Ford truck she had driven across the state, wondering if she should just take it to a junk yard now that she had the Xpedition to drive.

  “There’s one about a mile away,” she stated as she explained how Allyssa could find it. She seemed to want Allyssa out of the yard as soon as she could get her gone. Allyssa glanced at the registration papers to be sure of the name once more before putting them in her pocket carefully. She took her keys and backed the older Ford truck down the drive and parked it on the street, remembering when she had owned a Mustang in a neighborhood just like this and had not been allowed to keep it. She got out, locked it up, and went eagerly to get in the cab of the Xpedition. Smiling, she waved at Mrs. Delaney, who waved as she carefully backed the large truck out of her yard, down her drive, and onto the street, heading for the nearest U-Haul.

  At the U-Haul, she arranged to rent a car dolly for the older Ford. While the guy was admiring the Xpedition and asking questions as he hooked up the dolly, she casually asked on a hunch, “Where is the nearest DMV?”

  “There’s one about three miles that way,” he pointed down the busy road she had just turned off to the U-Haul center. “You can’t miss it. It looks like a prison,” he joked as he wiped his hands on a rag after hooking the dolly to the ball on her hitch. “Let’s check the lights.”

  After making sure everything worked, he gave her the thumbs up sign and she was on her way. The papers for the U-Haul rental were on the front seat next to her as she headed for the DMV. She hadn’t planned to do this, but it was still early in the day and she felt the need to get the registration in her and Fey’s name. This vehicle was too valuable not to have it changed over as soon as possible, and she had a strange feeling something was up with that woman. She hoped she hadn’t just spent many thousands of dollars for nothing, only to have it all taken back or stolen somehow. Taking out the cell phone, she saw she’d missed a call from Fey. She felt guilty, but she didn’t call her wife. Instead, she called their new insurance company to make sure their purchase would be covered from that moment on. They made it amazingly easy as she gave them the vin number from the registration paperwork. The rates were a bit higher than they were used to, but after the accident and due to the price of the Xpedition, it was understandable.

  It took longer at the DMV than she expected, but she finally had the registration in her and Fiona’s name. They took the old plates from her, replacing the back plate with a piece of paper. She wondered how long that would hold up with the snow and rain she expected on her way home much less the amount of driving that Fey would be doing. The delay was her own fault as she had asked for custom plates and those took longer. Finally, she was heading back to the woman’s place, carefully maneuvering the large Xpedition with the dolly trailing behind on the residential streets as she tried to remember the way back. She was relieved to park it and get in her own truck, backing it up until she could drive onto the dolly. Tying it down, she was surprised to see Mrs. Delaney coming out.

  “Why aren’t you gone?” she asked, sounding alarmed.

  Startled at the tone of the woman’s voice, she asked, “Is something wrong? I’m just tying this off now,” she said as she ratcheted the tie of her tire to the dolly. She went to do the same on the other side, making sure to put the truck in neutral, so she wouldn’t drag any of the tires that were on the ground behind the two-wheeled dolly.

  “I just thought you would be gone by now,” she stated, trying to sound normal and failing.

  Allyssa was getting a weird vibe about this, but the DMV had put the truck in her and Fiona’s name without a problem, so the woman couldn’t get the truck back without a bit of hassle, and Allyssa wasn’t about to give it up. “I’m going. I’ve got it all tied off now,” she assured her, glancing around when the woman did the same, almost as though she were waiting for someone. As Allyssa made her way to the truck and got in, she saw the woman looking about more anxiously and waved as she left, hoping never to see her again. She had acted so oddly.

  Driving onto the interstate took some time as Allyssa was being extra cautious. She wasn’t familiar with the Xpedition or the dolly behind her, so she wasn’t quite comfortable. She turned on the radio to relax, and it was two hours later when she noticed police lights behind her. Pulling cautiously to the side of the interstate, her heart pounding, she wondered why she had been pulled over. She had stayed exactly at the speed limit, which, with her load, had taken a while to feel comfortable with. Still, she waited patiently as the officer looked closely over her dolly, her truck, and then the Xpedition before he approached her window. She was suddenly aware that she’d left her gun and holster in the old truck under her seat. While she had the right to carry a firearm, leaving it so carelessly in the truck alarmed her and made her begin to sweat.

  “License and registration,” he asked through the window which she’d only opened a crack. It had started to snow, and it was cold out there. The heat in the truck was working fine, and she hadn’t noticed the drop in temperature. It had been raining as she left the woman’s home, but she hadn’t minded. Allyssa slipped the new registration to him along with the bill of sale the woman had filled out, and she pulled out her wallet and gave him her license too. He took them and noted that the registration was new, taken out that very day. The bill of sale was for that day as well. Sitting there, waiting for him to run the plate or whatever it was they did, she wondered what this was about. The phone rang, and once again, she ignored her wife’s phone call, feeling terribly guilty because she knew Fey would be worrying and it would be at least two more hours before Allyssa would be home. In fact, it would be more like three with the return of the dolly and parking the Xpedition where she wanted to leave it.

  “Ma’am, are you aware this vehicle was reported stolen this afternoon?”

  “Isn’t my registration in order? I just bought it today,” she exclaimed, alarmed, rolling down the window further, worrying about all the money that had changed hands that day.

  “Yes, that’s why I checked it out. Your registration is perfectly in order,” he said, handing it back to her along with her license. “Apparently, the owner had seller’s remorse or something.”

  “Mrs. Delaney assured me she wanted to sell it!” she exclaimed, wondering if she was going to lose this terrific vehicle after all.

  “Apparently, Mr. Delaney didn’t know his wife had sold it out from under him,” he said with a grin, to show that he was on her side.

  Allyssa slumped back in her seat, suddenly defeated. “Do I have to take it back?”

  He shook his head. “Nope, that registration is in order and you’re covered. If I do say so, you got a nice vehicle there,” he added as he looked into the cab of the truck.

  Relieved, Allyssa smiled pridefully. “I have to agree.”

  “May I ask how you were able to afford such a vehicle?” He had looked at her license carefully and she certainly didn’t look her age; she looked much younger. Still, checking her out it showed she was married to a doctor. That might be it…her husband was probably much older and established.

  “My wife was in an accident with our truck and camper, and we got the insurance monies to cover this,” she explained, gesturing at the truck, wanting to cry from thinking about what had happened to Fiona and the tension of that day so long ago.

  Momentarily surprised by the word wife, he smiled and nodded to her respectfully. That didn’t bother him. He waved her on her way as he made his way back to his car. He would file a report that the sale had been legitimate and the report of the theft fraudulent. He didn’t know if that would help the new owner and her wife, but the paperwork had been in order. She’d been smart.

  Allyssa took a moment to breathe deeply of the late afternoon air, enormously relieved that he had checked things out. She wondered if she ha
d only kept the registration with Mrs. Delaney’s signature on it and the bill of sale, if that would have sufficed. She blessed the impulse that had told her to find a DMV. She felt the added time had really been worthwhile. Her blood continued to race in her veins as she rolled up the window, cutting off the flow of snowflakes that had been coming into the truck and melting on her lap.

  Allyssa made her way to Pendleton and reluctantly dropped the Xpedition at a store she had seen many times, relieved to find it was still open. She told them exactly what she wanted them to do to the truck.

  “It’s going to take at least a week,” the girl assured her.

  “Well, the sooner the better, but I understand,” she answered as she paid a deposit for the work they would be doing. “Do you have somewhere safe to store it?” she worried.

  “Our lot is locked every night.”

  She had help taking the truck off the dolly and re-hitching the trailer to the back of the older Ford. She was reluctant to leave the Xpedition, admiring its smooth shape, but it needed a few more touches before she could consider giving it to Fey. There had been another call from her wife, and she knew she couldn’t ignore her anymore. They always stayed in contact, and her note wouldn’t have been sufficient. After she dropped the dolly off, she retrieved her gun and attached the holster to her hip, then she reluctantly dialed Fey.