Chapter 12 - The Journey To Texas
By midnight, Martha’s boat had docked quietly at a private inlet near Mobile, Alabama, avoiding the Coast Guard radar.
Elena changed into a pair of dry denim jeans, work boots, and a black hoodie provided by one of Martha’s old contacts.
She boarded an interstate cargo truck heading west along Interstate 10, clutching the mahogany box inside her canvas jacket.
For twenty-four hours, she traveled across the heartland of America, watching rain-slicked highway signs pass in the dark.
She saw her own face on television screens at truck stops in Louisiana, listed as a dangerous federal fugitive.
Yet, as she looked out at the vast, open fields of Texas, she felt no fear—only a burning, righteous determination.
Her father had taken her career, her reputation, and her friends, but he had failed to take her resolve.
At 4:00 AM on Friday morning, the truck dropped her off near a dusty crossroads six miles outside Kerrville, Texas.
The air was cool and dry, smelling of cedar trees, limestone dust, and distant rain coming over the hill country.
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In the distance, the rusted iron frame of Well Number Four stood silhouetted against the starry night sky like a silent sentinel.
Elena adjusted her jacket, pulled her hood over her head, and began walking down the dirt road toward her family's past.
