Chapter 11 · Continued
The Choice
WE HOPE YOU ENJOY IT.
Jane stared at the screen.
“What?”
That was all.
No threats. No questions. No mention of Cam or the transport accident.
Just a polite thank-you for participating.
Jane slowly leaned back. “That’s weird.”
Cam observed the message. “Yes.”
Jane continued staring at it. “I wonder what they’re sending.”
She cautiously closed the notice.
Nothing else appeared. No warnings, alerts, or updates about the beta program. The RCAM homepage continued displaying normal corporate marketing material as though nothing had happened.
Somehow, that felt worse.
“That’s creepy,” Jane said.
“Yes,” Cam replied. “It is.”
Inside an RCAM regional logistics office, the situation was considerably less calm.
A tired manager sat in a cramped office surrounded by incident reports and insurance paperwork. He had already read the police report from the transport accident five times.
DUI arrest.
Vehicle disabled.
Cargo transport interrupted.
Fantastic.
He rubbed his forehead and picked up the phone. After several transfers, he reached the impound lot holding the damaged truck.
“Yeah,” the worker said. “The white transport truck with the destroyed front axle?”
“That’s the one. What’s its status?”
“It isn’t going anywhere under its own power.”
Papers shuffled over the line.
“The front suspension is wrecked, the axle is snapped, and the steering assembly is bent to hell. You’ll need a flatbed to haul it out.”
The manager closed his eyes. “Wonderful.”
“So when are you picking it up?”
“We’re coordinating recovery.”
The impound worker snorted. “Coordinate faster. It’s taking up space.”
“How long can it remain there?”
“As long as you want. You’re paying by the day.”
The manager stared at his desk.
That was not the answer he wanted.
Technically, the truck should already have been inspected. Someone should have physically verified the cargo.
Instead, legal departments were arguing with insurance representatives while upper management tried to keep the incident quiet.
He looked again at the report.
Cargo verification pending.
That line bothered him.
“Has anyone from RCAM inspected the truck?” he asked.
“Nope. It’s been sitting exactly where the wrecker left it.”
The manager’s expression shifted. “I see.”
He called RCAM’s contracted towing company next. After another round of transfers and several minutes of hold music, a tired dispatcher finally answered.
“We can probably move it later this week.”
“Later this week?”
“We’re slammed. Festival traffic has half our flatbeds hauling RVs and buses out of ditches.”
Of course there was a festival.
“Fine. Schedule it. Deliver the truck directly to our contracted repair facility.”
The dispatcher typed for several seconds. “Got it.”