Polaris

Manhattan's long-distance bus terminal in New York was the Greyhound station. As the largest intercity commercial bus service in the United States, Greyhound offered a certain degree of comfort at low prices, which was one major reason it remained in business.

Greyhound also had an advantage no other form of transportation could replace: anonymity. As long as you had a ticket, you could board, and you were difficult to track. Only major stations had cameras. Who would install surveillance cameras at roadside bus stops? Besides, tickets did not necessarily have to be bought at the station; you could buy one after boarding.

For example, Jack Reacher, the Military Police investigative unit lieutenant who had dealt with Henry and helped Tony Stark investigate the truth behind his father's death, had traveled almost exclusively by Greyhound after leaving the service. That made it difficult for others to track his movements.

However, Lorin Dane had taken Greyhound from Atlanta, Georgia, to New York simply because it was cheap. Though it was hard to say whether the daily wages she could have earned by saving that travel time and returning to work sooner would necessarily have been less than the money saved on the trip. Everyone had their own choices, after all.

To play the gracious host, Henry drove Lorna Dane to the bus station to pick up her aunt.

Buses were not as punctual as trains or planes, but fortunately Henry did not have to wait long before spotting her in the waiting area. Naturally, Henry had no idea what Lorin Dane looked like, but Lorna did.

A woman not yet middle-aged, though with traces of hardship between her brows, emerged from the boarding area.

The moment she saw Lorna, the two had been about to embrace excitedly. But the tomboy who had