The next morning, Millie goes to rent a car to help Wendy disappear. Although Wendy has given her cash to cover the cost, Millie decides to pay with her own credit card so the rental cannot be traced back to Wendy.

While waiting at the counter, Millie feels watched through the rental office’s large windows and turns to look outside, but sees no one. She reminds herself that Xavier Marin is jailed without bail and supposedly out of the picture, yet the sensation has persisted repeatedly since his arrest. Millie considers that Douglas Garrick could be following her, even though the feeling started before she worked for him, and worries he may already suspect the escape plan.

When the clerk tells Millie her reservation is for a red Hyundai instead of a gray Ford Focus, Millie argues that she reserved the gray car to avoid drawing attention. The clerk says the Focus is unavailable and offers a gray Honda CRV instead, but Millie decides an SUV might stand out even more. Wanting to leave as soon as possible, Millie accepts the red Hyundai and focuses on getting out of town.