Howard's panel truck

Howard's panel truck serves as more than transport: its combination of inconspicuous appearance and extra power fits the journey Mike Milo undertakes, while the way he parks and retrieves it makes the vehicle part of his effort to avoid notice. The truck carries him from Laredo to Mexico City and then, after a carefully concealed stop, toward Lexa's house.

Provision and Design

Howard presents the vehicle as part of the trip arrangement, telling Mike that he has bought a panel truck and that Mike will drive it down on vacation. The truck is therefore not Mike's own vehicle: Howard supplies it for the journey. This practical offer establishes the means by which Mike will travel, but the truck's later uses give it a more specific role in the journey.

The truck is new and mechanically more powerful than the trip requires, yet its outward appearance is restrained. It is dark blue, and Howard describes its conservative color by comparing it to an old-fashioned blue serge suit. The contrast is functional: the vehicle has extra power, including dual carburetion, without drawing attention through a conspicuous finish. Mike finds it a pleasure to drive. Its understated exterior and enhanced engine thus combine ease of use with the discretion its journey will require.

The Road to Mexico City

Three days after leaving Laredo, Mike passes the Green Indian statues Howard had mentioned, recognizing that he is in Mexico City. He drives along Avenida Insurgentes, past housing projects and a spired skyscraper, crosses the viaduct over the railroad station, and reaches the monument to the Aztec chief Cuauhtémoc at a main city crossroads. These landmarks situate the truck within a long overland journey that ends at the center of the city, rather than treating its arrival as an unlocated transition.

Although Mike is only blocks from his destination, he does not take the truck directly to the hotel. He leaves it in a public garage and continues by taxi with a small suitcase. The separation between vehicle and traveler is deliberate: the hotel must not know that he has arrived in his own vehicle, and its staff must not receive a description of it. Howard has recommended the Hotel Fifth Avenue as a place where Mike can remain inconspicuous among its North American guests. The hotel's size and the staff's limited attention to guests make it useful for that purpose, while leaving the truck elsewhere keeps it from connecting Mike's arrival to his transportation.

Concealment and the Night Approach

Well after midnight, Mike returns to the garage and claims the truck. He drives west through a park and into Lomas de Chapultepec, circling the area to check for police cars before turning into the alley leading to the rear entrance of Lexa's house. The change of setting also changes the truck's function: after carrying Mike across the distance to the city, it becomes a vehicle he maneuvers with care near a particular destination.

Mike switches off the headlights and drives slowly into the passageway. He stops well short of a barred gate because he fears the vehicle's sound might alert the dogs. When he gets out, he leaves the door open rather than risk making a sharp noise by shutting it. He then opens the rear door and selects equipment from the tool kit by touch in the darkness: a screwdriver, pliers, and a small flashlight go into his left coat pocket; an oil can and black electrical tape go into his right. The truck's rear compartment makes this equipment available, but the scene emphasizes the care needed to use it without attracting attention. Its presence brings Mike close to the house, while its potential to make noise sets a limit on how close or quickly he can move.

Narrative Function

The truck's role develops through a sequence of concrete choices: Howard supplies it; Mike drives it from Laredo to Mexico City; Mike leaves it in a garage so the hotel will not know he has arrived in it; and he retrieves it later for the approach to Lexa's house. The vehicle's dark, conservative color suits the need for low visibility, while its extra power and comfortable handling serve the long drive. Near the house, however, discretion depends less on power than on Mike's management of headlights, distance, doors, and noise.

This contrast makes the truck a practical instrument of the journey rather than a mere background possession. Its usefulness depends on both its physical qualities and the choices Mike makes around it: the engine carries him between cities, the garage keeps it out of view at the hotel, and careful driving helps him approach the rear entrance. The evidence does not establish what happens after Mike gathers the tools, but it does show how the vehicle enables the approach while requiring the same restraint that governs his movements there.