Page 62 of Midnight Auto Parts

“I’ve been my own boss for so long, I’ve forgotten what it’s like to get ordered around all the time.”

Kierce glanced at me, his gaze a million miles away. He looked ready to comment but remained quiet.

Soon enough, the driver pulled into the shop’s parking lot, and we exited the car.

“I thought you left with Carter?” Josie, who had been watering the herb garden in front of the office, shaded her eyes from the sun. “I didn’t expect to see you back until closing time.”

“She’s got her hands full at work.” I couldn’t resist teasing her. “Kierce and I are off to do important god things.”

“God things, huh?” She spluttered a laugh. “You got used to divinity fast.”

“No.” Kierce rubbed circles on my lower back. “You’re wrong about that.”

“She’s teasing.” I smiled up at him. “Sometimes joking can help you feel less afraid.”

Pascal exited the garage while Kierce reflected on what I had said, the mechanic flashing a wide grin.

“Francita, I had a brilliant idea after you left.” He slapped his hands together. “Come and see.”

Trailing him into the open bay, I saw hisbrilliancefirst thing. “Why is there a golf cart in here?”

Rusted from a life outdoors and dented from years of hard use, it slouched on its flat tires in exhaustion.

“I got to thinking about our exciting trip to work this morning, and it hit me that the cemetery is so close Kierce doesn’t need to learn to drive a car to help out. He can use this. It’s electric. It goes nice and slow. He can practice making turns, backing up, and using his mirrors.” He jogged over and indicated the set of side mirrors and the rearview mirror he had installed to make the poor golf cart more practical. “He can build up his confidence with this and then move to a regular vehicle.”

“How much did this cost?” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “No.” That was being too optimistic about it. “How much will it cost to get it running again?”

“I got it for free,” he rushed to assure me. “All it cost me was a basket of Josie’s apples.”

Snorting at his answer, Josie folded her arms across her chest. “Then it wasn’t free, was it?”

“How much?” I pinned him with my stare. “Will it cost more than a new one to fix?”

The problem with mechanics was, they enjoyed a good project. They enjoyed them so much, they would convince themselves it was cheaper to buy a clunker and fix it themselves. From my experiences in filing invoices for many suchfreeprojects over the years, that was never the case.

“Let me worry about it.” Pascal patted the roof. “I’ll have it ready in no time.”

“I’ll pay for the repairs,” Kierce volunteered, inspecting the cart. “I could drive this to Bonaventure?”

“It’s not street legal,” I warned him, “but no one will stop you from puttering around out here.”

Golf carts, go-karts, four-wheelers, dune buggies. Lawn mowers. We shared the road with them all.

“You heard the man.” Pascal whooped and grinned. “Operation God Cart is a go.”

The urge to groan was strong, but I restrained myself. “Kierce and I are heading out.”

With only so much time left before I had to be back for Pascal at closing time, I was eager to get moving.

Unable to hug Matty without making it awkward for Pascal, I settled for squeezing Josie.

“Don’t think I don’t know I was your second choice,” she huffed in my ear. “I saw that hesitation.”

“Keep him safe.” I held her tight. “Keep you safe too.”

“Just because you died once,” she warned me, “don’t think I won’t kill you if you kick the bucket again.”

An inspection of the supply kit I kept in the wagon earned Kierce’s approval, and we set out to begin our hunt. We made it four or five miles, to a small memorial park, before Kierce askedme to pull over so we could try our luck finding the missing god bones.

---