Page 62 of Justified Lies

Lianna fumbled through the glove compartment for the roadside assistance number. There was an app for this that she now regretted never bothering to download. Waiting for several minutes, she finally got through to someone. Relaying the issue, they asked her to try a few maneuvers to get the car going again. On the third try, the engine did start again, so Lianna moved it fully onto the shoulder. She was too unnerved to attempt driving it again.

After assurance that a tow truck was on the way, she sat back in her seat, hands shaking. She wanted to call someone but there was no one to call. Unloading this drama on her in-laws or friends would only stress them out. Instead, she cracked her door for air and took steadying breaths.

After forty minutes, a tow truck arrived. The driver was a friendly middle-aged man, his demeanor putting her at ease immediately.

“Let’s have a look,” the man said, popping the hood.

Lianna understood enough to know the man was going to be looking under the storage space where her electric car battery and other critical components were stored. After a few minutes, he closed the hood and wiped his hands on his jeans.

“When we get it to the dealership, I’ll tell them to check out the connection between the battery and the rest of the electrical system. Sometimes loose connections can cause the whole system to shut down. How long have you had this vehicle?”

“About a year.”

“Have it serviced or anyone messing around under the hood recently?”

“No. Why?”

“I don’t want to worry you, miss, but it certainly looks like something is going on with the wiring. I’d rather be safe than sorry. After you,” he said, gesturing towards the passenger side of his truck. Lianna followed, but his advice was too late. Something about his tone and line of questioning already had her very worried.

****

Lianna arrived home just as a headache was starting to form behind her right eye. It wasn’t even lunch time yet, and she was exhausted. She had received no other explanation about why her car suddenly shut down without warning. The dealership offered her a loaner, but she declined. The minivan would suit her fine until she got her vehicle back.

Lianna wandered through the kitchen, realizing she hadn’t cleaned up from the kids’ breakfast yet. Sighing, she setout to tidy the kitchen when her cell phone rang. Seeing it was the kids’ school, she hastily picked up.

“Lianna speaking.”

“Hi there, this is Marcy from the office. We just wanted to double check with you that Annie was supposed to go home with her aunt today.”

“Annie? No.”

“Let me check what I have written down here.”

While the cheerful woman checked her notes Lianna’s pulse began to pound.

“Yes, I have here that a woman came in and said she was Annie’s aunt. She mentioned she was supposed to bring her home today.”

“No, that’s not right,” Lianna choked out as her head started spinning.

“Well, that’s odd.”

Then Lianna had a thought. “Was it Nicki Bennett?”

The lady spoke to someone in the background. “Hey, Cath, was Nicki Bennett who came in?” The distant voice responded, “I’m not sure, I was in the library at the time. Heather was covering the desk. But everyone knows Nicki, so I’m not sure why she wouldn’t have written her name down if it was her.”

Lianna was panicking now, her kids only had one aunt, Nicki, and if it wasn’t her…

“Is there another Annie in the class? This must be a misunderstanding.” Lianna found herself leaning against the counter to steady herself.

“There is not, she asked for Annie Bennett.”

“Is Annie still in class? Is the woman still there?” Lianna begged, not bothering to hide the worry in her voice.

“Not now. Heather told her we would call Annie’s mom to confirm. The note here says she would be back after lunch.Please don’t worry, Annie is just fine. They should be starting lunch now. I’ll walk down myself just to confirm.”

But for the second time today, Lianna was worried. That uneasy feeling in her gut churned at full force now.

“Please do, thank you. But I’m only around the corner. I’ll feel better coming to get Annie while this is all sorted.”

---