Page 92 of Only You and Me

I breathe a sigh of relief when she stands, kisses the pads of her fingers, and then touches them to Teddy’s headstone before turning away and walking to me.

I meet her halfway and pull her into a tight hug. “I love you,” I whisper in her ear.

She pulls back and looks me in the eye. “I love you, too, Tri. Thank you for bringing me today. I think I would have chickened out if I had to come alone and I needed this. You’re the best sister and friend I could ask for.”

A tear slips down my cheek and I rush to swipe it away before grabbing Emily’s hand and heading back to the car. We drive in silence for about ten minutes and then, when Emily turns some music on, I feel like she might be ready to talk.

“Can I ask you a question about the cemetery?” I ask as I navigate the curvy roads on the way back from the border of Elladine and Meadow Creek, the cool air providing us with a pleasant breeze through the open windows.

“Sure.”

“What made you pick a cemetery this far out when there’re two in Elladine? I always wondered, but was afraid to ask you.”

I notice the vehicle behind us is riding awfully close, so I move a little more toward the shoulder of the road so they can pass if they want. They don’t.

“Oh, that’s easy. It was spite.” Emily chuckles and when I glance over at her with one eyebrow raised, I wonder if she’s losing it. “Mom and Dad hated Teddy, but they tried to strong-arm me into burying him at the ‘family’ cemetery on Third Avenue and Main. And Teddy’s parents reached out—even though no one in his family had spoken to him in six fucking years—and they wanted him buried in the other one, where all the members of their congregation get buried. So, I aimed to piss them both off and buried him here.”

I let out a hearty laugh. “Impressive, little sister. Remind me never to piss you off.”

I glance up in the rearview mirror again, but the SUV continues to ride too close to the rear of my car.

“Jesus, dude. I’m going the speed limit. Pass me if you don’t like it,” I mutter. I notice Emily glance over her shoulder to look and see what I’m talking about.

We drive another mile and the driver behind us is still dangerously close for these kinds of roads. As we approach a turnout, I pull into it so he can pass us.

Except he doesn’t. He swerves into the turnout and stays about twenty feet behind us.

I keep watch in the rearview mirror. “What the hell?” I mutter. “Emily, don’t look back. Keep looking forward and put your window up.” We both raise our windows and the click of the doors locking fills the car.

I reach for my phone, hands shaking, and I aim to keep it low and out of sight while I unlock it and go to my favorites, then press call. Halfway through a second ring, Ben’s name pops up on the dashboard display.

“Trina? What’s wrong?” His voice is strained.

“Don’t freak out,” I say, trying to keep my voice even. My hands are back on the steering wheel now and I’m gripping so tight that my knuckles are white.

“Telling someone not to freak out means there’s something to freak out about. Tell me. Now.”

“Emily and I are on the way back from Teddy’s cemetery and it’s probably nothing, but a black SUV was tailing us pretty close for miles even though I’ve been driving about five miles over the speed limit.”

“What else? I know you and you wouldn’t call for that alone.” A car door slams and an engine roars to life in the background. “I’m on my way. You’re on Route 47, right?”

“Yeah, about three miles outside of where we would turn off to go home. Anyway, so I pulled over at a turnout to let him pass us and he swerved in behind us. He’s just sitting there, parked about twenty feet away.” I’m still watching the rearview mirror when my stomach drops. “Oh, shit.”

This has to be my stalker. Emily is going to get hurt because of me.

“Oh shit, what? What’s happening?” Ben’s speech is rapid, and his high-pitched voice gives away his panic.

“He’s flashing his lights at us, Ben. What should I do? Stay here? Try to drive away?” My voice is almost shrill now. I glance over at Emily to make sure she’s okay and her hands are fumbling as she taps away on her phone, intermittently looking up into the rearview and passenger side mirrors.

“Okay. Stay calm. According to the location tracker on your car, I’m about ten minutes out.”

“You put a location tracker on my car?” My voice is incredulous.

“Trina, it’s not the time to argue about this. Listen, keep an eye on him, stay in drive, and be prepared to take off if he pulls up closer to you, or if he gets out of the car. Got it?”

“Yeah, I got it.”

I shift into drive, then look back up into the rearview mirror, not taking my eyes off of it.

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