Page 77 of Hunting the Truth
“You can trust me, I swear.”
“People who swear something like that are usually lying.”
She went into the kitchen and grabbed some nonperishable food and water bottles from the cabinets, along with a first aid kit. Maya knew where Pops kept extra backpacks and she snatched one of them, putting everything inside. She opened up the kitchen drawer that held the extra keys and took the set out that went to Pops’s old Chevrolet truck. She shoved them in her pocket and went back in the living room, where Juniper remained staring at Eric. Maya swore the dog was grinning as Eric stood there uncomfortably.
“Okay, let’s get going,” she said. “I think we’re getting closer to maybe finding this.”
And getting justice for my mother and Nana. I know where you left everything, Nana. Very smart.
“So now where are we going?”
“It’s a pretty good distance away from here, so we’re going to borrow Pops’s truck. Follow me.”
“I don’t suppose you’re going to undo these cuffs?”
“No,” Maya said. “I feel better having your hands behind your back, and you owe me after your last escape. Let’s go, the truck is parked out under the barn overhang.”
They headed out the back door and Maya locked up the house, now feeling very guilty for not only breaking and entering, but also for stealing Pops’s prized possession. He had bought the Chevy when it was brand-new, after coming home from Vietnam. Maya knew he had many great memories with that truck thanks to pictures she’d seen of Pops and Nana’s wedding day where they were driving off in it, a happy couple with a bright future ahead of them. How could they have known where life would take them and the ups and downs they would go through?
If anything happened to the truck, Maya would never live it down. Pops hadn’t talked to her for several months when she missed Nana’s funeral. If she wrecked this truck, it would probably take several more months before he spoke to her again.
Maya unlocked the passenger door. The truck was a single cab and had a bench seat that three people could squeeze into. She told Juniper to hop in first, wanting her in between her and Eric. Eric gave her an unhappy look and then crawled in next to Juniper, his hands still behind his back. Maya didn’t know when she’d cut the cuffs off, or if she would. She still didn’t know who to believe. The only people she trusted right now were Josh and Pops.
After climbing in the driver’s side, Maya fired up the old beast. It started right away. She peered down at the gearshift. It had been a while since she’d driven a manual transmission, but she figured it was like riding a bike. It should come back to her pretty quickly. Pops had taught her how to drive with the manual first. He had said you never knew when you’d have to drive a stick shift and it was a skill everyone should have. Maya was grateful for that now.
She put the truck into first and worked to find the timing between the gas pedal and releasing the clutch. The truck lurched forward and then smoothed out.
“This is going to be a fun ride,” Eric said.
“It could be a little bumpy,” Maya said.
She headed down the driveway, hoping that Pops wouldn’t come home for any reason, and felt better when she got to the main road and headed west. With the truck it would still take them about thirty minutes to get to Deer Valley Pass. They had time to talk, and Maya had more questions.
“Tell me, if we find the evidence,” she said, “what’s going to happen to it? Are you going to kill me and take it?”
“I told you, I’m not here to kill you, but I would like to have the evidence and get it into the right hands.”
She shifted gears and ground them a little bit but managed to find third and get the truck up to a little higher speed. Juniper stared out the front window, enjoying being next to Maya and not in her special compartment, but every now and then Juniper would glance at Eric. Maya saw him scoot closer to the door.
“By right hands, who do you mean? Do you mean destroy it? Or do you want to use it to buy your ticket to freedom?”
“I’d like to make a deal with the FBI and clear my name of the wrongful charges.”
“What about the charges that are true? Will you be willing to pay for those crimes or are you going to try to plead out and cooperate as a witness?”
“I wouldn’t mind trying to work out a deal,” Eric said. “I’m a cop. I wouldn’t survive in prison. We could take bets on how fast I would be shanked or beaten to death.”
“And I understand that, but I want justice for everyone who’s been harmed in this—especially my mother and grandmother.”
He stared out the window and then turned and faced her. “I want justice for them too. I can tell it’s eating you up, but no matter what happens, you need to move forward with your life.”
“Is that your way of telling me that you’re going to make sure I don’t get any of the evidence?”
“Maybe,” Eric said.
“That actually feels like the truth,” Maya said. “And in that case, I’m leaving the cuffs on.”
She shifted the truck and pushed down on the accelerator. They had to get to the evidence before anyone else figured out where it was.
