Page 36 of Dark Roads
I hid the bike under a tree, protected by draping branches, then checked the sky, listened for helicopters, the hum of drones. It had only been a week. The media could still be around. I brought my head back down. Too fast. The trees spun. I crouched, took sips of my water.
Wolf sat in front of me. Staring.
“Sorry,” I said. “I’ll do better. It’s the heat.” He’d woken me the last few nights with an anxious whine, pressed his body overtop mine, and licked my face while I sobbed. Each morning, he forced me out of bed, forced me to the river, forced me to keep fishing. I brought all the letters I’d written to Amber down to the shore, read them out loud, pausing over and over when I lost my breath, until I’d made it to the end. Then I ripped them into tiny pieces and let them fall like confetti on top of the water, watched the current take them away from me too.
I stood up, slowly, and walked the trail. Wolf trotted ahead. When we reached the wire fence around Jonny’s farm, I found the hidden spot where I could lift the bottom section. Wolf slid under first and waited for me on the other side, his ears flicking. I crawled after him.
Jonny was working on his dirt bike in front of his shop. T-shirt, board shorts, and a backward baseball cap. He was wearing his earbuds and singing along to the chorus, humming parts. I recognized the tune. “Counting Stars” by OneRepublic. Our favorite group. For a moment I could almost pretend it waslast summer and we were working on our bikes together. We’d argue over what wrench to use, the lyrics to the song. I’d make up my own and belt them out.
Lately Jonny been, Jonny been winning races
Dreaming about all the bikes he’ll get for free
I found a pebble, warm and smooth in my palm, and lifted my arm to toss it at Jonny, but then his front door opened, and a girl stepped out with two mugs in her hand. Long, black, sleep-tousled hair and one of Jonny’s T-shirts stopping at her thighs. Naked legs. Naked everything else probably too. Kristin Hampstead. She graduated this year with Jonny. Since when had they been together? He never said anything about her. Maybe she was a friend and crashed for the night.
She stopped in front of Jonny, and he got to his feet with a smile as he took the earbuds out. She passed him a mug, turned her face up to his. He kissed her. It went on for a while, his hand drifting down her lower back, then even lower. Definitely not just friends.
Wolf looked at me.
“Good question,” I muttered under my breath. I didn’t want to watch them making out, but I couldn’t leave. I pursed my lips and gave a shrill whistle. Three in a row. Jonny broke the kiss and turned his head, glanced into the woods. I drifted into the shadow of a tree. He said something to Kristin, with another short kiss, and she walked inside—hips swaying as she took the steps. Jonny watched until the door closed, then went behind his workshop.
Wolf and I crept out of the woods, moving from tree to tree. We met Jonny near the woodpile, around the corner of the shop, where any view of us was blocked from the road and the house. Jonny was standing in the shade. Wolf bounced over to greet him first, then I caught up. We hugged. He smelled like gasoline from his bike, fresh-cut firewood.
“Hailey.” He pulled away, face tense and eyes worried. “I have to tell you something.” He was still holding the coffee mug, down by his leg, his fingertips around the rim like he’d forgotten he was carrying it. I reached out, took it from his hand, and swallowed a big gulp.
“I know about Amber. I’m the one who found her.”
“Ah, shit.” He was frozen for a few beats, emotions flashing across his face. Shock, horror, confusion, then sympathy. He grabbed me for another hug, tighter this time, jostling the coffee mug in my hand and splashing my leg. I let him hold me for a moment, my body stiff, but I was too close to tears. I pulled away.
“It was Vaughn. I know it was.”
“What are you talking about?”
“He was the first at the scene.”
“That doesn’t mean—”
“He had photos of her on his computer. Isawher tattoo.”
Jonny was silent now, his face pale.
“He knew where to find her body in the ditch, and he took more photos of her—he didn’t even call it in right way. She was just lying there in the heat—” I broke off, remembering how he’d crouched beside her lifeless body. Tears filled my eyes, rolled down my cheeks, dropped from my chin. “The birds had beenpeckingat her, Jonny. He strangled her with her own shirt.”
“Oh, man.” Jonny reached for my hand. “I’m so sorry, Hailey.”
I lifted my other arm, wiped my face in the crook of my elbow, and took a few shuddering breaths. “I called Thompson. I think he believed me. I don’t know.”
“Jesus. What if Vaughn finds you?”
“I didn’t give my name. I saw what he did to her body, Jonny. I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. I feel so fucked up.” Jonny squeezed my hand, trying to comfort me, but nothing could. Nothing could ever fix this feeling. Vaughn had seen me with Amber. I’dput her on his radar. He couldn’t take his anger out on me, and then he found her. “I want to kill him.”
“Whoa.” He gripped both my shoulders, looked into my eyes. “Don’t do anything crazy. Let Thompson handle it, okay? They’re still investigating.”
“Did you hear something?”
“I got pulled in for questioning after they found Amber.”
“Iknewhe was going to try to pin this on you.”
