Page 60 of Dark Roads
He studied her. “You could have died in that river.”
“I could die anywhere.”
“Hiking in those woods alone, without experience, wasn’t smart.” His scolding tone was beyond patronizing. How did his wife stand him?
“I’ll be more careful.” Maybe if she humored him he’d feel like he’d done his job.
“I heard you had a visitor yesterday.”
“Isn’t a hospital supposed to be private?”
“Not much stays private in this town. If you two are dating, that’s your choice.” He held up his hands, then said casually, “He used to date Shannon Emerson.” He watched her lower herself slowly to the bed. He smirked. “You didn’t know that, huh?”
“It’s a small town.”
“She was at the field that night with him. Somehow she ended up alone.”
She frowned. “That doesn’t mean—”
“You think all these girls are justunlucky? He came into the diner every few days, and, sorry, sweetheart, but the burgers aren’t that good. He had his eye on your sister.”
Jonny had sat in that chair. They’d talked easily about Amber and Hailey. He had made her feel comforted, reassured. She’d have sensed something was wrong with him when they got drunk together. She would haveknown. She couldn’t have slept with her sister’s killer.
“Everyone probably knows everyone in this town. Doesn’t mean anything.”
He got to his feet. “Sure. Bet Amber thought the same thing. Unless you want to join her, stay away from him. I don’t want to have to pick through your bones.” It was macabre, the way he said it, shockingly brutal, and judging by the glint in his eye when she sucked in her breath, it hit exactly as intended. There was nothing she could say against such ugly words.
“You take care, now.” His shoes squeaked on the floor as he spun around, his strides long.
After he was gone, Beth sat on the edge of the bed for a few more minutes, then grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder. On her way out, she took the magazines and left them on the nurses’ desk.
Her car was full of gas. She’d only had a quarter of a tank the night she drove home from the diner. Jonny had filled it up. She stared at the gauge. Why hadn’t he told her about Shannon? It had to be a lie. Vaughn was manipulating her, for some reason. Maybe to get at Jonny.
She eased out of the hospital parking lot, sucking in her breath when her tires rolled over a speed bump. Her ribs were bruised, not broken, but they would still take a while to heal, and she’d have to come back to get the stitches on her head removed. The doctor told her that she needed to be careful not to get another concussion. She promised to avoid more cliff-diving.
Midweek, the campground was nearly empty. One family was in a site close to the entrance, and a truck with Alberta license plates and a camper was in a middle site. Three large men stood around their barbecue, drinking beer and admiring their dirt bikes.
She was disappointed to see that Jonny’s friends had left thecampground. She’d come to think of them as protectors. Or at least they weren’t strangers. Jonny might not believe there was a mountain man, but she wasn’t convinced. Either way, that dog was still out there.
She walked slowly around her site and the shore but didn’t see any paw prints. She’d bring more scraps in case he showed up. He deserved a burger—asteak—after saving her life.
She crawled into the tent to change, pausing to stare down at her things, all rumpled and out of order. What had Jonny been thinking when he went through her clothes? Did he feel as though he were violating her privacy? If she’d been going through his things, she would have stopped to smell his shirts, maybe pulled one over her head to keep. She decided to leave her clothes the way he’d left them, unfolded, tossed loose from their straight little lives.
The vodka bottle was on its side in the cooler, the remaining liquid leaked out. She’d picked up another on the way back. Drink in one hand, and the bottle of vodka under her arm, she walked down to the dock and sat in the middle on the warm wood planks. She hugged her knees to her chest and wondered if Amber and Hailey had sat in the same spot.
Three women. Two dead, and one missing. Jonny had an alibi for when Hailey went missing, and if there had been anyrealevidence he was involved with Amber’s or Shannon’s deaths, the cops would have arrested him. It was just Vaughn’s obsession. Jonny hadn’t even tried to get Beth alone. She was the one who invited him out to the campsite, and into her tent.
Still. Why hadn’t Jonny told her about Shannon? She thought for a moment and picked up her cell phone, hovered her finger over the keyboard. It’s a bad idea to text a guy when you’re feeling emotional. Especially if you’re high on pills and maybe a little bit lonely.
She quickly tapped out,Thanks for dropping off my car, and hitsend before she could overthink it. She was being polite. If he answered, great. If he didn’t, oh, well.
She picked up the vodka bottle and swirled the liquid around. The Coke was at her campsite in her cooler. Seemed a long way to go for something she didn’t need. She pressed the rim to her lips and drank it straight, then dropped onto her back, legs dangling into the cold water, and waited for the alcohol to hit her blood and mix with her painkillers.
Goodbye problems, hello oblivion.
Her face was wedged against her backseat. She tried to sit up and sucked in a sharp cry at the pain in her ribs. Right. Forgot about those. She pressed her hands to the side of her head and winced when she made contact with her stitches and the lump that was still very lumpy.
She closed her eyes until the pain receded, then she sat upslowly, taking stock of her body, her car, the heat pressing in around her. Her hair felt sweaty. She was still dressed in yesterday’s clothes. Her feet were filthy. Sand and dirt were in her bedding, on the seats, the floorboards. Somehow she’d gotten dirty footprints on the dash. Like she’d kicked her feet up. Having herself a nice day at the beach. She stared at the marks, willing herself to remember. When was she in the front seat? What else had she done? Her gaze landed on her cell phone.
