Page 61 of Dark Roads
Oh, no. Had she texted anyone? She couldn’t remember if Jonny had messaged her back. She had a vague memory of checking her phone and being angry, or maybe sad. If luck was on her side, she would have been smart enough not to act on those feelings. She tapped the home button. The screen was black. She glanced at her watch—not on her wrist. She must have left it on the picnic table. The sun was up, but the air was cool. She guessed it was early.
When she reached for the car door, she realized it wasn’t locked—it wasn’t even closed properly. She ran her hand under the front seat. The gun was still there. She pushed the door open the rest of the way and stumbled toward the bathroom. She stopped to retch a few times into the bushes, crying out every time her ribs expanded, then kicked dirt over the remains.
Toiletries finished, she unearthed half a bottle of lukewarm water from her cooler, and drank it down in two hard swallows. She found her watch. She had to leave soon for her shift.
She brushed her teeth, rolled her hair into a messy topknot, with sections loose to hide the stitches, patted some makeup gingerly across the bruise, and dug through her clothes until she found a pair of clean shorts and an oversized white T-shirt. Hopefully the shirt wouldn’t irritate her throbbing sunburned shoulders. She swallowed a painkiller—and, after a moment’s consideration, a nibble of Xanax—then slid behind the wheel of her car.
The engine wouldn’t turn over. She tried the key again. Nothing.
“Shit, shit, shit.” She pounded her fists on the hot steering wheel. Was there any limit to how stupid she had been last night? When she hadn’t closed the driver’s door properly, it must have kept the interior light on, which drained her already-weak battery. Now she had no water, no food, no phone, and a dead car. If she didn’t get to town, she was going to lose her job too.
She got out of her car and had a look around the campsite. The family at the entrance had left their tent. Their car was gone. The truck with Alberta plates was also gone, but they still had chairs around their barbecue. They were probably riding their dirt bikes.
Beth tossed a few things into her backpack, tucked the gun into the side pouch, pulled the flap down, and headed to thehighway. Trucks passed, a couple of cars. If anyone wondered why a girl was walking along the highway—thathighway—no one stopped to ask.
It had only been ten minutes, but her ribs were so uncomfortable she could only take shallow breaths, and her lips were already dry and cracked. She licked them again.
When she heard a vehicle slow behind her, she rested her hand on the backpack strap near the gun, then peeked over her shoulder. A cop car. She dropped her hand. Vaughn? This was getting creepy as hell. Could a cop be charged for harassment?
The car slowed beside her. “You need a ride?”
She looked through the open window. Thompson.
She sighed with relief, nodded. “That would be great.” The doors unlocked with a click and she slid inside the air-conditioned interior, wincing as she pulled the seat belt across her chest.
Thompson reached behind the seat, then handed her a bottle of water—cold,perfectwater. She drank it so fast she got brain freeze. She rubbed at her forehead.
“Thanks for picking me up. My car battery died, and I couldn’t charge my phone.”
“I’ll give it a jump-start.” He did a fast U-turn in the middle of the highway and drove back toward the campsite. “You shouldn’t be walking alone.”
“I wasn’t hitchhiking. I was going to ask someone in the cabins for help.”
“Still not a good idea.” He frowned, the sun shining on his inky hair, slicked back like he’d showered not long ago. The sleeves on his uniform shirt had crisp lines.
“I didn’t think hanging around the campsite was any safer.”
“Yeah, well, you shouldn’t be there either.”
“Please.” She held out a hand. “Save your breath. I’ve already heard it all from Vaughn. God, it’s like he’s appointed himself my personal savior. Does he visit everyone in the hospital?”
“He cares about the people who live here.”
Beth snorted. “Not everyone.”
“Why do you say that?” He shot a sideways glance at her and it was obvious he was trying to seem casual, but she saw how his eyes narrowed.
“He hates Jonny,reallyhates him. He thinks he killed Amber.” She was too high to be talking, but she couldn’t hold back. “Is that why no one has found her killer? Is he even considering other suspects? I thought cops weren’t supposed to get tunnel vision.” They were bumping down the road into the campground.
“Vaughn’s not the only investigator on this case.”
She glanced at him. “I trust Jonny.”
They were at her car. Thompson pulled in and got jumper cables out of the trunk. Beth sat behind the wheel and followed his instructions. When her car started, Thompson gave her a thumbs-up. She left the car running and got out. He was putting away the cables.
“Thanks. Hopefully I won’t be too late for work.”
He nodded and gave her a thoughtful look. “What you said about Sergeant Vaughn turning up wherever you go? I’m sure he’s just watching out for you, but if you’re uncomfortable being alone with him, or if something ever doesn’t feel right, call me.”
