Page 28 of Peak Suspicion
She continued with the lesson. This evening, they were focusing on communicating instructions to people in an emergency. They practiced how to say things like “Please calm down.”
“Are you hurt?”
“Where are you hurt?”
“Wait here.”
“Help is on the way.”
“Keep your hands where I can see them” and “Pay attention.”
“What do I do if I ask someone where they’re hurt and they reply with a barrage of words I can’t understand?” one of the search and rescue volunteers, Caleb, asked.
“You can ask them to speak more slowly,” she said. “Hable lento, por favor. Or you could ask them to show you what hurts.So¿Dónde le duele?—where does it hurt?—withmuéstrame—show me.Muéstrame dónde le duele.”
“Muéstrame dónde le duele,”the class dutifully repeated.
They broke into groups to practice scenarios, using worksheets she handed out. “Why couldn’t we just use a translation program on our phones?” one of the firefighters asked.
“You could,” she said. “Those apps can be very useful. But what if you’re in an area with no cell coverage? Or what if you need to act quickly? If you find someone in a burning building do you really have time to dig out your phone and use it? Wouldn’t it be better to know how to tell someone to come with you?Ven conmigo!”
“I guess so.” He looked down at the worksheet. “I’m not sure I’ll remember any of this in an emergency.”
“Keep practicing. That will help, I promise.”
For the duration of the class, at least, Mira didn’t think about Bryce or David or the unfounded accusations against her. The two hours raced by. Everyone seemed surprised when she announced their time was up.
Carter lingered after everyone else had left. Mira pretended not to see him and busied herself gathering papers. “I was wondering if you’d like to go out for a drink,” he said. “Or ice cream?”
“Thanks,” she said. “But I need to get home.”
“Are you okay?” he asked. “You look tired.”
“I haven’t been sleeping well.”
“Did you give those notes to the sheriff?”
“Yes.”
“What did he say?”
She stiffened. Had he heard something? “Nothing much.”
“Did he think they looked like the other notes?”
“Yes. He said they were similar.”
“I asked my brother if they had any suspects in Bryce’s kidnapping. He wouldn’t say, but I got the impression they haven’t come up with anything.”
She nodded. The silence between them stretched and she gave up pretending to organize her papers and simply stared at the desk, waiting for him to leave. Something mechanical kicked on and made a distant low hum. With every breath Mira inhaled, she took in the scent of Carter’s shaving cream or soap—clean and woodsy. Masculine.
He leaned closer, his voice gentle. “Have I done something to upset you?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No.”
“You just…you won’t even look at me.”
The real anguish in his voice startled her. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt this man. Carter had been a real friend to her. “You haven’t done anything,” she said. “You’ve been wonderful. It’s just… I’m dealing with a lot right now.”
