Read Online Driver's Dead by Peter Lerangis - Free Book Online Page B

principal, Mr. Eliades.
    Accident? Kirsten suddenly whirled around to look for Gwen. Of course, she was nowhere to be seen.
    Kirsten couldn’t listen to the rest. Concentration was impossible. She caught a few words as they wafted by her: precautions, risky behavior, buddy system… .
    How to Prevent Future Occurrences. That was the topic of the speech. Did Mr. Eliades care that one of his students was dead? Would he have cared more if it were the class valedictorian, the star football player, instead of Scuzzball Rob?
    A cry lodged in Kirsten’s throat, and it came out sounding like a hiccup. Maria began rubbing her back.
    â€œ … After dark, do not travel outside alone… .” Mr. Eliades droned on.
    â€œHe wasn’t alone,” Kirsten whispered.
    â€œSsshhhh,” Maria urged.
    Four hours later (well, it felt that long), the students were dismissed for the rest of the day.
    Kirsten, Virgil, and Maria paused by the entrance. “Gwen wasn’t there, was she?” Maria asked.
    â€œNo,” Kirsten said.
    â€œAre you kidding?” Virgil snorted. “The way she was running, she’s halfway to Montauk by now.”
    â€œI hope she keeps running,” Maria grumbled, “right into the ocean.”
    â€œI still can’t believe she would do something like that,” Kirsten said.
    â€œThe girl is out of her mind, like I told you,” Maria replied. “Ever since Nguyen died. She kind of snapped.”
    Virgil was nodding in agreement. “It’s true.”
    â€œThat was when Mr. Good Taste over here stopped drooling over her,” Maria said, looking at Virgil.
    â€œThanks, Maria.” Virgil glowered at her.
    â€œI mean, I don’t know what he saw in her—”
    â€œMaria, stop… .”
    â€œWho knows? It could have been Virgil instead of Rob out there—”
    â€œMaria!” Virgil looked disgusted. He turned and stalked away.
    Kirsten watched him for a moment. “You can be hard on him, you know—”
    When she turned back, Maria was crying.
    â€œSorry,” Maria said. “I just got carried away. I mean, he was so in love with her. He couldn’t see how she was using poor Nguyen. He couldn’t see anything! You see how fast he left us when Gwen ran away?”
    â€œYou think he still likes her?”
    â€œI don’t know what I think anymore.”
    Now it was Kirsten’s turn to comfort Maria. “Don’t worry. We’re all upset by this. Give him a call, talk it over.”
    â€œYeah. Okay, Kirsten. See you.”
    â€œBye.”
    As Maria headed toward her house, Kirsten walked toward Merrick Road. The police cars were still in the park, but the crowd had dwindled. Curious passersby outnumbered students now.
    Kirsten veered into the park. She retraced her steps from the night before. When she reached the police cordon, she stopped. Beyond it, police officers eyed her warily as they sipped coffee and talked to each other.
    Kirsten looked at the tire tracks that had gouged through the soil.
    Tire tracks.
    Cars weren’t allowed in the park. Even if someone managed to drive in, the footpaths were narrow, winding, and rutted. The trees had grown so close it would be practically impossible to get from the street to the far side of the park.
    But the tracks seemed to come from the pond. Where they began, the flattened trash basket lay forgotten. It was maybe ten feet from where she and Rob had been sitting. The tire tracks continued from there, went toward the bench, and continued a few more feet until they stopped inside the cordon.
    Maybe Gwen drove close to the edge of the water and quietly sneaked up on Rob. He got up to run, but it was too late.
    But the soil near the pond was soggy. The tires would have left impressions the whole way. Or gotten stuck.
    And Rob would have seen it—or heard it.
    Kirsten walked closer to the trash basket. It was more than flattened; it