officially snowed closed,” he announced.
“Completely?” Kat asked.
“Totally. They’re starting to turn traffic away down below, off I-15.”
“You leaving?” Kat asked.
“No point in staying.”
Bart came out of the kitchen carrying several boxes of day-old pies. “Got a couple of apples tonight,” he said to the mechanic. “I think there’s a pumpkin here, too.”
“Thanks,” Kincaid said as he took the pies from Bart.
Kat glanced back out at Kincaid’s truck. She could see someone in the passenger side. “You got company tonight?”
Kincaid looked out at his truck as the person in the passenger side lit up a cigarette. The glow from the flame illuminated Lucinda’s face.
Kincaid grew a little embarrassed. “Yeah, well, she needed a ride down the hill. I figured….”
Bart chuckled and slapped Kincaid on the back. “Cold night. Gotta keep warm somehow, right?”
Roger exchanged a look with Kat; this was driving him crazy. The more everyone accepted weird shit like this from these weird people, the more nuts it was making him. He felt like screaming, “Fuck all this. My daughter’s missing!”
Kincaid shifted the pies into one arm and took out his keys. He started to turn back to the door, then paused. He looked over at Roger sympathetically. “Hey,” he said. “Good luck with everything, huh? Bart’s got my number. He can give me a call if you need help with anything. I’m only half an hour down the mountain.”
“Thanks,” Roger nodded. He put on his most sincere look. It was everything opposite of what he felt.
Kincaid ducked out the front door.
Roger watched as the mechanic climbed into his pickup, started it up, and pulled away. As he was heading out of the parking lot, his headlights swung across Ben, who was coming in from his patrol car. Finally. Fuck, that had taken a long time.
Roger was up and out of the booth when Ben came in. “So? What’d you find out?”
“I’ve got the Amber Alert for your daughter going out now.”
“What about that creep in the tanker truck?”
“I talked to him. At this point, there’s no reason to think he’s involved. He was just defending his rig. Now if you want to press assault charges….“
“Fuck that. I want to find out what he knows about my daughter,” Roger snapped.
Ben raised his hands, trying to diffuse things. “Look, I know he’s a bit strange. But I ran his license. Other than a few misdemeanors, he’s clean. I’ve got no reason to bring him in.”
“What about the other people out there?”
“I ran their plates. Talked to them too. They might be a little strange, but they’re all clean.”
Roger slammed his fist on the table. “This is bullshit!”
Ben stood his ground and let Roger simmer for a moment before he continued, calmly. “Roger, I can’t arrest people because of how they look.”
Ben felt for the hell this man was going through. He knew Roger was feeling utterly helpless and needed to be told what to do with himself during all this, so that’s what Ben did. He told Roger exactly what he should do. “You should stay put here until this storm blows over. I’ll know where to reach you if I hear anything.”
Roger’s eyes snapped anxiously back to Ben. “Where are you going?”
“They called me to report down at the bottom of the hill to help close off the highway,” Ben said. “As soon as it’s secure, I’ll come back. I promise.”
Roger grimaced anxiously. “Fuck.”
Kat looked at Ben reassuringly. “He won’t be alone,” she told Ben. “Bart and I are here all night.”
Bart nodded “We got sleeping rooms and showers if you….“
Roger shot daggers at Bart. “Sleep? I’m not going to fucking sleep!”
Kat gently put her hand on Roger’s shoulder. “Then you can stay right out here,” she said. “I’ll be with you.”
There was a moment of silence. Ben assessed the situation, and it seemed to be stable enough for the moment. “All right then. I’ll call
“Completely?” Kat asked.
“Totally. They’re starting to turn traffic away down below, off I-15.”
“You leaving?” Kat asked.
“No point in staying.”
Bart came out of the kitchen carrying several boxes of day-old pies. “Got a couple of apples tonight,” he said to the mechanic. “I think there’s a pumpkin here, too.”
“Thanks,” Kincaid said as he took the pies from Bart.
Kat glanced back out at Kincaid’s truck. She could see someone in the passenger side. “You got company tonight?”
Kincaid looked out at his truck as the person in the passenger side lit up a cigarette. The glow from the flame illuminated Lucinda’s face.
Kincaid grew a little embarrassed. “Yeah, well, she needed a ride down the hill. I figured….”
Bart chuckled and slapped Kincaid on the back. “Cold night. Gotta keep warm somehow, right?”
Roger exchanged a look with Kat; this was driving him crazy. The more everyone accepted weird shit like this from these weird people, the more nuts it was making him. He felt like screaming, “Fuck all this. My daughter’s missing!”
Kincaid shifted the pies into one arm and took out his keys. He started to turn back to the door, then paused. He looked over at Roger sympathetically. “Hey,” he said. “Good luck with everything, huh? Bart’s got my number. He can give me a call if you need help with anything. I’m only half an hour down the mountain.”
“Thanks,” Roger nodded. He put on his most sincere look. It was everything opposite of what he felt.
Kincaid ducked out the front door.
Roger watched as the mechanic climbed into his pickup, started it up, and pulled away. As he was heading out of the parking lot, his headlights swung across Ben, who was coming in from his patrol car. Finally. Fuck, that had taken a long time.
Roger was up and out of the booth when Ben came in. “So? What’d you find out?”
“I’ve got the Amber Alert for your daughter going out now.”
“What about that creep in the tanker truck?”
“I talked to him. At this point, there’s no reason to think he’s involved. He was just defending his rig. Now if you want to press assault charges….“
“Fuck that. I want to find out what he knows about my daughter,” Roger snapped.
Ben raised his hands, trying to diffuse things. “Look, I know he’s a bit strange. But I ran his license. Other than a few misdemeanors, he’s clean. I’ve got no reason to bring him in.”
“What about the other people out there?”
“I ran their plates. Talked to them too. They might be a little strange, but they’re all clean.”
Roger slammed his fist on the table. “This is bullshit!”
Ben stood his ground and let Roger simmer for a moment before he continued, calmly. “Roger, I can’t arrest people because of how they look.”
Ben felt for the hell this man was going through. He knew Roger was feeling utterly helpless and needed to be told what to do with himself during all this, so that’s what Ben did. He told Roger exactly what he should do. “You should stay put here until this storm blows over. I’ll know where to reach you if I hear anything.”
Roger’s eyes snapped anxiously back to Ben. “Where are you going?”
“They called me to report down at the bottom of the hill to help close off the highway,” Ben said. “As soon as it’s secure, I’ll come back. I promise.”
Roger grimaced anxiously. “Fuck.”
Kat looked at Ben reassuringly. “He won’t be alone,” she told Ben. “Bart and I are here all night.”
Bart nodded “We got sleeping rooms and showers if you….“
Roger shot daggers at Bart. “Sleep? I’m not going to fucking sleep!”
Kat gently put her hand on Roger’s shoulder. “Then you can stay right out here,” she said. “I’ll be with you.”
There was a moment of silence. Ben assessed the situation, and it seemed to be stable enough for the moment. “All right then. I’ll call
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