corner of the lot closest to the
hardware store.
He'd pulled out another cigarette,
but tucked it behind his ear without lighting it. He seemed a little
nervous, but Stu always seemed a little nervous to her. "You sure you don't mind giving
me a lift?"
"No, ma'am. I don't mind at
all." He fiddled with the radio, turning it down before giving
her a bright, brittle smile. "Where do you live?"
"Outside of town, just past the
Miller farm." Her bag went into the back of the truck before she
climbed in and closed the door. "You know how to get there?"
"I'll find it." Stu
cleared his throat and turned the starter on the truck. He had to try
it several times before it cranked, but it finally rumbled noisily to
life. "Better buckle up, Miss Gardner."
She did so, feeling an odd chill as
she glanced at Stu again. There was something off about his
expression, something more than the usual resigned weariness she saw
in him every afternoon when he came to school. She tugged on the belt
a little to make sure it was tight before glancing at him. "Is
everything all right, Stu? Did your trailer come through the storm in
one piece?"
He didn't meet her gaze as he turned
onto the street and headed for the edge of town. "Everything's
just fine, Miss Gardner. Nothing wrong at all."
Even if she hadn't known him for a
decade or more, it would have been easy to tell he was lying. They
passed the cheerful sign welcoming them to Carter's Bay, and still he
said nothing, just stared ahead with his jaw slightly clenched and
his fingers wrapped tightly around the steering wheel.
Finally Addie reached out to lay a
hand on his arm, meaning to ask again if everything was all right.
She didn't get a chance. The minute her fingers touched his skin
power roared up inside her as if it had been waiting—
The vision slammed into her, and the
fear that flooded her body was so strong she let out a startled yelp.
She was soaked to the skin, shivering and sore from bracing herself
against the painful jostling of a moving vehicle over an uneven road.
She tried to move but couldn't; her wrists and ankles were bound
together with rough rope that had already cut into her skin.
She couldn't see anything around
her, and it took a moment to realize she was covered by something. Maybe a tarp. As soon as the thought formed, the vehicle came to an abrupt stop,
throwing her to the side slightly. She narrowly managed to avoid
smacking her head against the bed of the truck as the engine cut out.
Fear grew as a door opened and shut,
and she heard footsteps approaching, crunching loudly on gravel. A
hand yanked back the edge of the tarp, and she saw Stu's cold, tired
face. He stared down at her with empty brown eyes and spoke around
the cigarette hanging from his lips. "Sorry, Miss Gardner. It's
nothing personal. You were always nice to me."
Addie opened her mouth to reply—
— and the vision faded, leaving
her weak and breathless, slumped against the seat of Stu's truck.
He took one look at her pale face
and trembling lips and grumbled, "Well, shit ."
Then his fist shot out at her, and the world went black.
Wes was whistling when he pulled up
to Addie's small, neatly kept house. He'd always liked the rather
pale shade of robin's egg blue, and he noted with some amusement that
she'd painted the front door a bright, cheery yellow.
All day, he'd looked forward to
seeing Addie again. It hadn't taken the other officers long to suss
out the reason for his cheer, and he'd taken a fair amount of
good-natured ribbing all afternoon.
He'd met the other officers at the
community center during a break in cleanup efforts, and Chris had
shaken his head as he'd poured coffee. "I knew she'd snaffle you
up, Wes, just as soon as you got your head out of your ass."
There hadn't been much to say to
that, so Wes had given him the middle finger and kept searching the
tables of food for pecan pies. "I thought for sure that Granny
would have baked."
"She did," Jack laughed.
"We already
hardware store.
He'd pulled out another cigarette,
but tucked it behind his ear without lighting it. He seemed a little
nervous, but Stu always seemed a little nervous to her. "You sure you don't mind giving
me a lift?"
"No, ma'am. I don't mind at
all." He fiddled with the radio, turning it down before giving
her a bright, brittle smile. "Where do you live?"
"Outside of town, just past the
Miller farm." Her bag went into the back of the truck before she
climbed in and closed the door. "You know how to get there?"
"I'll find it." Stu
cleared his throat and turned the starter on the truck. He had to try
it several times before it cranked, but it finally rumbled noisily to
life. "Better buckle up, Miss Gardner."
She did so, feeling an odd chill as
she glanced at Stu again. There was something off about his
expression, something more than the usual resigned weariness she saw
in him every afternoon when he came to school. She tugged on the belt
a little to make sure it was tight before glancing at him. "Is
everything all right, Stu? Did your trailer come through the storm in
one piece?"
He didn't meet her gaze as he turned
onto the street and headed for the edge of town. "Everything's
just fine, Miss Gardner. Nothing wrong at all."
Even if she hadn't known him for a
decade or more, it would have been easy to tell he was lying. They
passed the cheerful sign welcoming them to Carter's Bay, and still he
said nothing, just stared ahead with his jaw slightly clenched and
his fingers wrapped tightly around the steering wheel.
Finally Addie reached out to lay a
hand on his arm, meaning to ask again if everything was all right.
She didn't get a chance. The minute her fingers touched his skin
power roared up inside her as if it had been waiting—
The vision slammed into her, and the
fear that flooded her body was so strong she let out a startled yelp.
She was soaked to the skin, shivering and sore from bracing herself
against the painful jostling of a moving vehicle over an uneven road.
She tried to move but couldn't; her wrists and ankles were bound
together with rough rope that had already cut into her skin.
She couldn't see anything around
her, and it took a moment to realize she was covered by something. Maybe a tarp. As soon as the thought formed, the vehicle came to an abrupt stop,
throwing her to the side slightly. She narrowly managed to avoid
smacking her head against the bed of the truck as the engine cut out.
Fear grew as a door opened and shut,
and she heard footsteps approaching, crunching loudly on gravel. A
hand yanked back the edge of the tarp, and she saw Stu's cold, tired
face. He stared down at her with empty brown eyes and spoke around
the cigarette hanging from his lips. "Sorry, Miss Gardner. It's
nothing personal. You were always nice to me."
Addie opened her mouth to reply—
— and the vision faded, leaving
her weak and breathless, slumped against the seat of Stu's truck.
He took one look at her pale face
and trembling lips and grumbled, "Well, shit ."
Then his fist shot out at her, and the world went black.
Wes was whistling when he pulled up
to Addie's small, neatly kept house. He'd always liked the rather
pale shade of robin's egg blue, and he noted with some amusement that
she'd painted the front door a bright, cheery yellow.
All day, he'd looked forward to
seeing Addie again. It hadn't taken the other officers long to suss
out the reason for his cheer, and he'd taken a fair amount of
good-natured ribbing all afternoon.
He'd met the other officers at the
community center during a break in cleanup efforts, and Chris had
shaken his head as he'd poured coffee. "I knew she'd snaffle you
up, Wes, just as soon as you got your head out of your ass."
There hadn't been much to say to
that, so Wes had given him the middle finger and kept searching the
tables of food for pecan pies. "I thought for sure that Granny
would have baked."
"She did," Jack laughed.
"We already
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