with a frown. “What is that supposed to mean?” he asked me. “That crack about us being together again?”
I just shrugged and got into the car.
“I mean,” he went on, obviously bothered by what she’d said. “what is that woman training for at ten o’clock at night?”
“It’s gotta be broad daylight somewhere,” I quipped, not very effectively.
Roy wasn’t the first I’d heard wonder about Ginny. I overheard one patron at Jill’s complain about her just the other day. “What...is she spying on us all or is it just me?” he sputtered, getting worked up about it.
But mostly, people felt about her the way I did. She was one of us.
“I think she’s the real deal. She’s just bound and determined to do well in the next marathon she enters.”
Roy looked a little disgruntled. “If you say so.”
“You cops. You’re all alike. So suspicious of everything anyone in the public does.”
“Hey, that’s not me,” he protested. “That’s the captain, sure. But it’s not me.”
I smiled and we took off down the road, heading for Ned’s.
Chapter Eleven
I started to get nervous as we turned on the dark access road. I stared into the trees along the way and realized it was going to be hard to make out a man in among them.
“What exactly are we looking for?” I asked, then realized I was whispering and Roy was laughing at me. “No, really,” I said aloud. “What does your training tell you in these situations?”
“Watch for movement. Watch for color.” We turned up Ned’s driveway. “And whatever you do,” he said, looking at me sternly, “Don’t get out of the car.” He pulled over and turned off the engine when we were still out of sight of the house and about a football field away.
“Wait a minute,” I said. “I thought this was just a drive-by. Where are you going?”
“You sit tight. I just want to take a look around. There was one area I had some thoughts about when I was here before.” He opened the door and got out. “I’ll be right back. Don’t move.”
And he melted into the trees.
“ Don’t move !”
This was not what I’d bargained for and I was definitely annoyed. But I didn’t really want to go sloshing around in the woods. I didn’t know them well enough to have any idea of where I would be going anyway. So I sat where I was and pouted.
The minutes dragged by. I sat and I listened. I heard an owl, then a strange rustling, like wings, and a shriek. Oh great. Murder and mayhem in the animal kingdom. Other than that. It was mostly frogs. Boy those little guys could get loud.
Time was passing. It had to be a good fifteen minutes since Roy had left. What was he doing out there? I peered into the darkness, looking for a telltale light. He must have taken a flashlight with him. Where was he?
I started thinking crazy things, the way you do when you’re stuck in the dark with nothing to occupy your mind. I mean, like what if that Jasper guy was out there lying in wait? What if he’d grabbed Roy right from the first? I should have gone with him. I’m scrappy. Hey, Jasper wouldn’t stand a chance against a Hawaiian dynamo like me. Yeah … right.
And now, here I was, stuck in the car. I might not be able to find Roy at all, even if I tried. What was I going to do if he didn’t come back? He took the keys. I couldn’t hot-wire a car—did they still do things like that to cars? I didn’t know.
I looked at my cell. No service . Great. I couldn’t even call for help. I might end up here for the entire night. The best I could hope for was that Ginny Genera might come running through. Then we could run to town together, a regular marathon of our own.
The later it got, the more ominous the woods sounded. The owl was one thing. Now I was starting to think about vampires. Or mountain lions. Or men with rifles….
There. A loud bang. What was that? Was that a gunshot? I listened hard but I couldn’t hear anything
I just shrugged and got into the car.
“I mean,” he went on, obviously bothered by what she’d said. “what is that woman training for at ten o’clock at night?”
“It’s gotta be broad daylight somewhere,” I quipped, not very effectively.
Roy wasn’t the first I’d heard wonder about Ginny. I overheard one patron at Jill’s complain about her just the other day. “What...is she spying on us all or is it just me?” he sputtered, getting worked up about it.
But mostly, people felt about her the way I did. She was one of us.
“I think she’s the real deal. She’s just bound and determined to do well in the next marathon she enters.”
Roy looked a little disgruntled. “If you say so.”
“You cops. You’re all alike. So suspicious of everything anyone in the public does.”
“Hey, that’s not me,” he protested. “That’s the captain, sure. But it’s not me.”
I smiled and we took off down the road, heading for Ned’s.
Chapter Eleven
I started to get nervous as we turned on the dark access road. I stared into the trees along the way and realized it was going to be hard to make out a man in among them.
“What exactly are we looking for?” I asked, then realized I was whispering and Roy was laughing at me. “No, really,” I said aloud. “What does your training tell you in these situations?”
“Watch for movement. Watch for color.” We turned up Ned’s driveway. “And whatever you do,” he said, looking at me sternly, “Don’t get out of the car.” He pulled over and turned off the engine when we were still out of sight of the house and about a football field away.
“Wait a minute,” I said. “I thought this was just a drive-by. Where are you going?”
“You sit tight. I just want to take a look around. There was one area I had some thoughts about when I was here before.” He opened the door and got out. “I’ll be right back. Don’t move.”
And he melted into the trees.
“ Don’t move !”
This was not what I’d bargained for and I was definitely annoyed. But I didn’t really want to go sloshing around in the woods. I didn’t know them well enough to have any idea of where I would be going anyway. So I sat where I was and pouted.
The minutes dragged by. I sat and I listened. I heard an owl, then a strange rustling, like wings, and a shriek. Oh great. Murder and mayhem in the animal kingdom. Other than that. It was mostly frogs. Boy those little guys could get loud.
Time was passing. It had to be a good fifteen minutes since Roy had left. What was he doing out there? I peered into the darkness, looking for a telltale light. He must have taken a flashlight with him. Where was he?
I started thinking crazy things, the way you do when you’re stuck in the dark with nothing to occupy your mind. I mean, like what if that Jasper guy was out there lying in wait? What if he’d grabbed Roy right from the first? I should have gone with him. I’m scrappy. Hey, Jasper wouldn’t stand a chance against a Hawaiian dynamo like me. Yeah … right.
And now, here I was, stuck in the car. I might not be able to find Roy at all, even if I tried. What was I going to do if he didn’t come back? He took the keys. I couldn’t hot-wire a car—did they still do things like that to cars? I didn’t know.
I looked at my cell. No service . Great. I couldn’t even call for help. I might end up here for the entire night. The best I could hope for was that Ginny Genera might come running through. Then we could run to town together, a regular marathon of our own.
The later it got, the more ominous the woods sounded. The owl was one thing. Now I was starting to think about vampires. Or mountain lions. Or men with rifles….
There. A loud bang. What was that? Was that a gunshot? I listened hard but I couldn’t hear anything
Similar Books
