along—just in case.
Better to have it with her and not need it than the other way around.
{ CHAPTER 6 }
O ut in her frigid car, Ali turned on her heated seat and once again headed for I-17. This time she merged into the northbound lanes rather than the southbound. She actively disliked doing nighttime driving on that particular stretch of the freeway. For one thing, during the winter, it was often icy in spots—icy or snowy or both. This time snow wasn’t the issue. There had been a single big blizzard just before Christmas, but by now most of that had melted away. All that was left lingered along the highway in murky gray strips or lay in a patchwork of shady spots off in the woods. The real danger that particular night consisted of wandering herds of elk who liked to make leisurely nighttime crossings of the highway, meandering across the busy lanes with zero regard for oncoming vehicular traffic.
As she approached the Mund’s Park exit, Ali saw flashing emergency lights. As she slowed for the turn, it was clear from the collection of vehicles that someone had come to grief on the far side of the southbound lanes. Tow trucks had probably removed the damaged vehicles, but a few cops were still in attendance busily completing paperwork.
Ali pulled into the deserted restaurant parking lot and flashed her lights. She was feeling tired and more than slightly resentful toward her teenaged charge. For the better part of five minutes, nothing happened, then a figure materialized out of the darkness on the far side of the Cayenne and tapped sharply on the window. Ali rolled it down.
“Crystal?”
“Yes.”
“Are you alone?”
“Yes. Hurry. I’m freezing.”
Ali unlocked the passenger door and a shivering Crystal Holman scrambled inside. “Are you all right?” Ali asked, switching on the interior light.
Crystal didn’t answer. Her teeth were chattering. She was wearing jeans, tennis shoes with no socks, a rhinestone-decorated lightweight denim jacket, and a black T-shirt that didn’t come close to covering her bare middle. No wonder she was cold. What might work as outerwear for school in wintertime Las Vegas wasn’t nearly enough for wintertime Mund’s Park.
Ali reached in the back and collected the featherweight wool shawl she kept there. When she handed it to Crystal, Ali caught a glimpse of the girl’s face. In the tearstained remains of layers of makeup, Ali noticed the clear outline of a hand on Crystal’s right cheek. “You’re hurt,” Ali said. “Who hit you?”
“I’m all right,” Crystal said.
“If you’ve been assaulted, we should call and report it.”
“No. We don’t need to report anything. Can we please just get out of here?”
“Not until your father knows you’re safe,” Ali said.
“You call him, then,” Crystal said, huddling in the far corner of the seat. “I don’t want to talk to him right now.”
Dave answered his cell the moment it rang. “Got her,” Ali said.
She heard Dave’s heartfelt sigh of relief. “She’s okay?”
From what Ali could see, Crystal was a long way from okay. “Medium,” she said.
“Put her on the phone,” Dave said. “I want to talk to her.”
Ali held the phone in Crystal’s direction. She sat with her arms crossed, staring straight ahead, and refused to take it.
“That would be a no,” Ali said into the phone.
“She won’t talk to me? What the hell’s going on with that girl?” Dave demanded.
“I’m not sure,” Ali said. And she wasn’t.
“I’ll get in the car, head back down there, and straighten her out,” Dave said.
Ali doubted Crystal was in any condition to be “straightened” just then.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Ali told him. “You’ve already driven five hours tonight. We don’t need you to crash and burn driving another five back to Sedona. Let Roxie and everyone else know that Crystal’s safe. Get yourself a decent night’s sleep. I’ll take Crystal home with me. You can pick her
Better to have it with her and not need it than the other way around.
{ CHAPTER 6 }
O ut in her frigid car, Ali turned on her heated seat and once again headed for I-17. This time she merged into the northbound lanes rather than the southbound. She actively disliked doing nighttime driving on that particular stretch of the freeway. For one thing, during the winter, it was often icy in spots—icy or snowy or both. This time snow wasn’t the issue. There had been a single big blizzard just before Christmas, but by now most of that had melted away. All that was left lingered along the highway in murky gray strips or lay in a patchwork of shady spots off in the woods. The real danger that particular night consisted of wandering herds of elk who liked to make leisurely nighttime crossings of the highway, meandering across the busy lanes with zero regard for oncoming vehicular traffic.
As she approached the Mund’s Park exit, Ali saw flashing emergency lights. As she slowed for the turn, it was clear from the collection of vehicles that someone had come to grief on the far side of the southbound lanes. Tow trucks had probably removed the damaged vehicles, but a few cops were still in attendance busily completing paperwork.
Ali pulled into the deserted restaurant parking lot and flashed her lights. She was feeling tired and more than slightly resentful toward her teenaged charge. For the better part of five minutes, nothing happened, then a figure materialized out of the darkness on the far side of the Cayenne and tapped sharply on the window. Ali rolled it down.
“Crystal?”
“Yes.”
“Are you alone?”
“Yes. Hurry. I’m freezing.”
Ali unlocked the passenger door and a shivering Crystal Holman scrambled inside. “Are you all right?” Ali asked, switching on the interior light.
Crystal didn’t answer. Her teeth were chattering. She was wearing jeans, tennis shoes with no socks, a rhinestone-decorated lightweight denim jacket, and a black T-shirt that didn’t come close to covering her bare middle. No wonder she was cold. What might work as outerwear for school in wintertime Las Vegas wasn’t nearly enough for wintertime Mund’s Park.
Ali reached in the back and collected the featherweight wool shawl she kept there. When she handed it to Crystal, Ali caught a glimpse of the girl’s face. In the tearstained remains of layers of makeup, Ali noticed the clear outline of a hand on Crystal’s right cheek. “You’re hurt,” Ali said. “Who hit you?”
“I’m all right,” Crystal said.
“If you’ve been assaulted, we should call and report it.”
“No. We don’t need to report anything. Can we please just get out of here?”
“Not until your father knows you’re safe,” Ali said.
“You call him, then,” Crystal said, huddling in the far corner of the seat. “I don’t want to talk to him right now.”
Dave answered his cell the moment it rang. “Got her,” Ali said.
She heard Dave’s heartfelt sigh of relief. “She’s okay?”
From what Ali could see, Crystal was a long way from okay. “Medium,” she said.
“Put her on the phone,” Dave said. “I want to talk to her.”
Ali held the phone in Crystal’s direction. She sat with her arms crossed, staring straight ahead, and refused to take it.
“That would be a no,” Ali said into the phone.
“She won’t talk to me? What the hell’s going on with that girl?” Dave demanded.
“I’m not sure,” Ali said. And she wasn’t.
“I’ll get in the car, head back down there, and straighten her out,” Dave said.
Ali doubted Crystal was in any condition to be “straightened” just then.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Ali told him. “You’ve already driven five hours tonight. We don’t need you to crash and burn driving another five back to Sedona. Let Roxie and everyone else know that Crystal’s safe. Get yourself a decent night’s sleep. I’ll take Crystal home with me. You can pick her
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