Hide Away by Iris Johansen

distance.
    She braked, hard. A screech of metal. The Toyota turned sideways as it halted.
    â€œOut, Cara!” She threw open the door. “Run for that ditch on the other side of the road.”
    Cara didn’t question. She was already running. She was at the deep ditch before Eve, sliding down the muddy side.
    Eve followed her.
    One more minute.
    â€œCrawl.” Joe was in the ditch beside them. “Get as far away from the car as possible.”
    Eve nudged Cara ahead of her. “Hurry!”
    Thirty seconds.
    Eve was panting as she moved through the mud and rocks of the ditch. She could feel Joe behind her.
    â€œHead down!” Joe shouted.
    Kaboom!
    Deafening noise. Glare of fire. Flying metal hurled into the air.
    She was vaguely aware of heavy weight. Joe had sprung forward and covered Cara and Eve with his body.
    She struggled to move, to sit up.
    â€œBe still. Not yet. There’s still flying metal.”
    A minute later, Joe moved off her. “Okay?”
    She nodded as she sat up and looked at Cara. The girl appeared unscratched but her eyes were wide with disbelief as she stared at the fiery inferno just yards from them. Eve glanced at Joe. “You?”
    Joe didn’t answer as he reached for his phone. “Get in the woods and hike toward the far end of the lake. Wipe out your footprints as you go. Now. Franco may turn up any minute. I’m calling the police and fire department and bringing them on the scene so he won’t be eager to do any in-depth search.”
    Eve grabbed Cara’s hand and pulled her into the woods. She called over her shoulder. “You’re not coming?”
    â€œI’m going to stay here and appear properly devastated by the tragedy. I’ll find you after midnight tonight. Get going.”
    She was already running. She grabbed a branch from beneath a tree, then another for Cara. “You heard him. Erase the footprints.”
    Cara didn’t question but set about brushing the leaves over the faint indentations on the earth.
    The air smelled of oil and smoke and burning rubber. It was hard to breathe.
    Joe was alone. Would Franco get there before the fire trucks and police? No, she could hear the sirens now.
    And Cara was now by her side, her expression intent, and Eve could almost feel the aura of protectiveness she was emitting. It’s not supposed to be like that, she wanted to tell her. It should work the other way around. But she still felt the warmth and companionship of that protectiveness, and she would take that gift. She was feeling bewildered and had no idea why Joe had staged this explosion. All she could do was be patient and take one thing at a time.
    Protect Cara from all dangers.
    Get to the far end of the lake.
    Erase all signs of their passing.
    And wait for Joe to tell her what the hell was happening.
    *   *   *
    â€œIt’s kind of cold, isn’t it?” Cara huddled closer to Eve beneath the shelter of a boulder beside the lake. “I think the fire from the Toyota has finally gone out. I don’t see the glare any longer.”
    Eve nodded. “It’s been hours since the explosion.” She drew the girl closer to the warmth of her body and leaned back against the boulder. “It shouldn’t be long until Joe gets here. You’ve been very patient, Cara. Not one question.”
    â€œI didn’t think you’d be able to answer them.” She wrinkled her nose. “You seemed very frustrated with Joe. And there wasn’t much time for explanations.”
    â€œYou’re right there,” she said ruefully. “On both counts.”
    â€œBut you’re not angry with him?”
    â€œI’ll let you know that when the explanations start coming in.”
    Cara looked up at Eve thoughtfully. “But I don’t think you’ll be angry with him then either. You wouldn’t have done what he wanted if you thought he was