Read Online Desert Crossing by Elise Broach - Free Book Online Page B

and stood next to me. I was gripping the phone, straining to hear his answer.
    â€œWell, that’s what we think. Your brother said you didn’t know the exact spot where you hit whatever you hit. Maybe when you drove back, you went too far, or not far enough. And you found her instead.”
    I could breathe now, huge gulps of air. But it still didn’t make sense. “But she was near the road. If she’d been there all afternoon, in the daylight, wouldn’t somebody else have seen her?”
    â€œWell, two o’clock was the time of death. We don’t know what time she was left there.”
    When he said that—“left there”—I realized what it meant. Somebody had done this to her. Somebody had left her there, dead, on the highway.
    â€œWe’ll drop off the car in a little while,” he said. “Okay, Miss Martinez? Can you put Beth on for a minute?”
    I passed the phone to her and covered my face with my hands.
    â€œWhat a relief,” I heard her say. “Jamie especially—well, they’ll be so relieved, I know. But how did she die? Yes, I understand. It’s terrible.” I spread my fingers, watching her, and she listened in silence, looking back at me. “They’ve talked to their parents. Sure. I think so. Yes, I think you’re right. That’s good of you, Stan. Thank you. Okay. Bye.”
    She reached out and touched my arm. “Lucy, he’s giving you guys a break on the beer.”
    I pressed my forehead against my knees, closing my eyes. Was it really over? “Then we can go? Is it okay for us to go now?”
    But I wasn’t sure even as I said it. I kept seeing the girl’s face, feeling the cool bundle of her charm bracelet in my hand. It seemed wrong to leave her. It seemed as wrong to leave her now as it had last night, in the rain, on the road.
    Beth shook her head. “Not yet. He wants you to stay through tomorrow, at least.”
    The dogs started barking out in the yard, and we heard the sound of the truck rumbling toward the house. Jamie and Kit were back.
    We both got up, and the instant they walked through the door, I couldn’t wait, I forgot what jerks they’d been and how mad I was, and I grabbed the first one who came in and wrapped my arms around him. It was Kit, and his shoulder felt warm against my face. Then he stumbled backward, his hands on my arms. He looked confused. “Hey, what’s going on?”
    But I was already hugging Jamie. “The police called. It wasn’t us!”
    â€œWhat?” They were both staring at me.
    â€œWe didn’t hit her. She was already dead, hours before we even got there. They think it was a coyote! They think we hit a coyote.” The words came out of my mouth in a rush, tumbling over each other. Kit and Jamie just stood there.
    But then Beth started explaining, and Kit threw his head back and whistled, long and low. “No way. No way. It was a coyote!” He punched Jamie’s shoulder. “Jamie, it was a coyote, just like you said! Oh my God.” Kit grabbed Jamie and lifted him right off the floor.
    Beth stepped aside, smiling. “And Stan—the sheriff is letting you off the hook on the drinking,” she said. “He said this was probably the scare of a lifetime for you guys.”
    â€œYeah!” Kit was reeling around, flushed and loud, banging the air with his fist. “Yeah, yeah, no kidding. Unbelievable.”
    But Jamie just stared at the floor. The color had drained from his face, and he stood there, trembling. “I can’t believe it,” he said. “I can’t believe it’s over.”
    Beth touched his shoulder. “Believe it,” she said. “It’s over.”

14
    The rest of the day blurred past. I couldn’t eat the sandwich they’d gotten me, couldn’t eat dinner that night when Beth offered it. It was weird to think of doing something normal again.