What She Didn't Know (What She 1)

“You must be her,?

?? I replied.

“Mm-hmm.” She closed her book. “You want to get out of here?” she asked, closing one eye and staring at me hard with the other, like something shiny was glaring in her eye.

“I’m Mason,” I said. “It’s nice to meet you.” I stuck my hand out.

Instead of shaking it, she grabbed my outstretched hand and used it to pull herself to her feet.

“So yes or no?” She dusted her butt with her hands.

“Yes or no, what?” I asked like a dummy.

“Do you want to get out of here or not?”

“Are you allowed to leave?”

“No one tells me what to do.”

For some reason, I didn’t doubt that at all.

“Do you have a name?” She didn’t remind me at all of Lynn. Not a bit. There wasn’t a single piece of Lynn in this woman.

“I’m Ash,” she said.

And I was immediately afraid that I was the one who would be burned.

25

I picked Ash up the next morning at the police station. I paid her fine, knowing that she would have to reappear at a later date.

She didn’t say a word as she followed me to the car. She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapped her arms around them, and stared out the passenger side window.

“Shelly’s pissed,” she finally said.

“Yeah, well, so am I,” I replied.

She nodded. It was so small as to almost be imperceptible.

“What were you thinking?” I tried really hard to modulate my voice.

“I paid for it. I didn’t steal it. I’m not a thief.”

“Then why did they say you did?”

“It was fucking beef jerky,” she said, throwing up her hands. “I can afford beef jerky, Mason.”

“Then why did you steal it?”

She groaned and laid her head back against the headrest, closing her eyes. “I didn’t steal it. The clerk was in the bathroom, so I left the money on the counter.”

“Okay,” I finally said. “I believe you.”

“Don’t give me that I-believe-you shit, Mason. Either you believe me or you don’t.”

“I said I do.”

“Good.”