“They’ll all be locked up if you take this info to the cops,” she says. “You can ask them questions then.”
“Oh, you want to check if I’m telling the truth,” she says with an ugly grin on her face. “Well, I’m pretty sure Lacy’s working at one of the truck stops on the interstate, maybe the one due north. But that’s no place for you.”
“It’s not because I want to check your information,” I say. “I just want to be certain it’s really my Ariel that she knows.”
“Same difference, it sounds to me,” she says and slumps back in her chair.
I’m just about to ask her for a description of Lacy when I hear the office door chime open a second before Chance calls out my name.
“I forgot my phone here. Mind if I just grab it?” he adds as he strides into the office.
“Sure, it’s—” I start to say, but the rest of my sentence is erased by the dark, angry grimace on his face as he spots Trixie.
“You?” he says venomously as she stands up, again clutching her bag to her stomach.
“Me,” she says, trying to sound defiant, but she’s shaking.
“I have to talk to you,” he says. “Now. Outside.”
She’s taking very small steps as she walks towards him. I can’t allow this. He looks angry as hell and she’s shaking like she’s afraid for her life.
“You can talk to her in here,” I say loudly. “With me in the room.”
Chance shoots me one of those angry slash exasperated looks, but it’s Trixie who says, “It’s okay, it’s fine.”
Then she turns to back to him, her eyes quickly filling with tears. “It is fine, right? He’s fine?”
Chance nods. “Yes, now come.”
He strides back out and she follows. I do too, still intent on stopping this. Whatever this is.
Chance lets her precede him out of the office then grabs the handle to close the door behind them, but I stop it with my foot.
“This is a private conversation, Veronica,” he says. “I swear that nothing will happen to her. On my life.”
I’m shocked enough by the sincerity in his voice to forget to stop the door as he closes it this time, and he shuts it right in my face. For a few moments I just stand there, rooted to the spot, paralyzed.
Then I crack open the door, because there’s still no way I’m just letting him take her away like this. They’re standing under one of the palm trees planted along the sidewalk at the far end of the parking lot. I can’t hear what they’re saying, but judging by the expression on his face, they’re arguing. And I think she might be crying, because her shoulders are shaking.
This day has been like one endless rollercoaster ride, and for most of it, I didn’t know if I was upright or hanging upside down. I still don’t know it.
In fact, my life has been like an endless rollercoaster ride ever since Chance first walked into my office. And it doesn’t seem like it’s ending any time soon.
* * *
Chance
Everything was looking up as I rode from the hospital to Veronica’s office to get my phone, which I forgot to take when we left for lunch. The sunset was spectacular—blue and yellow, interlaced with dark purple—the traffic light, and the air fresh, especially after spending the whole afternoon in that stuffy hospital waiting room again.
Hunter woke up and he was communicating normally. At least according to his family, since only they were allowed to see him. But I’ll get to see him tomorrow, and then I can tell him all the things I should’ve told him before. Or at least, that I’m glad he’s alive.
I figured nothing else could go wrong today. But clearly that’s never a given where Veronica is concerned.
So now I’m standing under a palm tree in twilight, facing Trixie, the woman who caused everything. Including me standing here instead of sitting on some bunk bed in prison, but still.
“And Cross said he was fine? That he’ll recover fully?” she asks for the third time, at least.
“Looks that way,” I answer for the third time. “You said you were leaving town. What are you still doing here?”