The location perked me up better than any cup of coffee. She knew my history with Sarah. Knew she’d bought me at the auction. I doubted Noreen had any idea I’d been handcuffed to my bed, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she did.

I appreciated her letting me know. I had a feeling Sarah had finally had that chat with her daddy. And that she’d had enough. If someone called it in, it had to be pretty heated. Sarah had stood up to me the other night, but I wasn’t sure how she’d do with Bill. Which meant it was finally time for me to step in.

“Copy that. On my way.”

11

SARAH

“Why are you so angry about me going to the accident?” I asked my dad, pretty upset myself. “You didn’t answer Graham’s call and neither did Roy.”

I’d finally gotten the totaled car off-loaded to the lot behind the shop, and I needed an IV of coffee. When Dad came in, I’d been in the service bay washing my hands at the industrial sink. He went over to the wall and slapped the button that opened one of the garage doors. It rose with a loud whir. The breeze came in and made my hair blow into my face. He was stalling.

“Where were you?” I asked. “And is Roy even alive?” After seeing the dead body earlier, I shouldn’t have asked the question, but really, where was the guy?

I’d sat in the cab until about six, dozing on and off, before I could winch the car out of the ditch. The sun had just peeked over the horizon. The coroner had come and gone by then, along with the dead body. I wasn’t going to forget that sight for a long time. From what Huck had said, it was assumed the driver had been the one to start the fire at the preschool. No one had been hurt, but the building was pretty damaged. A witness had seen him flee in the car that was flipped. By the scent of liquor wafting from the interior, he’d had too much to drink and got himself killed.

“I’m angry because I don’t want you going on calls,” he snapped. “How many times do I have to tell you the same thing?”

I was exhausted. Riled. Confused. Ever since I’d found out about Huck and Claire Manning, I’d been completely out of whack. My average, boring life had somehow changed. I saw things I hadn’t noticed before.

One became very obvious. He was stringing me along. “You’re never going to give me the shop, are you?” I asked, setting my damp hands on my hips.

It had been my assumption that I’d take over from him. He’d taught me the foundation for all I knew about fixing a car; then continued those skills in Bozeman while in college. I knew engines. I did the books. The ordering. I could handle the tow truck. I could do it all probably better than my dad. Hell, he couldn’t do it without me.