“Okay, you know how I told you I had this weird feeling, like maybe someone was following me?”

I felt a bit queasy. “Uh-huh.”

“Like, I know it’s nuts, but I’ve had this car following me for a while, and I’m starting to get that feeling again.”

“Okay. Uh, tell me more.”

“Yeah. It’s some piece-of-crap car, sort of like our Camry? We’ve just been cruising around, trying out the new car, and I’ve noticed this car keeps showing up in my mirror.”

“Can you see that it’s a guy?” I asked.

“Well, not exactly, I’m just assuming, you know? Like, how many female pervs drive around at night following people?”

“Okay,” I said. “Don’t panic. Maybe it’s not the same car. Maybe you’re just on edge or something. It’s probably my fault. I’ve freaked you out with all this talk about what happened to my friend Lawrence.”

“Maybe …” Angie didn’t sound that sure.

“Is he following you right now?”

I saw Angie glance at her rearview mirror.

“Yeah, he’s still there, Dad. I’m afraid to stop anywhere or anything, in case it’s some creep and he jumps out or something.”

I eased up on the gas, hung a right down the first street I came to.

“Oh, hang on,” Angie said. “False alarm. He’s gone.”

“Are you sure?” I said. I’d wandered off into some industrial neighborhood. I had absolutely no idea where I was.

I could hear Angie let out a long breath. “Yeah, yeah, he just turned off. I guess I was just imagining it, you know? Maybe I was thinking it was Trevor or something. It’d be just the sort of creepy thing he’d do.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Pretty creepy.” I let out a long breath of my own as I pulled the car over to the side of the road and stopped. “Maybe it’s time for you to head home,” I suggested.

“I’ll be home soon,” Angie said. “We’re just going to grab something to eat at McDonald’s.”

“We?”

“Me and a friend.”

“Don’t be too late, all right?”

“Dad, I’m eighteen, okay? Don’t worry. Actually, I’m going to drop by the house in a bit. I have to grab a book for my friend, and then I’m going to give hi—”

“What was that, honey?”

“I said I’m going to drop by the house to pick up a book for my friend, and then I’m going to drive my friend home.”

“Yeah, well, you say hello to him for me,” I said.

“Dad, I never said, I mean, I didn’t—”

There was a siren whoop behind me. I glanced in my mirror and saw the flashing red light of a police car.

“Honey,” I said, “I’m going to have to go.”