I pulled in a breath. “Tylenol. Oh my God. Oh my God.” I looked up at him. “I love you, Tucker Mattice.” I grinned, but then it slowly dissolved as we stared at each other, the moment thick with that complex tangle of history and bitterness and other things I just didn’t want to think about and served no one. And so I looked away. “Thank you.”

He handed me his water, and I took two of the tablets, washing them back and sighing as I recapped the bottle.

Charlie came stomping out of the bushes, and I had to pee, but I’d wait until we were in a spot a little farther away where there was more cover than some brambles. I was also eager to put some distance between me and the dead woman whose shoes I was now wearing. I refused to wonder if there were people at home waiting for her, having no idea that she’d lost her life on this stretch of highway.

It was a couple of hours later as we hiked through a rural area that clearly didn’t see a lot of traffic, as indicated by the few broken-down cars in the road, that I heard the very distant rumble of an engine. I stopped, putting my hand on Charlie’s arm and meeting his eyes. “Do you hear that?” We’d seen a few people as we’d walked, but they had all been quite a distance away and it was clear they were locals, likely as lost for answers as we were.

“Yeah.”

“Tuck!” I yelled. He’d traveled a short distance ahead, but now he stopped and looked back questioningly, and I saw the moment he heard the sound too. He walked quickly back to us and took my arm, pulling me to the side of the road just as a green vehicle came around the bend and started moving toward us.

Tuck stepped out into the road and started waving his arms and the car came to a rumbly stop before the driver’s window was cranked down. A man in a flannel shirt and a ball cap leaned out. “Howdy, folks. Where you headed?”

“California,” Tuck said.

The man laughed. “Quite a ways from home, eh? I’m Leonard.” He looked beyond Tuck and peered at me and Charlie.

“Tuck. And that’s Emily and Charlie.”

Charlie stepped forward. “You probably recognize me,” he said before running his hand through his hair and offering a large, toothy smile. It faltered, then dipped as Leonard looked at him with zero recognition. Charlie cleared his throat. “I’m an actor,” he said. “A…movie star?”

“I don’t get to a lot of movies,” Leonard said.

“Oh,” Charlie said. “Right. Hmm… Well…” He trailed off, obviously at a loss and deciding not to follow up with whatever he was going to say in the wake of Leonard showing absolutely no recognition.