Chapters (38)
- one
- two
- three
- four
- five
- six
- seven
- eight
- nine
- ten
- eleven
- twelve
- thirteen
- fourteen
- fifteen
- sixteen
- seventeen
- eighteen
- nineteen
- twenty
- twenty-one
- twenty-two
- twenty-three
- twenty-four
- twenty-five
- twenty-six
- twenty-seven
- twenty-eight
- twenty-nine
- thirty
- thirty-one
- thirty-two
- thirty-three
- thirty-four
- thirty-five
- thirty-six
- thirty-seven
- epilogue
He offered me a business card. “Call me, Veronica Jean Johnson. Pretty ladies don’t usually offer to take me out. I’d like that very much.” That smile again. I leaned against Ruby and tried to smooth my hair. It was two days overdue for shampoo.
“Wait a minute. How do you know my full name?”
“Darlin’, I’m a state trooper. I know more about you than you’d imagine.” He nodded at my license plate. “Talk to you soon.”
I waited until he’d gone into the bank to look at his card. Lt. Richard O’Shea, Alabama Highway Patrol. His cell number was written neatly on the back, like he’d planned to give it to me all along.
I swallowed the B-12 with a warm swig of Dr. Pepper from my car as the sheriff’s cruiser arrived. The back seat held a small, scruffy boy who looked about thirteen. His hair was cropped close and bleached to near-white; his eyes were pale gray surrounded by red roadmaps. They were accented by painful-looking acne. I felt sorry for him despite myself.
Deputy Simmons stepped out, clearly a man who relished his job. His uniform was freshly starched and I thought he was smiling more than the occasion warranted. “Hello,” he greeted me, then opened the back door and released his passenger. “Jeffrey, this is Miz Johnson. I believe you have something to say to her.”
He willed himself to look at me. “I’m sorry, ma’am.”
“Me too, Jeffrey. I wish I were meeting you under better circumstances.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He turned to Deputy Simmons. “Can we go now?”
“In a minute, Jeffrey.” He opened the back door and reinserted the kid, clamping his head in a huge paw. After slamming the door for effect, he told me, “He has no priors. We’re on the way to the office to meet his father.” He made a few notes on an accident report, then handed it to me to sign along with a piece of paper bearing Jeffrey’s insurance information. “Give them a call and report this as soon as possible. They’ll get you fixed right up.” He regarded my car’s fender. “Doesn’t look too awful. You have a nice day now.”
“Thank you, officer.” I started Ruby up and headed home for fresh Nyquil and a nap.
six
VIOLET
Violet sat on a concrete bench waiting for her friends to arrive at school. Katie Ruth came first, wrapping her in a hug and then holding Violet at a distance to search her tired face.
Katie Ruth said, “He’s going to be fine. We all just know it.”
Violet nodded, choking back tears. “Thank you, Katie Ruth. I hope you’re right.”