“Denville went to Vermont!” He wondered if the outrage he was feeling showed in his expression.

“He’s probably almost there by now. He said you have to start at the beginning and my parents are the beginning.” Cady shrugged as she bent down to retrieve her skirt.

“Boomer, I have something I want to ask you. Were you…”

“Hold that thought, Cady,” Boomer said, as his pager went off. He looked at it, whipped out his cell phone, and backed up. “I have to go. I’ll see you tonight and give you the ticket then.” At the top of the embankment, he stopped long enough to shout, “I like that underwear.”

Cady laughed again as she zipped up her skirt. She watched him until he was out of sight. Dropping to the ground, she hugged her knees. For the first time in her life, she’d kissed a man to the tune of rockets and missiles. “Ya know, Atlas, for one little second there, I thought my head was going to spin right off my neck! Boomer Ward! Of all people.” She picked up a pebble and skipped it across the pond. Pete had always been the best at skipping the stones. Andy was next, and Amy could just never get the hang of it. Once or twice she’d succeeded, and the boys had clapped enthusiastically. Not Amy, though. Amy had scowled and said she wanted to do something else.

Throw rocks! Hurry up. Get some bigger ones! Come on! Come On! Pitch! Hey!

Cady lurched forward. Throw rocks. Hurry up. Get some bigger ones. Come on! Come On! Pitch! Hey! She felt so dizzy and light-headed, she dropped back to the ground, her heart hammering inside her chest. There were words, but there were no mind pictures. She wanted to cry in frustration. Why can I hear the words and not see my friends? Because your eyes were closed and you were on the zip line, that’s why. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

“Come on, Atlas, it’s time to go home.” The dog was on his feet in an instant, his side glued to her leg. He wiggled his head for her to scratch him behind his ears. She obliged.

At the top of the embankment, she looked over at the Judas tree. Right now, its buds looked as if they were about to bloom, but the tree didn’t look pretty. She’d always hated how bare it was around the base of the tree. Nothing would grow there, not even moss, dandelions, or vines. As children they’d planted bluebells and daffodils, but nothing would flourish. A circular bench might take away some of the starkness. Then again, maybe nothing could remove the starkness from the forbidden area. She didn’t mean to walk over to the tree, but she did. She searched out their childish carvings and winced as her fingers traced the thick chunks that were missing from the C and the J. Obliterated.

Cady traced her way back to the Mountaineer and climbed inside. She felt gleeful, exhilarated, and yet sad at the same time. She was coming to the end of the line, she could feel it. When she had all the pieces, what would she do? “Then I’m going to see Mr. and Mrs. King and lay it all out for them. If I have to, I’m going to take an ad out in the Indigo Sentinel so that everyone will know I wasn’t responsible for Jeff’s death. Right now, though, I’m going to think about that rip-snorting kiss and what tonight might bring.”