“Hello? Asher?” she said, as if she had been awaiting his call. Her voice was held back, like she couldn’t catch her breath. “Where are you?”

“Zelda? You alright?”

“My hip’s hurt, but I’ll make it.” How easy it was to be folded back up by someone who has been good to you.

“Your face?”

“Asher, what were you thinking?”

“Nobody’s ever been as good to me as you, Zelda. And I shouldn’t have, but I didn’t know any other way—”

“I know it, Asher.” He could picture her, sitting at her supper table, drinking coffee in the hot part of the day. The nit-nit-nit of the yellow plastic clock on the wall.

But maybe not. Maybe cops were sitting right there with her. Lydia with her ear pressed up to the phone receiver, listening to every word. This was the end of their relationship, and he knew it, grieved its passing.

“You know I was a good father.”

“I should’ve done something. I should’ve talked sense more to Lydia.”

The phone receiver was shaking against his ear. He steadied his nerves, glanced at Justin to make sure he was alright. The boy was studying the atlas now. In movies phones got traced or not, but always in them it depended on how long a person stayed connected. He wasn’t going to take the chance of talking long.

“Asher, bring him back. Before she finds out. You can fix all of this if you just bring him back. Right now.”

“You haven’t called the law?”

“She doesn’t know yet,” Zelda whispered.

“What?” Asher couldn’t believe it. They had left Cumberland Valley over six hours ago, thinking the whole time he was running from the police. “You haven’t called her?”

“She’s gone to Knoxville for a revival and won’t call until lunchtime.”

Thank you thank you thank you.

He felt the fear roll off him. If she didn’t listen to her voice mail, which she never did, then she wouldn’t know.

“Nobody has to know, Asher. If you’ll just bring him back.” Asher could picture Zelda’s lower lip trembling, her violet eyes full of tears. “I was wrong, before. I set in that courtroom and let it happen. But this ain’t the right way. You have to bring him back.” In her own way Zelda had had the saddest life he had ever seen, always minding someone else, never thinking for herself. Seeing the way Lydia treated her had made him see that he wasn’t going to live his life that way. “You know I have to call her.”

“I know it,” he said. “But I can’t bring him back. I won’t—”

“And she’ll call the law.”

“I know.”

“Asher, please don’t do this,” she said. “I don’t blame you for being so mad at me. At her. But please. I’m begging you.”