The gas can gurgled empty, distracting Cass. Kevin pulled out the nozzle, capped the tank and can, then stored the can. He stopped the conversation when he got behind the wheel and turned the ignition switch. The engine turned over a few times, then sputtered to life.

“There we go. All good.” Kevin got out of the truck, leaving the motor running. “Thanks again, Cass, Gibby. How much do I owe you for the ride?”

“Nothing. Happy to help,” Cass said. “Let’s go, son.”

Gibby shifted their idling pickup from Park to Drive.

“Wait,” Sam said. “Excuse me, Cass, what did you mean, by ‘especially in these parts?’”

Cass looked at Sam for a moment. A sadness mixed with fear flitted across her face. She glanced at Kevin, then back to Sam.

“Like I was telling your beau here, you shouldn’t be on this road.”

“But why?”

“It’s best to get back on the interstate. Let’s go, Gibby. You two take care now.”

After watching the taillights sink into the foggy night, Sam and Kevin climbed into their truck. Kevin turned it around, and they headed back the way they had come, driving without speaking.

As they traveled, their headlights failed to penetrate the fog. Only a patch of illuminated forest-hemmed road was visible ahead. They’d gone about a mile when Kevin said, “Okay, I fucked up. I’m sorry. So bring it on.”

Sam didn’t respond.

Stones ricocheted beneath the floorboard as they drove. Finally, Sam said, “What did that woman mean by ‘especially in these parts’?”

“I don’t know.”

“I think you do, and it’s got something to do with this Leo crap.”

“Look, all I know is I was walking back with the filled gas can, and they stopped and picked me up. She kept going on about living your life according to the Bible. I was just happy for the ride. Her son never spoke. That’s it.”

Was it?

Sam was uncertain if it was the disaster of running out of gas, the fact that their relationship had reached a turning point, or if Kevin was tired from the walk. Maybe it was something else entirely, but she sensed his mood, his attitude, had shifted.

He was serious—almost uneasy.

“Kevin, what do you think she meant?”

“I don’t know. Why?”

“Because while I was alone out there, a car, or a truck, I couldn’t tell what it was, came up behind me, and just sat there, watching me.”

“What? Was it a cop?”

“No.”

“Did people get out and talk to you?”

“No.”

Sam related everything about the incident, ending by saying, “It was so creepy.”

“Sounds like local idiots trying to scare you.” Kevin turned to her, saw her cheeks glistening with tear tracks. “Honey, I’m so sorry. This whole thing is my fault.”

“How could you just leave me like that?”