BooksBarbecue
Back The Runaway
Chapters (80)
  1. Cover
  2. TITLES BY NICK PETRIE
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. 64
  69. 65
  70. 66
  71. 67
  72. 68
  73. 69
  74. 70
  75. 71
  76. 72
  77. 73
  78. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  79. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  80. What’s next on your reading list?

He flashed her a look. “Dangerous work. Dangerous for all of us. That’s why you should get on a damn bus. And that’s all I’m going to say about it.”

“Can I ask another question? It’s personal.”

Now he glared. “If I said no, would you shut up?”

“Prob’ly not,” she said. “But it passes the time, doesn’t it?”

He sighed again. “One last question.”

“Roy said he used to be a policeman, in Minneapolis. Is that where you two met?”

Frank nodded. “We were partners.”

“So what happened? Why aren’t you with the police anymore?”

In the back, Roy smacked his lips in his sleep. Frank glanced over his shoulder. Roy started snoring again. “That’s two questions,” Frank said.

“Come on, Frank. Please.”

He shook his head. “You don’t want to know the answer. Trust me on that.”

Then he stabbed a finger at the radio and the Golden State Killer came on again.

The rest of the way to Klamath Falls, Helene turned over the conversation in her head. It was nice to know that Frank didn’t actually hate her. Had Roy really said she was his good-luck charm?

She hoped it was true. If so, it would be the nicest thing anyone had ever said about her.

God, she couldn’t stop thinking about him. He was no farmboy, that was for sure. She wanted his hands on her skin. She wanted his weight on her body. When she closed her eyes, she could almost feel it.

When they arrived at the musty old Klamath Motor Lodge, Roy checked her in, handed her the keys and a pair of twenties, and walked back out to the pickup. She watched from the lobby as he turned the truck and trailer around in the parking lot. Frank held her eyes from the passenger seat, and raised a hand in farewell.

Helene found the room, took a shower, went for a walk, grabbed dinner, and went to bed, thinking of Roy all the while.

The next morning, she met them in the parking lot with three cups of coffee and a smile.

17

After Klamath Falls, they spent a short day driving down into California. The trailer still hummed. The sign on the side read golden state solutions.

Before Lake Tahoe, Roy turned off the highway at an open gate with a big red T set in a red metal circle mounted on a pole. After a long, winding drive, they came to a huge timbered lodge set deep in the pines.

It reminded her of the fancy hotel outside of Livingston, where her aunt Willa had taken her after finishing the seventh grade. It was very hot and the pool was the main attraction, but Helene felt awkward in her swimming suit and hadn’t wanted to go in the water with boys. She’d thought Aunt Willa would complain, but she had just smiled conspiratorially and taken Helene river rafting and horseback riding instead.

“What is this place?”