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Back The Surrogate Save as PDF
Chapters (65)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Epigraph
  4. Part One
  5. One
  6. Two
  7. Three
  8. Four
  9. Five
  10. Six
  11. Seven
  12. Eight
  13. Nine
  14. Ten
  15. Eleven
  16. Twelve
  17. Thirteen
  18. Fourteen
  19. Fifteen
  20. Sixteen
  21. Seventeen
  22. Eighteen
  23. Nineteen
  24. Twenty
  25. Twenty-One
  26. Twenty-Two
  27. Twenty-Three
  28. Twenty-Four
  29. Twenty-Five
  30. Twenty-Six
  31. Twenty-Seven
  32. Twenty-Eight
  33. Twenty-Nine
  34. Thirty
  35. Thirty-One
  36. Thirty-Two
  37. Thirty-Three
  38. Part Two
  39. Thirty-Four
  40. Thirty-Five
  41. Thirty-Six
  42. Thirty-Seven
  43. Thirty-Eight
  44. Thirty-Nine
  45. Forty
  46. Forty-One
  47. Forty-Two
  48. Forty-Three
  49. Forty-Four
  50. Forty-Five
  51. Forty-Six
  52. Forty-Seven
  53. Forty-Eight
  54. Forty-Nine
  55. Fifty
  56. Fifty-One
  57. Part Three
  58. Fifty-Two
  59. Fifty-Three
  60. Fifty-Four
  61. Fifty-Five
  62. Fifty-Six
  63. Acknowledgments
  64. About the Author
  65. About the Publisher

I smiled in agreement and looked down at my hands in my lap. I folded them one way, then the other. We’d talked about everything that we could talk about. We had our game plan. I closed my eyes and let my torso rock with the bumps in the road. I felt myself falling asleep, so I reminded Raymond of our exit number and let myself nap. I’d been feeling extra-tired all week, and I was sure the stress was wearing me down. I rested until I felt the car slow down and heard the ticking turn signal.

“Okay, here’s our first stop,” said Raymond, pulling off the highway. “Bread crumb number one: the mini-mart.” He switched off the ignition. “Cally spent seventy-eight dollars here, and we’re gonna talk to that cashier.”

Thirty-Eight

Cally

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2002

Evening

While we waited for Amanda’s grandmother to get there, I ate another sandwich and put a water bottle in my backpack. Amanda seemed relieved when I pulled out my credit card. Like I was gonna steal all that stuff.

“What time is it?” I asked, looking around for a clock.

“Like six-fifteen.”

“Has anyone used the pay phone since your shift started?”

“I don’t remember seeing anyone, no.”

“Hang on,” I said, leaving my stuff by the counter and running out to the pay phone. It was dark outside, and I could see Amanda in the light of the store, watching me. I dialed *69 and wrote down the number, then returned to the warmth of the little store.

“There’s my gram,” said Amanda, pointing out the window at the car that had pulled in.

I saw only headlights and snow against a purple-blue background. The overhead lights shining down on the gas pumps made us like a bright oasis in a winter desert. When the car stopped in front of the gas station building, I got a better look at it. “Oh,” I said, realizing this was the same sedan that had pulled over to help me and Digger earlier today.

The driver got out and slapped her woolly gloves together, then waved. I stood squinting, waiting for some sign that this was the right step. Would this eager old lady be of any use to me? “I’m Vera.” She stuck out her hand and walked around the car toward me.

“Cally.” I shook her hand.

“You look familiar.” Vera opened the door for me. “Have I given you a ride before?”

“No.”

“Well, it’ll come to me, I never forget a face.” She marched to her side of the car and got in. The car smelled like pine air freshener.

“Breath mint?” She offered me a piece of candy, red and white, wrapped in cellophane.

“No, thanks.” I didn’t care if my breath was bad.