“I’m not alone. Now what do you mean, you don’t know if Andy’s all right? You don’t know? How could you not know if he’s all right?”
“He’s gone, that’s how. Gone, vanished, poof!”
“What!”
“The little shit absconded with himself!”
“He’s gone?”
“Are you deaf?”
Jody felt as if she might blow up. Don’t! she warned herself. The jerk’ll hang up and I’ll never find out anything. “Dad will want all the details,” she said, trying very hard to sound polite. “I need to know what to tell him, Mr. Spaulding. He gets really mad at me when I don’t take good messages for him.” A total lie, but Willy had no way of knowing. “Please?”
“When do you expect him back?”
“Any time. I don’t know for sure, though. He might be away for another hour, or something.”
“I might very well not be here an hour from now. My patience, such as it is, has very nearly run itself to the end of the line.”
“Where are you calling from, Mr. Spaulding?”
“A Texaco station. In Indio.”
“India?”
“Not India, Indio.”
That’s what I said, you creep. “Oh, Indio. Okay.”
“A little burg on Interstate 10 ...”
“Yeah, over near the Salton Sea. We’ve been there. And you’re calling from a Texaco gas station. And you say that Andy is gone.”
“He certainly isn’t here. That adds up to gone.”
“Dad’ll want to know when you first noticed he was missing.”
“About twenty minutes ago.”
“Around nine?”
“Give or take. I spent quite some time running myself ragged, looking for him. With no success, I needn’t add.”
“Where did he go?”
“If I knew that, young lady, he wouldn’t be lost.”
“Gimme a break,” she snapped. Right away, she regretted it. “I’m sorry. I’m just trying to find out what happened.”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“Not to me, sir.”
“I was obliged to stop for gas.” He said it slowly, clearly, as if trying to make himself understood by a moron. “Andrew was with me up to that point, sitting in the passenger seat, pouting.”
Pouting. His whole family was slaughtered last night, you bastard!
“I stopped my car at a self-service island. Are you following this?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“As I began to fill the tank, Andrew opened the door and asked my permission to use the men’s room. The john, he called it. I gave him permission. The last I saw of him, he was walking toward the station’s office.”
“You let him go by himself?”
“Of course. He’s not a baby.”
“He’s only twelve.”
“I’m aware of that. And I don’t believe I appreciate your attitude, young lady.”
“I’m sorry. I’m just trying to do the best I can.”
“You’re insinuating that I’m somehow at fault in this situation.”
“I didn’t mean to insinuate anything. Really. I just want to get this information for Dad, that’s all. Okay?”
“All right, then.”
“Good. Thank you. Now, when did you realize that something was wrong?”
“When I went to the men’s room, myself. That was after I’d finished pumping my gas, and after I’d gone to the office to pay for it. As a matter of fact, I didn’t think much of it when he wasn’t in the restroom. I thought he must’ve gone back to the car while I was in the office. So it wasn’t until I returned to my car that I realized he was actually gone.”
“You looked around for him?”
“Of course.”
“Did you call the police!”
“Your father is the police, young lady. That’s why I phoned him.”
“Dad can’t do anything officially. I mean, not in Indio. What you need to do is call the Indio police and have them search for Andy.”
“I certainly enjoy receiving instructions from a fifteen-year-old child.”
“Sixteen,” she corrected him.
“I am not about to get the local gendarmes involved in this matter. Andy wasn’t kidnaped. He ran away.”
“How do you know he wasn’t kidnaped?”
Willy didn’t answer right away. Jody heard the empty sounds of distance. She heard the faint noise of a truck’s horn. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“Why?”
“He didn’t want to leave your house in the first place. He didn’t want to go anywhere with me. So the first chance he got, he ran off. He probably intends to hitchhike back to your house. I wouldn’t put it past him.”
It sounded plausible to Jody. More than plausible—likely. The little twerp. She sighed. “That’s all the more reason to find him.” She grimaced at Miles. “There’s a police officer here. Maybe you’d better talk to her.”
She passed the handset to Miles. After identifying herself, Miles leaned back against the kitchen wall, listened and nodded. She didn’t listen for long, though. “Mr. Spaulding, you should’ve notified the local police the moment you realized Andy was missing. Give me your number there.” She pulled a pen out of her shirt pocket, and jotted down the number on the note pad they kept by the phone. “Okay, Mr. Spaulding. I’m going to hang up, now, and call the locals myself. You stay right where you are.” She listened for a moment. Then her eyes widened and her face grew red. “You will not. That boy is your responsibility, and I’ll see to it that you’re prosecuted if you leave the scene. Is that understood?” She nodded. “Very good. See that you do.” She hung up.
“You were great!” Jody blurted. “He is such a jerk.”
“He’s Andy’s uncle? Doesn’t even sound like he likes the boy.”
“I don’t think he does. I think the only reason he came to get Andy is because his wife made him.”
Miles nodded, then lifted the phone and tapped in the number for directory assistance.
“What gives?”
Jody swiveled sideways and saw her father swaggering through the dining room. She met him before he reached the kitchen. “Andy’s disappeared,” she said. “We just got a call from his uncle. Miles is calling the Indio police right now.”
He leaned and glanced past Jody, apparently confirming that Miles was on the kitchen phone.
“How did it happen?”
She told him about the stop at the Texaco station and how Andy had made a solo trip to the restroom while Uncle Willy was busy filling the tank. “He never came back from the john,” she concluded.
“When did this happen?”
“Around nine.”
Dad checked his wristwatch. “Great. With that kind of headstart ...” He shook his head.
“He might be trying to come here.”
“Andy?”
“He didn’t want to leave in the first place.”
“You’re assuming he wasn’t grabbed.”
Dad’s words made a cold place in Jody’s stomach. “But nobody followed their car out of here. You said they got clear all right.”
“We thought they did. I don’t know. You can’t be a hundred percent sure about a thing like that. Anyway, all we can do is guess about what might’ve happened to him. If Willy thinks he ran off, maybe that’s what happened.”
“I sure hope so,” Jody muttered. “It’d still be awfully dangerous for him, but ...”
“A lot better than if he got snatched.”
“But what if he tries to hitch his way here, only he gets a ride from some sort of a pervert?”
“I’d hope that Andy would be smarter than to hitchhike.”
“How else can he get here?”
“Sergeant?” Miles asked.
Dad gave Jody’s arm a squeeze, then stepped past her. She followed him into the kitchen. Miles was off the phone.
“Did Jody explain the situation, sir?”
“I’ve got a rough
idea.”
“Well, I just contacted the Indio police department. They’ve got a unit on the way to the scene. Also, they’re passing on word about the boy to the Highway Patrol.”
“What’s your take on the deal, Miles?”
“It looks like the boy took off on his own.”
“What makes you say that?”
Miles leaned back against the wall. She folded her arms beneath her breasts and tilted her head sideways. “Well, Sergeant. From what I heard about last night, he’s a game kid. Also, he’s gone through an incredible emotional trauma. A shock like that can distort your perspective, so you do crazy things like run away in the middle of nowhere. Another thing is, he found a degree of safety and calm while he stayed here with you and your daughter. I think there are strong bonds between him and Jody. And finally, his uncle is a complete asshole. The boy probably couldn’t wait to get away from him, and fled the moment a chance presented itself.”
“That’s how it looks,” Dad said.
“There are other possibilities, but ...”
“Let’s hear them.”
“Well, the bad guys from last night might’ve grabbed him. Or he might’ve run afoul of someone in the gas station toilet. And there’s one other possibility that’s occurred to me. It’s unlikely, I suppose. But we’ve only got Spaulding’s word about how things went down. He might be lying through his teeth.”
“Oh, Jeez,” Jody muttered.
“You’re suggesting he got rid of Andy?”
“It’s just a thought. Adding a kid to the family can be an expensive proposition.”
“You think he murdered Andy?” Jody blurted.
Miles grimaced. “I don’t mean that at all, honey. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought it up ...”
“No,” Dad said. “It’s worth considering.”
“I honestly think Andy probably ran off.”
“More than likely,” Dad agreed.
“What’ll we do?” Jody asked. “This is awful. He might be ... he might need help, or ... Do we just have to wait?”
“Let’s drive out there,” Dad said.
Jody couldn’t believe her ears. “Really?”
“Yeah. We might not accomplish much, but who knows? Better than staying here.”
“It sure is.”
“We were going to be pulling out, anyway. I just talked to Ryan about it. It looks as if our little ‘trap’ got two civilians killed. Three, if you count fetuses.”
Miles winced. “The woman was pregnant?”
“Looks like our shooter performed a quickie Cesarian on her and ...” He glanced at Jody and stopped in mid-sentence. “We don’t want to risk anyone else. The guard’s being pulled off as soon as we can get out of here. I’d thought we might try Big Bear, but now with this ... We’ll head out to Indio, for starters. Maybe we can find out something about Andy.”
“We can help look for him,” Jody said.
“Pack enough for a week,” Dad told her. “If we have to stay away longer, we’ll deal with it when the time comes.”
“I’d like to go with you, Sergeant,” Miles said. “On my own time, of course. To provide some extra security for Jody.”
Dad looked surprised.
“That’d be great,” Jody said. “Can she?”
“Well ...”
“My shift’s about over, anyway,” Miles said. “All you’ve gotta do is square it with Ryan so I can leave early. After that, I’m off till Monday night. What do you say, Sergeant?”
“Come on, Dad. We might need her, you know? And besides, she’s really nice.”
Dad eyed Miles. “You sure you wanta?”
“Yes, sir.”
The upturned comer of his mouth stretched its way higher. He stuck out his big right hand. “Okay.” As she shook it, he said, “What’s your name, Miles?”
“Sharon.”
“Okay, Sharon. Good to have you aboard. I’m Jack.”
Chapter Twenty-four
Jody was left alone to pack for the trip. She felt excited, but scared. This was almost like embarking on a vacation. Different, though. Awfully different. There were killers lurking around, somewhere, who wanted to murder her. And maybe they’d already gotten to Andy.
Nobody thinks they got him, she told herself.
Or if they do think it, they’re not saying so in front of me.
He might be dead right this very second.
No, she told herself. He ran away, that’s all. That’s what Dad and Sharon both think. And it’s not that they’re just saying it to protect me from the truth. Dad wouldn’t lie to me. I don’t think Sharon would, either.
She’s really coming with us.
Dad had no sooner made arrangements with Nick Ryan for Sharon to come along, than she had hurried out the door saying she would be back in half an hour.
“We wanta be ready to hit the road the minute she gets back,” Dad had said.
“No problem.”
That was about twenty minutes ago.
Standing at the foot of her bed, Jody stared at her big cloth traveling bag and wondered what she was missing.
I’ve got a week’s worth of panties and socks, she thought. Plus bras, blouses, T-shirts, shorts, jeans, sweats, swimming suit, moccasins, nightshirt, bathrobe. No skirt or dress. Dad won’t be happy about that, if he finds out. I’ll just play dumb. Besides, he won’t find out unless for some reason we end up going to a fancy restaurant—or to church, God forbid.
Sorry about that, God. Didn’t mean it.
Anyhow, You don’t care what I wear to church, right? If You even exist at all.
Sorry about that, too, God.
So, she wondered, have I got everything?
She had already changed into sweatpants, a T-shirt, and Nikes. She would wear them in the car, along with her jacket and cap. That should take care of clothes.
In the side pockets of her bag, she had tucked a few paperback books, a note pad and pen, a deck of playing cards, and her tiny Kodak camera. Her toilet kit was in with the clothes. Meow, her stuffed kitten, gray and worn and earless with age, was tucked in there, too.
Jody felt sure that she was forgetting something. But what?
Maybe nothing.
She suddenly thought about all the things that she’d left behind at Evelyn’s house. Maybe they’re what I’m missing, she thought. My good old purse and billfold and everything in them. My brand new white Reeboks with the pink laces. My Eeyore socks.
All gone. All burned.
They’re just things, she told herself. They aren’t important.
But I miss them, anyhow. They were mine, and ...
Sharon’s going to be here any minute.
“What do I need to get?” she muttered.
Did she have enough first aid supplies?
Probably not.
She’d taken everything she could find in the medicine cabinet, though.
Enough to last a normal family for a year, she figured.
Enough to dress all her wounds about one more time.
Most of them should be able to go without bandages in another day or two.
We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, she decided.
You can buy bandages just about anywhere. Even in Indio, probably.
She slid the zippers shut, then hefted her bag with one hand and swung it off her bed. With her other hand, she put on her cap, then picked up her bright nylon jacket. At the door, she used an elbow to hit the light switch. The room went dark behind her.
In the hall, she saw light coming through the doorway to the garage. “Dad?” she called.
“Out here, honey.”
She carried her things into the garage. There, Dad was standing behind the open trunk of their car. He had changed into blue jeans. Over his Yosemite Sam T-shirt, he wore a Kelly green chamois shirt, unbuttoned and hanging open like a jacket.
“Have you got everything?” he asked.
“Hope so,” Jody said, and handed the bag to him.
He set it inside the trunk. His suitcase was already there.
“Do you need to go to the bathroom or anything?” he asked.
“Nope. I’m all set. Do you want me in the back seat?”
His lopsided smile stretched upward. “Even better than that—on the backseat floor. At least till we’re out of the neighborhood.”
“Oh, terrific. Does that mean there’s gonna be more shooting?”
“1 doubt if anybody’s still around to try something, but ...” The doorbell rang. “That’s probably Sharon. You go on and get in.”
As he left the garage, Jody swung open a rear door of the car and climbed inside. She sat down. No point in hunkering on the floor any longer than necessary. On the seat beside her was an old blanket that usually stayed in the trunk. It looked rather carefully heaped. She lifted enough to uncover the pistol grips of Dad’s 12-gauge Mossberg pump shotgun.
“Nothing like a little firepower,” she whispered.
She’d fired the shotgun herself last summer. A couple of weeks after Dad brought it home from the store, they’d driven out to the desert with all their weapons. With the Mossberg, Dad had blasted apart several four-by-four blocks of wood and more than a dozen Pepsi cans. Jody had tried it only once. The gun had bucked up hard, almost kicking free of her hands. Though she’d managed to keep her hold on it, one try had been more than enough for her.
It had also been more than enough for her target, splintering the hefty block of wood and hurling it into the air.
If Dad’s bringing this ...
She suddenly knew what she’d neglected to pack—not her toothbrush or deodorant, but her Smith & Wesson: the nice little eight-shot .22 semi-automatic that Dad had given her last Christmas.
Dumb not to bring it, she thought.
She opened the car door. As she swung her legs out, Sharon entered the garage ahead of Dad. Sharon hadn’t changed clothes. She still wore her western boots, jeans and plaid shirt. But she had put on a faded denim jacket that reached down only to her waist and hung open. The jacket wasn’t large enough to hide the holster on her hip. Also, it looked too small to be pulled shut and buttoned—at least across her chest.
She wore a black and gold NRA cap. Its visor, pulled low, had bright gold doo-dads and made her look like a rear admiral.
In one hand, she carried a soft travel bag similar to Jody’s, though Sharon’s was blue instead of red. In her other hand, she carried a rifle case of tooled leather.
Endless Night Page 20