Island of Lost Girls - Jennifer McMahon [54]
How intriguing. Ask away, love.
Did you and Daniel have an affair?
Laura Lee smiled. Who on earth told you that? Oh never mind, its not important. Its ancient history. And for the record, yes: we were fucking like rabbits.
Rhonda cringed.
Youre not shocked, are you?
No. Not at all. I was just wondering if you might know where he went?
Honey, if Id known that, I would have hightailed it after him. I wasin love . God, he was a wreck. But what a goddamnhandsome wreck. Laura Lee sighed grandly. I truly dont know what happened. He was in so much goddamn trouble that summer. He oweda lot of money to people. And he and Clem had some horrible blowup.
About what?
I dont know, Ronnie. He never told me. He was a broken man. I think that at the very end, I was the only thing he felt he really had. But evidently that wasnt enough. Aint that just the story of my goddamn life?
RHONDA DROVE BACKto Pats only to find shed be working the phones alone. Pat and Warren had gone up to Burlington to hand out flyers and Pat was going to be the guest on a cable access show. Jim was in the garage and a greasy kid named Carl was running the register. Carl, Rhonda remembered, was the one whod been working last Thursday, when someone picked Ernie up from school in Laura Lees VW.
Pats Mini Mart was dead. No phone calls, no one stopping in for gas. Rhonda was trying to figure out how to check the e-mail from the Find Ernie Web site on the laptop when Carl sauntered over, hitched up his voluminous jeans, and went to work opening a stick of beef jerky hed helped himself to.
Not much action, huh? he said. Rhonda shook her head.
Carl, I saw that you were working last Thursday.
Was I?
Your names on the schedule.
He studied the beef jerky in his hand. Guess I was here, then. His eyes were red and glassyhe was wasted.
Pat and Peter were working, she reminded him. Laura Lees Volkswagen was in the shop.
He nodded. Shit, that car was always in the shop. But, he jabbed his beef jerky at her and narrowed his eyes shrewdly, I know the exact day youre talking about, cause that cop Crowley asked me about it.
He did?
Yeah, he wanted to know if I saw Peter take off in the VW.
And did you?
He contemplated the beef jerky again. Nah. I didnt see shit. I was here by myself and we were slammed. Some Little League bus stopped off with like six hundred kids all paying for their fucking soda and candy bars separately with their little piles of change. Jee-sus.
Where was Pat?
Search me, he shrugged.
And Peter was in the garage?
Guess so. He comes and goes. I dont always see him leaving and I cant tell when hes back there. He ripped at the plastic on the beef jerky with his teeth. Its bullshit about Peter getting canned, he said, spitting a corner of wrapper onto the floor.
Yep, she agreed. It sure is.
And the cops riding his ass like they are its not right. He didnt take that girl. He took a bite of the jerky and chewed hard.
I know, Rhonda said.
Yeah, I know it, too, he said, mouth full. I know it for afact . I saw him that afternoon and it wasnt a little girl he had with him.
You mean you saw him hiking?
Hiking? Not hardly. I saw him pulling into the Inn and Out Motel around three. He was driving his truck and he had this real hot girl with him. Dark hair, makeup. She looked like a model. It sure as shit wasnt Tock. So I went to him a few days later, offered to go to the cops, tell them what I saw. Give him an alibi, you know? And you know what he said? It wasnt him! Carl put on a prissy, uptight voice: You must be mistaken. He shook his head.
But there wasnt no mistake. Now, if he wants to fuck around on Tock, more power to the dude, I could really give a shit, right? But in the meantime, everyone thinks he did the crime of the fucking century, and hes cool with that? Dude really wants to keep a secret.
A customer came in then, went straight to the counter for cigarettes, and Carl went back to work, beef jerky stuck in his mouth like a cigar,