the beeping of the wrecker backing up, and the girl turned again, and when she turned back she said, “Marky, you remember Sheriff Sutter, who was the sheriff ten years ago?”
“I remember Sheriff Sutter he went and got Danny at the cabin and then he let him go. I saw him on the news too.”
“You did?”
“Yes,” Marky said. “My poppa died when we were just little boys Danny and me.”
She looked at him with her blue eyes. “I’m so sorry, Marky.”
“He smoked too many cigarettes.”
“Yes. Mine did too.”
The beeping stopped and Mr. Wabash stepped out of the wrecker in his black jacket and began working the levers, lowering the Camry.
The girl was watching Marky. “Marky,” she said.
“Yes?”
“My dad let Danny go because he knew he didn’t have anything to do with what happened to Holly Burke.”
“Danny didn’t have nothing to do with that.”
“I know. That’s why I need to talk to him. I think I can help him.” She waited, like he was supposed to say something, but he didn’t know what to say. Finally she picked up a pen from the counter and began to write on one of the Wabash Auto notepads. “I’m writing my name and phone number,” she said. “Your mom already has it, on the machine, but I’m giving it to you too.”
Mr. Wabash was walking toward the office.
“All I’m asking is that you give it to Danny when he calls and tell him what I told you, about helping him. You don’t have any reason to trust me or believe me, but I hope you’ll just give Danny my name and number. Is that OK?”
“That’s OK,” Marky said, “I’ll give it to him when he calls,” and he stripped the paper from the pad and folded it once and tucked it into the breast pocket of his shirt just as the glass door swung open and Mr. Wabash walked in.
“Thank you, Marky,” the girl said.
“You’re welcome.”
Mr. Wabash stepped behind the counter. He gave Marky a look and turned to the girl. “Is there something I can help you with, miss?”
“No, thank you. I’m all set.”
“Something wrong with your car, there?”
“No, sir. I just came in to talk to Marky.”
“Talk to Marky.”
“Yes, sir.”
“What for?”
“Sorry?”
“What did you need to talk to my employee for?”
“I’m sorry—I think that’s between him and me.”
Mr. Wabash looked at her. He ran his finger over his mustache like a comb. “Then maybe you shouldn’t be talking to him on my time, hey?”
“Sir?”
“I pay my guys to work on cars, not stand around answering your questions. Like this boy could tell you anything anyhow.”
She looked at Marky and he saw that she felt bad that she’d come in, saw that she wanted to tell him how sorry she was to get him into trouble, and he wanted to tell her it was OK, but he couldn’t say anything as long as Mr. Wabash was standing there.
“I know who you are,” Mr. Wabash said. “And I got a pretty good idea this has to do with this boy’s brother. Am I right about that?”
“I’ll just go now,” the girl said, still looking at Marky, giving him a smile, and Marky raised his hand slightly but that was all, and the girl turned and went back out the door, and he and Mr. Wabash watched her get back into the Ford, and they watched as she pulled out of the lot and drove away, and then Mr. Wabash turned to look at Marky.
“Well?” he said. “What the heck did she want with you? Was it about your brother?”
He didn’t want to lie but he didn’t want to tell Mr. Wabash something that wasn’t any of his business either.
“I better go help Jeff Mister Wabash.”
Mr. Wabash frowned. He shook his head. “Yeah, you go do that, Marky.”
And Marky did that, and now it was 3:45 and Danny hadn’t called.
51
She was reaching for the doorbell button when the inside door swept open and he appeared in the window of the stormdoor, his face clear for just a moment before the glass began to fog. Rachel raised her hand to him and he opened the stormdoor and she knew before she got a good look at him that he’d not bathed or put on fresh clothes that day, though it was nearly sundown.
“Gordon,” she said, “I’m sorry to bother you.”
“No, bother,” he said, and stood looking at her, his face pale and bristly. A redness in his eyes. Her heart was beating. It was too much like