Evidence of Life - By Barbara Taylor Sissel Page 0,64

the rocks. They kept blinking at regular intervals—on, then off—on, then off.

Nearby, Blue stirred again, and the man glanced at him quick-like. He didn’t appear more addled or disturbed than before. But what the hell did a mule know?

The man sat up cautiously and cocked his knees, staring intently across the narrow expanse of swiftly moving water. He scoured his eyes, pinched himself. The lights continued to blink. For real, not a dream—he was pinching himself, wasn’t he?

But he couldn’t make out what they were attached to. Had to be a car. What else?

Spaceship?

He glanced at the sky. No sign of anything, not even the moon. It would be daylight soon. He looked back across the water. His mind said it had to be a car stuck up in that cliff face somehow. But how could that be? Wasn’t no way for a car to get over there. Not even a four-wheel drive could ride over them rocks. Wasn’t a road around even on this side of the crick, and besides, the cedar trees grew thicker than old Blue’s winter coat, never mind the boulders.

The man studied the flickering lights. Was somebody signaling trouble? He’d been a radioman in the Navy, stationed at Pearl in WWII. What the hell was the sequence for SOS—three dashes, three dots? Or the other way? Shitfire if he could remember. He huddled in his bedroll. Wasn’t no way he could get over there to investigate anyway.

* * *

It was full light, and he was stretched out flat on his back inside his bedroll when he opened his eyes again. First thing in his mind was that he’d never got up to take a piss, then the next thing he remembered was the mystery lights. He sat up, rubbing his face, feeling the growth of stubble on his thin cheeks. He squinted across the water. Dream, he thought. Wasn’t nothing more than—

The old man bent sharply forward. When Blue nudged him, asking for breakfast, he said, “Looky there, Blue. Somethin’s catching the sun. See it?”

He scooped up his cap, shed his blankets and walked to the water’s edge. He studied the cliff face until his eyes teared. But he couldn’t make out anything but the pale yellow stone. It was his imagination, he told himself, turning away, rapidly blinking. His eyesight wasn’t too good anyway. He hooked his fingers into Blue’s scruffy mane and thought about his daughter, how mad she’d be if she found out he was here. Marcy’d say this wasn’t his place no more, that his home was with her. He was trespassing, and besides, hadn’t he told her he was camping up on the Guadalupe?

The old man rubbed Blue’s neck. “Can you imagine what Marcy’d say if we was to tell her what we seen?”

Blue brayed and showed his big yellow teeth.

“Yeah, that’s right, you old shit bird. She’d laugh her ass off sure as anything.”

* * *

He fished till after lunch when the sun dropped behind the cliffs, then packed his gear. He hadn’t intended to leave, not for a couple more days anyway. He’d meant to stay as long as the weather was fine, as long as he wasn’t discovered and dragged off the place. But somehow that business last night had left him feeling spooked. There was no peace in the breeze, no music in the sound of the water, and he hadn’t caught a damned thing. He loaded his bedroll and satchel onto Blue’s back and headed into the trees.

But then, before they completely closed the stream from view, he turned and saw it. The car was wedged a little ways up and pretty far back in the rocks and near as he could tell, looked to be about the same color. Only reason it stood out now was from the light being exactly right.

He dropped Blue’s lead, walked back to the bank and stood near enough to the water that it lapped at the toes of his boots. He pushed his hat back on his head and stared. No sign of blinking lights now; maybe he had dreamed that part, but it was a car, he’d swear it. He raised his hat and resettled it.

On the way home, he told Blue: “God strike me dead if I open my mouth about it and don’t you say nothin’ either. Marcy’d have us both in the fruit farm for sure.”

Chapter 18

Abby found the puddle of water on the floor of the downstairs hallway, and her heart sank. She