No Return

motel.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Monroe said.

“It’s the crash,” Dione explained.

Wes frowned, confused. “I thought we weren’t going back out to the Pinnacles until Monday or Tuesday.”

“I’m not talking about the Pinnacles. We had those Native American sites on the base this afternoon. But I just got a call from our Navy contact, who said because of the crash all unnecessary visitor passes have been revoked. That includes us.”

“Well, that sucks,” Alison said.

“Pool time,” Danny said, smiling. Everyone turned and stared at him. “What? You guys brought suits, right?”

If they were going to have the afternoon off, Wes realized now might be the time to take care of that unfinished business, the errand his mother had asked him to do. He’d been dreading it, and had secretly hoped he’d be unable to make time to visit the storage facility. But he also knew it was something he had to do. Now was as good a time as-

“Just because the schedule got screwed up doesn’t mean we can’t get anything done,” Dione said, looking directly at Danny. “We’ll get some B-roll.”

While Wes felt a sense of reprieve, Danny suddenly looked like a kid who’d been told the trip to Disneyland he was about to take was really heading for the city dump.

“All afternoon?” he asked.

“As long as it takes.”

B-roll shots were usually taken on the go as a crew was shooting other things. The name was a holdover from the days when everything was shot on rolls of film. The A-roll, though few, if any, called it that, was the scripted shots, while B-roll was random shots taken as they came up.

“Danny, you and I will take the Highlander, and Wes, you can take the Escape,” she said. “I’m looking for beautiful desert images. Anything you think will be interesting.”

“Why do I need the chaperone?” Danny asked.

“Do you really have to ask?”

“What am I supposed to do? Just sit here?” Monroe asked.

“You’ve got the afternoon off,” Dione said, looking at Monroe, but meaning Alison and Anna, too. “You’re all free to do whatever you want. Tony, you can-”

“You’re taking both cars,” Monroe cut her off.

Dione pasted on her putting-up-with-the-talent smile. “You can rent a car for the day. We’ll pay for it.”

“So I have to rent my own car now?”

“I’ll take care of it,” Tony said, jumping in.

“Whatever,” Monroe said. “I’ll be in my room. Tell me when the car’s here. And not one of those crappy subcompacts.”

As Monroe walked away, Dione mouthed “Thank you” to Tony.

“She does know how to drive, right?” Alison asked, keeping her voice low.

They all silently stared at one another.

“I, um, assume so,” Dione said.

“Has anyone actually seen her behind the wheel?” Alison asked.

Shaking heads all around.

Tony groaned. “Please tell me I don’t have to drive her around.”

“Absolutely not,” Dione said. “She can drive herself if she wants to go anywhere, whether she knows how to or not. I want you to make a list of what we’re going to need tomorrow. We’ll be on the road most of the day, with no stores nearby that I know of, so you’ll have to get supplies tonight when we get back. When you’re done with the list, write up the production report for yesterday and today. I’ll take a look at them later.”

Dione glanced at Danny and Wes. “All right, guys. Shall we hit it?”

Danny retrieved his camera from the Escape and put it in the other SUV.

“So you’re going to be all alone?” Anna asked Wes.

“Looks that way,” Wes said.

She glanced at Dione. “Mind if I join him?”

An odd smile formed on Dione’s face. “Fine by me.” She opened the driver’s door of the Highlander, then asked Wes, “Which way are you going to head?”

He shrugged. “Thought I could go north.” He pointed at the far end of the valley, where the hills met the Sierras. “Get some of the volcanic stuff.”

“Great idea,” she said as she climbed in. “We’ll go east toward Death Valley.”

“Death Valley?” Whatever else Danny added to his protest was rendered unintelligible as Dione pulled her door shut.

“You want me to drive so you can shoot?” Anna said to Wes.

“Maybe in a bit,” Wes replied.

A few moments later they were on the road, air conditioner blasting.

“I think Dione might know,” Wes threw out.

“Know what?”

“About us.”

“Of course she does,” Anna said. “I told her.”

“You told her?”

“Dione’s one of my best friends.”

“I thought we’d decided to keep things quiet for a while.”

“Do you see me shouting about it to everyone?” Anna asked. “Besides, you told Casey.”

“Casey’s my roommate. I didn’t have a choice if you were going to stay over.”

“Well, you had a choice. You could have just not had me come over.”

“That was not an option, either.”

Anna turned so that her back was to the door and she could take a good, long look at him. “Anyone else you tell?”

“You’re changing the subject.”

“Maybe I am, but I want to know. I know you haven’t told Alison yet.”

Wes shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He and Alison had hooked up for a short time a year earlier. Anna knew all this, of course. It was the worst-kept secret on the crew. And while he was okay remaining friends, it was obvious Alison was still open to the possibility of more.

“She’ll find out soon enough.”

Anna watched him for a moment, the hint of a smile on her face. “So who else?”

He shook his head. “No one you’ve met.”

“So there is someone else. Now I’m really intrigued.”

Wes brought the Escape to a stop at the intersection of China Lake Boulevard and Inyokern Road. A turn to the right would take them to the front gate of the base, and a turn left would eventually take them to the highway. Wes turned left.

“Who?” Anna asked again.

Wes frowned. “Okay. My mom.”

Silence.

“You told your mom about me?” Anna’s tone was stunned.

“Yeah, I told my mom about you. It’s not a big deal, okay?”

“You told your mom.”

“Look, she always asks me if I’m seeing anyone, and I’m always telling her no. Last time when she asked, it just kind of … slipped.”

“How does something like that kind of slip?”

“You don’t know my mom.”

Wes was afraid to glance over at her, scared of what her reaction would be. Would she think he was some