“Night . . . jerk.”
She settled in with the blanket. I settled in with my eyes wide open. Sonofabitch.
Five minutes later she said, “Mort?”
“What?”
“This is unbelievably stupid.”
“When you’re right, you’re right.”
“We’ve got a room. It has an actual, real bed. I promise I won’t touch you. I mean it.”
Goddamn Audis weren’t as roomy or as comfortable as their advertisements made out. Not when you’re well over six feet tall. I couldn’t stretch my legs out. By morning I wouldn’t be able to walk. By morning I was going to be homicidal and I had a gun under the car seat. Everyone in town was going to be at risk. But that room twenty feet away had a shower, which would feel mighty good. The door to the bathroom had a lock. Good solid lock. And the bed was a queen. Big enough for two, no touching. She’d promised.
You listening, Jeri?
I got out. Holiday-Sarah got out. I went to the room. Holiday-Sarah followed. I opened the door, let her go in ahead of me, closed it behind us, sleepwalked into the bathroom and locked the door, good solid lock like I thought, stripped, got in the shower, turned on the water, closed my eyes, let water drum on my neck and shoulders.
So much for logistics. So much for my Big Plan.
Sonofabitch.
Neon lighting seeped through a crack in the drapes as I came out in jeans and a shirt, no shoes, and crawled into bed.
“Mort?”
“Yeah?”
“You always sleep fully dressed?”
“Only on special occasions—and for the record, I took my shoes off so I’m not fully dressed.”
“Well, I’m glad to know this is a special occasion and you’re not wearing shoes, but I meant what I said, in case . . . you know . . . you can’t sleep in all those clothes.”
“Thanks. You’re a peach.”
“I couldn’t do it.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I couldn’t sleep two minutes, dressed up like I was going to the mall. I’d be awake all night.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Just so you know.”
“I had that figured out twenty minutes ago.”
“Well, okay then. Just so you know. Night.”
“Night.”
Five minutes went by.
This entire debacle was all about finding Allie, Holiday’s sister. Twenty minutes ago in the bar I might’ve caught a glimpse of her through Deputy Roup’s eyes. It might’ve been her in that green SUV. Maybe Hank at the Texaco station would—
“Anyway,” Holiday broke in. “Here we are.”
“Yep. Here we sure as hell are. I thought if you weren’t wearing an excess of clothes you could get to sleep without all this ruckus.”
“What? This is a ruckus?”
“Feels like it.”
“Well, usually I can. Sleep, I mean.”
“Give it the old college try. Remember you’re a senior now, not a freshman. Night.”
“Yeah, night.”
Sonofabitch.
Thing is, it’s a big world. It could’ve been anyone in that SUV Roup had seen. But Allie had called a little before eight and said she was in Gerlach, and Roup said he’d seen that Mercedes right about then. But if it wasn’t Allie, then we were back to square—
“Mort?”
“What?”
“Can I tell you something?”
“Might’s well. I’m having a hell of a time gettin’ to sleep over here.”
“It’s kind of personal.”
“Due to an unused Ph.D. I got in psychology years ago I’ll let you know if I have to bill you for the time, but go ahead.”
“I . . . I really like it when you look at me.”
A rolling tremor went through me. “Well, I guess that’s the way it is with some people.” Incredibly lame response, Doc, but to get some sleep I thought I might have to knock her out. Wasn’t sure how to do it without incurring an assault charge, bringing the law into it. I’d have to give it some thought.
She sighed. “I just wanted you to know. You know, in case you thought I didn’t like you peeking at me or anything.”
“Peeking? Me?”
“You know, seeing me, maybe feeling guilty. I wouldn’t want you to feel like that ’cause, you know, I really don’t mind.”
“Got it. Night.”
“Night.” Sigh.
Sonofabitch.
Thoughts about this search for Allie were getting bulldozed off a cliff. I stared at the ceiling, trying to peer through estrogen fog filling the room like tear gas. The ceiling was a thousand pinpoints of light from that textured popcorn shit they spray on. It gave off glints that might’ve been from little bits of mica mixed in with the crud, something like that. I would have to ask someone, find out—
“Mort?”
“What?”
“If I accidentally touch you—’cause it would be an accident—I wouldn’t want you to think it was intentional. It’s just—sometimes I kinda toss in my sleep. Well, not just me. Lots of people do.”
“Mind if I ask you something, Sarah?”
“What?”
“How is it you’re almost twenty-five? Most college seniors are about twenty-one, maybe twenty-two.”
She turned toward me and propped her head up on an elbow. “I was in the Peace Corps for two years. In Peru.”
“Peace Corps? I thought that was only for college grads.”
“Mostly, but not always. I did it after my sophomore year, after I’d taken most of my math and some engineering courses. And I didn’t start college until I was nineteen. I spent the first year out of high school as an aide in a nursing home. It was where my grandma was staying when she broke a hip.”
The good girl. Miss Perfect. Studious Sarah, doing the right thing. Sarah, who’d come across Holiday hiding in a closet inside herself and turned her loose at night. A vamp, but not a vampire. At least I hoped so. I would never be able to explain puncture wounds and blood loss to Jeri.
“Peace Corps,” I said. “That’s good.”
“It was, yes. I enjoyed my time there. I met a lot of really nice, friendly people. I spent most of my time helping build a big earthen dam. I even ran a D6 Caterpillar tractor for almost half a year. It was huge, weighed about eighteen tons.”
“You did that?”
“Uh-huh. Wore a hard hat and an orange vest and everything. I must’ve pushed a hundred thousand cubic yards of dirt around.”
“Well, hell. I’m impressed.”
“Thanks. You seriously gonna sleep in all those clothes?”
“Yup.”
“I’m
