Rolloturned back to her, incredulous. “Seeing someone? As if.” His crooked smilemade her wonder if he’d recovered from a stroke or suffered from Bell’s Palsy.
“Thenwho is she? Did she try to sue him or something?”
“Shewas killed, girl. When her boyfriend’s car went over the bridge.”
Great.This guy was crazy, and she was alone with him. Only the flimsy screen doorkept them apart. It wasn’t even locked. Rollo could be inside as soon as hedecided to be. Ashley would run to the kitchen and grab a knife if he tried tocome through the door.
“Shedoesn’t know she’s dead,” Rollo said. “She wants someone to bring her home. Itold your Dad to stay away from there, but he didn’t listen to me.”
Shesighed. “You were right. I don’t believe you.”
Rollogrunted, obviously frustrated. “Your Dad and I were playing cards the night ithappened.” He pointed at the table. “We heard the crash. I ran outside whileyour Dad called for help. I climbed into the ravine. The boy was banged up, butMary was dead.”
Ashleynodded. “Dad didn’t say much about it.”
“Theydragged the car up into the yard after the accident. That same night. Took downpart of the fence and your Dad never replaced it. Then he went and let themleave the car in the Pick Apart overnight. I told him not to, told him it was badluck, but he didn’t listen.”
“Howlong ago was this?”
“Month.”
“Andthey haven’t rebuilt the bridge yet?”
Rollochuffed. “Have you seen this area? This town? The board ain’t gonna spend moneyon that.”
“Tellme why you didn’t want the business.”
Rollo’slips moved, but he hesitated.
“Andwhat did you and my Dad fight about?”
“Wenever—”
“Stoplying. Dad told me you abandoned him.”
Rolloshook his head, his mouth agape in a crooked semblance of innocence andsurprise, but he saw the expression on her face and deflated. “I saw her thenext night. Mary.”
“Yousaw her.” She couldn’t believe she was hearing this.
“Standingon the street by the bridge. Looking lost and afraid. I felt like I needed tohelp her. Then I remembered I’d seen her dead. I ran up here. Told your Dad. Hedidn’t believe me.”
“So,you and Dad had a falling out over a ghost?”
Rolloshooed a moth fluttering around the outside light, his quick, unexpectedmovement almost stopped her heart. He put his hand on the handle of the screendoor. She readied to run to the kitchen, but his expression grew confused. Helooked left, then right, then turned to look over his shoulder.
“Therewas a boy with you. Where is he?”
Ashleyswallowed. “He’s around.”
Rollolooked at her through the screen door. “He’s in the yard?”
Sheshrugged.
“Hesaw her, didn’t he?”
Sheshrugged again.
“You’vegot to go get him.” He glanced toward the yard, his hand playing at the base ofhis throat. Then he looked at her again. “When the police come, I was neverhere.”
Heturned and raced off the porch. Ashley stared at the empty screen. A momentlater, she stepped up to the door and saw Rollo swinging a leg over theguardrail gate before running up Esker Road, away from the Pick Apart.
Ashleyopened the door and looked toward the yard. The house was higher than thestockade fence, but although she could see most of it from here, it was toodark to make out anything but shadows and blackness. She reached toward thepanel of eight switches. Each one she flicked turned on another pole light inthe yard, revealing car bodies with missing doors and hoods. The last switchturned on the pole in the corner nearest the bridge. It illuminated barelyenough for her to see Jimmy, only Jimmy, standing with his back to her.
Shelooked around for a flashlight. There was no reason for her pulse to behammering. Ghost stories were bullshit. Lies. She’d heard so many of them fromso many men today she was acting silly.
Ashleystepped onto the porch, nearly cried out when the plastic grass crinkled underher feet. She didn’t want to walk to the edge of the ravine without aflashlight. She saw the rental car and smiled. She had all the light she couldneed.
Shestepped off the porch and jogged around the storage shed to open double swingdoors of the Pick Apart wide. She jogged back to the rental car, shutting thetrunk on the way by. The keys hung in the ignition where Jimmy had left them.
Itstarted right up, giving her none of the crap her own car would have. Sheturned around and drove into the Pick Apart, turning right, toward the road.Dad had arranged the cars in rows with plenty of space between them. This madeit easy for him to replace the junkers after they’d been picked clean. She hadno idea if the cars were arranged in any kind of order. It didn’t look like it.She saw sedans next to Jeeps next to sportsy models.
Sheturned left at the last row. The pole lights weren’t nearly bright enough. Ittook a moment to find the high beam controls, and when she did, she sighed withrelief that Jimmy still stood where she could see him. What the hell was hedoing?
Shedrove up behind him slowly, trying not to let the movement of his huge shadowon the trees beyond freak her out. She stopped the car a few feet behind himand waited for him to react. He didn’t. She gritted her teeth, then leaned overand opened the passenger door.
“Getin,” she called.
Hedidn’t move.
“Jimmy!”A tiny movement of shadow told her that Jimmy was talking. To who? There was noone else here. “I can’t hear you.”
Hedidn’t turn. Made no effort to speak louder.
Ashleycursed, then opened her door and stood. The door chime bonged, so shestepped aside and closed it.
“Jimmy?”
Jimmywas gone.
Ashleystepped toward the space, her gaze intent on the ravine. Someone had tried tokeep the gap in the stockade fence secure by stapling a stretch of chicken wirebetween the poles, but now it was only attached to one side. The wire meshdangled into the ravine. The headlights exaggerated her shadow’s movements,making her dizzy. Near the edge, she stopped. Looked down. She saw onlydarkness.
“Jimmy?”
“I’mhere, Ash.”
Hisvoice rose from the abyss.
“Whereare you?” she asked. She felt cold. She leaned forward, peered into the ravine.
“Overhere.”
Jimmystood on the street, between the construction barrels and the broken bridgewall. He must have moved
