“Fuck me.”The words escaped Jem.He shook his head.“Sorry.”
“What?You know whose truck it is?It’s them, isn’t it?”
“We don’t know anything yet,” Tean said.“We need to slow down.First, tell us what happened.”
Amy’s gaze stayed fixed on Jem for another long moment, like she might be able to see the truth in his face.Finally, though, she said, “I saw this truck a few times.Following me.I mean, I figured out it was following me.”
“You’re sure it was the same truck?”
“It’s older.It’s not in good condition.I’m not a car girlie, but I could tell it was the same one.”
“All right.”
“And one night, it was following me, so I drove to a police station and pulled in.I went inside and told an officer, and he went out and looked.Nothing, of course.They were nice about it.They even had a woman drive me home.”
“And?”Jem asked.
“And that was it.I didn’t see the truck again.”
“But something else happened.”
“This is where it…it gets strange.I started seeing people.The same people.Like, at the grocery store.Or walking on my block.And yes, my grocery store is in my neighborhood, and yes, it makes sense that I’d see the same people.I know.Everybody has a rational explanation for it.But—” She cut off, a helpless note hanging in the air.
“But you know something’s fucked up,” Jem said.
“Yes!Yes, exactly!And it doesn’t matter who I tell, they all think the same thing.”
“You’re a young woman,” Tean said.“You host a true crime podcast.Your friend was stalked and then murdered.”
“So,” Jem picked up, “you’re either imagining it, or you want attention.”
“Oh my gosh.”She laughed and pressed the tissues to her eyes.“Nobody has told me I wanted attention, but you’re right, obviously that’s what they think.”She shook her head.“The police asked a bunch of questions, but as soon as they found out who I am and what I do, they stopped caring.They didn’t say that, but I could see it.My parents think I’m having a nervous breakdown; my dad said I was too stressed, and he told my brother this wouldn’t be happening if I’d gotten married.My mom said she put my name on the temple prayer roll, and she bought me a rape whistle.”
“What do they look like?”
It took a moment before Amy said, “Oh, the people I saw?Um, a woman.Thirties.Really bad hair—maybe a wig.And this guy, kind of average, nothing really distinctive.He’s always wearing a ball cap.”She hesitated.“I think I might have seen them before.In some pictures River had.But I’m not sure.”
Jem twisted around to look at Tean.
“I don’t know,” Tean murmured.“It could be them.”
It could be anyone, Jem wanted to say.But he didn’t.
“I tried to take a picture a few times,” Amy said, “but they were never close enough.”
“Why’d you come to us?”
Amy’s next laugh had an edge to it, and she shook her head.“I don’t know.I mean, I do, obviously.Because I thought you might believe me.After—” But she stopped herself again, forced herself to start over.“I couldn’t stop thinking about it.I couldn’t stoptalkingabout it.Finally, one of my girlfriends said I needed to see a therapist because I wasn’t processing the trauma of losing River.That was when I realized they all thought I was crazy.But it was also when I realized this was exactly what had happened to River.So, I started going through her notes.”
“You have her notes too?”Tean asked.
“Not all of them.But I have the digital ones, the ones she saved in the cloud.”
“Why didn’t you tell somebody?”The words were sharp.“Why didn’t you give them to the police?”
Amy shrank back.“I did.I gave them everything.”
Jem found Tean’s hand and squeezed it.“And what do the notes say?”
