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“L.A.,” Noah said off the top of his head.
A beat. “What happened to yer neck?”
“Car accident. That’s why I’m hitchin’. Just got out of the hospital.”
Suspicion clouded the farmer’s gaze. “Looks like maybe you should’ve stayed in another day or two.”
“Probably. But, y’know, it’s damned expensive.”
“True enough.”
“Just got released.”
“In the middle of the night?”
“This afternoon.” Geez, what was with the twenty questions? He started to back away. “Look, if you don’t want to give me a ride—”
“Oh, hell, hop in.” He pushed the door open farther, then straightened behind the wheel. “Just checkin’, y’know. You can never be too careful these days.”
Noah thought a second, decided the guy was on the up and up, and climbed onto the cracked vinyl of the passenger seat before yanking the door shut.
“Just last night, there was big trouble out here in the Mojave. You hear about that?” He cast a glance at Noah, then checked his sideview mirror as he eased onto the quiet road. “Put on yer seat belt,” he ordered. “Don’t want no ticket, not fer that. Stupid-ass law, if you ask me.”
Noah complied, his shoulder aching with the effort, as he snapped the belt across his chest and lap. The pickup was warm, smelled of chewing tobacco and dust, the heater loud enough to nearly drown out the music, a country-western tune, that was playing through the speakers.
“Anyhoo, last night there was a ruckus out on the desert. Car on fire, people killed, a motorcycle wreck, police all over it.” As if he’d finally put two and two together, he cast a sideways look at his passenger, but Noah feigned innocence.
“Y’know, I did hear something at the hospital,” Noah said, drawing his eyebrows together as if in deep thought. “It’s all kind of messed up in my brain, but now that you mention it, I think I overheard a couple of the nurses talking about some explosion or something.”
“That was it.” The guy nodded. “Yep.”
“I was kinda out of it. Had surgery on my shoulder. Fell off a ladder.” God, he hoped the old coot was buying his story. “Anesthesia was still kinda messin’ me up. Don’t know what I heard and what I dreamed.” He flashed a you-know-what-I-mean kind of smile.
“Oh, yeah, that shi—, er, stuff will make you loopy; don’t I know it?” The farmer was nodding to himself, and Noah relaxed a bit. The guy adjusted his hat and just kept driving. “Look, I’m goin’ as far as Barstow and you can ride with me ’til I get there; then you’ll have to find another
ride to take you into L.A. Shouldn’t be too tough. Everybody’s going to Los Angeles, if y’know what I mean.”
“Sounds good. Thanks.”
“You want coffee?” He motioned to a silver Thermos in the space between the seats. “It’s powerful, let me tell you. Thunder Punch or some such sh—, stuff. The wife brewed it. Always afraid I might drop off and fall asleep.”
“I’m fine,” Noah lied. For the first time, he felt hunger and thirst, but he thought it best to wait until Barstow or wherever the guy left him off.
“The name’s Tuck,” he said. “Ned Tucker, but I go by Tuck.”
Noah panicked for a second, then said, “Riley Blackstone.” He combined two of his teacher’s names for the alias.
“Nice ta meet ya. Now, you’ve had a long day. Go ahead and sleep if ya want. I’ll wake ya when we’re getting close to Barstow.”
It sounded like heaven. Noah leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, but he didn’t intend to sleep as the truck’s wheels hummed over the asphalt and he recognized a Garth Brooks song floating softly from the speakers. He didn’t know where the hell Barstow was, but it was good enough. For now. Come daylight, he’d figure out the rest.
For now, it was adios Ike Baxter, good-bye Cora Sue, and sayonara Las Vegas.
And what about Remmi Storm? What would you say to her?
She was his one regret, the intriguing girl who had thumbed her nose at popularity, who had been as out of step as he had been. A smart girl. Pretty, but not beautiful. Sassy, but not a smart-ass. He stared out the window. Yeah, he would’ve liked to get to know her better, even though the truth of the matter was that she was too young for him.
Time to let her go, though.
