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“How long until you come take my truck?”
His shoulders stiffened, but he didn’t turn around. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Tessa watched him drive down the hill. Smoke filled the sky and the blood red sun backdropped his retreating police car. When he was out of sight, she forced herself to breathe normally again and step back inside the house.
“Mason. Emily. Get your shoes on.”
Moose lifted his head from the couch, waiting to see if he was invited this time.
“You too boy.” She reached for his collar. “I need you to keep an eye on them.”
“Sorry to bother you again,” Tessa said as Sally opened the screen door.
“Nonsense.” The woman smiled. “You three are never a bother. Or should I say you four.” Sally laughed as Moose’s bushy tail almost knocked her over and he gave her hand a sloppy lick. “What are you all up to today?”
“Why don’t you three go play outside?” Tessa motioned for the kids to leave and they dragged Moose along with them. “Is Arthur here?”
“I’m here.” Arthur pushed open the cellar door. He wiped the sweat from his forehead before replacing his cap and looking to her with tired eyes. Sally moved to his side, reaching for his hand as she leaned against him for support.
“What happened?” Tessa searched their faces, hoping this had nothing to do with their daughter.
“We haven’t been able to reach a friend of ours in a few days. He’s up near L.A. and Arthur is worried about him,” Sally explained.
“He’ll be fine,” Arthur grumbled, but he didn’t look convinced.
It probably wasn’t the right time, but this revelation only added to her sense of urgency. “The cop who was here the other day came back. One of the people who live in the subdivision told him my truck still works. He’s asking for help because it seems like the shelters are filling up.”
“That’s good to know.” Arthur nodded. “Thank you for the warning.”
“What warning?” Tessa gasped as her anxiety began to grow. “I’m telling you that if they find out we shot someone, he can arrest me and confiscate my property. I can’t go to jail. There’s no one to take care of my kids. I need to do something. I need to bury the body.”
“Take a breath.” Arthur chuckled, even though nothing about this was funny. “I already took care of the bodies. I didn’t want a mess of coyotes poking their noses around here. And no one is going to arrest you. I was the one who shot them. If they decide there needs to be justice for two dead tweakers, I’ll be the one taking the blame.”
Her shoulders sagged as the weight fell from them. It had only been a week but she was already trusting these people with her life. She felt guilty for not meeting them sooner.
But they weren’t Landon. Time was moving too fast and too many things were happening at once. She wasn’t stupid enough to wait until it all spiraled out of control. She had to go, with or without him.
“Would you guys mind watching the kids for a few hours? There’s something I need to do.”
“You have your gun?” Arthur stood on the front porch while Sally pulled out dusty board games for the kids. Moose had already made himself at home and was snoring on the faded green carpet in front of the sofa.
“I’m going to run back to the house and get it before I go, but I don’t think they’ll let me on base with it.” Her gaze traveled to the holster that was hidden under his baggy shirt. She needed one of those.
“Keep it in the truck if you have to,” he said. “And what’s your plan when you get there?”
“I’m going to try the back gate this time. It’s a longer drive, but I can avoid the freeways and main roads altogether. Hopefully they won’t have it closed off or there won’t be as many people if they do, but they’ll have to have someone standing guard and maybe they’ll have some information about the guys on deployment.”
“Are you sure you want to do this? He’d make his way home if he was here and they might not have the intel you are hoping for.” Arthur tried to give her an out.
She nodded, wiping her sweaty palms on the back of her jeans. “I can’t sit here waiting anymore and I can’t leave without trying to find out where he is at least one more time.”
Tessa glared at the cookie cutter houses in the subdivision as she drove past them, daring someone to report this trip to the cops, and then turned on the worn road up the mountain that would lead her deeper into the hills. It was slow going up the switchbacks, but she wasn’t about to break the 30mph speed limit. The road was empty except for a broken down convertible up ahead that had conveniently decided to stop in both lanes. Her stomach flipped as she had to ease two tires off the edge of the cliff with no guardrail to stop her descent if the truck rolled down the mountain face.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she made it to the road that cut through the mountain instead. Southern California mansions lined either side, tucked away from the eyesore of the valley below with looming gates that didn’t allow anyone in. She pressed hard on the gas pedal to make up for lost time and flew down the open road. Every mile she drove away from her kids felt like a mistake, but she had to do this for them too. They’ll be okay.
An outcropping of trailers dotted the foothills that sat below the mountaintop. Tessa rode the brakes down the incline until she was on the backroad leading to the small town of Fallbrook. There was a group of people in the dirt parking lot of the trailer park to her right. Kids tumbled around on the ground and a baby with a sagging diaper cried for its mother’s arms. The adults watched the truck speed by with interest, moving closer to the wire fence as she passed, but she didn’t slow down until she was forced to drive around the abandoned Honda Prius to get into the Albertson’s parking lot.
The grocery store windows were busted out, the glass shattered over the asphalt reflecting in the sun like diamonds. Empty shelves were knocked over and came spilling from the building onto the sidewalk. Tessa craned her neck looking for police or whoever did this, but no one was out walking around. The other businesses in the shopping center that weren’t boarded up had all suffered the same fate as the grocery store.
