AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Mom’s eyes rounded. “Oh, god. I thought it was a deer.”
“Somebody in the office mentioned the blue lady striking again,” Dad said. “Didn’t realize they were talking about this accident.”
Mom swatted Dad’s arm. “That’s ridiculous.”
“It’s not the first time we heard of the blue lady causing an accident around the lake.”
Dad shrugged. He was talking about the legend of the lady in the blue dress who had driven her car off a bridge outside of Gainesville in nineteen-fifty-eight.
“But I thought she haunted the bridge on fifty-third,” Gene said, pointing out the urban legend they all knew. “Isn’t that where those ladies had their accident? What were their names again?”
“Delia Parker Young and Susie Roberts,” Mom said. “May they rest in peace.”
“Well, there have been too many sightings of Delia to just brush it off as an urban legend,” Dad said.
“Seriously, Dad?”
“So what about this girl Amanda said she saw if it wasn’t the lady in blue?”
“Couldn’t say. All I saw were her taillights as they went off the road,” Gene explained. “But Amanda was frantic about the girl as soon as she came around. She told the responding officers, but they didn’t take her seriously because there was no evidence of any girl. They made the same joke you did, Dad.”
“Hey, I wasn’t the one who said it,” Douglas defended himself.
“Is Amanda sure she saw this girl?” Mom asked.
“She’s completely convinced she saw her.”
“You don’t sound as if you believe her,” Dad said.
Gene sighed. “I think Amanda truly believes she saw a girl. But she did hit her head and lost consciousness briefly. She didn’t show the typical signs of a concussion or any other effects of a head injury, but now I wonder if I should’ve pushed her to get a head CT.”
“Maybe you should,” Dad said. “Didn’t you take her to Dr. Bloom?”
“I did. He wasn’t concerned either,” Gene said.
“Well, I, for one, believe her,” Mom stated. “Amanda has a good head on her shoulders and a big heart. Why would she even make up a story about seeing this girl?”
“Maybe she was embarrassed and came up with the scenario to explain the accident,” Dad theorized.
“Oh, that’s horseshit,” Mom spat. Gene was shocked. His mother hardly ever cussed. Mom huffed as she gathered their empty plates. “Why would she do that? The accident only hurt her, nobody else.”
“I don’t think she did consciously. Perhaps the blow to her head made her psyche create this scenario to explain the incident,” Gene tried to justify his dad’s theory.
Mom stood and adamantly said, “I just don’t believe Amanda, consciously or unconsciously, would concoct a story like that. And if it’s just a story, why would she be looking for this girl?”
“It’s not a story to her. She truly believes it. She told me the girl was probably fourteen or fifteen. Might be blonde. She couldn’t be sure because she looked dirty. But she was positive the girl was afraid for her life. That’s why Amanda is determined to find her.”
“I’m willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Amanda is one of the most caring people I know. If she thinks this girl needs help, she won’t stop trying to find her,” Mom said.
“I know she won’t,” Gene said.
“I’m gonna ask around. If the girl is fourteen, she may be a student at my school or the other middle school. Someone would know if there’s a girl unaccounted for,” Mom said.
Gene thought that was a good idea, but he still wasn’t sure it would help Amanda in the long run. He was worried it would spur Amanda’s obsession with finding the girl, when there was a huge possibility she had gone home safely, or worse, she never existed.
nine
Sanctuary looked and felt like its namesake. The scent in the air was a mix of warm baked goods and freshly printed books. It was inviting anyone who walked past its threshold to sit in one of its cozy looking chairs or sofas with a favorite book and pastry.
