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Twenty seconds later, I was still waiting.
I inched my way up in my seat, peeking out the window. Jeff was marching toward the Dumpster in the back corner of the lot, carrying a big black garbage bag. As he neared the Dumpster, he looked left then right and then over his shoulder. Then he lifted the Dumpster lid and tossed the bag inside. I saw a hint of something pink before the lid crashed down again.
Someone knocked on the passenger-side window. I yelped and jerked, hitting my knee on the underside of the dash.
Doc stood on the other side of the glass, staring down at me with a furrowed brow.
I unlocked the doors and sat up, straightening my dress, avoiding eye contact as he climbed in next to me and held out a bottle of water.
“Oh, thanks. Let me give you some money.”
He waved me off. “You feeling okay?” I could hear a hint of laughter in his tone.
“Yeah. Sure. I’m great.”
The slam of a pickup door to my left drew my attention out my window. I looked over and ran smack dab into Jeff’s gaze.
His eyes narrowed to a squint as he stared back.
My mouth went dry.
He pointed at me.
I locked the door again.
Jeff’s crazed grin reappeared.
Holy shit. I grabbed Doc’s arm, latching on tight.
Jeff winked and shifted into reverse, his tires chirping as he gunned it out of the parking lot and onto the street.
“Violet,” Doc’s voice spurred me to resume breathing. “I think you’re drawing blood.”
I let go, wincing at the crescent moons my nails had embedded in his skin. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.” He nodded in the direction Jeff had departed. “You know that guy?”
I was too wound up to be anything other than honest. “He’s the father of Addy’s new best friend.”
“He seemed fond of you.”
I shivered with disgust and reached for the door handle. “I’ll be right back.”
There was something fishy about the way Jeff had been looking around before dumping his trash. Plus, he could have easily just thrown it in the garbage cans strewn around his place. Why risk getting busted for illegally disposing of his crap here?
Heat rolled off the pavement as I fast-walked over to the Dumpster. I flipped open the lid. The smell of rotting food and stale cardboard whooshed out of the bin, pushing me back a step. Jeff’s untied black bag lay on the top, within reach if I stood on my tiptoes.
I hauled the bag out and dropped it on the ground. It fell on its side, spewing out a rolled-up, pink sleeping bag. I nudged the sleeping bag to the side and lifted the garbage bag by the bottom, emptying it. A pair of bunny-covered pajamas topped the pile. Under them was a girl’s lace-edged shirt, some bright yellow jean shorts, one blue sock, and a nylon, purple jacket. Why was Jeff throwing away Kelly’s clothes? They appeared to be clean, no grass stains, no holes, nothing.
I held up the jacket and turned it around so I could see the front. When I saw the initialsE.C.written in permanent marker on the tag, I paused. Who was E.C.? Kelly was K.W.
I spun around and searched the lot to make sure Jeff wasn’t lurking somewhere, watching. Doc was walking toward me, sporting a grin.
I bent down and started cramming everything but the coat back in the garbage bag.
Doc picked up the sleeping bag and held it out to me. “So, do you go Dumpster diving often?”
“No,” I fibbed and jammed the sleeping bag inside the black plastic. “Besides, last time I had no choice.”
