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I hoped to be as open-minded as Aunt Zoe when I grew up. “I’ll buy you new sod when he’s done.”
“Don’t bother. Trying to keep grass green in these dry hills is a waste of water. Besides, I’ve always wanted to experiment with raised flower beds, just never had the time or energy to tear up the lawn.”
Crossing the room, I opened the fridge and snagged a cold can of diet soda. “How well do you know Kelly’s dad?”
“Only from the sports page back when he played football.”
Cracking open the pop’s top, I gulped down a mouthful of sweetened soda. I really needed to talk to Natalie. “Any more calls about my singles ad?”
“Not so far today.”
“Good.” Grabbing the phone, I punched in Natalie’s number. Her phone rang four times before her answering service picked up. I hung up without leaving a message. “Damn. Where is she?”
My question pulled Aunt Zoe’s gaze from the window. “Who?”
“Natalie.”
“Oh, she called this morning. Her mom fell and hurt her hip. Natalie was heading down to Hill City to spend the night and then take her mom to the clinic in the morning.”
“Falling must be contagious. Did she say when she’d be back?”
“Tomorrow night. She said something about a big date on Tuesday that she wasn’t going to miss.”
Her appointment with Doc. A tiny green monster stirred in my belly.
“Did you hear about the little girl in Spearfish?” Aunt Zoe asked.
Nodding, I dipped my finger in the yellow creamy sauce simmering on the stove. It was hot and tangy on my tongue. “It has to be the same guy, don’t you think?”
“Probably, but the other girls were from Lead and Deadwood. And blonde. Why Spearfish? Why a brunette?”
I shrugged. “Maybe he’s branching out.”
“Or maybe it’s a trick.”
“What? Why?”
Aunt Zoe knocked my finger away as I started to double-dip and shooed me away from the stove. “So that people here will let their guard down. If the Boogeyman has left town, they’ll let their kids play outside after dark again.”
“People wouldn’t let their guard down so soon, would they?” I wasn’t going to.
“Not everyone.”
I leaned against the counter and watched Aunt Zoe stir the sauce for a few seconds, dark worries shadowing my world, shooting chills down my spine. “I hope you’re wrong.”
Her eyes held mine. “Me, too.”
* * *
Monday,July 16th
The day began with its usual sunny start, but by noon, a cool breeze blew in, and dark clouds flickering with flashes of lightning threatened to dump rain on our heads. After a few grumbles, the girls settled for a trip to the Deadwood Rec Center instead of risking electrocution out at Pactola Lake.
Layne opted to join Aunt Zoe at her glass shop for the afternoon. A thick book titledThe Archaeology of Mammal Boneswas tucked under his arm as he clambered into Aunt Zoe’s pickup. I made a mental note to borrow the hardback the next time the insomnia bug bit me—I’d be asleep by the end of the Table of Contents.
The smell of chlorine welcomed us as we entered the Rec Center. The girls raced off toward the locker room. I signed us in and handed the gum-chewing front desk clerk a twenty-dollar bill in exchange for an afternoon of bathing-suit torture.
“Crap,” the pony-tailed brunette said as she stared into her cash drawer. “I need more ones. I’ll be right back.”
