AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A part of her was genuinely worried. Drew might be an aggravating bully at times, but he was just a kid. It was horrifying to think the poor boy had been hit by a car and then abandoned in the empty lot. He might have frozen to death if someone hadn’t driven by and seen him crumpled on the snow.
Another part of her couldn’t ignore a nagging fear that this was somehow connected to the skeleton the boy had discovered. It didn’t make any sense. What could a death that happened years ago have to do with a teenager now? Especially if the skeleton did belong to Vanna Zimmerman. A woman who wasn’t even from Pike. But whether it made sense or not, she couldn’t dismiss the odd unease.
Walking down the brightly lit hallway, she entered the public waiting room, blinking at the sight of the dozen or so people stuffed in the cramped space. Most of them were high school kids, but near the table at the back of the room was a clutch of adults huddled around the coffee maker.
Lia came to a halt near the doorway, absorbing the hum of frenetic energy that was weirdly combined with the muffled whisper of voices. It was an atmosphere that was unique to hospitals.
“Ms. Porter.”
Weaving his tall, slender form through the crowd, Wayne moved to stand directly in front of her.
“I just heard about Drew.” She studied the boy’s pale yet flushed face. She didn’t think he was glad Drew had been injured, but the shocking event provided an exciting distraction. “Do you know how he’s doing?”
“He’s still unconscious.” Wayne shook his head, glancing around the packed waiting room. “I can’t believe this happened. Someone just ran him over like a dog.”
Lia winced at the blunt words. “Do you know where it happened?”
“Next to the church, off Maple Street.”
Maple Street. She visualized that area of town. It had seen better days, like most of Pike, but it was a quiet residential neighborhood. Not the sort of place where teenagers raced up and down the streets in their cars, or drug dealers hung out on street corners.
Then she blinked. “Oh. That’s not far from where you live, is it?”
“A few blocks away. I was walking home when I heard the sirens.” His flush faded away, revealing the pallor that had been hidden beneath the rosy color. He was more bothered by the accident than he wanted to admit. “By the time I got over there, they were loading Drew into the ambulance.”
“So terrible. Who would be heartless enough to hit a child and drive away?”
“He’s not really a child,” Wayne protested. “He’s eighteen and as big as an ox.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Yeah. It’s pretty sick.” He shrugged. “I suppose someone might have panicked.”
Lia slowly nodded. What other explanation could there be? Unless . . .
Unless it had been a deliberate attempt to kill Drew.
A shiver traced down her spine and Lia was forced to clear a lump from her throat.
“Did you talk to Drew yesterday?”
“Naw. It’s not like we’re besties.”
“And no one saw it happen?”
“Not that I heard.” Wayne leaned forward, dropping his voice to a mere whisper. “There’s a rumor going round that Burke did it, but that’s just crazy.”
“Burke?” It took a second for Lia to realize Wayne wasn’t referring to another classmate. “Ryan Burke?” She waited for Wayne to nod before making a sound of disbelief. Ryan Burke was the owner of the local meatpacking plant and one of the wealthiest businessmen in Pike. Not that money made him a decent person. Usually it was just the opposite. But while Lia had heard he was a pain-in-the-ass to work for and regularly cheated on his taxes, there’ d never been rumors he had homicidal tendencies. Especially not toward schoolchildren. “Why would he try to run over Drew?”
“I guess because Drew’s mom works at the meatpacking plant. Someone said they saw the two of them outside the plant screaming at each other a couple of days ago.”
Lia paused. Okay. If Ryan Burke had a personal grudge against the Hurst family, it might make sense there was gossip swirling about him. But it certainly wasn’t proof.
“Screaming about what?”
“Who knows? Drew’s mom is always screaming about something. She’s at the school once a week, storming up and down the hallways like a psycho.”
Lia glanced across the waiting room where the adults were gathered in a tight circle.
