Chapter 10. Alice
ALICE
They made their way back to the highway, with Simon looking at the map and giving Alice directions.
The morning turned to midday, the mountains hazy in the heat.
They drove through more farmland and small towns with names like Malawka, Craigellachie, and Taft.
Some didn’t have anything other than a roadside general store, and maybe a diner or gas station.
The highway darkened as it cut through a forest, then it broke free and curved around a large lake, with only a narrow bank between the water and the pavement.
The mountain across the lake looked as though it was rising straight out of the water.
Simon’s side of the road was sheer rock, with broken boulders in the narrow ditch, and signs warning of landslides.
Alice kept a tight grip on the wheel and tried not to look at anything but the road in front of her.
Finally, they reached the far end of the lake, where there was a motel and restaurant.
When Alice saw the sign that read Three Valley Gap Heritage Ghost Town, she remembered that Tom had wanted to stop there.
He’d been so excited about the idea of seeing a ghost town and real pioneer buildings.
She blinked hard and took a few deep breaths to push back the tears.
They had crossed another long suspension bridge and were passing through a town named Revelstoke when Alice noticed that the RV’s temperature gauge had climbed to the red line.
She didn’t know if the RV was overheating or if the gauge was broken, but she got her answer when a thin veil of steam began to rise from the front.
“What’s going on?” Simon frowned at her as if she was the culprit.
She pointed to her gauge. “It’s overheating.”
“Pull into that parking lot.”
Alice guided the RV into what appeared to be a strip mall and parked at the far end, under a small stand of trees that would provide some shade.
She glanced at her watch. It had only been an hour since they left the Sicamous area, but she felt like she’d been driving all day.
She wondered if anyone had been past the spot where they’d left the biker’s body.
Would they notice something? Maybe there were drops of blood or shards of glass that Simon had missed sweeping away.
The body would soon start smelling in this heat. How long until he was found?
“C’mon.” Simon reached over and yanked the keys out of the ignition, then spun his chair and got to his feet. Alice climbed out of the driver’s seat and over the engine cover.
“Is it bad?” Jenny said.
“Don’t worry, babe. I can fix anything.” Simon gave Jenny a quick kiss. The words were sweet, but when he turned toward the door, Alice saw the frustration in his scowl.
She followed Simon outside. The radiator had leaked fluid onto the pavement, forming a dark circle. A faint hiss was coming from the grille.
Simon opened the latch for the center grille, swung it open, and leaned over to peer into the opening.
He tugged on hoses, checked caps, fiddled with connections.
Alice watched cars farther down the strip.
People walking into stores. No one seemed to notice them.
She fought the urge to bolt, to run screaming for help.
She couldn’t do anything while Tom was still tied up.
Simon lifted his head and stepped back to latch the grille. “Let’s go.” He jerked his chin toward the RV. Alice climbed back inside first, with Simon tight on her heels.
Jenny’s anxious gaze skipped past Alice and landed on Simon.
“Radiator’s cracked,” he told her. “We need a garage.”
A crack. Alice didn’t know if that was serious.
What if it couldn’t be fixed? He’d have to find another vehicle.
The flare of relief was quickly snuffed out when Alice realized he wouldn’t just let them go.
They were witnesses who could talk. They were safer if he needed them.
Her knees suddenly wobbly, she stumbled over to the driver’s seat and collapsed into it.
Simon was still standing by Jenny at the dinette. He reached into his pocket, counted out some bills, and passed them to Jenny.
“Can you get us some hair dye, babe? There’s a drugstore over there.”
While they waited, Simon allowed Alice to open a couple of windows so they could have a cross breeze. She still worried that it was too hot for Tom, so after again getting permission, she cooled Tom down with wet cloths and ice cubes from the fridge.
Jenny came back with a box of L’Oréal and California Blonde by Max Factor.
When the two of them were done coloring their hair in the sink, the RV stank.
Jenny’s hair was caramel brown and Simon’s was dirty blond.
He picked up a pair of scissors and a comb that Jenny had also bought and turned to Alice at the dinette—where he’d made her sit.
“Can you cut hair?”
“I did my family’s, but it was a long time ago.”
“You’ll do fine.” He turned to Jenny. “How do you want it?”
She shrugged. “Maybe a bob, with bangs.”
“Turn around on the seat,” Simon said.
Jenny arranged herself with her knees facing the window, one arm on the table, the other on the top of the bench seat, and her back to Alice. Simon passed the scissors to Alice.
“I need a towel for the floor.”
Simon tossed down one of the damp towels. Alice combed out Jenny’s hair, circling her, lifting sections, wondering how to begin. She didn’t want to make a mistake. Simon stood with his back against the kitchen counter and his arms crossed over his chest.
“What are you waiting for?”
“Stop making me nervous!” She began to snip, wisps falling to the floor.
Jenny had probably been growing her hair since she was a little girl, but she didn’t seem upset.
Her face had the same blank expression she’d had since the accident with the biker.
Alice followed the curve of Jenny’s jawline as she cut, shaping her hair to roll under in a bob that fell to the midpoint of her neck.
She got Jenny to turn around on the seat and finished off by giving her curtain bangs that flicked out at her cheekbones.
Alice stepped back. Jenny looked older with her new hairstyle.
Less teenage girl and more woman. If their goal had been to not stand out, Alice didn’t think she’d been successful.
Nothing hid Jenny’s delicate beauty. Jenny looked in her cosmetic mirror, moving her head so that her hair swished.
She smoothed her hand over the bob and turned to Simon.
“Is it okay?”
“Better than okay. You’re a fox.”
Jenny’s lips lifted in a brief smile that disappeared as she touched the ends of her hair again. “I wonder what my mom would say.” Simon knelt in front of Jenny and gathered her close. He murmured something in her ear, while Jenny buried her face into the crook of his neck.
Alice shifted to the side and stared out the window at the trees, listening to the normal sounds of a parking lot. Car doors slamming. The rattle of shopping carts. People’s voices, discussing mundane things. Hot enough for you? Steaks are on sale. Do we need ketchup?
After a moment, Simon released Jenny and stood up. Jenny shook her head as though clearing away any remaining sad thoughts, and said, “It’s Simon’s turn.”
He ran his hands through his hair. “Just cut it short. I don’t care.”
Alice snipped his hair carefully, holding her body away from his so that they didn’t touch. His shoulders were stiff, his neck rigid. They didn’t make eye contact.
As Alice worked, she wondered about Simon’s relationship with Jenny.
He was deferential and comforting toward her, but she’d also witnessed him barking out orders.
How was he in private? So far Jenny was going along with everything.
If she began to push back against Simon, objecting or arguing, what would he do? Things could get even more dangerous.
Alice cut his hair short on the sides and left it longer on top, combing it back like a greaser. Without an electric razor, she couldn’t do a buzz cut. His sideburns, beard, and a wispy mustache were beginning to grow, but he’d used the dye to lighten them as well.
“You look like David Bowie,” Jenny said.
“Yeah?” He took the cosmetic mirror from Jenny and checked his image from all different directions. “That’s cool.”
Alice automatically brushed the loose hair off Simon’s shoulders. He jerked away and she froze with her hands in the air. To cover up the awkwardness, she moved closer to one of the cupboards. “We have a small vacuum. Can I clean up?”
Simon nodded. “Yeah. Then we’re going to find a repair shop.”
It took a bit of driving around—slowly, so they didn’t overheat the RV more—before they found a shop on the other side of town with a sign declaring it STANLEY’S AUTO SERVICE.
The square two-story building looked like it had been there for years, with weathered white stucco and navy-blue paint peeling off the big garage doors.
A rusty tow truck was parked in the yard beside the shop, along with a few derelict vehicles.
One was missing all its tires, and another had its hood up.
Simon wanted her to keep the RV out of sight, but there were only a few spots in front of the building, and Alice didn’t have many options. She parked across the street.
Simon got her purse from under the seat and passed it to her. “Let’s go.”
“I want to stay inside with Tom. You can tie me up.”
“No. You’re my insurance policy.” He turned to Jenny. “I’ll be right back.”
When Alice and Simon entered the garage, no one was at the counter, but there were clanging sounds coming from the back.
Simon hit the bell. An old man with white hair circling his head came out wearing blue grease-stained overalls with Stanley embroidered onto the chest pocket.
He was wiping his hands on a dirty towel.
“What can I do for you, son?”
“We’ve got a cracked radiator. You have any Bar’s Stop Leak?”
“Sure do.” The man walked out from behind the counter and grabbed a bottle from one of the shelves closest to the front window. Simon and Alice trailed after him.
“This would have stopped the Titanic from sinking.” The man chortled as he passed the bottle to Simon. He glanced out the window at the RV. “That yours?”
Alice nodded.
The old man narrowed his eyes. “What happened to the front?”
“We hit a deer,” Alice blurted. The man’s gaze shifted over to her.
“That’s a shame. You keep it?”
“Pardon?”
“The deer. If it’s not too messed up, roadkill is still good meat.” Alice felt her stomach lurch, thinking of the biker’s body that she had helped push down the steep bank.
“Sorry, no.”
“Too bad.” His gaze went back to Simon. “You sure it’s just a leak, son? If you all hit a deer, it might be worse. How about I take a quick look. Free of charge.”
Alice thought of all the dents and scrapes down the side of the RV.
Would he believe a deer did all that? This man seemed too shrewd and observant.
He was going to have questions. He might even call the police.
Alice felt a surge of hope. This might all be over soon.
Unfortunately, Simon must have come to the same conclusion because he quickly spoke up.
“I’m sure it’s a leak, but thanks.”
“Only take a minute, son.”
The mechanic moved fast for an older man and was at the front door, pushing it open, before Simon could say anything else.
Simon jerked his chin at Alice. She didn’t understand for a half a second, then she rushed after the man.
Simon followed behind, close at her heels.
She could hear him swearing under his breath, feel his tension.
It pressed against her back like fists. Her earlier hope that this situation could lead to a rescue was swiftly shifting into panic.
The old man paused on the sidewalk, checking both ways for traffic. A slight breeze moved the sparse white hair on the back of his head. Fluffy, like a baby bird’s down.
He stepped off the sidewalk.