MALLORY
I didn’t go home after Derek’s. Something had to be done about his ex. First, I needed to talk to her to see how much she knew and if she really had a sheriff daddy who was in on this.
I’d never done anything like this before.
Remember? The third wheel, the helper, the cleaning lady.
That was me. This time, I had to show Derek what I was made of.
Other girls were entertainment. I was willing to be a partner, and it was annoying that it was taking him so long to understand the difference.
I pulled up at the Greyhound bus station around two in the morning. No guards. The station was closed. The two homeless people sleeping on the benches didn’t notice me.
I was here for the pay phone on the side of the building. No cameras here, unlike the Star Inn. I wasn’t taking my chances knocking on Sarah’s door and someone seeing me there. Nor was I going to use my phone, which could be tracked via records. Who knew what might happen later on.
The vandalized pay phone had the phone book ripped into pieces and smelled like piss, but hey, the dial tone was still there, and a quarter got me connected to Sarah, who picked up with the suspicion of a criminal.
“Hey, I think I found your husband,” I said, cringing at the word. “I have some info, but I don’t want to talk on the phone. Can you pick me up?”
“Now?” She sounded so surprised, like she wasn’t the one in a small town in Pennsylvania, across the border from her home, chasing the man who’d dumped her.
“I might be leaving town tomorrow,” I lied. “I don’t know yet. So…um… Yeah, I can tell you later, or maybe you will find this guy yourself.”
“Can’t we do this tomorrow? Early?”
“Um, no, I’m sorry.” I rolled my eyes but conjured my best Birdie-is-sorry voice. “It’s all right. I only wanted to help. But I really have to go. I don’t want to say something on the phone that will get me in trouble later. So, good luck. I hope—”
“I’ll pick you up!” she blurted eagerly. “Jeez, whatever. Where are you?”
So condescending, like she wasn’t the one desperate for the information.
“Do you know the bridge that goes to South Burnville?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. There’s a parking lot by the north side of the bridge. I’ll be there.”
“What are you doing by the bridge at night?”
“I live in one of the houses by the river,” I lied. “And I can’t have you pick me up at the house. In case, you know…”
She knew. I didn’t have to say that if the man she was looking for didn’t want to be found or to go back to her, that meant trouble.
I drove to the bridge as fast as I could, except I parked farther down the road. I had no idea what I was going to tell this woman. I was only interested in using her.
I stood in the middle of the bridge, which was empty and dark at night. In the distance, you could see the lights of the fair, closed for the night but still illuminated, making Burnville shine, at least once a year.
Sarah’s car pulled in. Her footsteps echoed across the bridge.
“Hey,” I said as she approached.
She stopped next to me. “What do you have for me?” Her hands were in her pockets, her hair tied into a high ponytail. I was doing her a favor, yet she acted like I owed her something. Another spoiled rich girl.
“So, Jimmy”—I cringed again at the name—“is hanging out with”—I was about to say Alysha, but then remembered that was me, supposedly—“Victoria.” Perfect. “Not sure if they are official or not, but she’s the one he’s frequently seen with.”
Sarah grunted. “She’s probably one of those local sluts. I’m surprised there aren’t more of them. Women are always all over him.”
“Well, if he doesn’t tell people he’s married—”
“That’s a stupid mentality,” Sarah snapped at me like it was my fault. “You ask. And why jump into bed with someone before getting to know him? Like, would you be stupid enough to do that without even seeing the guy’s driver’s license? Or knowing his address? Or where he comes from?”
I didn’t like the way she talked to me. “Many women do that,” I argued quietly.
“Sluts. That’s what they are.”
I flinched.
Turned out, Sarah was the issue, and there was no way to sort this peacefully when she couldn’t keep her trashy mouth shut.