Page 72 of Trapped

“We was camping,” Cash said, continuing the speech pattern she had started. “And these guys came into our camp and started helping theirselves to our stuff.”

The driver jerked his head away from the road, and Sophia had to clench her teeth to keep from telling him to watch where he was driving.

“You get hurt?”

“We was out fishin’ at the time. We lit out and figured we’d come back for any gear that was left when it was safe.”

The driver reached for the cell phone on the dashboard. “You want me to call the cops?”

Cash pulled a long face. “Naw. Truth is, I had a beef with one of the guys. He reckons I owe him some money—and he reckons that gives him the right to rob us and kick us out of our own campsite.”

“That’s a plumb shame.”

Cash launched into an amusing tale about how he and Jimmy had been best buddies until they’d had a misunderstanding,

Sophia kept her mouth shut, amazed at the way Cash was spinning the story out of whole cloth and amazed at the way the truck driver was taking it all in.

“Where you headed?” he asked.

“Away from here.”

“You all in trouble with the law?”

“Naw,” Cash allowed. I got into some scrapes when I was a kid, but Sara keeps me honest now.” He patted her on the knee.

The driver laughed. “Yeah. My old lady and me have the same arrangement.”

Sophia kept silent while the men talked about beer and baseball and cars.

About fifty miles from where he’d picked them up, Hank brought the conversation back to their problem. “So, they got all your money?”

“I have some hidden in my boot.”

Sophia blinked, then remembered that Cash had raided Montgomery’s drawer.

A few miles farther on, Hank pulled into a gas station.

“This is close enough for us to walk home,” Cash said.

Hank got out, and she and Cash did the same.

“Much obliged,” he said, and the two men shook hands.

While the driver was inside paying for the gas, they turned down a side street and kept going.

“I can’t believe the way you bonded with that guy,” Sophia murmured.

“It felt good—connecting with him on a personal level.”

“Where did you pick up the gift of gab?”

“Maybe I always had it.”

“Yes. I do remember you could always tell a good story when it came time to collect homework.”

They both laughed. But she sobered as she looked around at the darkened road, suddenly conscious that they were in a rural area with no means of transportation. “What are we going to do for a car?”

Cash kept his voice matter of fact. “I believe we’re going to have to steal one.”

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