Page 34 of The Hitchhikers
Alice dropped into the driver’s seat, her heart beating fast. She pressed her hand to her chest, surprised she couldn’t feel it bumping against her skin. A moment later Simon sat on the passenger side. He rubbed at his face, swore under his breath, then glared at Alice.
“We’re driving to Golden.”
CHAPTER 14ALICE
The long drive was a silent one, which was fine by Alice, who held the wheel tightly in both hands, her jaw clenched, and her neck stiff. A soldier obeying orders. The RV climbed the narrow, winding highway through Glacier National Park and Rogers Pass. If Alice thought too long about the steep slopes, and how the RV could easily slip over the edge and into the crevasses below, she’d break into a cold sweat. She focused on the gray pavement spooling out in front of her and the serrated mountains in the far distance, so high they were ringed with clouds and still blanketed with pristine snow.
They reached Golden just as the sun was lowering in the sky, bathing the land in a warm amber light, and streaking the sky with blazes of violet and tangerine.
They found the campground situated alongside Kicking Horse River and parked near the A-frame office. Alice waited for orders from Simon and glanced around. She hoped their site was with the others, parked overlooking the murky turquoise river. There wasn’t much tree coverage, and the sites were wide open, so you could clearly see your neighbors sitting around in their lawn chairs or eating at their picnic table. All they needed was one nosy, eagle-eyed person who had read that news article and wasn’t fooled by Simon’s and Jenny’s new hairstyles.
Simon was also looking around, though, and Alice didn’t like the contemplative expression on his face. He turned in his seat and looked back at Jenny.
“We should keep driving through the night. Put more distance behind us.”
Distance was bad. They would cross into Alberta on the way to Banff. Would anyone in that province know about the murders? Most of the media around the world was focused on the Olympics. It seemed to Alice, the farther they got from the scene of the crime, the slimmer the chances were of Jenny and Simon being recognized and caught. She had to slow the trip down.
“It’s risky to drive at night,” she said. “I’m exhausted already.”
“The next part goes through Kicking Horse Canyon,” Tom’s voice rasped from the back of the RV. “It’s steep, with drop-offs. The brakes are going to overheat.”
Simon unfolded the map and glared down at it with a furrowed brow.
“There won’t be anywhere to stop for gas,” Alice added. “We’ve used a lot.”
“I want to stay at the campground,” Jenny said. “I’m tired too.”
“You can sleep while we drive.”
“It makes me feel sick.”
Simon rubbed at his chin, scratching the whiskers, a grating sound.
“Fine. I need to steal a license plate anyway.”
Simon told Alice to park out of sight from the front office, handed her a few bills with another warning about not doing anything stupid, and sent her inside with Jenny.
The office doubled as a small store, with a cooler full of sodas, and shelves crowded with boxes of cereal, condiments, canned food, personal hygiene items, and other necessities.
When they walked past a spinning rack of stuffed animals,Jenny stopped and smiled at the black bears dressed in RCMP hats and red serge coats, the moose in maple leaf sweaters. She picked one up, gave it a gentle squeeze, looked at the price. Alice didn’t know what she was doing—they weren’t tourists looking for souvenirs. Then she realized Jenny might be thinking of a present for her baby. Alice stalked ahead, fast, so Jenny had to catch up.
The campground worker was a friendly teenage girl with long brown hair parted in the middle. She looked like a park ranger in her khaki shorts and shirt, and she kept apologizing while giving them a rundown of the facilities. “Sorry, but we charge coins for the laundry, and the shower water takes a few minutes to warm up. And no music after eleven, sorry.”
While Alice signed the documents and paid for their site, she considered adding a notation.Help, please. We are being held hostage by murderers!Her hand hovered over the top page. She waited for Jenny to look away, to turn, to do anything, but she didn’t move, and the campground worker was already pulling the form back. She smiled across the counter at Jenny.
“There’s a cookout in the pavilion tonight. You should come. There’ll be lots of boys.”
Jenny blushed and glanced at Alice, then back at the girl. “I have a boyfriend.”
The girl shrugged. “Bring him too.”
Jenny muttered a thank-you, and they walked back outside. With every step away from the office, Alice’s regret grew. She should have distracted Jenny somehow. She could have asked her to get drinks from the cooler or an item of food. Why hadn’t she thought about that?
They were in sight of the RV when Jenny said, “I don’t have friends.”
Alice paused mid-step and shot the girl a look. Jenny had barely spoken since Alice’s failed attempt to get her to turnagainst Simon. Maybe she’d been thinking over everything Alice had said. Maybe she was ready to confide in her. Alice kept moving, but slower now.
“No?”
