Page 9 of The Hitchhikers
“It would be nice to make some money,” Ocean said, looking at Blue.
“You really don’t mind, Tom?”
“Happy to do it. We can fish the Shuswap. Maybe we can keep one this time!” Tom laughed, and Alice couldn’t help smiling as she turned to wash the rest of the plates. It was hard to stay angry at Tom when he was so enthused to find someone who shared his interests.
“I’ll show you how to pan-fry it in butter,” Blue said, and Alice noted again how he had changed from the quiet, wary boy she’d met at their campsite to this friendly young man.
“Alice? Is it okay?” Ocean said.
“It would be lovely to have you for another night.” And she meant it this time. Having the young couple around was proving to be a good distraction.
“Wonderful.” Tom beamed at her. “The adventure continues.”
Back on the highway, Blue asked Tom about Seattle, and he told them about Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, and the Boeing factory, which led into a discussion about the military and the Vietnam War. Blue asked if Tom had served, but thankfullyhis number had never been called. Tom had been devastated, though, when two of his former students had been killed.
As they neared Kamloops, the terrain changed to wide-open grasslands and sage-covered rolling hills. Tom and Blue were talking again about fishing the Shuswap Lake, which Tom shared was fifty-five miles long with four different arms. They were deciding what tackle would be best when Alice remembered Blue’s promise to fry a fish for dinner. What would she make for breakfast? Pancakes again? Maybe they’d prefer cereal. Alice caught sight of a corner store with a red-and-white striped awning and baskets of fruits displayed outside.
“Can we stop?” Alice said. “We need milk.”
Tom glanced at her. “Sure.”
He pulled into the parking lot, and Alice grabbed her purse. “I’ll just be a second.”
A bell jingled as she pushed through the front door. The teenage boy working the counter had a fresh-faced small-town look, with a blond buzz cut, freckled nose, and tanned arms in his red short-sleeved uniform. He was flipping through what looked to be a car magazine.
He glanced up. “Welcome to Sam’s.”
Alice nodded, and her gaze dropped to the newspaper stand, where she noticed a front-page photo of Olympic athletes and a headline about an African boycott. Would that change the event schedule? She picked up a copy, skimming the article. The kid cleared his throat loudly.
Alice slid twenty-five cents across the counter, then walked distractedly down the aisle toward the dairy coolers at the back, still reading. Tanzania had withdrawn in protest that the New Zealand rugby team had toured Apartheid South Africa. More nations were threatening to follow. She flipped the page and stopped when she noticed another headline on the opposite side.
Suspects Wanted in White Cliff Double Homicide.
Two black-and-white photos were below. Formal shots, the kind taken in high school for the yearbook, stiff poses, every hair combed back, a slight sheen of gloss on the girl’s lips, her eyelashes spikey with mascara. She wore little gold earrings, her light hair parted in the middle. The boy didn’t smile for the camera but looked steadily ahead, his dark eyes serious.
Ocean and Blue.
CHAPTER 4ALICE
Alice tilted the newspaper toward the overhead light as if doing so could change what she could plainly see. The doorbell jingled at the front of the store.
Voices, one feminine.
Alice’s head snapped up. She peered between two boxes of crackers on the top shelf. Jenny was talking to the boy at the counter as she glanced around. Searching for Alice?
Alice folded the newspaper, tucked it under her arm, and walked swiftly into the restroom at the back, locking the door. She imagined Jenny searching through the aisles, wondering where Alice had gone. She didn’t have much time. She flipped open the paper again.
White Cliff Police have issued Canada-wide warrants for two suspects involved in the homicide of Isabelle Larson, 36 years old, and Robert Larson, 33 years old. The couple was found deceased in their home by a concerned employee after they failed to show up for work at their dance studio.
Police remain close-lipped about the investigation, but anonymous sources reveal that the two suffered a violent attack with multiple stab wounds. “There was blood everywhere.”
Simon Gray, 21 years old, and Jenny Perron, 18 years old, are wanted for first-degree murder. Jenny Perron is the only daughter of Isabelle, and stepdaughter to Robert.
Michael Gray, Simon’s father, claims he hasn’t seen his son in days and doesn’t know where he’s gone. He stated, “I hope he rots in hell,” when asked if he had a message for his son.
Both suspects reside in White Cliff and police believe they may have left the area together by boat.
If you see these individuals, do not approach them. They are considered armed and dangerous.
