Page 78 of The Lost Girls of Willowbrook

“You got money?”

“Some.”

“Come on. I’ll drive you. Just tell me where to go and what you need.”

Her eyes grew moist. What sheneededwas her sister. And her father. Sheneededto go back to the way things used to be when they were young. But that was impossible.

His face fell, as if he’d read her mind. “Dr. Baldwin told me about Rosemary. I’m sorry you had to go through that again.”

She shrugged. No one could do anything about the fact that she’d had to see her sister’s mutilated corpse three times. She would have to work through that on her own. “I’m sorry about your aunt Evie, too. How is your uncle doing? He was having a really hard him when I saw him at the crime scene.”

He furrowed his brow. “Oh,” he said. “Thanks. He’s doing okay, considering.”

“Did you talk to Detective Nolan yet?”

He nodded. “Yeah, but there was nothing I could tell him that you hadn’t already told him.”

“Did they tell you Wayne Myers ran off?”

“I heard.”

“Do you think he did it?”

“Why else would he have left? I’ll tell you one thing, if I ever get my hands on him, I swear I’ll strangle him. Rosemary didn’t deserve what he did to her. Neither did Evie. No one does.”

A gust of cold wind blew along the sidewalk, rattling the tree branches and pushing the snow along the street. She lifted her hood again and turned her face away from the cold.

“Come on,” he said. “Let me give you a ride. It’s freezing out here.”

She glanced down the block, along the dark sidewalk and empty pavement, at the patchy pools of weak light cast by the few streetlights that worked. The street was dead quiet, everyone safely ensconced in their homes. Wayne could be waiting and watching from anywhere, hiding behind a bush or parked vehicle. And the sooner she got to the store, the sooner she could get back to the locked apartment.

Sensing her surrender, Eddie put the car in park. She studied him, trying to make a decision. Right now he felt like her only friend. He’d been willing to help her escape, and he was the only person who knew what she’d been through. Not to mention he’d experienced the shock of finding Rosemary’s body too. Things like that didn’t happen to people every day. Neither of them would ever forget it. And if she was being honest, she still felt like the walking dead, exhaustion weighing down every muscle and bone like they were made of granite. When she started toward the car, he got out and opened the passenger door. She went around the front and got in. It felt good to sit. Her legs were unsteady, as if she’d just walked a thousand miles. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm down while Eddie got back in.

To her surprise, the interior of the Mustang looked brand new, with black leather seats, gold crosses and oversize dice hanging from the rearview mirror, and a shiny eight-track player mounted under the radio. When Eddie slid back in and closed the driver’s side door, the scent of his cologne came with him, filling the car. She wondered if he wore extra because he, too, was haunted by the stench of Willowbrook. For the hundredth time, she asked herself how he could stand to work there.

“This is a nice car,” she said, trying to act normal, feeling anything but. “Is it yours?”

He nodded.

“Did you steal it?”

“Ha ha. Very funny.”

“Well, I know where you work, remember? You can’t make that much money mopping floors.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. He was trying to help her, again, and she had repaid him by saying something rude.

Thankfully, he ignored the comment. “I’ve been saving for a car since I was old enough to know what one was,” he said. “I finally bought this a few months ago.” He put the car in gear, let up on the clutch, and started driving, one hand on the wheel.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

He let out a slight laugh. “It’s fine. I’d be suspicious if I were you too. But let’s not talk about me. You’re the one trying to figure out how to run away.”

She furrowed her brow. “I’m not running away,” she said.

“Not yet,” he said. “But you’re planning on it.”

She chewed her lip and stared out the windshield. How did he know? She could feel him glancing at her, waiting for her to say more.

“Sorry,” he said. “Maybe I’m just assuming that because after everything you’ve told me and everything that’s happened, I wouldn’t blame you for wanting to get away from your stepfather. I just want you to know I’m willing to help however I can.”

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