We had reached the center of town, which despite the early morning was devoid of activity. I pulled over in front of the post office, knowing that the patrol was maybe two miles back and closing.

“What exactly do you mean by ‘not dead’? What part of her getting shot do you not remember?”

“Don’t get upset with me. You never had a chance to get to her afterwards since they chased you off, did you?”

She was right. “No.”

“You assumed she was dead and that they had taken her, end of story. I think you were only half right. It’s been a few years, but that’s what I remember.”

I took a breath and wheeled the truck back into the street, to keep moving. She’d been a captive years ago, which happened not long after Anna. I never asked about it, assuming it to be too painful. Now that we’d been spending more time together, maybe it was time to ask.

I had just enough time to see Mrs. Lampley’s lifeless eyes go dark as she jumped in front of the truck and disappeared with a shudder below the hood.