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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
GOING WEST
1
What Dan remembered best about that Saturday wasn’t the ride from Boston to the Crown Motel,
because the four people in John Dalton’s SUV said very little. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable or
hostile but exhausted—the quiet of people who have a great deal to think about but not a hell of a lot
to say. What he remembered best was what happened when they reached their destination.
Dan knew she was waiting, because he had been in touch with her for most of the trip, talking in a
way that had become comfortable for them—half words and half pictures. When they pulled in, she
was sitting on the back bumper of Billy’s old truck. She saw them and jumped to her feet, waving. At
that moment the cloud cover, which had been thinning, broke apart and a ray of sun spotlighted her.
It was as if God had given her a high five.
Lucy gave a cry that was not quite a scream. She had her seatbelt unbuckled and her door open
before John could bring his Suburban to a complete stop. Five seconds later she had her daughter in
her arms and was kissing the top of her head—the best she could do, with Abra’s face crushed between
her breasts. Now the sun spotlighted them both.
Mother and child reunion, Dan thought. The smile that brought felt strange on his face. It had been a
long time between smiles.
2
Lucy and David wanted to take Abra back to New Hampshire. Dan had no problem with that, but
now that they were together, the six of them needed to talk. The fat man with the ponytail was back
on duty, today watching a cage-fighting match instead of porn. He was happy to re-rent them Room
24; it was nothing to him whether they spent the night or not. Billy went into Crownville proper to
pick up a couple of pizzas. Then they settled in, Dan and Abra talking turn and turn about, filling in
the others on everything that had happened and everything that was going to happen. If things went
as they hoped, that was.
“No,” Lucy said at once. “It’s far too dangerous. For both of you.”
John offered a bleak grin. “The most dangerous thing would be to ignore these . . . these things.
Rose says that if Abra doesn’t come to her, she’ll come to Abra.”
“She’s, like, fixated on her,” Billy said, and selected a slice of pepperoni-and-mushroom. “Happens
lots of times with crazy people. All you have to do to know that is watch Dr. Phil.”
Lucy fixed her daughter with a reproachful glance. “You goaded her. That was a dangerous thing to
do, but when she has a chance to settle down . . .”
Although no one interrupted, she trailed off. Maybe, Dan thought, she heard how implausible that
sounded when it was actually articulated.
“They won’t stop, Mom,” Abra said. “She won’t stop.”