No, he doesn’t know. It’s all right. Thank God Ethan and Joanna were alive. Good, Blessed’s asleep. Is Grace there?
No, Dillon. Grace is dead. Ethan shot him with his rifle.
One down. Do you know where this motel is? Did you see the name of the motel?
She thought and thought. He saw tears come to her eyes.
Too much, too fast. She was just a little kid, a couple years older than Sean, and here he was questioning her like he would an adult. But again, he saw she was looking thoughtful, focused. He felt a strong pull of affection for her, and admiration. She was smart, she had grit. Even this young, she hadn’t frozen.
Did you drive a long time, Autumn?
I don’t know, Dillon. I slept because I was so tired. I think Blessed did all the driving. I don’t know why he didn’t have Ethan or Mama drive. Maybe you can’t drive when you’re stymied.
That’s possible. Tell me about the highway you were driving on. Was it big? Lots of lanes going both directions?
Yes, it’s real big, with a million cars. Blessed pulled off an exit and bought us some Wendy’s hamburgers, then he looked at a motel across the road, but he shook his head and drove onto this old road. He pulled up to this motel.
Did you see the name of a town?
I don’t think so.
Did you see the name of the motel?
She frowned and her fingers began to fret. I can’t remember it, just some old sign—it’s orange and some letters are missing.
If only he could help her remember. Autumn? I want you to close your eyes and listen to my voice, okay? Don’t worry about Ethan or your mama, don’t worry about anything, just try to relax and listen to me. Will you try?
She nodded, then cocked her head to one side and obediently closed her eyes.
Good girl. Now, get comfortable, that’s it, lean back against the wall, put your hands on the floor, and pretend you’re floating in a swimming pool.
Bless her, she did exactly what he said. He saw her small hands, palms up, on the cracked linoleum floor beside her. He watched her fingers uncurl.
Autumn?
Yes, Dillon.
That’s really good. Now, you were eating your hamburger. In the car?
Yes. Blessed went in and brought back bags of food. I was sitting in the front seat beside Blessed. Mama and Ethan were in the backseat. They were just sitting there, like they were dead, but they’re not—
He saw her breathing hitch, saw her stiffen up. It’s okay, sweetheart, it’s okay, I promise. Your mama and Ethan will get through this. That’s it, just don’t worry about anything right now, listen to my voice. That’s right, that’s good. You were eating, all right? Did you have mustard on your hamburger?
No, Dillon, I like catsup, lots of catsup. I squeezed a whole bunch from those little plastic packets, more than Mama usually lets me have. I know it’s bad, but—
A little more catsup is all right, your mama wouldn’t mind. Was your hamburger good?
It was real good. Blessed was eating a hamburger too, and a bag of french fries, but he didn’t put catsup on them. All Mama and Ethan did was stare straight ahead and eat. I wanted to talk to Ethan and Mama, but when I turned around they didn’t even look at me.
I know, sweetheart, I know. Now, Autumn, Blessed started up the car again, right? And he drove away from the highway.
She nodded, never moving. Yes. He drove us down this little road, but just a little ways. Then he smiled, and he pulled into this bumpy parking lot and stopped the car by the office. He has a horrible smile, Dillon.
I know. I’ve seen it. What kind of car are you in, Autumn? He held his breath, this was right out of the blue, he couldn’t really expect her to know, to even under—
It’s a white van. He had Ethan steal it out of somebody’s driveway not long after we left Titus Hitch.
Okay, you were sitting in the front seat in front of the motel. Did you see a sign?
Yes.
Describe it to me.
It’s kinda old, a real ugly orange color, and the sign isn’t hanging exactly straight.
Now, the name, look at the name. Can you read it?
It’s two words, but I’ve never seen them before. I can’t read them.
Picture it in your mind and show it to me.
Where had that come from? And then he saw that orange sign, couldn’t believe it, but there it was, bright and clear right before his eyes. She was right, there were some letters missing.
LIZ RD’S HIDEA AY.
He’s coming, Dillon, he’s coming! He’s going to know and he’ll kill Mama—
No, he won’t. Look up now, Autumn. That’s right. Everything is fine. Go wash your hands in the sink. Keep washing until he comes in and sees you. You went to the bathroom, okay? You’re fine, sweetheart. Go.