The rain continued overnight, a steady hum on the roof.
Carol drifted in and out of sleep for hours, too anxious to let her mind rest for long. She tossed and turned, waiting for the phone to ring again, but the house stayed quiet. And when the sky finally began to lighten behind the clouds, she climbed out of bed and started packing. By 7 am, she'd packed a lunch and dashed out with an umbrella to toss her bags into the back of the Cherokee.
Now, with nothing more to do until the Dixon brothers arrived, she stared out the window at the hazy grey morning that was just dark enough to keep the streetlights glowing faintly. Her aunt joined her there, still in her pajamas and clutching a steaming cup of coffee.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Carol?" she asked, voice still soft with sleep. It was the same question she'd asked the night before when Carol had told her of her plans. "Shouldn't you be here?"
"You'll be here," Carol told her firmly. "I know you can handle it."
"But what if the police call?"
"You can handle it," Carol repeated. "I'll call and check in every time we see a payphone."
Angela took a sip of her coffee, looking at Carol over the edge of her mug through the steam rising between them, "But I don't know what to tell them."
Carol shrugged, her shoulders heavy as she looked out at the empty street, "Tell them I'm distraught. Tell them I'm in bed. If all else fails, tell them the truth."
They were both quiet for a moment, quiet enough to hear the rumble of a pickup heading up the street.
Angela sighed, clenching the robe tighter around her waist, "What if he calls? What if he shows up here?"
Carol shook her head, sounding a lot more confident than she felt, "He won't show up here. And if he calls, you just tell him to take care of her and I'll be there soon. Wherever there is."
Angela nodded, fingers trembling as she took another sip of her coffee. Carol saw Daryl's pickup turn into the driveway, rolling to a stop beside Angela's Toyota.
"Are you sure about these men?" Angela asked her, watching as Merle leaned into the bed of the pickup and hauled out a couple of lumpy garbage bags.
Carol watched Daryl stub out his cigarette in the drive, running one hand over his damp hair as he headed for the front steps, "I'm sure about one of them."
Angela frowned but Carol silenced her with a tight hug, "Take care of Mom. I know she blames herself but just, just tell her we'll be back soon."
Her aunt nodded against Carol's shoulder, "You just be careful and bring that baby home."
Daryl was lifting his arm to knock when Carol opened the door. He took a step back and cleared his throat as she stepped out, closing it firmly behind her.
"That all you're bringing?" he asked, glancing down at the pink bag swinging on her arm.
She shook her head, "No, my stuff is already in the Cherokee. This is Sophia's bag."
He nodded and she stepped out into the light mist that was still falling. It was just enough to leave her clothing damp and her curls frizzy.
Merle was already in the driver's seat, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.
He leaned out of the window as she rounded the front of the car, sticking his hand out in front of her and stopping her short, "You got my money?"
She nodded, pulling out the folded envelope and pressing it into his palm along with her keys.
He peered into the envelope with narrowed eyes and nodded his approval.
"Good enough," he told her, jerking his head towards the backseat. "Now move your ass, woman. We ain't got all day."
Gritting her teeth, she climbed into the backseat and twisted around to pile Sophia's bag in the back next to the Dixon's garbage bag luggage.
"Watch your knees, sugar," Merle muttered, meeting her eyes in the rearview as she turned around.
She was tempted to kick the back of his seat like a petulant child but settled for crossing her arms and glaring at the back of his head.
Their first stop was the Motel 6 on the outskirts of town. It was cheap and convenient which, to Carol, practically screamed Ed.
Daryl told her they didn't expect to find him there but if he'd stayed recently, someone might remember him or Sophia.
As they trudged across the mostly empty parking lot, the rain was at a steady drizzle. It was like standing under a showerhead with piss-poor water pressure.
The girl sitting behind the front desk was very young and obviously very bored. She eyed them impassively, cracking her gum as Merle elbowed Daryl in the ribs.
"Ol' Merle's just gonna turn on the Dixon charm," he told them, licking his lips as he sidled over to the desk and leaned in close on his elbows.
Carol sighed and followed him over, Daryl at her heels, in time to hear to hear him crooning something about the poor girl having a "hell of a rack".
The girl just blinked at him as Carol dug around in her purse, pulling out the photo she'd scrounged up of Ed on their wedding day and her most recent picture of Sophia.
"Have you seen either of these people in the last few days?" she asked bluntly, interrupting Merle's sad excuse for a pick up line as she held the photos up in front of the girl's face.
She stared blankly at Carol before cocking her head to study the faces in the pictures. After a moment, she tapped Ed's picture with one long pink fingernail.
"He was staying here," she said. "He checked out a couple of days ago. I haven't seen the little girl though."
Carol nodded, "What day did he check out? Do you remember?"
The clerk cracked her gum again, casting her eyes towards the ceiling as she thought it over, "I guess it must have been the day before yesterday?"
"Did he say where he might be headed?" Daryl asked, leaning on the counter next to his brother.
The girl glanced over at him and shook her head, "He didn't say."
They waited but she didn't seem to have anything more to share.
"Well, thanks for your time," Carol told the girl who just shrugged in response.
She carefully tucked the pictures back into her purse, glancing up to see Daryl already holding the door open for her as she made her way across the small lobby.
She met his eyes and smiled just as the girl called out, "Is that guy in trouble or something?"
Carol paused in the doorway, glancing back to see Merle smirking as he told the girl, "Not yet. But he's gonna be."
Back out in the car, Carol watched in disbelief as Merle and Daryl devoured the sandwiches she'd packed, seemingly oblivious to the fact that it wasn't even 9 am yet.
"I think we should start heading south, check a few stations and motels along the way," Daryl told Merle around a mouthful of ham and cheese.
Merle shook his head, tearing away his crusts and tossing them out the window, "Waste of time. You know how long it might take to get a bite doing it that way?"
"What other choice we got?" Daryl asked, sounding defensive. "We gotta have some kind of direction to go on."
"When he called, he was somewhere with a lot of semi-trucks," Carol interrupted them, running through her conversation with Ed in her head. It was still crystal clear. "I could hear them in the background."
"That could be anywhere," Merle commented.
The vehicle was quiet for a moment, except for the sounds of Merle tearing open a bag of chips, and then Daryl lifted his head.
"What about that truck stop over on 100?" he asked, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. "There's a payphone out by the highway. She'd hear the trucks gearing up if he was calling from there."
Merle shoved the rest of his sandwich into his mouth and threw the Cherokee into reverse, "Worth a shot."
The rain picked up again as they pulled out onto the highway and Carol zoned out, staring out the window at the trees downed by the storm, fallen soldiers caught by their brothers-in-arms.
She heard the rasp of a lighter and soon smoke filled the air, hanging thick and heavy and tickling her nose. She could taste it on her tongue even though it'd been years since she'd smoked a cigarette, back in high school when she thought it would make her look older and more worldly.
Daryl twisted around in his seat, cigarette dangling from his lips, and extended the pack towards her as he mumbled, "Want one?"
An automatic "no" was on her tongue but one look at his sharp blue eyes, and the tendrils of smoke curling from his nose as he exhaled, had her nodding and slipping one out of the crumpled pack.
He looked startled but jumped to attention as she placed the cigarette between her lips. He dug his lighter out of his pocket, and after a few fumbles with the striker, leaned over the back of his seat to give her a light.
She met his eyes as she leaned forward to catch the flame and saw his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed hard. Suddenly struck by the intimacy of their position, she quickly looked away. With all that had happened, she'd completely forgotten what Katie had told her at the bar that night. But the look on his face brought it all back.
The first puff had her coughing, and Merle laughing, but the second had her head lolling back against the seat. She moaned softly under her breath, imagining the nicotine rushing into her bloodstream.
She opened her eyes in time to see the brothers exchange a look.
"Hell, give her the whole damn pack, little brother," Merle cackled.
She scoffed at that, leaning back as she watched the smoke swirl through the air and fade away.
"So you work at Blue Diamonds, huh?" Merle asked after a moment, catching her eye in the rearview and smirking.
"Yeah," she nodded, cracking her window just enough to tap the ash off the end of her cigarette. "Cocktail waitress."
"Is that so?" Merle said, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel again, "You know, they say them cocktail waitresses are just one step from the pole."
She rolled her eyes and Daryl punched his brother in the arm, earning a smack to the back of his skull that made even her head ache.
"Look at you defending her honor, little brother!" Merle crowed, reaching over to shove at his brother's shoulder. "He's sweet ain't he, Carol?"
She tried to catch Daryl's eye but he was slumped down in the seat with his arms crossed, staring out the window.
"He is," she agreed, choosing her words carefully. "He's a good man."
Merle let out a low whistle and she winced as she saw Daryl's ears reddening.
She was sure Merle was going to humiliate him and it would be all her fault. But just then, like a beacon from above, she saw the big red and yellow sign for the truck stop looming ahead and Merle turned into the parking lot, saving them both from further embarrassment.
He rolled to a stop near the building and put the Cherokee in park. When no one moved to get out, he twisted around in his seat to look at both of them with the devil's own smile.
"So, you two lovebirds want a moment alone?"