After she and Chase had fortified themselves with coffee and his speciality breakfast–fluffy eggs with sides of crispy bacon–she phoned to let Ann know that she was driving up to see her. They were going to talk. She wasn’t certain if Ann knew something was up. Sammy heard the difference in her own voice, too. Ann in turn was hesitant in her reply. No invitation for lunch. No offer to stay over for the night. If Ann didn’t know, she at least suspected. How must it feel to be caught out in such a big lie after all this time? All the drive up, she and Chase listened to heavy-metal rock. The volume was on the loud side, and that kind of music wasn’t usually her thing. But she liked watching Chase get into it–the way his thumbs played the drums on the wheel, and his teeth held his lower lip at the same time his head punched forward whenever a gutsy guitar solo screamed through the speakers. She was thankful that he was occupied and she could be left to her thoughts. Maybe that’s why he kept it playing.
