The Ghosts of Now by Joan Lowery Nixon

the street.”
    “But how did you know I’d be here, at this house?”
    “I didn’t. I thought you might be—” He stops and looks in the direction of the intersection. “You weren’t at home. You weren’t at the hospital. When I got to the end of the street I saw your car parked down here.”
    I’m surprised how glad I am to see Del. But the gladness is mixed with anger as I remember the way Debbie looked when she told me they’d been together Friday evening. Del hadn’t told me about being with Debbie. I had begun to trust him, but he hadn’t been honest with me.
    Del cocks his head and stares at me. “Did you just say you were listening to something? What?”
    Whatever is on the other side of that door might be waiting for my answer too. Stiffly I walk across the porch and down the steps and face Del. “Why were you looking for me?”
    Del shoves his hat to the back of his head andscratches his forehead. “Seems like we’ve got a lot of questions without answers.” When I don’t say anything he adds, “Okay. Me first. I wanted to tell you something.”
    “About Debbie?”
    He looks puzzled. “Nope. Not exactly. I got word about your being stopped by one of the cops. I wanted to tell you that things don’t work here the way they probably did in the city where you came from. Don’t try to push this, Angie. You’ll be the one who gets hurt.”
    For an instant I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I
am
the one who was hurt. “Then you know I went to see Debbie.”
    He nods.
    “Do you know everything? Do you know what she told me?”
    “Don’t get so riled.” His hands rest on my shoulders. “I don’t know what you’re getting at, so why don’t you just tell me instead of yelling at me?”
    “I didn’t mean to yell. It’s just that— Why didn’t you tell me that you were with Debbie Friday night?”
    “
With
Debbie? I’d hardly call it that.”
    “That’s what Debbie said.”
    He chuckles, low in his throat. “Did she tell you about the others on the senior party committee who were there too? We had a meeting to work out stuff for the graduation dance that will come up next semester.”
    “A meeting? But then afterward—?”
    The question hangs there, unfinished. Del shakes hishead. “Afterward I went to my aunt’s house. Angie, I don’t know what Debbie told you, but that’s the way it was.”
    I’m surprised at the relief that rushes through my whole body with a happy, zingy sensation, like bubbles in my bloodstream. “Del, I’m sorry. She was just so convincing, and I was upset. I don’t know why she lied to me. She made it sound as though you dated each other.”
    “We did,” he says, “but not Friday night.”
    All I can think of to say is, “Oh.” I hope the jealousy doesn’t show.
    “Don’t press Debbie too hard,” Del says. “The most important thing you’ve got to worry about is your brother gettin’ better. Finding out what happened to him doesn’t matter that much right now.”
    “No one can stop me from getting to the truth.” I take a long look at Del. “Like that person who did the body work on Debbie’s car. I thought maybe you’d help me find him.”
    Del scuffs the toe of one of his well-worn boots against the bottom step and says, “I’m one ahead of you there, but I found out something you won’t like. He left town on what I guess you could call a paid vacation, according to what my cousin said.”
    “Surely the police could find him.”
    “Yeah, but I doubt if they’ll look for him. There’s still no proof that Debbie’s car hit your brother.”
    “That’s not fair!”
    “Lots of things aren’t fair, Angie. But you’ve got tobe realistic. Without real evidence they can’t make a case.”
    I sag against him, and he puts his arms around me. “There’s so much I need to find out—so much about Jeremy too.”
    “You didn’t answer the question I asked you,” Del says. “You told me you were listening to something.