The Stillburrow Crush

"Please, darling. She's so worried and you know she's just going to drive out there by herself if you don't take her. In the state she's in, we'll have another accident on our hands." I jumped in then, having gathered enough information to make my own conclusions. "What's going on?" Mom and Dad jumped when they heard my voice but neither answered me. Dad gained his feet and Mom hurried to the closet to fetch his coat. They continued to ignore me as 213

The Stillburrow Crush

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Mom quickly zipped Dad up. When she adjusted his collar, their eyes met. Dad sighed. "I'll pick her up on the way. But she's going to see things she shouldn't have to see." Mom rose on her toes to hug him tightly.

"Thank you," she said, and walked him to the door. "Be careful, Dean."

Dad turned back to kiss her, and then he was gone. Mom continued to stare out the front door. I came up beside her.

"What's going on?" I asked again. When Mom turned to me, I could tell she'd put on a brave front. But her hands were freezing when she took my fingers.

"Carrie," she said in a steady voice, "there's been an automobile accident on Still Road."

"And Jill was in it?"

She nodded.

"Is she OK?"

Mom closed her eyes briefly. "I don't know," she whispered. "The sheriff only told your father it was a bad wreck with two cars involved."

My stomach dropped. If Jill had been in the wreck, it must've been when she was coming home from the lake party. And if she'd been coming home, then she might've collided with someone else also going home. I suddenly needed to know if Luke had gone to that party.

"Who was in the other car?"

Mom shook her head. "I don't know," she repeated in a broken voice. "I have no idea how it happened. I have no idea what Jill was doing out at this time of night. I don't know anything, honey."

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The Stillburrow Crush

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"The lake party was tonight."

"What?" My mother's eyes flashed to mine and then she dragged me into a fierce hug. "Oh, thank God you're grounded." She buried her face in my hair. And that's when it hit me.

"Oh no." I squirmed against her. "No!"

"What is it, Carrie? Carrie?" She gripped my shoulders and pulled me back far enough to see my face.

"I heard Jill was going to go to the party with Abby." Mom had to sit down after that. Her face drained of color and she dragged me to the couch. We sat together and grasped each other's hands. "I don't think Marty was with her," I finally said.

My mother shook her head. "No," she agreed. "No, of course not. But if it was Abby, then someone's going to call him soon enough." She got to her feet and headed for the phone. "And I'd rather it be me." I watched her stand in the center of the kitchen, a bathrobe over her pajamas, pressing the phone to her ear, waiting for someone to pick up. "Come on, Martin," she said, starting to pace in her house slippers once again. "Answer the phone."

But Marty never answered.

Mom called once every hour. I knew because I stayed up with her. Even if I would've tried to go back to sleep, I wouldn't have been able to. The phone rang constantly throughout the night as rumors of the accident spread across town. With each call, Mom and I gained another piece of 215

The Stillburrow Crush

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information. First, we found out the Wallaces had been in one car.

Mrs. Wallace had been having stomach pains all night and Dr. Wallace, her husband, finally decided to drive her to the hospital in Paulbrook. It ended up that Mrs. Wallace arrived in the hospital via an ambulance, only to discover she had a bad case of gas. She and Dr. Wallace had come through the wreck OK. One of the two had a broken arm, but that was the extent of their injuries.

When we discovered the Eggrow's car had indeed been the other automobile in the accident, Mom started calling Marty's house every half hour.

Dad didn't get home until six in the morning. By then, we already knew of Abby's death. We knew Georgia was still at the hospital with Jill and that Jill had gained consciousness only an hour before.

Dad was a mess. He collapsed on the couch and didn't move. Mom brought him hot coffee that he drank without speaking. No one mentioned the red stains on his jacket or the trembling in his hands.

When the sun came up, I saw the remains of the wreck sitting in our backyard by the shop. Both automobiles were totaled. Later, someone from Paulbrook's junkyard came for them, but before they arrived, I stared out the kitchen window and saw more than I wanted. I couldn't seem to turn away.

The front of the Wallace's red car was stripped bare. The radiator was dented toward the engine, where the car had Tboned the driver's side door of the Eggrow's Lexus. Red paint 216

The Stillburrow Crush

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streaked the tan finish of the Lexus along with broken glass, and metal so mangled it looked more like crumpled paper. A deflated air bag draped over the front seat like a blanket. I wouldn't go outside to examine the damage, but I stared out at the MADD sticker on the bumper, feeling hollow. I was almost dizzy from the empty light-headedness. Abby Eggrow was dead. It was impossible to believe even as I stared at the proof.

Mom sat by Dad and rubbed his back as he squeezed his eyes closed and tried to forget what he'd seen. When the phone rang, neither of my parents moved, so I answered it.

"Carrie?"

I closed my eyes and sighed out a relieved breath as I heard Luke's voice.

"Hi," I answered. My voice sounded dull and lifeless...even to my ears.

"I didn't want to call too early," he said. "I was afraid to wake you."

"I haven't been asleep since two." Luke paused a moment. "So you know?" I nodded. "Yeah, I know."

"Are you OK?"

Again, I went to the window and stared out at the wreckage. "I don't know," I said. I wasn't sure what OK

meant anymore.

Luke blew out a breath. "I still can't believe it."

"Yeah." My eyes closed again. They were starting to hurt.

"We don't know where Marty is."

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"Really?"

I found a chair at the kitchen table, dropped into it, and rubbed my temples. "Mom's been trying to call him all night. We don't know where he is."

"I could drive around and see if I spot his truck anywhere," Luke said.

My hands started to shake. "That would be nice."

"I'll come over and see you afterward."

"No," I said.

"Carrie." His voice was forceful even though it quivered a little. "I need to see you."

"This isn't a good time," I said.

"Please."

I rested my head on the table and tried to steady myself.

"Could you give me a few days? I just...I just need some time to straighten this mess in my head."

Luke said nothing for a time. I didn't think he was even going to respond. But finally he said, "I'll wait." And then he quietly hung up the phone.

I stayed there, with my head down, letting the chilly tabletop cool my cheeks. Dad was finally talking to Mom in the living room. I could hear their hushed voices. Suddenly, I had to get out of there. I had to find my brother. I just had to do something.

I left through the back door and ran all the way to Marty's house. It felt good to have the cold December air rushing through my lungs. When I reached the house next door to the funeral home, I was panting. My ears burned they were so 218