Prologue
The sun was nearly unbearable as it forced its way through the window of Dad’s pickup, cooking the air inside the truck’s cabin to a near boiling point. For the millionth time, I reached up and wiped the sweat from my brow with the back of my hand, exhaling. I looked up at the man next to me, the corners of my lips turning up a bit.
His chestnut waves of hair spilled lazily over his forehead and the back of his neck, with a few sprinkles of gray mixed in on the sides. Bushy brows rested carelessly over blue eyes, squinting against the bright sun, resting on the road in front of us. His straight nose pointed town to the think lips that parted over his straight teeth as he noticed me staring, looked over at me and flashed a kind, loving smile.
I grinned right back, happy and contented, and returned my gaze to the road, absently watching the yellow dashes fly by my window as I twisted the object in my hands around slowly, fiddling with it.
“Daddy,” I said, “Do you think Mommy is mad at us?”
My father, his eyes having returned to the road, sighed, looking contemplative. His hands flexed a bit on the steering wheel. “Nah,” he said, “She ain’t got no right to be mad. We did her a favor, if you ask me.”
My head cocked a bit to one side, and my brows furrowed, perplexed. “How did we do her a favor?”
“Well,” Daddy said, “It’s probably not so damned hot, where she’s goin’.”
I smiled. “You’re right, Daddy,” I said, “’Cause right now, it’s hotter than Hell.”
He laughed melodically, his eyes crinkling in the corners. “Atta girl!” Still smiling, he looked over at the object in my hand. “You haven’t put that thing down since you picked it up,” he observed.
I thought over this, twisting the knife in my hand again, pressing my finger against the tip of the blade hard, until I couldn’t stand it. By now, the sun had caked what was left of the blood onto it, and it looked as if the knife had just rusted. “It’s all I got left of Mommy,” I said, shrugging.
Daddy frowned. “Do you think what we did was wrong?”
It was my turn to laugh. “Course not, Daddy. The bitch got what she deserved.”
