* * *

Marti turned her face away, starring with that wistful grace only she possessed, out my window. Her profile was silver in the morning light. I waited. It was one of those times when words are too stiff to let loose. The moment is too young and frail and timid and light and new. If you throw words into it, it will shatter like glass, destroyed forever. So I waited. Marti’s eyes changed again, and the moment was over, escaped into history. I blinked.

  “Did you find out?”

She smiled, dreamlike and sad as a weeping willow bough.

  “No. I never got the chance. I figured the people probably wouldn’t tell me anything, so I was poking around the guy’s office,” She ignored my horrified face. “And I found some file stuff and figured out how to get in to the store room or whatever where they keep the old crap. But while I was in there, this guy walked in and caught me, so I had to say that I was lost and looking for the visitor room.”

 “That place with the phones and the glass wall that they always show on tv?” I barked breathlessly.

  “Yeah that place. So he took me in there and told me to wait while he looked up the phony name I gave him---“

  “What name did you give him?”

She grinned sheepishly. “Margaret Corey.”

  “Really? Really, Marti? You’re off on a penitentiary snoop and you tell them you’re there to visit me? Thanks. ‘Preciate it.” I rolled my eyes. She smiled again, with a bit more ease this time, and I could feel the atmosphere in my room relax and breathe a little bit smoother. “Well go on.” I commanded. “I’m anxious to hear how something as innocent as poking around a prison could turn so ugly.” This with another eye roll. Marti laughed outright and gave my knee a gentle shove.

  “Ok so somehow I was sitting there waiting, and I guess I heard that one guy, the one in the plaid, talking to the dude who chased us last night. His name’s Bently, somebody, and he was getting bailed out while I was there. I guess they were saying something about their next job that I kind of overheard.”

My mouth dropped again.

  “What?!”

  “Yeah so I ended up getting out of there fast, with them on my tail. I thought I lost them though. Anyways, I ended up getting stranded at this Shell station since I ran out of gas trying to outrun the plaid shirt guy. That’s where I met     “She stopped abruptly. “Well, his name’s Jason. He’s the guy who picked me up at the beach. He wanted to make sure I was ok. Again, I’m sorry about that Meg, I didn’t mean for you to get stranded or anything.” Raking a hand through her hair, Marti sighed deeply. “And that’s pretty much it I guess.”

 

Pretty much it? Yeah, sure. I don’t think so Marti.

I knew her better than that, and now I knew what she was trying to do. I couldn’t believe that she would give it up so easily.

  “How are you going to find out then?”

  “Find out what?” Her innocent gaze couldn’t fool me. I’d seen the same look the day she got caught for popping the pool.

“Who he is?” I said calmly.

 Marti said nothing. She held out her iphone. On the screen was a photo. A photo of a document. A document with the name Shelly Price on it.

  “Jason sent this just this morning. He is a she I guess. Her name’s Shelly Price.”