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told Billie to give him the money, the man’s strange rebel yell before he pulled the secondtrigger.
    Will said, “Pierce didn’t seem to know that he only had two shots.”
    “So, our math teacher isn’t an evil genius.”
    “My money’s on the school counselor.” Faith had watched the tape through and was ready to render her opinion. “He shot Pierce in the head, bull’s-eye, straight on. He nearly killed you, too, by the way.” She gave Will a look that he really didn’t need to see. “Wayne Walker is thoughtful, methodical, a planner. He knew when to cut rope. He could’ve grabbed the cash, but he ran when he heard the sirens.”
    “Scared of getting caught?” Will suggested.
    “Too smart to get caught,” Faith countered. “Remember what Amanda just said: everybody anybody’s talked to so far says Walker’s an asshole. He’s probably the kind of guy who tries to control things. Look at the tape when he gets back into the truck. He doesn’t have to think about it. He jumps in, heads straight for the road, takes his turn onto the interstate. If this stupid store kept their surveillance tapes, we’d probably see him doing dry runs for the past two weeks.”
    Will looked at Amanda. She could be a horrible person, but she’d never gone after them for tossing around theories.
    “Spit it out,” she told him, rolling her hand to urge him on.
    He said, “Walker got fired for slapping a student. That doesn’t sound like somebody who has everything under control.”
    “Have you been in a high school since you graduated?” Faith asked. “I’d probably slap those kids until my hands fell off.”
    She wasn’t exactly the poster child for patience, but Will said, “Walker hesitatedwhen he hit the main road. The turn onto the interstate was at the last minute.”
    “On purpose?” Faith asked, and Will couldn’t really answer the question. Walker’s last-minute turn had sent the cruiser straight into the bridge railing. Except for Will, he probably would’ve gotten away.
    “All right.” Amanda ended the speculation. She was staring at Samantha Lewis sitting in the back of the cruiser. Maw-Maw knew how to work the old-lady thing. Someone had brought her a blanket and a bottle of water. “What now?”
    Faith indicated Billie Lam’s license. “We go to Billie’s address. This license was issued less than a year ago. She probably still lives there.”
    “You think she’s stupid enough to go home with the money?”
    “I think criminals being stupid is what keeps us in business.”
    “Fair enough,” Amanda allowed. “Report back. And run down every detail you can find on this Billie Eugenia Lam. I want to know what she had for lunch yesterday afternoon.”
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    Out of habit, Will started to follow Faith.
    “Not so fast, Mr. Black.” Amanda smiled like she meant it. “I’ve got other plans for you.”

--3--
    Will sat in the manager’s office of the Gas-n-Go, counting backward in his head by sevens. He’d started at a thousand and was in the low two hundreds when he heard Amanda’s voice from somewhere inside the store.
    Or at least he thought it was Amanda’s voice. He’d never heard her sound so kind in his life.
    “I know, dear,” she said. “I’m sorry we have to keep you. We’re just going to leave you back here for a few minutes while I find someone to drive you home.”
    There was a low hum – a woman’s voice, frail and incoherent. By process of elimination, Will guessed Amanda was speaking to Samantha Lewis, a.k.a. Maw-Maw.
    Sure enough, a moment later, the old woman appeared in the office doorway. Amanda’s hand was cupped underneath her elbow, her arm wrapped around the woman’s waist as she helped her shuffle into the room.
    Amanda said, “Oh,” when she saw Will, as if she’d forgotten he was there.
    Will stood up, muscle memory compelling him to go to his feet when a woman entered.
    Amanda’s tone was more what he was used to when she