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watched his face while he checked over his notes. I could draw it, I was thinking, the sharp line of his jaw. But I didn’t know what it meant. Was he mad? Did he believe me?
    People’s faces were like that when you first started drawing them: geometrical, abstract. They became less familiar the longer you looked at them, segmenting into shapes like a puzzle, impossible to solve.
    Finally he said, “All right, Miss Martinez, I think that’s it. You must be pretty worn out.” For the first time, he looked at me, really looked at me. He had nice eyes, crinkly at the corners. If I’d seen him playing baseball or walking his dog, I never would have thought he was a cop. He didn’t seem like a person who spent his life around criminals and dead people.
    I looked at the clock. It was almost midnight.

7
    When I got back to Beth’s truck, she was leaning against the hood talking to the sheriff. He was shaking his head.
    â€œWe have to take him back to the station. The mother’s been contacted. The other one and the girl can go, but not the driver.”
    I craned around, panicking. Where was Jamie? They were going to take him away.
    The cop put his hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay,” he said. “It’s procedure. He’s eighteen?”
    I nodded mutely. Jamie and Kit were standing near one of the police cars. Kit was watching me, his eyes worried, but Jamie just stared at the ground. He kicked the dirt with his sneaker, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. I walked toward them.
    I heard Beth ask the sheriff, “Where will they go?”
    â€œWell, there’s the motel in Kilmore, but that’s pretty far for tonight. And we have to impound the vehicle. I could bring them back to the detention center. But…”
    I turned back and Beth frowned, coiling the length of her hair. She sighed. “They can stay at my house, I guess. If it’s only for the night. But do you have to get their car now? It’s so late.”
    â€œYeah. I’ll send somebody to tow it. You can go on to bed.” He gestured to me. “Miss Martinez? I’ll have the station find out from your mother how she’d like us to handle things tonight.”
    I looked at Jamie. “What about my brother? I want to stay with him.”
    The sheriff shook his head. “I’m sorry, he needs to come with us.”
    This time Jamie raised his eyes, wide and worried. I could feel a sharpness in the back of my throat, and I was afraid I might burst into tears. “Can’t we all stay together? Please?” I asked.
    But the sheriff was already walking away, the heavy holster banging against his leg.
    â€œWhat about our dad?” I asked Beth. “He’s expecting us in Phoenix tomorrow night. Our spring break is only a week.”
    She came toward us, and her voice was gentler than before. “I don’t think you guys are going anywhere any time soon.”
    Kit sucked in his breath. “Aw, come on, it was an accident. They can’t charge us with anything. Well, the beer, yeah, but we weren’t drunk—it wasn’t our fault. I mean, if somebody walks straight in front of your car, at night, is it your fault? That doesn’t make sense.”
    I could see Jamie ball his hand against his thigh. “Stop saying that. I didn’t hit that girl. I keep telling you. What I hit, it wasn’t a person.”
    â€œOkay, okay,” Kit said quickly. “Relax. I’m just saying that’s what the cops think. And even if it was the girl, there wasn’t time to brake or swerve or anything. I told them that. There was nothing you could do.”
    â€œIt was an animal,” Jamie said. “It was a coyote.”
    Beth put her hand on Jamie’s arm. There were tiny flecks of green paint on her knuckles. “Don’t think about it anymore. Whatever happened, you can’t change it now.”
    Jamie stared at her fingers.