Alan came in the back door, still trying to regain his emotional balance. Hanging the keys in their customary place, he gave Dusty a scratch when the pup came to greet him and walked into the kitchen.
“Oh, Alan, dear, you’re home. Just in time, too. I’m about to put dinner on the table. Why don’t you go wash up and…oh, would you wake your father and tell him it’s time to eat?”
Alan mutely nodded and walked into the family room. He touched his dad’s shoulder and mumbled, “Dinner,” then continued upstairs to the bathroom.
As he washed his hands, Alan stared at his reflection in the mirror. You coulda been picked up today, twice, he thought, once by the guy at the overlook and then by the guy by the truck. Maybe even by those other guys you met on the path. This sent his head into a swir
