She put her cellphone on silent mode and settled in for a long visit.
Her presence seemed to comfort Holly.
Or maybe it was the prospect of skipping the institutional dinner of gluey hamburger gravy over instant mashed potatoes.
By the time they shared the pizza Nora ordered in, Holly was calmer. Drowsy in the overheated room, Nora combed Holly’s hair and did her nails. She left at nine o’clock.
Squishing across the parking lot to the Buick, the cooler air revived her.
A January thaw was in progress.
She heard the drip of snow melting from the tree branches. Tired as she was, she couldn’t risk a pitch-dark drive on slushy roads over the mountains to Spokane.
She checked in to the same utilitarian motel where she’d stayed on her last visit. The rate was low, the room was clean, and t
