"Worried? Why? I just ended up back at the beer garden for a little while."

I didn't like lying to Morgan, but I was too confused about what had actually happened to just tell her the truth. I'd explain later, after I'd got my bearings. She'd forgive me. I hoped.

"Then after that," I said, "I was at the campground with some people I met from Boulder, or somewhere. I can hardly remember, actually. It's your fault you got me so drunk. Then Ian found me and took me home."

"Really," Morgan said, sounding suspicious. "Ian drove you home?"

I wasn't sure if she knew I was lying or if now she was trying to suggest that I had something going on with Ian.

"But what about you?" I tugged at her unbuttoned jacket sleeve and laughed. "What did you get up to?"

"Just stayed at the bar, pretty much. They actually ran out of beer on tap around one. So everyone just had more whiskey." She rubbed her eyes, then let out a long yawn. "When the police started making everyone leave, I couldn't find you, and the phones were all jammed, so I just went to your car. I was gonna wait for you, then I guess I fell asleep. I tried to get out of the fairgrounds in the morning, but they wouldn't let me. I was so hung over I just went back to your car and tried to sleep it off. I figured you'd show up eventually."

"So do you have any idea what happened last night?" I asked. "I mean, have you heard anything new?"

"Not a clue. Some carney died at the high school, and later some kid got attacked at the fair." She shrugged. "That's all anyone's saying. I was kinda wondering if Ian filled you in on any of the details today. He must know more." Morgan had that same tone in her voice again when she mentioned Ian, but now I couldn't tell if she was suspicious or feeling guilty about something she wasn't saying. "He didn't say anything to you?"

I thought about Ian's Army hoodie and his gun in my car, and Morgan sleeping there. Had she been with him?

Of course she hadn't. I didn't know why my thoughts even went there.

"I haven't talked to Ian," I said, and I realized I had no idea if this was true or not.

In a small town like Muldoon, word about anything gets out fast. Everyone at the bar last night already knew about the body at the high school. So it was hard to believe that no one seemed to know anything at all about the girl who'd been attacked, or who'd done it. I couldn't figure out why the police would keep information like this secret. I also couldn't figure out why they would be blocking people from going in and out of the fairgrounds. It didn't make sense.

My headlights reached a car parked on the side of the road up ahead. It was the first car I'd seen anywhere near the highway. Its taillights' red glow dimly illuminated a hay field that stretched out into the darkness from the road.

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