The Grove Read Online Free Page A

wrapped tape around the underside of the band to make it fit.
    I leaned in closer and saw a football and goalposts embossed on one side and on the other the initials JHS.
    Jefferson High School.
    I had one exactly like it back in the house, except mine had an embossed baseball and an American flag.
    I had never let anyone wear it.
    I leaned in and tried to get a better look at her face. I’d seen the photo on her driver’s license, but it wasn’t enough.
    Reaching for her shoulder, I hesitated.
    Moving her would look bad. I tried to think of excuses I could use if anyone ever found out.
    I could say I wanted to see if she was really dead. It was as good an excuse as any, and good enough for me.
    I turned her over.
    I’d heard that when you die your body becomes heavy, but when I rolled her onto her back it felt like she wasn’t there at all.
    After I moved her, I had to look away.
    The left side of her face was a deep black where the blood had settled, and the arm that’d been out in front of her now pointed over her head. I was able to pull it down to her side, but when I did, the muscles popped with the movement.
    Her legs, still bent at the knee, now peaked toward the sky. The angle made her skirt slide up toward her waist, exposing thin blue panties underneath.
    I reached down and pulled the hem of her skirt toward her knees. It wouldn’t stay, so I pressed down on both her legs until they were straight.
    This time, the skirt stayed down, and I ignored the twinge in my stomach, the growing tightness in my pants.
    Thin blue panties?
    I looked down at her face and tried to piece together what had happened to her, how she’d wound up in my field.
    Lightning flashed in the east, and I felt the first few touches of rain on my skin. I looked up and saw the clouds coming in fast. If I was going to find anything, I needed to hurry.
    I took another look around but didn’t see anything unusual. I noticed the purse again. It was sitting on the edge of the grove by the cottonwoods, right where I’d dropped it after I’d first found her.
    I thought there might’ve been something I’d missed the first time, a connection or clue that I’d passed over when I didn’t know to look.
    I picked up the purse and unsnapped the latch. A small green case sat on the bottom. I took it out and opened it. Inside were several tampons. I closed the case and dropped it back in the purse, then reached for the bottle in my pocket, unscrewed the cap, and took a drink.
    A few minutes later I tried again.
    I found a black address book closed with a Velcro strip. I opened it and thumbed through the pages. They were all blank. There was a zipper compartment on the side. I looked in and found two photographs. The first one was of Jessica and two other girls I didn’t recognize. They were standing outside in the sun, smiling and laughing. All three wore sunglasses and small shirts with wire-thin straps.
    The other photograph was of Jessica with a kid who looked a few years older. They were leaning against a black and silver Ford Mustang. Jessica had her arms around his neck and her head against his chest. Neither of them was looking at the camera, or smiling. I assumed the photo was meant to be serious.
    In high school, love was serious.
    I set the photos between my feet and went back to the purse. I found a pack of Juicy Fruit gum, four pens, and a tin of Altoids. There was some loose change in the bottom along with a business card for a temp agency. The copy on the card said
    ACE STAFFING: Call today, work today
    I tried to imagine what kind of high school student worked two jobs. Did she need money that bad? Could that have had something to do with her death?
    I looked at the photographs one more time, wondering if anyone even knew she was gone.
    A raindrop landed on one of the pictures, and I wiped it away with my thumb. The sky had turned from red to purple to black. I knew if I didn’t want to get wet, it was time to go.
    Tomorrow, I