Chapter 23

Bad News, Okay Grub

Before we could answer, Jo noticed the computer screen. “Your half hour ended a while back, Zed. You owe another two bucks.”

I slid two more dollar bills into the slot. I was starting to run low on the cash my mom and dad had given me.

“Thanks,” Jo said. “I’ll skip to the good news. Dolly Carton will ride again!”

We gave out a huge cheer.

“But?” Sam said. “The bad news?”

“But I need to get a part from another garage owned by a friend of mine. I’ve called and they’ll have it here . . . tomorrow.”

We gave out a huge groan.

“That’s it,” I said. “Quest over. Either the book is in South Carolina—”

“It’s not,” Sam said.

“Or the historian is racing toward it and will get there first.”

I wiped my face on my sleeve (another pro of big sweaters) and ran my fingers under my eyes to catch any spare tears. Even Rusty felt like my fault—the car never would have busted if I hadn’t been pushing us to go faster and harder. Basically everything was ruined.

Gabe put a hand on my shoulder. “Zed, we’re doing all we can. Maybe the historian is reading the site too. Maybe he’s heading to South Carolina!”

The thought cheered me up a bit. Then my stomach grumbled.

“Hey, Leslie,” I said. “You don’t have any gourmet food hidden in those boxes, do you?”

“As a matter of fact . . .”

My spirits started to rise.

“No.”

“Oh.”

“But I do have a nice stew in the freezer. I’ll see if it’s still any good.”

We sat around a picnic table in the backyard. Jo had pinned a stained gingham cloth over the table.

“It’s like Dorothy’s dress!” I said.

The stew was not bad at all. Chunks of beef. Big bits of veggies for Gabe. And there were other strange things that I needed Leslie to explain.

“Well, I call it the Oklahoma stew,” he said. “A while back, the state named an official meal with all these different parts. Fried okra.”

“That’s the long green bit,” Gabe said, slurping one into his mouth.

Leslie nodded. “And then I kind of throw in other stuff. Some squash. Sausage and gravy with grits. Bits of leftover pork. Chicken-fried steak and black-eyed peas.”

Jo scooped some into a bowl and handed it to me with a piece of corn bread. “Supposed to reflect all the cuisines from the people who live, or lived, here.”

“Well, it’s all okay by me!” I said, grabbing a spoonful.

Jo actually spat out the corn bread she was chewing. “That’s hilarious!” she said.

I was confused. “What did I say?”

“You said it was all okay.”

“And? Sorry, was that an insult? I haven’t even tasted it yet.”

“It’s not that,” Sam said. “That’s where we are. Okay, Oklahoma!”

“Okay, Oklahoma,” I repeated. “Seems like another good omen.”

“You can hope,” she said, and tucked back into her stew.

After dinner, we lit a huge bonfire. Leslie turned in early.

“You kids have fun. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Not if I see you first,” I said.

“I like you, kid,” he said. “You’re funny.” He winked again and left, carrying the leftovers in a huge bin. He refused to let any of us help clean up.

I was thinking about Leslie, the feast, the quest and all sorts of things a bit later. We’d been so close. Had Gabe and I failed? Would we ever find the book? I was shaken out of this latest Zed moment by a huge laugh.

Sam had her head tossed back, and Jo was smirking.

“That is funny,” Gabe said, laughing too.

“What’s funny?” I asked.

Sam waved a hand. “You had to be there.”

“I was there! I was just distracted.”

Jo leaned forward, hands on her knees. “I was just saying that I’ve got some serious dirt on this girl!” She shot a thumb toward Sam.

Sam and Gabe laughed again.

“I don’t get it.”

“DIRT!” Jo prompted. “Get it? Because we’re geologists?”

It was like a Leslie pun! I laughed. “Funny. In fact, that joke rocked.”

“Yeah. We really dig your jokes,” Gabe said.

“Pyrite you are!” Sam added.

“Ha! Shale I give you another? Ore would you prefer something else?”

Which, of course, set off another round.

The pun battle eventually died down, and so did the fire.

We set up our tents in the twilight, ignoring the hovering bugs, then watched the embers glowing underneath the stars. I had grabbed the marshmallows from the car, and Gabe and I happily made s’mores.

“How can you two eat so close to bedtime?” Sam asked.

I pointed at my head. “Our amazing brains need energy.”

“They need something,” she agreed. Then she gave Jo a hug. “Thanks for saving our butts today.”

“I haven’t saved anyone’s butts until tomorrow. And it’s nice to have some people around. Been a slow summer.”

It hit me that we’d been about the only customers to visit the station all day. Leslie had filled up a few gas tanks, but not a lot.

“Where is everybody?” I asked.

“Used to be a very busy stop,” Jo said. “But then a lot of the factories and stuff closed. Not just here but all around. Now people don’t take the highway unless they’re heading somewhere else, fast.”

“Like we were,” Gabe said.

“But a lucky breakdown for all of us, I guess,” Sam said. “In a way.”

“Well, we did make four bucks off the computer,” Jo said. “So that’s something.”

“Does Leslie ever sell any of that stuff?” I asked.

Jo sighed. “He used to. It’s actually all stuff he’s made himself. Carved plaques. Weirdest thing he does is collect roadkill and stuff it.”

“Seriously? Like taxidermy?” Gabe asked.

“Yup. He says it’s a shame the way people leave those poor creatures out there. So he wants to give them some dignity. He’ll show you if you ask him.”

I was definitely asking, just as soon as Leslie was awake!

“So, Jo, why are you here?” I asked.

“I work as a mechanic during the summer to pay off my student loans. This is my base, but I also do work at other garages along the highway. Wherever I’m needed, really. I grew up with my mom doing it, so it was just a natural progression, I guess.”

Sam cut in. “Plus, you know, you’re really good at it. Remember the time you fixed the Jeep when it broke down on the Guatemala trip?”

Jo laughed. “You bring that up like it was so amazing, but it basically just needed an oil change. It wasn’t a big deal!”

I may have been hovering on the border of despair all day, but I know a potential IRL romance when I see one.

And it perked me up.

Sam kept brushing hair from her eyes. Jo laughed at almost everything Sam said.

I’d spent a lot of time with Sam over the previous few days, and take it from me, she is NOT that funny.

My head volleyed between the two.

I looked over and noticed Gabe doing the same thing.

We caught each other’s eye and smiled.