SHE IS SITTING AT WHAT seems like the world's longest bar, her hand trembling on her drink, causing it to slosh and spill, her face pale as the dead. A handful of patrons—regulars, she thinks—are grouped at the end, talking amongst themselves, glancing at her from time to time, their gaze making her increasingly uncomfortable. At length the waitress reappears.
"Ambulance is tied up elsewhere, hon. Big accident out along 1-5. State Patrol are on their way, though. How do you feel?"
"Better, slightly." She stares at her drink. "How can there be so many accidents when there's no one on the road?"
The waitress stares at her sweetly. "That's exactly the perception that causes them out here, hon." She pats her hand. "You holler if you need anything."
At last Beth takes out her phone and dial
