June chuckled.
“I know you do,” June said. “When do they think they’ll release you?”
“I’ve been told either tomorrow morning,” Lacey replied, “or later this afternoon, depending on the doctor. You know that tyrant of a sister of mine.”
Lacey reached for the remote again, switched off the television, and plopped it on the bed beside her.
“Being here is torture,” Lacey groaned. “And I think that small television screen is ruining my eyesight.”
“Or it could be that you’re nearly sixty and refusing to wear glasses?” June pointed out, shaking her head.
“I work with animals,” Lacey told her. “Wearing glasses will get in the way.”
“Okay, I give up,” June relented and went quiet for a moment. “Lacey, I’ve started working with the police on some legal stuff, getting access to that federal land behind the Hendersons’ farm. I was helping Holt look into your accident. Could I ask you some questions about it?”
Lacey’s expression shifted, her humor fading. She frowned slightly, then nodded.
“Sure,” Lacey agreed. “I’ve actually been waiting for either Tom or Rad to come talk to me.”
“Did you see who or what hit your truck?” June asked.
Lacey stared at the ceiling for a moment, thinking.
“Honestly,” Lacey answered, her eyes moving to meet June’s, “no, not really.”
“Can you talk me through what happened?” June studied Lacey’s expressions.
“Okay. I had left the Hendersons’ farm,” Lacey recounted. “I turned the bend near where I went over. There was an open bottle of water in the cup holder, and it sloshed when I hit a bump.”
June listened, keeping her face neutral as Lacey talked in her own rhythm.
“When I went to grab it,” Lacey continued, “something hit me. Not hard at first, but enough that I jerked the wheel. I’d got the truck under control when I was hit a second time, and that’s when I was spun off the road and rolled down the embankment.”
June’s stomach tightened, and her brows rose in shock.
“You were hit twice?” June asked with a gasp.
Lacey nodded.
“Did you see the vehicle at all?” June’s eyes searched Lacey’s.
Lacey shook her head.
“No.” Lacey frowned in contemplation. “It happened so fast. All I remember was the sound of an engine revving up. Then I was tumbling.”
“How did you manage to call for help?” June remembered Willa saying that Lacey had called in her own accident.
“There was blinding pain and the airbags exploded,” Lacey’s words sent a chill up June’s spine. “But I just kept forcing myself to stay conscious. Then, when the vehicle came to a crunching stop, I managed to reach past the airbags and call emergency services.”
“That took strength,” June said with admiration.
“Or sheer stubbornness.” Lacey smiled. “Or so Lucy seems to think.”
“Well, thank goodness for that,” June told her.
“You know, I remember hearing an engine revving,” Lacey said. “At first, I thought it was me. Like, maybe I had pressed the gas too hard when I got startled, but I don’t think so. I had already slowed down for the bend.”
June let that detail settle.
