Read Online Boy Who Shoots Crows (9781101552797) by Randall Silvis - Free Book Online Page A

and I were both told that if he misses any more classes, he’ll either have to go to summer school or they’re going to hold him back.”
    â€œBut when you get back to the house, that’s when you find his backpack down between the bed and the wall in his room.”
    â€œAnd his lunch bag is inside it. Inside the backpack. So obviously he took it out of the fridge in the morning and put it in his backpack the way he always does. But then, I don’t know. He must’ve just decided he wasn’t going to school that day.”
    â€œAnd that’s when you discover his father’s old hunting jacket and the shotgun missing.”
    â€œThat’s the first thing I think, that he must be out in those woods again.”
    â€œBecause nothing else of Denny’s is missing, right? Nothing to indicate he’s been here and gotten a few things and left with the boy?”
    She said, “When Denny’s been here and gone, I can always tell.”
    â€œHow can you tell?”
    â€œBecause the place either smells like sealant or old beer. And if it’s sealant, then his dirty clothes are piled up on top of the washer. And if it’s beer, Jesse’s lunch money is all gone from the cupboard where I keep it.”
    â€œBut that wasn’t the case yesterday.”
    â€œDenny wasn’t here,” she said.
    â€œMaybe he just didn’t come inside the house,” Gatesman suggested. “Maybe he just pulled up out front and beeped the horn.”
    â€œI guess,” she said.
    â€œBecause you walked those woods yesterday. And then so did I.”
    â€œBut then why would Jesse take his hunting coat and the gun and those old clodhoppers he wears out there? That’s the only other thing I can’t find, those old cowboy boots he picked out at Walmart last year. The only place he wears those is out into the woods. Because when he wore them to school a couple of times, he just got made fun of.”
    Gatesman sat silent for a few moments. Then he asked, “But this wouldn’t be the first time he and Denny took off together for a couple of days.”
    â€œNo, but Jesse always leaves me a note if I’m not here. He always makes sure I know what’s going on.”
    â€œAnd they’ve gone crow hunting in other places before, you said.”
    â€œAll over,” she said. “But I only ever find out exactly where they’ve been when Jesse comes home and tells me. And in those cases they’re only gone for a couple or three hours. Not overnight like this.”
    â€œOkay,” Gatesman said. “So it’s not like this is something entirely new for them. The only difference here is that you didn’t get a note this time.”
    â€œIt feels different,” she said.
    â€œI’m sure it does.” He patted her hand again, let his own hand linger for a moment, one finger tracing the ridge of her knuckles. He told her, “So what I’m thinking happened is this. Some time early yesterday morning, after Jesse had had his breakfast and packed his backpack, but before the bus came by, Denny showed up. Then he and Jesse just decided to go off somewhere and shoot themselves a few crows. Jesse got excited and forgot to write a note. And I’m betting they’re going to show up in a day or two with a couple of big grins on their faces.”
    â€œThe only problem with that,” Livvie said, “is that every last stitch of Denny’s clothes is still here. Everything except what he was wearing when I went off to the generating plant two nights ago. He was sitting right there, watching the TV, and I asked him why, after he got his shower, did he put his jeans and a clean shirt back on. Usually he just walks around in his underwear until he goes to bed. And I told him, you better not be going out anywhere after I leave for work. You better not go and leave that little boy here alone.”
    â€œAnd what did