Read Online Jackie's Wild Seattle by Will Hobbs - Free Book Online

he had it in him to say he was sorry.
    Now I was confused. This was the Tyler I’d seen withLiberty. But what about the Tyler Neal described, the one so vicious a judge was making him pay for what he’d done?
    Tyler was reaching out to me, asking me to believe in him, trust him. I couldn’t walk away. I had felt it from the first, his need to be understood. Not by everybody, by me. Wasn’t it true what my parents believed, that it’s up to everybody to help in the healing of the world?
    If I was going to even try, I had to try to get past not wanting to know the bad stuff. “Tyler, is it true what they say, about you hurting animals?”
    He didn’t say anything, just nodded grimly.
    Part of me wanted to get away from him, part of me wanted to stay.
    â€œOne animal,” he added. “I don’t suppose that helps any.”
    Cautiously, I said, “Maybe it’s none of my business, but is anyone helping you? I mean, like are you getting counseling or anything?”
    â€œYeah,” he said. “I am. Lots of talking, a couple times a week. Hey, can we just drop it, okay? All I want is to finish up here and not blow it. The way people look at me, like your uncle, it gives me the creeps.”
    â€œWhat about Jackie?” I asked. “She’s trying to help, isn’t she?”
    He laughed. “She’s wacky, in case you haven’t noticed.”
    â€œWhat do you mean? Why would you say that?”
    â€œI mean, I like her and all, but don’t you think she’s mental? A lot of these animals, maybe most of them—squirrels, possums, pigeons, crows, skunks—I mean, give me a break. They’re mostly pests. Why all this effort? It’s crazy.”
    A car turned off the pavement and was rumbling up the gravel driveway. With all the trees, it wasn’t in sight yet. “Quick,” Tyler said, “duck behind those bushes.”
    Tyler was pointing at Jackie’s thick hedge of rhododendrons along the drive. I looked at him like he was crazy. “Just do it!” he yelled.
    I don’t know why, but I did what I was told. I ran behind the hedge and sat there motionless, peering through the dense foliage.
    I didn’t see much, just a glimpse of a dark-haired, red-faced man as he jerked his boat of a sedan around in the narrow driveway. It took three tries. He was driving angry, lurching the car forward and then back as if he couldn’t get out of Jackie’s fast enough. Finally he had the car pointed back down the driveway. Tyler jumped in and his father hit the accelerator hard, spraying gravel all around.
    I understood a lot more than I had a minute before.

10
BABY SQUIRRELS AND BAD HISTORY
    I woke up scared that night. Not hearing from my parents was more worrisome than I’d been admitting. We hadn’t heard anything since they left Islamabad, bound for the refugee camp in Peshawar. I’d kept up a stream of e-mails but nothing was coming back. Had Pakistan just swallowed them up? Right after Tyler left down the driveway with his father I’d done some e-mailing back and forth with Doctors Without Borders. They were working on getting me in touch, but what if something awful had happened?
    The big red numbers on the nightstand clock said 1:14. In the next room, Cody was talking in his sleep. The kid needed a dump truck to unload his head. I threw my robe on over my nightshirt and tiptoed to his open door.
    Cody’s head was at the foot of his bed, while his feet had a firm grasp on his pillow. His blankie was wrapped around his face, maybe to break the glare from the nightlight in the hall. He was mumbling away, but now and again I couldcatch what he was saying, including “Got it!” “Hang on!” “Major!” and “Good, Sage.”
    Cody’s hand reached out, flicked the blankie from his face. He pushed something away, said “Back off!” Obviously he wasn’t talking