lady backs up and drives away, her cell phone already in her hand.
“I bet she’s calling the county sheriff’s office to tell them someone’s been trespassing out here,” I say. “From the way she ran off, she might even think somebody’s in there now. The cops are going to be here soon, for sure.”
Cam has dropped her face into her hands. At first I think she’s crying, but then I see she’s rubbing her eyes in an effort to concentrate. After a couple seconds, she looks up at me and says, “It would be best to leave everything in the kitchen just the way it is. So if that lady comes back with the sheriff, they’ll think whoever was in the house is long gone, not still hanging around.”
This makes sense, and I nod.
Then Cam looks up with a stricken expression. “But I’ve got to go back in and get the things for making the signal.” She looks up at the sky. Dark clouds are moving in quickly. “Where can I go?” She thinks for a second, then asks, “What about that big abandoned building by the stream, near where I got cleaned up?”
“The mill? No way. People go in there all the time to look around. Kids hang out there and party.”
After another moment she asks, “Do you have a tent?”
“Yeah,” I answer. I know what’s coming, of course. She wants the tent to sleep in tonight. I can’t help being impressed by her calmness and her courage. She doesn’t know where Ray is, or if he’s still looking for her. But she is determined to hang on until the night of the full moon.
And I’m determined to help her.
“Do you think you could go get it while I clear my things out of the house?” she asks.
“Sure. I’ll get the tent, if you want. But—” Thinking of Ray, I hesitate, then plunge ahead and ask again. “Why don’t you just come home with me?”
She looks so alarmed, I quickly add, “I don’t mean we tell my dad or anything. I really can hide you.”
She shakes her head and says very quietly, “No. I can’t take a chance of getting caught now. Not when I’m so close.”
By now I know better than to argue. “Okay. I’ll get the tent. First, I’ll help you get the stuff out of the house. We’ve got to hurry, though. This place is way back off the road, but it’s not all that far from town. The sheriff could get here in twenty minutes, if he wants to.”
Quickly, we walk toward the house. Inside she says, “I’ll just grab my—well,
your
—clothes. Can you get the board? I’ll take the rest of this.” She gathers up the signal-making tools and swipes the bag of Tootsie Rollsfrom the table. We take the stuff back to our hiding place in the corn.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” I promise. “We’ll find some safe place to set up the tent.”
And I begin yet another trip down the trail.
10
I PEDAL ALONG, AND A SUDDEN WIND PICKS UP , B IG , fat raindrops begin to fall, feeling like jelly beans pelting the bare skin of my arms and face. Soon I’m soaked, and even though it’s July, I’m shivering like crazy. When I finally make it home, my teeth are actually chattering.
I look at Josie, whose short, thin coat is no protection from this kind of rain. She’s drenched to the skin and is shaking as much as I am. I towel her off, rubbing hard to make her warm. Then I towel off my own hair and throw on some dry clothes. I get some dry clothes for Cam, too. Remembering that we left the food in the kitchen, I grab some beef jerky, crackers, cheese, and a couple cans of soda.
All the while, I’m picturing Cam huddled in the cornfield, drenched and freezing. I tell myself not to rush so much that I forget something important. I reallydon’t want to make another trip back and forth today.
Out in the garage, I find the tent, rolled up in its carrying case. It’s a two-person backpacking tent, very lightweight and compact, thank goodness, since I’ll have to drag it up the hill. Next to it on the shelf is a tarp to use for a ground cloth, and two rolled-up
“I bet she’s calling the county sheriff’s office to tell them someone’s been trespassing out here,” I say. “From the way she ran off, she might even think somebody’s in there now. The cops are going to be here soon, for sure.”
Cam has dropped her face into her hands. At first I think she’s crying, but then I see she’s rubbing her eyes in an effort to concentrate. After a couple seconds, she looks up at me and says, “It would be best to leave everything in the kitchen just the way it is. So if that lady comes back with the sheriff, they’ll think whoever was in the house is long gone, not still hanging around.”
This makes sense, and I nod.
Then Cam looks up with a stricken expression. “But I’ve got to go back in and get the things for making the signal.” She looks up at the sky. Dark clouds are moving in quickly. “Where can I go?” She thinks for a second, then asks, “What about that big abandoned building by the stream, near where I got cleaned up?”
“The mill? No way. People go in there all the time to look around. Kids hang out there and party.”
After another moment she asks, “Do you have a tent?”
“Yeah,” I answer. I know what’s coming, of course. She wants the tent to sleep in tonight. I can’t help being impressed by her calmness and her courage. She doesn’t know where Ray is, or if he’s still looking for her. But she is determined to hang on until the night of the full moon.
And I’m determined to help her.
“Do you think you could go get it while I clear my things out of the house?” she asks.
“Sure. I’ll get the tent, if you want. But—” Thinking of Ray, I hesitate, then plunge ahead and ask again. “Why don’t you just come home with me?”
She looks so alarmed, I quickly add, “I don’t mean we tell my dad or anything. I really can hide you.”
She shakes her head and says very quietly, “No. I can’t take a chance of getting caught now. Not when I’m so close.”
By now I know better than to argue. “Okay. I’ll get the tent. First, I’ll help you get the stuff out of the house. We’ve got to hurry, though. This place is way back off the road, but it’s not all that far from town. The sheriff could get here in twenty minutes, if he wants to.”
Quickly, we walk toward the house. Inside she says, “I’ll just grab my—well,
your
—clothes. Can you get the board? I’ll take the rest of this.” She gathers up the signal-making tools and swipes the bag of Tootsie Rollsfrom the table. We take the stuff back to our hiding place in the corn.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” I promise. “We’ll find some safe place to set up the tent.”
And I begin yet another trip down the trail.
10
I PEDAL ALONG, AND A SUDDEN WIND PICKS UP , B IG , fat raindrops begin to fall, feeling like jelly beans pelting the bare skin of my arms and face. Soon I’m soaked, and even though it’s July, I’m shivering like crazy. When I finally make it home, my teeth are actually chattering.
I look at Josie, whose short, thin coat is no protection from this kind of rain. She’s drenched to the skin and is shaking as much as I am. I towel her off, rubbing hard to make her warm. Then I towel off my own hair and throw on some dry clothes. I get some dry clothes for Cam, too. Remembering that we left the food in the kitchen, I grab some beef jerky, crackers, cheese, and a couple cans of soda.
All the while, I’m picturing Cam huddled in the cornfield, drenched and freezing. I tell myself not to rush so much that I forget something important. I reallydon’t want to make another trip back and forth today.
Out in the garage, I find the tent, rolled up in its carrying case. It’s a two-person backpacking tent, very lightweight and compact, thank goodness, since I’ll have to drag it up the hill. Next to it on the shelf is a tarp to use for a ground cloth, and two rolled-up
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