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Authors: Jerry B. Jenkins, Chris Fabry
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to school Thursday morning. I heard the beep of Bryce’s digital watch, and we had our cereal and were out the door before Mom could ask why we were leaving so early.
We rode as fast as we dared and cut across the grassland between us and the dirt road that leads to the Ingrams’. The rock formation loomed behind us like a red ghost. Bryce kept checking his watch.
When we rounded the corner and came near the Ingrams’ driveway, the gate stood wide open. We stopped and took off our helmets. “What do you think?” I said.
“It’ll take us 10 minutes to get to Mrs. Watson’s and another five to make it into school. We have only about 10 minutes to spare.”
“Good, let’s go.”
Bryce shrugged and followed me up the driveway. A black-and-brown dog with only three legs met us. The thing didn’t bark. It just wagged its tail and hopped close enough to sniff us.
We parked by the garage and waited. When no one came out, I walked the gravel path around to the front door and knocked.
“Mom will be ticked if she finds out,” Bryce said.
Before I could answer, the door opened and an older woman stared at us. She had puffy eyes and shiny skin and looked like one of those people you see in ads for retirement homes—the people with a golf club in one hand and a glass of tea in the other—except she wasn’t smiling. “How did you get in?”
“The gate was open,” I said.
She ran a hand through her hair. “Walter is meeting with a reporter. He must have forgotten to close it.”
I explained who we were and pulled the catalog out of my backpack. “I don’t know if your husband showed you this.”
She looked at Bryce, then back at me. “Shouldn’t you be in school?”
“That’s where we’re headed. We only have a minute. May we come in?”
The house was full of furniture, yet it looked empty. An old wedding picture hung on the living-room wall. Another picture showed a young man with a football on his knee and a helmet under his arm. “Who’s that?”
“That’s our Danny,” she said, sighing. “I suppose you’ve heard about him.”
We walked to the kitchen, and I pulled out a chair. Bryce stood in the hall looking at his watch.
“The police haven’t found him yet?” I said.
She took the catalog and flipped through the pages. “I wish they would. I’m scared of what might happen if they don’t. Danny has done some bad things, but he’d never hurt anyone.”
Were these people blind, or could that be true?
Chapter 50
The big clock in the hallway ticked like a time bomb, and I knew we’d be in trouble if we were late. The school would call home and we’d have to explain. I was about to signal to Ashley that we had to go when Mrs. Ingram closed the catalog.
“You don’t have to buy anything,” Ashley said. “We know how hard this must be.”
“The police think we’re hiding Danny, but I haven’t seen him in two weeks.”
“Why did he leave?” Ashley said.
“We tried to get him to come back, but he wouldn’t. I don’t think he could forgive himself.”
“For what?”
“There was an accident.”
“Ashley, we should go,” I said.
She looked at me like I had just taken another leg off the dog. “What accident? Around here?”
She shook her head. “Before we moved. It was early one morning when Danny was still in college. He had gotten a summer job at a golf course near our home. He saw a dog by the road.”
“The one outside?”
She nodded. “Danny felt sorry for the poor thing. He was going to give it something to eat at the clubhouse and bring it home that night. But something happened. It was awful.”
I looked at my watch again, but there was no way I was leaving now.
“Rex, the dog, got up on the front seat and got sick. Danny tried to move him onto the floor, but he wouldn’t budge. Then it happened. Danny hit something on the side of the road. He thought it was an animal, but when he stopped and walked back, he found a man in the weeds.”
“Oh
We rode as fast as we dared and cut across the grassland between us and the dirt road that leads to the Ingrams’. The rock formation loomed behind us like a red ghost. Bryce kept checking his watch.
When we rounded the corner and came near the Ingrams’ driveway, the gate stood wide open. We stopped and took off our helmets. “What do you think?” I said.
“It’ll take us 10 minutes to get to Mrs. Watson’s and another five to make it into school. We have only about 10 minutes to spare.”
“Good, let’s go.”
Bryce shrugged and followed me up the driveway. A black-and-brown dog with only three legs met us. The thing didn’t bark. It just wagged its tail and hopped close enough to sniff us.
We parked by the garage and waited. When no one came out, I walked the gravel path around to the front door and knocked.
“Mom will be ticked if she finds out,” Bryce said.
Before I could answer, the door opened and an older woman stared at us. She had puffy eyes and shiny skin and looked like one of those people you see in ads for retirement homes—the people with a golf club in one hand and a glass of tea in the other—except she wasn’t smiling. “How did you get in?”
“The gate was open,” I said.
She ran a hand through her hair. “Walter is meeting with a reporter. He must have forgotten to close it.”
I explained who we were and pulled the catalog out of my backpack. “I don’t know if your husband showed you this.”
She looked at Bryce, then back at me. “Shouldn’t you be in school?”
“That’s where we’re headed. We only have a minute. May we come in?”
The house was full of furniture, yet it looked empty. An old wedding picture hung on the living-room wall. Another picture showed a young man with a football on his knee and a helmet under his arm. “Who’s that?”
“That’s our Danny,” she said, sighing. “I suppose you’ve heard about him.”
We walked to the kitchen, and I pulled out a chair. Bryce stood in the hall looking at his watch.
“The police haven’t found him yet?” I said.
She took the catalog and flipped through the pages. “I wish they would. I’m scared of what might happen if they don’t. Danny has done some bad things, but he’d never hurt anyone.”
Were these people blind, or could that be true?
Chapter 50
The big clock in the hallway ticked like a time bomb, and I knew we’d be in trouble if we were late. The school would call home and we’d have to explain. I was about to signal to Ashley that we had to go when Mrs. Ingram closed the catalog.
“You don’t have to buy anything,” Ashley said. “We know how hard this must be.”
“The police think we’re hiding Danny, but I haven’t seen him in two weeks.”
“Why did he leave?” Ashley said.
“We tried to get him to come back, but he wouldn’t. I don’t think he could forgive himself.”
“For what?”
“There was an accident.”
“Ashley, we should go,” I said.
She looked at me like I had just taken another leg off the dog. “What accident? Around here?”
She shook her head. “Before we moved. It was early one morning when Danny was still in college. He had gotten a summer job at a golf course near our home. He saw a dog by the road.”
“The one outside?”
She nodded. “Danny felt sorry for the poor thing. He was going to give it something to eat at the clubhouse and bring it home that night. But something happened. It was awful.”
I looked at my watch again, but there was no way I was leaving now.
“Rex, the dog, got up on the front seat and got sick. Danny tried to move him onto the floor, but he wouldn’t budge. Then it happened. Danny hit something on the side of the road. He thought it was an animal, but when he stopped and walked back, he found a man in the weeds.”
“Oh
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