Part 19 (2/2)

A voice spoke.

”Oh, you're going to have to buck up a bit braver than that if you think you can get in here and steal from me, you little thief. Move one muscle and I'll set him on you.”

Whoever was speaking didn't have to worry.

I couldn't move a muscle. I couldn't even breathe.

thirty-nine.

What are you doing here and what do you want?”

”I-I'm looking for my-I'm looking for Delta Dawn Barnes, sir. I'm not a thief-I swear.”

”Delta what? No one here by that name. Don't make me show you what Lucifer does when he's hungry.” The growling from the shadow grew even louder.

”Thirty-Nine-she's supposed to be at Number Thirty-Nine Red Cedar Road.” My legs shook like dead leaves on a tree. I turned my eyes toward the voice. All I could see was shadow and s.h.i.+rtsleeve.

”Thirty-Nine? You mean Miss Dawna?” The dog was still growling, all low and mean, but now he was down on the ground. Lying there as if to say, Oh, I can leap up and kill you in about a second. I just want to rest for a bit. ”Three doors down. I believe you best be going.”

I turned and stumbled back to the main path.

It wasn't until I got to the tree with the house number on it that I knew I was breathing again. I looked up and saw that I had been at Number 36 with the 6 flipped upside down from being on a broken nail.

I sank down onto the ground by the road, my heart pounding, waiting for the mess in my head to start making sense again. I reached into my backpack and took out the pink water bottle that Mace had given me. I couldn't remember the last time I had something to drink. To eat. I felt weak and empty. And walking from Number 36 to Number 39 suddenly seemed impossible.

As I sat there, I heard the sudden crunch of gravel. A pale-blue car pulled up and the front window went down. A woman peeked out and called, ”You must be lost, baby girl, because I don't remember you and I think I know just about everyone around here. Can I help you find someone?”

I made myself get up, brushed off my jeans, and went toward the car.

”Hi,” I said. ”I'm looking for-”

DiDi was in the car.

And that was the last thing I remembered before everything went black.

forty.

Dang. It's kind of early in the morning for drama, don't you think? C'mon now. Be a nice little girl and get on up.”

Someone was giving me little slaps around the face. Then shaking me. Kind of hard. I didn't understand why. And then I remembered the yellow-eyed dog. And DiDi.

I opened my eyes. I was still on the ground. The blue car was parked next to me, and this woman was bending over me. She snapped her fingers a few times.

”Are you-” I tried to get up too quickly and my head spun again.

”Whoa there! Take it easy. I think you better come along with me. We'll get you where you need to go.”

Her face looked exactly like an older version of DiDi's, down to the little tilted point of her nose. And the pretty curve of her lip.

Mama.

”Let's get you into the car. My place is right up here, but it won't do anyone any good to have you fainting again.”

As she leaned over to support me, something about her reminded me of Lori. Lori on those late party nights when I'd have to babysit her.

She helped me into her car and drove up to a trailer that looked like maybe once upon a time it was really pretty. And now just hanging on to the last bits of pretty.

Out front, a chippy blue mailbox was hammered to a tree with a little stuffed teddy held on with a faded ribbon. It was wearing a T-s.h.i.+rt that said KEEP OUT! THIS BEAR GIVES HUGS! I thought of that nice drugstore clerk, Ida, and her little pink KEEP OUT sign. That day seemed like a million years ago. And a million miles away.

Mama parked the car and came around to the pa.s.senger side. ”Come on in now. I can't promise it's clean, but...” She opened the front door. ”Not so bad now, is it? Can you stand on your own?” When I nodded, she let go of me.

I couldn't help staring as she made her way to the kitchen, slipping off her coat and tossing it onto a faded sofa. I waited for her to look at me twice. For some kind of small piece of recognition to show in her face. ”I'm making you a cup of coffee-lots of sugar and creamer.” She looked me up and down. ”You know, you sure do stare a lot, baby girl. But then”-she did a little s.h.i.+mmy-”everyone stares at me.”

As soon as she had coffee brewing, she reached into a cabinet and pulled out a bottle, and it didn't take a genius to see that it wasn't coffee she was pouring into her own mug. She took a big gulp, and as she drank, she looked nothing like DiDi.

She picked up a pack of long skinny cigarettes and offered one to me.

”No?” She laughed and lit one for herself. ”Might as well start now. I did when I was about your age. Now tell me, what are you doing wandering around and fainting in the middle of the street?” She sat down on one of the two chairs and nodded that I should take the other.

A tiny ragged dog came padding up to her. She shoved it away with one high-heeled foot. It came back and she shoved it again. Hard.

I gasped and then coughed to cover it up. I didn't know what to say. How to begin.

”I...” I looked around the room, searching for an answer.

”Okay, take it easy. Let me get your coffee so you can get your mind back together.” She toasted the air with her mug. ”While I work on getting my mind back together.”

As she fixed my coffee, she glanced at my backpack. ”So what are you doing, some kind of school report or something?”

My mind started working. ”Yes, I'm-I'm-interviewing people-for a paper on-the Truth.”

”The Truth? What the heck kind of school paper is that?”

”It's a paper on the truth about-” I blinked and looked up. ”Names.”

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