All That's Missing by Sarah Sullivan Page B

tucked the ring in his pocket. Finally, he had a plan.
    1. Walk to Rader & Son.
    2. Sell ring.
    3. Walk to bus station.
    4. Buy bus ticket.
    5. Go to Edgewater.
    Wait a minute. There was one other thing. Why hadn’t he thought of it?
    6. Call Sam and tell him what was going on.
    He couldn’t leave without letting Sam know where he was going and that he would be back as soon as he could.
    On his way out the door, Arlo tapped the bottom of his pocket where the carving was safely tucked away.
Help me,
he thought, halfway believing in Poppo’s angels and spirits, hoping and
not daring to hope
at the same time that whatever was out there —
some part of his father?
— could hear him.

There was a dim glow in the back of the shop where Mrs. Rader and the dry-cleaning lady sat drinking their morning coffee. Arlo knocked, and Mrs. Rader came to the door. He showed her the ring and explained that he needed money for medicine. “Let’s have a look,” she said, leading him inside and over to the cash register.
    It was easier than Arlo had expected. She paid him seventy-five dollars for the ring. She didn’t even ask him many questions, other than, “What can I do to help?” and “Are you sure you’ve had breakfast?”
    â€œTell Albert I hope he feels better,” she said, ushering Arlo to the door. “And tell him I’m going to hold on to this ring for a couple of months.” She gave him a wink. “In case he wants it back. You just call us if you need anything. All right?”
    Arlo felt terrible lying to her. She was such a sweet lady. It was a shame he couldn’t tell her the truth, but he had to keep the water from crashing over his mud-and-stick dam. He had to get to Edgewater.
    Arlo tucked the plastic bag with the cash in his pocket and walked out of the store.
    There was one more stop he needed to make. He couldn’t leave Marshboro without telling Poppo good-bye.
    Arlo hid in one of the stalls in the men’s room until he figured the coast was clear. He waited for an opening to slip past the nurses’ station to Poppo’s bed in the ICU.
    Someone had combed Poppo’s hair, so he looked better. But he was still frail. His skin looked so thin.
    Arlo leaned down and whispered in his ear. “Hi, Poppo. It’s me. You doing OK?”
    Poppo seemed to choke for a second.
    Arlo sighed. This was harder than he’d thought. “Listen, Poppo. I have to go away for a little while. I need to find us some help.”
    Arlo watched Poppo’s chest rise and fall. For some reason, he felt sure Poppo could hear him, though there were no outward signs.
    â€œThe nurses are taking good care of you. This is where you need to be right now. But if I don’t leave, they’ll take me away. You understand?”
    â€œErp.”
    Arlo couldn’t tell if Poppo was trying to speak or if he was just having difficulty swallowing.
    â€œDon’t worry,” Arlo said. “I’ll be careful. There’s this lady named Miss Hasslebarger. She thinks I need to be in the children’s shelter while you’re getting well.”
    Arlo put his hand around Poppo’s hand, the one that didn’t have a needle sticking in it. He felt a slight pressure as Poppo’s hand moved. One finger inched over the back of Arlo’s hand. Or tried to. It didn’t quite make it all the way. Still, Arlo was sure that Poppo was telling him it was all right. He understood why he needed to go.
    â€œYou can hear me, can’t you?” Arlo gave his grandfather a hug. “Get well, OK? That’s all you need to do. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
    A sound came from his grandfather’s lips, barely audible, but at least it was
something.
OK, maybe it sounded like he was choking on spit. But still, Arlo could have sworn Poppo was trying to say the word
love.
    He pulled the blanket around Poppo’s shoulders. “I’ll