one of us had any answers.
When I climbed under the covers that night, I let Rufus get on my bed. I almost never did that, because Rufus had a tendency to cut farts that would choke a horse. Still, in spite of the risk of getting gassed, I needed his warm, furry body to cuddle.
I closed my eyes and had to concentrate hard to keep the image of that dead manâs face from rising up. Rufusâs clean dog smell and the steady sound of his breathing helped drive it away.
The other thing that helped was planning what I would do later on that week. Daddy had forbidden any more searching for Yemassee. He was only trying to protect me, and he was going to be really mad and really disappointed if he found out I had disobeyed. But I also knew he was taking a lot of risks himself by getting involved with Willieâs case, and when an adult is too stubborn to admit they need help, sometimes kids have no other choice but to disobey. Thursday was going to be the first day I wouldnât have after-school stuff, and I decided that afternoon, with or without Bee, I would take a riding tour. I tried to ease my conscience by telling myself I wouldnât be totally disobeying. After all, Daddy hadnât told me not to ride, just to stay close to Reward.
Leadenwah Island was a small place, and so anywhere I went on the island would be âcloseâ to Reward in most peopleâs minds. Bee and I had checked out Bishopâs Point, but we hadnât looked on Sinnerâs Point, and I knew that was one of the places Judge Gator liked to walk Yemassee. It made sense that if she had gone hunting that day, she might have gone back to some place sheâd been before, where she liked to sniff around. It had been a long time since I had ridden over to Sinnerâs Point and explored all the back roads. It was time to do it again.
Of course I would only be enjoying the beautiful scenery. If I just happened to spot a stolen Boykin spaniel, well that would be a complete coincidence. If I just happened to rescue the stolen Boykin spaniel, it would only be because, under the circumstances, it was the absolute right thing to do. Ditto if I just happened to spot the shorter man who had been in the truck that took Yemassee and told the police where to find him. After all, Daddy needed help, even if he wouldnât admit it, and Judge Gator needed his dog back. In my mind both of those things were important enough to risk disobeying a direct order from Daddy.
Seven
I n the morning Daddy did something else that shocked me: he drove Bee and me to school on his way to work. I sat in the front seat and watched him like a hawk, making sure he was okay. I felt bad about thinking it, but I almost wished he couldnât drive because it would mean he couldnât go to work very easily.
In the afternoon I had tennis practice, and Bee had volleyball, and then Grandma Em brought us home. Miss Walkerâs is a serious school, and since they believed in starting the year off with a bang, we both had a ton of homework. Daddy worked late, because in addition to Willie Smallsâs hearing, he called me to say that he already had another big case. I was afraid that was going to happen a lot. People thought Daddy was a great lawyer, and probably a lot of them had been waiting for him to get back to work.
I ate dinner at Beeâs house that night and also on Wednesday. Bee and I had a few classes together, like history and math, but I took Spanish and she took French, and then we played different sports, so we saw each other only for a few quick minutes between classes. Even at dinner we didnât have much chance to talk, because Grandma Em filled up the first meal telling us about her slave-graveyard project, and then on Wednesday Professor Washburn showed up for dinner.
He brought a little bouquet of flowers for Grandma Em, and from the way he smiled and jumped up from the table and pulled out a chair every time Grandma Em wanted to
When I climbed under the covers that night, I let Rufus get on my bed. I almost never did that, because Rufus had a tendency to cut farts that would choke a horse. Still, in spite of the risk of getting gassed, I needed his warm, furry body to cuddle.
I closed my eyes and had to concentrate hard to keep the image of that dead manâs face from rising up. Rufusâs clean dog smell and the steady sound of his breathing helped drive it away.
The other thing that helped was planning what I would do later on that week. Daddy had forbidden any more searching for Yemassee. He was only trying to protect me, and he was going to be really mad and really disappointed if he found out I had disobeyed. But I also knew he was taking a lot of risks himself by getting involved with Willieâs case, and when an adult is too stubborn to admit they need help, sometimes kids have no other choice but to disobey. Thursday was going to be the first day I wouldnât have after-school stuff, and I decided that afternoon, with or without Bee, I would take a riding tour. I tried to ease my conscience by telling myself I wouldnât be totally disobeying. After all, Daddy hadnât told me not to ride, just to stay close to Reward.
Leadenwah Island was a small place, and so anywhere I went on the island would be âcloseâ to Reward in most peopleâs minds. Bee and I had checked out Bishopâs Point, but we hadnât looked on Sinnerâs Point, and I knew that was one of the places Judge Gator liked to walk Yemassee. It made sense that if she had gone hunting that day, she might have gone back to some place sheâd been before, where she liked to sniff around. It had been a long time since I had ridden over to Sinnerâs Point and explored all the back roads. It was time to do it again.
Of course I would only be enjoying the beautiful scenery. If I just happened to spot a stolen Boykin spaniel, well that would be a complete coincidence. If I just happened to rescue the stolen Boykin spaniel, it would only be because, under the circumstances, it was the absolute right thing to do. Ditto if I just happened to spot the shorter man who had been in the truck that took Yemassee and told the police where to find him. After all, Daddy needed help, even if he wouldnât admit it, and Judge Gator needed his dog back. In my mind both of those things were important enough to risk disobeying a direct order from Daddy.
Seven
I n the morning Daddy did something else that shocked me: he drove Bee and me to school on his way to work. I sat in the front seat and watched him like a hawk, making sure he was okay. I felt bad about thinking it, but I almost wished he couldnât drive because it would mean he couldnât go to work very easily.
In the afternoon I had tennis practice, and Bee had volleyball, and then Grandma Em brought us home. Miss Walkerâs is a serious school, and since they believed in starting the year off with a bang, we both had a ton of homework. Daddy worked late, because in addition to Willie Smallsâs hearing, he called me to say that he already had another big case. I was afraid that was going to happen a lot. People thought Daddy was a great lawyer, and probably a lot of them had been waiting for him to get back to work.
I ate dinner at Beeâs house that night and also on Wednesday. Bee and I had a few classes together, like history and math, but I took Spanish and she took French, and then we played different sports, so we saw each other only for a few quick minutes between classes. Even at dinner we didnât have much chance to talk, because Grandma Em filled up the first meal telling us about her slave-graveyard project, and then on Wednesday Professor Washburn showed up for dinner.
He brought a little bouquet of flowers for Grandma Em, and from the way he smiled and jumped up from the table and pulled out a chair every time Grandma Em wanted to
Similar Books
