The sun had dropped down in the Berkshires. The breeze was gone too. Leo sat in the passenger seat of the Valiant and looked up at the orange and purple streaks in the sky over the hills just before Jim drove quiet through the dark of the covered bridge and turned left onto the gravel. The water was still high in the poplars but the road was dry. Leo felt more calm than he had in days. Things were really coming together now: Allie wasn’t a Mystery Girl anymore, Chick was coming home, Dwight and Olin had left town, and Jim knew everything.

When they drove up Spoon Hill Leo’s heart picked up some, but not much. The Donovans’ cabin looked peach-colored in this light. The Star Chief was parked in front of the flatbed, and on the porch sat little Christopher in a shirt and diapers, pushing a small toy truck back and forth in front of him. He didn’t look up as Jim and Leo got out of the car. Leo tucked the back of his shirt into his pants and followed Jim, who stepped around Christopher and knocked on the frame of the screen door. Leo’s mouth was dry. He squatted and put his finger in front of Christopher’s truck. The boy smiled up at him, then laughed, pulled the truck back, and rolled it at Leo’s hand. Leo could smell chicken frying inside. He heard it sizzling too. Then he heard Mrs. Donovan’s voice at the door saying, “Oh. Please, come in.”

Allie’s door shut as they walked inside. Mrs. Donovan was wearing that long African-looking afghan again, the one with all the sunset colors in it. Her hair was pulled up on top of her head and she wore no makeup whatsoever. Leo was glad his father had changed out of his coveralls into good pants and a short-sleeved shirt. They followed her onto the knit rug in front of the fireplace. She turned on the lamp next to the couch.

“Have a seat, I’ll just shut off the fire. Would you like anything to drink, Mr. Suther?”

“No ma’am, thank you.”

Jim and Leo sat on the couch facing the empty hearth. Jim folded his hands in his lap and looked up at the bearded man’s face over the mantel. Leo watched as Chick’s wife turned off the stove and then walked right into Allie’s room without knocking. She closed the door behind her and Leo hoped Allie would hurry up and rise to this challenge like he knew she wanted to. The hard part was over; Jim already knew. I probably should have called her first though, he thought, so she’d know this already.