When he’d been a kid he’d dreamed up all kinds of adventures they were having. Reasons why they couldn’t come back for him. They were fighting in a civil war in Africa. They were saving children from harm in the Mediterranean. They were searching for gold off the coast of Finland.

By the time he was in his teens he decided they must be dead. Why else would they not come back for him?

Ketch dressed and pushed his feelings aside. He had one class he had to attend, then he planned to drop by Dr. Monroe’s office to make sure the survey was being mailed. Maybe he’d work in the Randall brothers’ office until time for his date.

The theme song of his life played in the back of his head as he walked to class. “Alone Again.” Maybe if he played it cool with Tuesday they would remain friends.

After all his dreams and plans, all he wanted to do was stay here in Clifton Bend. This was the one place he’d ever lived where he felt almost at home.

As he walked onto the campus, a weasel-size of a man stepped up beside him. “Hi, Ketch.”

“Hello, Wynn.” Ketch hadn’t talked to WW much since he’d seen him at the pizza place. But he figured the guy didn’t hold a grudge over them leaving him, or he’d have no one on campus to talk to.

“I hear you’re helping the sheriff to find out who is making those bombs.”

“I helped one day. I think it may have settled down. None found for forty-eight hours.”

“Good.” Wynn’s head bobbed as they walked. “I hope so. I really do. Someone could have gotten killed. My big brother says he’s afraid to go to work at the hospital since it is the only location that was actually bombed. He claims he’s working in the danger zone.”

Ketch didn’t say what he was thinking—that Bull was more than likely the bomber than the victim. After all, Bull was family to Wynn and family is family, even if they are crazy.

Ketch just kept walking and Wynn, for some reason, was almost running to keep up.

“I was thinking, Ketch, with us being friends and all, you might put in a word for my brother to be on the bomb squad with you guys. After all, he’s trained to be a guard.”

Ketch thought about screaming “Hell, no,” but then decided against it.

Wynn took Ketch’s silence as a good sign. “It would make Bull feel good. He’s not a bad guy, he just hasn’t found his place in the world.”

“You don’t think being a guard at the hospital is it?”