Gloria squeezed my arms. “Are you trying to drive me completely bonkers, Maisy Janes? I get back from work and you’ve vanished. You know what happened in there. You think because they got that man in jail it’s safe to trot around? Well, it isn’t. What if there’s another one of him? Did you think of that? Or a hundred? Like animals. Like wolves.”

I shook my head fast. And swallowed. The crying was still right behind my eyes wanting to explode out.

“Why’d you go in there?”

“Following Shar,” I said. I didn’t say nothing about the woods or the bridge or the tinfoil hat.

“Last thing I’d be doing is following a twit like Shar.”

“I didn’t mean to.”

“I can’t take much more worry,” she said. “I’m nearly gone inside.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Tears poured out of my eyes, and she held my wrist and marched me across the grass. When we got inside she told me to sit in a chair and not budge an inch. She even called Telly on the phone.

“Yes, it’s me again. Don’t you even care where your daughter’s been?”

MAISY

The next morning Gloria told me to put on the blue dress I wore when I was on TV. Telly was going to come and get me. “He’s taking you out somewhere,” she said. “To talk some sense into you.” I brushed my teeth and my hair and I went downstairs. Gloria was coming up from the basement. “Hurry up. He’ll be here any minute,” and she dropped a zipped-up bag by my feet. It sounded like rocks were inside. “You can tell him that’s the last of them. Seeing as he cares so much.”

“About what?”

“His guns. Now he got no reason to step foot in my house.” She pinched my chin and leaned down close. “And did you know? Gloria wants to tell you something. I’m going to do up a surprise down there. Make our basement into an amazing spot when it’s finished.”

“Really?” I smiled as hard as I could.

“After all we’ve been through, miss, you bet I’m doing something special. I’ve got big plans.”

I hugged Gloria tight as I could. Then I put on my shoes and picked up the heavy bag and walked to the bottom of the circle. Gloria told me to stand there because she didn’t even want Telly coming down her driveway. When I turned around I could see her face in the kitchen window. She was frowning. The truck came, all shiny, and Telly got out. He ran around and opened the other door for me and I climbed in and dragged the bag up on the seat.

When he got back in he said, “What you got there, Miss Maisy?”

“Guns,” I said.

“Jesus.”