Then his face went red. “I just wish we could have your brother here, too. I wish that. More than anything.” His eyes turned watery and he put his fists in them. “Damn,” he said and stood up. Then he went to the back of the diner.

“Oh,” Dian said. “Your dad’s so distraught. I don’t know how he’s keeping it all together.” Then she touched my hand. “And you, Maisy? Are you doing okay? It’s such an impossible thing you’re all going through. With your brother.”

Maybe it was because my stomach was full of warm br-lunch. Or because when she smiled her eyes looked sad. Or because her peachy dress was so pretty. I told her how sweet the milkshake was. And about Gloria sleeping all day when she wasn’t at work. I told her about the dead bird me and Rowan buried. And that Shar was my best friend and she said she could swim down and find Rowan. And I told her how much I missed trying to figure out his skin map. And that I kept a little picture of Rowan under my pillow. And how Jenny the Head didn’t have a body for her heart, and I kept losing her. And that there were wolves in the woods behind our house. And how Gloria thought Mrs. Spooner watched our house, and her cats used Shar’s broken-down sandbox as a litter box. And that I didn’t want them to find Rowan in the water because then he could never come home. I was going to tell her about Rowan standing out in the bad storm, but I stopped. Instead I told her about Shar’s cousin, Darrell. How he was tall and had an earring and a leather bracelet and a motorcycle and how he told Shar to shut up because she was stupid. The lady giggled a little bit. I knew I said too much about Darrell. I said too much to Dian.

Dian wasn’t listening to me no more. She was looking at a man standing next to Telly, who had got back in his seat.

“Tony here’s a volunteer fireman,” Telly said to her. “I fixed up his car.”

“You sure did,” he said. He had on a ball cap. It was the same red as the one Rowan always wore. “Gave me a great price, too.”

“Just trying to do good,” Telly said. The lady bent her head over. She smiled at him.

“I’m sorry, man, about your boy.”

Telly took a deep breath. “Yeah, they got that bastard locked up. An institution a hundred miles north. Got to evaluate him, they’re saying.”

“Figures. Taxpayers’ money, when that type should just be taken out and shot.”

“Yeah.”

“Do society a favor. No loss there.”

“That’s for sure.” Then Telly said to Dian, “Tony’s involved with the dive.”

“Oh my,” she said back. She shook her head.