“A T-shirt. A white one and it had a donkey on it, kicking out its back legs.”

“Well done, Maisy. Anything else?”

“Shorts. His jeans.”

He wrote down what I said. “Was he wearing shoes?”

I shook my head. I knew for sure because the rain was hopping all around his bare feet.

“Shoes missing, Mrs. Janes?”

“Not that I can see.”

“Okay. This is all useful. It’ll help us get a description out.”

—

The phone was ringing a lot, and Gloria was talking and Telly was talking, and then there too many people in our house. Neighbors were coming in and out. In the kitchen, Telly was scooping coffee into mugs. Gloria was right next to him. He gave her a hug and kissed her on her hair. Gloria’s face went sort of happy. I heard a shish when he poured water over the powder. “What don’t get in their heads, hey?” he said to a policeman.

Chicken was under the kitchen table. He was pretending he was asleep. I could tell he was tricking because he kept opening up one brown eye. And when I went out on the front porch, he followed right behind me. He was missing Rowan, even though his belly was empty and that made him Gloria’s dog.

I sat on the top step in the spot with no nails. There was a bunch of people outside, too. It was getting dark already, but a man had papers smoothed out on the front of his car and he was shining a flashlight on them and pointing. Telly came out and started talking to him about going into the woods again. To find Rowan. When I looked where they were pointing, the trees were black and wiggling. If I was brave like Carl said I’d go into the woods, too. I’d find him and Girl, and Rowan would be right there.

Chicken stood up and wagged his tail and blinked his eyes. Gloria was behind me. She sat down next to me.

“Things are going to right themselves with Telly,” she said. “I just know it. He hasn’t called that woman once, you know.”

I nodded and bit my fingernail. There was a tiny sharp piece on my tongue Gloria smacked my hand. “I know you got something in your head,” she said. She pushed in close to me and put her mouth next to my ear. “I can tell. You’re keeping things from me.”

My hands went all tingly and my tongue got thick. Rowan made me say it. He made me swear on Telly’s future grave. I slid my hand into my pocket and squeezed my little piece of metal.