Dogs were barking outside our house. They were hungry barks, but not like Chicken’s hungry barks. I saw them through the screen door. A woman was holding three leashes. They looked like the same dog that Darrell and Shar had. That dog escaped a lot, and sometimes he’d run home with a rabbit in his teeth. He’d get blood all over his chin and cheeks. Once I saw Aunt Erma rip the rabbit right out of the dog’s mouth. Then she tore off its fur and dropped it in a pot.

Behind me, Gloria was talking to the man in the tie. She yelled at me to come over. “My daughter got something else she needs to tell you.”

I saw Telly give the lady with the dogs one of Rowan’s T-shirts, and she pushed the T-shirt into their noses. Then I turned around and went next to Gloria. Her fingers dug into my shoulder.

“She got something to share. About Rowan. Company he’s been keeping.”

The tie man said, “I’m all ears.” He grabbed the flappy parts and shook them.

I think I wanted to laugh, but it wouldn’t come out.

“Tell the man what you told me. Exactly.”

I coughed. My throat was all squeezed up. I had to sit on the floor because my head wanted to float away. My heart was so sad and heavy I thought it was going to fall out. I knew I was a horrible sister.

“Is she okay?” he said to Gloria.

“She’s good. Just dramatic.” Then she shoved me with her knee. But not hard.

“He said Ca-Carl was nice.”

“Who said?”

I licked my lips. They were dry. “Rowan.”

“Carl?” He squatted down next to me. “Maisy? Who’s Carl?”

Gloria was frowning, shaking her head. “Tell him, miss.”

“He lives under the bridge. A man troll. But no goats tromping over.

Just me and Rowan.” I tried to smile. Maybe he would laugh.

He didn’t laugh.

“Can you please tell me a little more about this Carl fellow?”

“Me and Rowan went to visit him. He lives there. Just him and his dog, Girl. She gets to eat the biggest parts. Rowan said that was being nice, not being dumb. He had a big coat and a fire, and the smoke went in my eyes.”

My jawbone was hurting. Like I was chewing old gum. Rowan told Carl I was safe. “I’d trust her with my life,” he said. But he was wrong. I was a no-good blabber.

“What bridge?” the man said. I looked close at his tie. All the moons had pieces missing. When I was little, I used to think some of the moon had fallen off, but Rowan said it was still there. I just had to look super hard. I had to look in the shadows.

I pointed through the kitchen and out the sliding doors and into the woods.