“Trying to fool me,” Carl yelled. “I know my rights! I know my rights!”

I heard more smashing sounds. Explosions of glass. Then paper ripping. The flump of a heavy book falling. Plastic crushed into the floor. Girl kept whimpering and whimpering.

When silence finally came and stayed, I didn’t get up. I never even opened my eyes. I kept my face against the itchy fabric of the couch, and I don’t know how I managed it, but I fell asleep.

MAISY

When I woke up I went to the kitchen and got cereal and milk in my bowl by myself. I stirred it around and around with my spoon, but I only pretended to eat. I thought I’d see Rowan there, but he was still lost. And Jenny the Head was lost again, too. Even though I put the metal in my pocket when I got up, things were getting worse.

The man in the tie was talking to Gloria at the table, and they didn’t even notice me sitting at the counter. Today the man’s tie had fox faces all over it. Or it could’ve just been squares. Sometimes my eyes made things up.

Gloria was making coffee. The man waved his hand at her. “Just black, thank you very much.” She put it down in front of him. “Should we wait for Mr. Janes?”

“Telly darted home to bring back fresh clothes. He needs to have his things here.” She chewed on her thumb for a minute. “So he can stay.”

“Okay, then.” The man took a loud slurp of his drink. That was rude, but Gloria didn’t say nothing. “Well, there’s definitely evidence someone’s been living under the old stone bridge, Mrs. Janes. We found remains of a fire. Debris. Tin cans, empty bottles, grocery boxes and such.”

“Rowan wasn’t there?”

“The dogs got a strong hit, so we’re confident your son has, in fact, been at the bridge.” The man slurped more, and then he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Gloria didn’t say nothing about that either.

“And you just missed him?”

“It’s possible, but we can’t say with certainty. Was he there two nights ago? Was he there yesterday? You see, Mrs. Janes, the dogs can only give us a yes or no. We can’t get a time frame, unfortunately.”

“I see.”

“They tracked a path from the bridge to the upper road. Got a strong hit on the sign for Little Sliding. But the scent ends.”

“Just ends?” I saw Gloria’s mouth fall open, and the part between her eyebrows folded up. I could tell she was scared.

“Yes ma’am. It’s possible someone might’ve picked them up.”

“Hitchhiking? They could be miles away by now.”

“Or it could’ve been the heavy rain. We know he was there. And we know he’s not there now.”

“And that helps?”