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Chapters (65)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. 56
  59. 57
  60. 58
  61. Acknowledgments
  62. About the Author
  63. Books by Bobbie Pyron
  64. Back Ads
  65. About the Publisher

I catch a ghost of a smile on Noah’s face. “Sure.”

“Great,” I say with relief. “But I’ll need to stop by home first and get the locker key.”

Luz’s eyes gleam with excitement. “I bet she’s got a million dollars stashed in that locker. Enough to buy a big house for her and Baby.”

Karina laughs. “And maybe she’d let all of us live there too!”

Jerome snorts. “If she had a million dollars, why would she be living in a park in the winter?”

I know Jerome’s right. I just hope like everything there’s something in that locker to help Jewel. To tell us who she is.

33

Jewel

Jewel worries the threads of her blanket over and over until the edge unravels.

What was that woman’s name, the one who came in like she owned the world, like she knew everything there was to know, and told Jewel where she could and couldn’t live?

And so many questions!

“Where is your family?”

“When is your birthday?”

“What is your social security number?”

“How old are you?”

“What is your last known address?”

“Husband?”

“Sister?”

“Brother?”

Who are you, Jewel Knight?

Who are you?

Jewel watches the wind tear the last of the leaves from the tree outside her window. She longs to feel fresh air on her face and taste the sharpness of winter on her tongue.

She misses the sounds of birds, squirrels, the hiss of tires on the wet streets.

She misses Ree and Ajax, Jerry and Lucky, Linda and Duke.

Her family.

But most of all, every part of her aches for Baby. It is like a missing limb, an amputation, Jewel without Baby, she thinks.

Did she dream Baby was here?

Did she dream Baby covered her face with kisses and nested in her side like always?

And just yesterday morning, did she dream she heard a dog howl its heartbreak?

If she answers all those questions, where will they take her?

The only place she wants to be is together again with Baby, a pack of two.

34

Postcards

“I thought Fire was coming with us,” Noah says. Noah and I are on the subway headed for Country-Wide Bus Station 3, in search of something, anything, that will help Jewel and Baby.

I fiddle with the pouch holding the key on a string around my neck.

Fire was coming with us. Like always, she was all ready to go.

But then, just as I was about to leave, she knocked on our door.

“I can’t go,” she said in a voice that didn’t sound at all like Fire. Her eyes didn’t dance like they usually do.

“How come?”

She looked down at her hands. “Mama’s having one of her spells. She won’t get out of bed or anything.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I just said, “Gosh, I’m sorry.”