He found another passage in the book and read aloud, “‘If any creature could be called immortal it is the insect, which inhabited the earth millions of years before the advent of mammals and which will be here on earth long after intelligent life has vanished.’ “Garrett put the book down and looked up at her. “See, the thing is, if you kill one there’re always more. If my mom and dad and sister were insects and they died there’d be others just like them and I wouldn’t be alone.”

“Don’t you have any friends?”

Garrett shrugged. “Mary Beth. She’s sort of the only one.”

“You really like her, don’t you?”

“Totally. She saved me from this kid who was going to do something shitty to me. And, I mean, she talks to me. …” He thought for a moment. “I guess that’s what I like about her. Talking. I was thinking, like, maybe in a few years, when I’m older, she might wanta go out with me. We could do things like other people do. You know, go to movies. Or go on picnics. I was watching her on a picnic once. She was with her mother and some friends. They were having fun. I watched for, like, hours. I just sat under a holly bush with some water and Doritos and pretended I was with them. You ever go on a picnic?”

“I have, sure.”

“I went with my family a lot. I mean, my real family. I liked it. Mom and Kaye’d set the table and cook stuff on this little grill from Kmart. Dad and me’d take our shoes and socks off and stand in the water to fish. I remember what the mud felt like and the cold water.”

Sachs wondered if that was why he liked water and water insects so much. “And you thought you and Mary Beth would go on picnics?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.” Then he shook his head and offered a sad smile. “I guess not. Mary Beth’s pretty and smart and a bunch older than me. She’ll end up with somebody who’s handsome and smart. But maybe we could be friends, her and me. But even if not, all I really care about is she’s okay. She’ll stay with me till it’s safe. Or you and your friend, that man in the wheelchair everybody was talking about, you can help her go someplace where she’d be safe.” He looked out the window and fell silent.

“Safe from the man in the overalls?” she asked.

He didn’t answer for a moment then nodded. “Yeah. That’s right.”

“I’m going to get some of that water,” Sachs said.