“Okay.” I picked up my pace and left Peg behind, intent on getting to the maze and finding my little brother. I had a feeling he was hiding in there somewhere waiting for me.

After a few twists and turns in the maze, I realized Vance was heavy on my heels. “Stop following me,” I growled out.

“You’re going the direction I want to go,” Vance growled back as several boys darted past us. One knocked into my shoulder and had Vance yelling out at him, “Watch it, kid!”

I motioned for Vance to go around me. Once he did and took a right, I took a left in hopes of losing him. My focus needed to be on finding Raleigh and that couldn’t be done when that man and his familiar cologne were following me.

The maze was tricky, and I’d have to commend Pa for helping design it if I ever found my brother and our way out of the blame thing. It definitely reflected the arduous puzzle that had become our life with Dave Foster. Twist after twist. Turn after turn. Dead end after dead end. All the while, I called out Raleigh’s name. Not quite in a holler, knowing he wouldn’t answer, but wanting him to know I was near.

Panicked and freezing, my searching grew desperate, going as far as tearing down a section of cornstalks when I thought I heard my brother. It turned out to be two teenage lovebirds sneaking a kiss. Spinning away from them, I darted down another path.

Finally I heard Vance call my name somewhere off to my left. I cut through another wall and found Vance crouched down beside Raleigh, where he was cowering in a corner, rocking back and forth, cheeks wet with tears.

“I’ve worked up a sweat, trying to find my way out of this crazy maze,” Vance was saying. “Your daddy sure knows how to design one of these things. You mind wearing my coat so I don’t have to carry it?” he asked as he shucked off his coat. It made little sense to me until he managed to get Raleigh to stand and pull on the flannel coat. The tail of it was long enough to cover the dark stain on the front of my brother’s jeans.

My heart sank even as it swelled, witnessing Vance offering my brother compassion by helping to conceal his humiliation.

I decided to give no words to any of what had happened and instead focused on getting everyone rounded up. After telling Peg to drive them home in the Silver Bullet, I walked to the truck with a bone-tiredness settling in. Luckily, in the last year or so, Peg had finally gotten used to working the pedals with his left foot. It was nice to have someone else to help me out with the driving duties.

“Austin.”