My Brother's Keeper (15 page)

“Give me the salmon and the corn.” Rudy did. “Thanks.” Ellis closed the box. Were they done? Rudy hoped so. He wanted to help, but packing was boring. “We’ll put the lunch meat and stuff in the cooler first thing in the morning, before we leave. Do you want to put this box in the truck?”

“I thought we weren’t taking the truck.” It was old, Ellis said. They were going to get a car that was like a library book. They could borrow it, but had to bring it back when they were done. Rudy tried to imagine what a library of cars looked like. Did they organize them by color? Size? Kind?

He organized his baseball cards by color uniform being worn in the picture.

“We’re still getting the car, but we have to go to the car rental place. If we put everything in the truck, we can just change it over to the car, rather than making another trip back here.”

It sounded like a good idea, even if Rudy didn’t completely understand it. But Ellis was always saying smart things Rudy didn’t understand. Most of the time, he just pretended he did. If he was smart, he could help Ellis do things, like take care of the house, buy the groceries, and clean. The times he tried, stuff usually broke.

So that’s why it was so important for Ellis to have someone to make sure his clothes weren’t wrinkled. The Big and Terrible was coming and Ellis would need Jon. But Jon wasn’t here because Rudy had found the duck smoker and broken rule number three.

Rudy hadn’t meant to make Jon leave. He’d picked up the key when it fell out of Jon’s blue jeans. Then he’d wanted to know where the key went. And, in the same way he won Go-Fish, the quarter game, and found things he wanted, Rudy found the duck smoker.

At times like that, Rudy felt smart. In fact, he felt smarter than anyone in the whole wide world. But it never lasted long and when it was gone, he couldn’t even remember why he felt that way to begin with.

Ellis crossed his arms and tilted his head. “Well?”

It sure was difficult to think about more than one thing at a time. “I want to help.”

“So, you’ll take the box?”

“Yeah.”

Ellis squeezed Rudy’s hands where he gripped the box. “Hold on to it. If you drop it, the jelly will break and we’ll have a mess.”

They wouldn’t have any jelly either. Unless they went to the store. Was the store closed like the card shop?

Outside, Rudy carefully walked down the porch steps and made it all the way to the truck without dropping a thing. It was good not to drop the box because the jelly would break.

Then they’d have to go to the store and the store might be closed. But he’d never seen the grocery store closed. Ellis said the card shop was closed. But maybe it wasn’t closed. Maybe it was like the grocery store and always open.

If it was, Rudy could buy some baseball cards to take with him when they left. Would the Big and Terrible be up north? It might be. It seemed like it was everywhere now. A balloon growing larger and larger with every breath.

When it popped, it was going to be really loud.

Ellis really shouldn’t have sent Jon away. He was supposed to be here to protect him. The
Big and Terrible
was going to be very angry when it found out about the light. Maybe it already knew? If it did, Ellis needed Jon right now.

Whenever Jon had taken Rudy to the card shop he’d given Rudy a dollar to buy a pack. Rudy had two dollars of his own, right in his pocket. He could buy even more cards than before.

But the card shop was closed, wasn’t it?

Rudy rubbed his temple. It was hard to remember sometimes. He could ask Ellis, just to make sure, but he was busy packing. It seemed like all they did was pack. It would be dinner time soon, but most of the food was in the boxes.

Did that mean they wouldn’t eat? They could go to the store, but it was closed. Wasn’t it?

Thinking sure made his head hurt.

Rudy stuck his hands in his pockets and the stiff dollar bills in his right one crunched against his fingers. Two whole dollars to buy cards, but Ellis wouldn’t be able to take him because he was busy packing and maybe making dinner. Or packing dinner.

No, that was silly. Ellis never packed dinner in a suitcase.

Too bad Rudy couldn’t drive because then he could go into town and make sure the card shop was closed. It wasn’t very far. It was really close when he rode in the truck. A little farther when he rode his bike.

Rudy held his thumb and finger apart. He examined the space. A ‘little’ really wasn’t very much. Why did it seem so much bigger when he rode his bike? It was still faster than walking.

He should ride his bike to the card shop, just to make sure it was closed. He could check on the grocery store too and let Ellis know if it was open. Just in case they needed to get anything before they went up north.

Before the Big and Terrible happened.

Ellis leaned against the window. Rudy had put the box in the truck and now stood next to it with his fingers pinched in front of his face.

If everything went as planned, they would be up north sometime in the morning. That’s when the real test would start. There was a chance Rudy would panic and, considering the reasons they were going up there, coming home wasn’t an option.

“One step at a time.” Ellis took his luggage to the bottom of the steps and then returned for Rudy’s.

Stacks of shirts and pants hung over the edge of the suitcase. Ellis took out several pairs and added socks and underwear.

A back pack lay at the foot of the bed. Ellis grabbed the straps, but the weight kept him from pulling it to his shoulders.

“Jesus, Rudy what did you put in here?” He unzipped it. The baseball cards were no surprise. Ellis checked the bulging side pocket. Inside were several sheets of folded paper. He took them out. Ever since Jon came into their lives, three smiling figures, all holding hands, was all Rudy drew.

How could a couple of days without Jon overshadow the months they’d been together?

Because Jon didn’t just love them, he’d been willing to die for them.

Ellis leaned against the shelf. He’d made a mistake. He’d made a terrible, terrible mistake. But worse, could that mistake be fixed? He had to try. And he would. Before they left he’d call Jon and talk to him.

Ellis took Rudy’s suitcase down the steps, left it beside the others, and went to the door.

“Hey, Rudy.” He pushed open the screen. “Do you think…” There was only the truck. “Rudy?” Ellis made a lap around the house. “Rudy?” Nothing but woods on one side and an empty field on the other. He clenched his trembling hands. “Calm down and think.”

The wind kicked up and a shower of golden leaves were swept from the tree branches. Ellis started around the house again and a sharp crack made him turn. The shed door slapped against the side of the building. There was a second crack as the weight of the door made it swing back shut.

No.

He wouldn’t.

The air thinned with every step Ellis took toward the shed. He caught the door mid swing. Yard care equipment and various tools surrounded the empty space close to the front.

He did.

“Goddamn it, Rudy.” Ellis ran back inside. The more people looking for Rudy, the better. There were only a hundred winding back roads going into town. It was unlikely he’d take one of them, but it wasn’t impossible.

The main road didn’t get a lot of traffic, beyond tourists browsing the scenery, but there was the occasional semi.

“Don’t even think about it.” If Ellis did, he’d fall apart.

He dialed George’s number. It rang twice before the answering machine picked up.

“It’s Ellis, Rudy’s missing. I think he may be headed into town to the card shop. His bike is gone and—”

There was a click then, “Ellis?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry, was out in the garage and couldn’t get to the phone. What were you saying about Rudy?”

“He’s gone. He was out front helping me pack the truck. I only looked away for a few minutes.” Tears burned his eyes. “Damn it. I told him a hundred times not to…”

“Ellis, it will be okay. I’ll call the station and let everyone know. We’ll get the word out. Don’t worry.”

“Why would he do this so close to dark? He’s afraid of the dark.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll find him.”

“Where do you want me to meet you?”

“I don’t. I want you to stay right where you are.”

“What? Why?”

“Now, Ellis. How many times have we done this over the years?”

“Three, four…what does that have to do with anything?”

“Try a dozen or more. Someone needs to be there in case he comes home on his own, like he’s done a few times.”

Ellis pressed his palm against one eye. The ache in his skull echoed his heartbeat. “Okay. I’ll wait here. Just please, please call me as soon as you find him.”

“You know I will.”

Ellis hung up and called Jon’s old number, but all he got was a message saying it had been disconnected.

Town sure was a lot farther away than Rudy remembered.

He came to a stop at the corner where the narrow road turned wide again. Nighttime had already settled under the trees and lightning bugs flickered over the high grass, growing along the shoulder.

It was definitely time to be in his room, wearing his pajamas, and covered up in bed.

But he couldn’t go home. The fear and worry about the dark was washed away by the urgency to keep going. Wherever it was he needed to be was important. Even more important than making oatmeal for Ellis.

Rudy took a left.

He passed houses and a barn. A field with goats. Overhead, the sky went from blue to indigo to almost black. The road forked and Rudy went right. This wasn’t the way into town. Rudy knew that in the same way he knew what cards to ask for in Go Fish and how to find the things he went looking for.

He kept going, driven by a desperation he didn’t understand. One that spoke to him from deep inside. Over and over it whispered. This is important. This is the most important thing.

That was because the Big and Terrible was coming and Ellis would need the light.

Shadows spread over the asphalt, in much the same way milk did when Rudy spilled it. And milk was good to drink. Especially with waffles.

They should definitely have waffles every day.

The street dead ended into a wider stretch of roadway. Yellow lines cut it in half and white lines were on the sides, just like the one in front of the house. Rudy squinted in the glare of an oncoming car. It passed and nighttime moved in.

He pedaled faster, hoping to catch up to the last bit of daytime outlining the trees on the horizon.

But then it was gone and there was nothing but the dark.

He didn’t stop. He couldn’t stop. He had to keep going because it was important. The air cooled and Rudy shivered. Too bad he didn’t have his hat because his hat always kept his ears warm.

A faint glow spilled out into the street up ahead. Just through a thin row of trees, were the big lamps they put in front of buildings.

He needed to go there. Wherever it was.

Closer, and a sign with a big blue M and piece of pie came into view.

There were more buildings on the other side. One of them had a blue neon sign in the shape of a moon.

Just a little farther and he’d be there. And being there was the most important thing.

Headlights cut a path around Rudy and the rumble of an engine followed. The truck moved to the other lane, but, instead of passing, fell behind him.

Rudy sped up and it sped up. He slowed down and the truck slowed down. The way the engine rumbled made Rudy think of lions and bears.

He was almost to the big M when the truck jerked in his direction. The bumper nudged the back tire and the front wheel slipped off the shoulder. Rudy turned in an attempt to stay upright, but the back tire went wobbly and his weight dragged him into the ditch.

His chin clipped the ground and road dirt chewed up his hands as he slid down the incline. The mangled rear wheel of the bike dug into the mud and the frame was tossed back. One of the handlebars clipped Rudy’s face, cutting a fiery line down his cheek.

He rolled several times before he came to a stop in the cradle of the ditch.

The bright red taillights on the truck flicked white, and the rumble of the engine inched closer. It stopped when the headlights illuminated the edge of the road.

Mud covered Rudy’s pants and there was a hole in his shirt. He picked at the shredded flap of material, but it wouldn’t go back in place. Now that his clothes were all wrinkled, people would think Ellis didn’t take care of him.

Rudy stood his bike up. The frame had crumpled around the back wheel and it wouldn’t roll. Ellis was going to be so mad. There wouldn’t be baseball cards for two months. Maybe more than two months. Maybe forever.

A door clicked open and thumped shut.

Since the bike wouldn’t roll, Rudy dragged it up the hill.

Hard soles scuffed the blacktop and a silhouette formed in the glow of the headlights.

With his bike broken, Rudy didn’t have any way to get home. Maybe it would be okay to ask for help even if it broke rule number one.

“You lost?”

Those two words raked icy fingers down Rudy’s spine, punched through his muscles, and drilled into his bladder. Rudy dropped his bike and turned to run.

The collar of Rudy’s shirt tightened around his neck and he was yanked back. He lost his footing, but the tension on his clothing kept him from falling.

Lenny dug his fingers in the soft spot under Rudy’s jaw. A line of pain crawled down his throat.

“I didn’t touch it.” Rudy wheezed. “I didn’t. I didn’t touch it.”

“Well, what do you know?” Lenny stank of beer and cigarettes. “Looks like it’s my lucky night.” “So, tell me.” Lenny cast a look past Rudy’s shoulder. “Where’s Queer Boy?”

“You shouldn’t call Ellis names, it’s not nice.”

“Why not? That’s his name.” Lenny curled his lips. “What about you? You remember your name, don’t you?”

“Rudy. My name is Rudy.” He tried to pull Lenny’s fingers off his throat.

“I thought we already had this discussion at the fair. Or don’t you remember?”