River of Bones (21 page)

“Wait here and I'll check it out.” Wolf hiked to the spot, fighting through the weeds.

“Watch out,” I warned. “There's a rotten pig's head somewhere nearby.”

I jumped down from the log and walked closer, but stopped at a safe distance. Flies buzzed over the nearly devoured head, and a rotten stench filled the air.

“Yuk, guess we must have been downwind,” I said, plugging my nose. “You can smell it a mile away.”

Wolf ignored me, staring into the dense brush.

“What are you looking for?”

“Broken branches, to see if we can tell which direction she went.”

“I'm sure the police have tramped over it all by now,” I said.

“You never know. I'm a pretty good tracker, and don't miss much. I learned it from my uncle. He lived in the swamp his whole life. What most people never notice can be a valuable clue.”

“I wonder if she got turned around when she was trying to find the house at night?”

Wolf shook his head. “No way. This road is hard to find in the daytime with the bushes growing over the entrance, let alone at night. I think something might have led her here so you'd be left alone in that house.”

Even with the scorching heat, I shuddered at the thought of how close we both had come to dying.

The brush behind us rustled.

I gripped Wolf's shoulder. “What was that?”

Wolf's back stiffened and his hand fell to the knife on his hip. “Quiet,” he whispered.

The rustling sound grew louder. Closer.

My legs trembled.

Wolf grabbed my hand and held it tight. “Stay right beside me.”

“Don't worry.”

Footfalls echoed in the distance. Wolf wheeled around, searching for the source of the sound. We took another step. A twig snapped behind us.

“Come on,” Wolf said. “Let's head back to the truck. We'll start searching down the road a ways.”

We tramped through the swamp, searching shallow bodies of water and wooded areas until we gave up late in the afternoon.

I leaned back in Wolf's pickup seat and stared at the ceiling. Waves of defeat washed over me. I wanted so badly to find her lost and wandering in the brush, yet I was glad I didn't stumble across her dead body either. I wanted her to be alive, even if it meant she'd flaked out on me again and was with some guy.

We drove to Wolf's house in silence. I felt like I'd been sucked into a dark pit waiting for some horrible news about Mom. It was like living with some hideous creature crouching in the dark, waiting to jump out at you at any second. I wanted more than anything to be happy about finally having a home, even if it was ancient and creepy. And I wanted to be happy about having Wolf in my life, but until I found out what had happened to Mom, how could I ever be happy?

Wolf parked the truck under the shade of a big oak tree. Long chains of platinum moss dangled from its branches, waving like the arms of a giant octopus in the wind.

He tucked his shirt in and smoothed down his hair. “Let's not say anything to my mom about what's been going on. She'll freak out and I don't want to deal with her right now.”

Wolf reached for my hand. I took it without even thinking.

A hot, humid breeze blew through the trees, sending bits of white fuzz floating from the branches spiraling into the air. The heat of the day seeped into every fiber of my body, into every cell, threatening to steal my newfound strength. Whatever it took, I was more determined than ever to find my mother—even if all I had left were her beautiful bones.

Inside, Mrs. Bodine stood at the kitchen counter, putting a new filter in a coffeemaker. The aroma of freshly ground beans wafted through the room and energized me even more.

“Hi kids,” she said. Mrs. Bodine came around the counter and hugged me. “Oh honey, you look so much better. It's amazing what a little rest can do for a person.”

“Thanks,” I said. “It was so nice of you to take care of Benny. I hope he wasn't any trouble.”

She smiled and clasped her hands. “It's been wonderful having a little one around again. I just love kids, and your brother is such an angel. He's sleeping right now. Unless you're in a hurry, why don't you stay awhile and let him rest. Would you like to take a peek at him, while I make us a snack?”

“That would be great.”

Wolf's mom gave me a concerned look. “Any word about your mother?”

I shook my head, fighting back tears. “Nothing yet.”

“I know it's hard.” She patted my arm. “But try not to worry. I'm sure she'll show up soon.” She turned to Wolf. “Why don't you take Dharma to the guest bedroom so she can look in on Benny.”

We walked down the plush carpeted hallway, past pictures of Wolf at various ages, even his school pictures looked perfect, no awkward all-teeth and horrible-hair days for him. Thankfully Mom had lost most of my awkward school pictures. I hated those milky gray backgrounds, hair all wild from a lame plastic comb, and worse—that fake smile on my face from a photographer who looked like a serial killer. I mean, who can smile, for real, at a potential serial killer?

Wolf led me into the guest bedroom. On a twin bed, wrapped in a blue quilt, Benny lay on his side, curled up with a stuffed bear. His eyelids seemed almost transparent, his perfect lips like tiny rosebuds. I kissed his head and smelled fresh baby shampoo. He stirred slightly and let out a contented sigh. Sadness overwhelmed me. He looked like he'd grown a year since I'd left.

I kissed Benny again and headed upstairs with Wolf. Inside a tidy den, stocked with video games and an air hockey table, sat a large screen computer on a mahogany desk.

“Hey,” Wolf said, “now that you know the mansion is yours, what are you planning to do with that old place?”

“Live in it, I guess.” I wrapped my arms around myself. “Not that I'm looking forward to it. But I refuse to let what happened with Sabine run me off. It belonged to my family and now it belongs to me and I want to take care of it. The downside is that it's a cool old house, but it going to need a ton of work. More than what I could do.”

“I could help you fix it up, but some of it may not be repairable. The place is beyond ancient.”

“I know, but for now, it's all I have. I think once I get this last thing behind me, I can look forward to finishing school and getting on with my life. There's only one real worry. If Mom doesn't come back, what will I do with Benny while I'm at school? How can we even afford to live?”

“I think my mom will have you covered.”

“She's been great. I really owe her one.”

“Hey, how about me? Think about what I've been through.” He pressed against me, his breath hot on my neck. “Don't I deserve something?”

His eyes locked with mine and I leaned forward. Wolf cradled my head in his hands and took possession of my mouth. His lips were gentle against mine, almost as though he was holding back, afraid of hurting me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him toward me. My body silently telling him it was okay. I was okay. His hands worked through my hair, drawing me in even closer, kissing me hard. The world disappeared around us. Nothing else mattered. No one else existed. It was just the two of us alone in the universe and all my problems dissolved beneath his smoldering embrace.

“Wolf?” his mother called. “There's snacks on the table. I made sandwiches and root beer floats. Why don't you come down before the drinks melt?”

We slowly pulled apart. I could hardly breathe.

Wolf flashed me a wink. “On our way, Mom!”

I followed him downstairs and into the kitchen, floating on a cloud of excitement, my toes tingling. It all seemed too good to be true. But it was true. He had kissed me, held me. A million happy thoughts flashed, and then my heart fell. So many times I'd trusted and loved, only to be disappointed. I shoved the negative thoughts to the back of my brain, burying them in a haze of happiness. Not this time. This time it was different. We'd been through so much together, things would work out. I just knew it.

A stack of turkey sandwiches and two ice-cold floats waited for us on the table. I picked up a sandwich, my stomach twisting with hunger. I opened my mouth to take a bite, and hesitated. A weird sense of awkward washed over me. I hated eating in front of anyone, let alone Wolf. All my old insecurities came thundering back.

Wolf picked up a sandwich and took a huge bite. “Better eat while you can. Otherwise I just might have to hog everything down by myself.”

I laughed and brought the sandwich to my mouth, the tension in my shoulders fading. I took a small bite, then another and another. With each delicious nibble, I felt more at ease. “This is the best sandwich I've ever had,” I said with a mouthful.

“We've hardly eaten anything in the past few days,” Wolf said, reaching for another one.

“You kids eat all you want. I can make more.” Mrs. Bodine smiled. “I'm going to go check on Benny.” By the time she returned, I had started on my second sandwich.

“He's still sound asleep, bless him,” Wolf's mom said. She sat at the table across from me. “Honey,” she said, clearing her throat. “I wondered if you and Benny would like to stay here until we know what's going on with your mother.”

Wolf finished his drink and placed the cup in the sink. “I think that would be a great idea. We can go get your stuff now, while Ben's asleep.”

My stomach twisted, I suddenly felt like I couldn't breathe. I knew it was the best thing for Benny, but yet at the same time, it scared me. I didn't like leaving him again and I didn't like losing control. Because control made me feel safe. If I left the old house, it was like admitting that Mom might never come back. It was like giving up, losing my last bit of hope. My last foothold.

Wolf's mom reached across the table. “Don't worry honey, it's probably just for a couple of nights. But if it's longer, I want you to know you're welcome here.”

“Thanks,” I said, grateful for her kindness, yet painfully torn inside.

I helped clear the table and stacked the dishes into the sink. I turned on the faucet, letting the water splash into the sink, mixing with a thick coat of bubbly dish soap. Washing a few dishes was the least I could do for Wolf's mom. She had helped me so much. After I dried the last dish and put it away, Wolf and I set off for the old house. The thought of leaving Benny again tugged at my heart. But I knew it wasn't for long this time.

“I can't wait to get this whole nightmare over with.” I buckled my seatbelt. “It sucks being away from Benny. Hopefully Mom will show up soon.”

“It must be really hard since you've never been apart.” Wolf sighed. “That's the way it was with me and my dad. We did everything together. I still can't believe he's gone. Sometimes I still run home to tell him something, or pick up the phone to call and that's when I realize I'll never get to talk to him again. You'd think I'd learn.”

“I can't even imagine,” I said. “That would suck so bad.”

“What's hard is that it's just so final—done. I mean, it's like someone just erased his name from a chalkboard. One minute he was there and a second later he was gone— for good. All because of some stupid curse.”

I squeezed Wolf's arm. “At least you still have your mom and she seems really cool.”

Wolf's eyes narrowed and he leaned forward over the wheel. “Hey, something's up at the house.”

I peered out the windshield. My mother stood near the front porch next to a cop car.

“Omigod—it's my mom!”

We sped past the front gates and parked near the porch. Mom and the cop were shaking hands. My heart flipped. I climbed from the pickup and ran to her. “Mom, you're home! Where were you? I've been so worried.”

Mom looked away. “We'll talk about it later, Dharma.” She smiled seductively at the cop. “Right now I need to speak to this nice officer, alone.”

“What?”

She turned on me, narrowing her eyes. “You heard me. Go on. I'll be inside in a minute.”

I ripped my eyes away from hers and stumbled back. I couldn't believe it. All this time she'd been gone, and now she just brushed me off so she could flirt with the cop. I stormed inside and Wolf followed.

“Dharma, wait.” He caught me by the elbow. “I want to talk to you about something…in private.”

I followed Wolf inside and up the stairs to the landing. He turned to me and held my shoulders. “Dharma, I know you want to stay here. But why don't you think about what my mom said, about living with us.”

“I don't know,” I said. “I'm just so mad right now, I can't even think straight.”

“Think about it, seriously. I'm sure it's no problem if you stayed with us. Both you and Benny. At least you'd have a dependable home.”

“I'll think about it,” I said.

A loud bang came from downstairs.

I smelled something salty and meaty.