Brian Freeman - Thief River Falls

“Thank you,” Lisa murmured. “I really appreciate your coming over here like this. I’m sorry it’s so late.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Laurel replied. “I’ve told you before, I’m always around when you need anything. Day or night. Now let’s go inside where we can talk.”

“Can I ask you a favor first?”

“Of course.”

“Can you park your Bronco behind the house? Where no one can see it from the highway?”

Laurel cocked her head. “Okay, but why?”

“I don’t want anyone to know that someone’s here if they drive by. I’ve been keeping the lights off.”

Laurel didn’t protest or ask for an explanation. She got back into her SUV and started the engine again. Lisa heard the radio boom to life, playing a song she knew called “Little Talks.” Laurel routinely traveled all over the northland for her work, and she liked loud music to keep her company as she drove. She could also provide a half-hour analysis of the lyrics of just about any song. Lisa watched Laurel drive the Bronco onto the wet grass and continue past the house until the vehicle was invisible. Then the music shut down, and Laurel walked back to where Lisa was standing.

“There you go. Is that better?”

“Thanks. I know I sound paranoid.”

Laurel didn’t say anything to that. Lisa kept an arm around her friend’s shoulder as they headed into the house. Inside, Lisa locked the front door and led Laurel into the kitchen. They’d sat together in this room many times over the past two years. The only light came from the clocks glowing on her stainless steel appliances.

“Do you want tea?” Lisa asked.

“Sure.”

Lisa heated an electric kettle. When the water was boiling, she poured it into two mugs and dropped a pouch of pomegranate tea into each one. She brought the mugs to the wooden table and sat across from Laurel.

“I know I was cryptic on the phone,” she said.

“Yes, you were, but I’m here now, so fill me in. What do you think is going on?”

Lisa shook her head. “I wish I knew. A boy showed up outside my house. He’s alone and on the run, and I’m pretty sure he’s in trouble. He may be caught up in something dangerous.”

“Start at the beginning. Tell me everything.”

Lisa got up from the table and paced restlessly. She took a minute to gather her thoughts and then told Laurel what had happened in the past few hours. About the police and their guns and their thoughts of breaking into her house. About hunting for the boy in the backyard and finding him hiding in the barn. About his inability to remember who he was or what had happened to him. About the spent cartridge she’d found in his pocket.

When she was done she sat down again, feeling breathless. Her headache throbbed.

“Normally, the first thing I’d do is call the police,” Lisa said, “but the boy says the police may be involved in whatever’s going on. I don’t want to risk doing the wrong thing or talking to the wrong person and putting Purdue in more jeopardy.”

“Purdue? As in Thief River Falls ?”

Lisa gave a short little laugh. “It seemed appropriate.”

Laurel nodded, because she understood the irony. She eased back in the chair and sipped her tea without saying anything right away. That was how she always was. She didn’t rush in; she didn’t speak without thinking through what she was going to say. Laurel conveyed a sense of unflappable calm that Lisa envied, because her own emotions bubbled right below the surface and were always threatening to overflow.

They’d known each other casually for years, enough to say hello and share an occasional lunch. Both of them had worked at the hospital in Thief River Falls, and Laurel still did on a part-time basis. After Lisa’s mother, Madeleine, died in the accident, Laurel had offered to listen if Lisa ever needed to talk. Lisa had resisted for a while, but then she’d decided she needed a friend outside the family, and Laurel had proven to be someone with good ears and a kind heart. They’d grown closer as things in Lisa’s life got worse.

First her mother.

Then her father. Then her brothers.

Laurel was older than Lisa. She’d turned fifty in July, although she hid it behind careful makeup. She was tall and slightly heavyset, with a long, elegant neck. She kept her hair shoulder length and sandy blond, with bangs all the way across her forehead. Her nose and chin were both sharp and pointed. Her pale eyes were as intense as lasers, and she rarely laughed, no matter how much Lisa tried to draw her out with inappropriate jokes. The most she ever got from Laurel was a gentle smile and a little shake of her head. They were opposites in most ways, but Lisa had always felt that she could trust Laurel with her secrets and her life.

She watched her friend puzzle through what she’d told her.

“Is Purdue familiar to you at all?” Laurel asked. “Can you describe what he looks like? Does he remind you of anyone?”

“You mean, have I seen him before in TRF? No, I haven’t. I’ve spoken at the school several times, but I don’t remember seeing him there. He’s a beautiful child. A little small for his age. Sunny blond hair, amazing blue eyes. And such a strange, serious expression all the time. He’s a smart one. You can probably tell that I like him. I don’t always do well with kids, but Purdue and I seem to click. I guess he brings out the mother in me.”

“Is that so bad?” Laurel asked. “You shouldn’t run away from that feeling.”

Lisa laughed. “Me? We both know I’d make a terrible mother. My books are my kids, and it’s better that way.”

“I don’t know that at all. That’s simply wrong.”

“You’re sweet,” Lisa said. She took a sip of tea, but it was already cold.

“The boy,” Laurel went on. “Is he here? Where is he now?”

“He’s upstairs sleeping. I put him in my bed.”

“Can I see him?”

“Sure, but try not to wake him up. I told him I was going to bring over a friend to talk about what we should do next, but I’m afraid he might be frightened to find a stranger in the room.”

Laurel got up and left the kitchen. Lisa stayed where she was in the darkness. She listened to the thump of her friend’s shoes in the hallway and felt the subtle shifting of the house as Laurel went upstairs. Not long after, the footsteps started downstairs again, and Laurel came back into the kitchen.

“He’s a sweet kid, isn’t he?” Lisa said. “I don’t like to think about what he’s been through.”

Laurel looked thoughtful as she sat down. “When did you first see him?”

“Right after midnight. I saw the police officers first. There were two deputies from Pennington County, but I didn’t recognize them, which is odd. I know pretty much everyone over there. Mostly, I was concerned because they had their guns out.”

“Are you sure about that?” Laurel asked. “It was dark. Maybe you didn’t see what you think you saw.”

Lisa shook her head. “There was a bright moon. I saw it clearly. Seeing the guns made me wonder if they were really cops at all, although the county vehicle looked legit. Anyway, after they left, that’s when I spotted Purdue in the yard. I think he may have been hiding from them.”

“Did anything else unusual happen today?”

Lisa shrugged. “You mean before now? Not that I recall. I was in Thief River Falls all day. I got home pretty late in the evening.”

“What were you doing in town? Where did you go?”

“I was shopping. I still have a long list of things I need for the house. I got back after nine, and then I did a call-in book club with some readers in California.”

“Do you remember anything else about the day? Anything at all?”