Brian Freeman - Thief River Falls

“No. Look, I know what you’re getting at, because that was my first thought, too. I wondered whether Purdue stowed away in my pickup sometime during the day while I was in town, but he says no. He claims he was in a different truck and escaped when it stopped. I also don’t think he came here specifically to find me . It was just luck that he wandered across the fields and found my house.”

“Luck?”

“Well, luck or fate or whatever you want to call it. Anyway, the question is, What do I do with him? The boy’s here, and he’s all alone. I want to help him. I feel like he needs protection.”

“How about we talk to the police together? You and me. There’s safety in numbers.”

“I appreciate that, but I want to have some idea what’s going on and who’s involved before I do that. Until then, I think it’s better that no one know he’s here.”

“What about going to the hospital?” Laurel asked. “You know everybody there. They’re your friends.”

“Sure, but if we take him there, they’ll have to report it. Plus, I think he’ll run. Hospitals scare him for some reason. He said if he goes there, he’ll die. Why would he say that? What happened to him? There are too many mysteries here, Laurel. I want to get some answers before I’d feel comfortable handing him over to anyone else.”

“And how do you plan to do that?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. That’s why I called you. I don’t know what else to do, and I don’t have anybody else who can help me.”

Laurel reached across the table and took Lisa’s hand. “Well, I’m glad you called. I’m always here for you. But it’s not true that you don’t have anyone else in your life. You have a brother, too. Have you called Noah?”

Lisa shook her head. “That’s not an option.”

“When did you last talk to him?”

“Not since he left. You know that.”

“So more than a year ago?”

“Yes.”

“Has he left messages for you?”

Lisa shrugged. “When he does, I delete them.”

“But you still have his number, don’t you?”

“Assuming he hasn’t changed it. Look, Laurel, I don’t even know where Noah is now, and I don’t care. He bailed on me. He couldn’t deal with it, and he left, and all he did was leave me a note. He didn’t even have the guts to say it to my face. He left me to handle everything myself. He’s a coward. I never want to see him or talk to him again. Ever!”

Even a year later, her anger was never far away. It was buried below the surface, but not so deep that it couldn’t escape.

Laurel was patient and let Lisa’s anger soften before she went on. “I’m not excusing what Noah did by leaving. Not at all. But people deal with loss in different ways. Not always healthy ways. Sometimes it’s just too much for one person to handle, and they snap. All I’m saying is, you may want to give him another chance. He might surprise you this time. He’s still your twin brother. And he was Danny’s best friend. I think you should tell him what’s going on with you.”

Lisa heard a roaring in her head again, as if she might faint. She didn’t want to have this conversation about her brother. Not now. Not when she was worried about Purdue. She got up and went to the sink and poured a glass of cold water for herself, and then she stared out the window at the empty darkness. “There’s nothing Noah can do for me.”

Her friend sighed with resignation. “Okay.”

“I’m sorry, Laurel. That’s how I feel.”

“I know, and I don’t blame you for that. I’m just trying to help.”

“Thank you.”

Laurel got up from the table. “Look, it’ll be daylight soon. I’ll make a few phone calls and see if I can figure out the best way to deal with this situation. In the meantime, why don’t you lay low until I call, okay? The best thing to do is just stay home and stay out of sight.”

Lisa came away from the window and gave her friend another long hug. She could feel Laurel hesitate about hugging her back. Her friend didn’t deal well with expressions of emotion. “I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Lisa said.

Laurel separated herself and responded with a tentative smile. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Okay.” Lisa took Laurel’s arm and held her back before she could leave. “Hey, one more thing.”

“What is it?”

“If you’re asking questions about Purdue, be careful,” Lisa told her. “Don’t say too much to anyone else about what’s going on. I know you may think I’m crazy, but I really don’t know who we can trust.”

When Lisa went upstairs again, she discovered that Purdue wasn’t in bed.

The blankets were rumpled, and his clothes were gone. She checked the bathroom and closet, but there was no sign of him anywhere. She realized that the boy must have slipped downstairs while she and Laurel were talking in the kitchen, and he was so light of foot that they hadn’t heard a thing. He was an escape artist who’d escaped again.

Lisa ran back to the first floor. In the foyer, she felt the slightest draft in the hallway that led to the rear of the house. The cool air led her to the back door, which opened onto the empty land stretching for miles behind her property. The door was closed, but the lock was undone, and she could feel a breath of wind through the frame. She opened the door and went outside, trembling in the chill. The breeze swirled her brown hair.

All she could see around her were the barren fields and the craggy trees dotting the landscape like soldiers. Somewhere back there were rivers and roads, parks and railroad tracks, leading as far as Canada. Purdue could be anywhere. There were no footprints this time to give her a clue about where he’d gone. She shouted for him over and over, but got no answer. He’d run away.

In a fog, Lisa went back inside the house. She returned to the kitchen with a heavy heart and made more tea, but she still didn’t turn the lights on. There was an emptiness around her now that she hated, and it felt as if it would never go away.

Part of it was losing the boy. Part of it was Laurel’s mention of Noah.

Her twin, born six minutes after her. Her brother who, like Purdue, had run away from home and left her behind.

She fished her wallet out of her pocket and took out the handwritten note that was folded inside. She still kept it there. She’d read it a thousand times, and every time it made her angry. She went back and forth between screaming and crying whenever she saw it again.

I’m sorry, Lis. It’s too much for me. Too much death. Too much grief. I can’t deal with the Dark Star anymore. I hate to leave you, but I have to get away from this place. If I don’t, I think I’ll lose myself completely. Don’t hate me, okay?

Her brother. A selfish man-child who made everything about him. Not a thought to what it meant to her to go through it all alone. No, she never wanted to hear Noah’s voice again. Her family was gone.

“Hey, Lisa.”

Her head snapped up. She saw a small figure standing among the shadows in the kitchen doorway. It was Purdue. He was back. She felt a warm rush of emotion, like sunshine pushing away the white clouds.

“Oh my God!” She hurried to him and swept him into her arms. Then she knelt on the floor in front of him and took his hands. “Where were you? Where did you go? I was so worried about you!”

“I hid. I’m sorry.”

“I looked everywhere and couldn’t find you!”

“I went into that little cottage outside with all the books. I waited there until I saw the other lady leave.”

“But why did you hide?”

“She scared me,” Purdue said.

“Scared you? No, no, Laurel’s my friend. You can trust her. She’s one of the good guys.”