Inside the house, her thoughts roamed in a disorganized jumble of past, present, and future. She pulled her phone from her purse. It wasn’t that late. Mom and Dad would be awake. Reese was right. She should get up the nerve and call.
Her knee bounced up and down.
The phone vibrated in her hand. The notification sucked the oxygen from her chest.
I gave you a year and a half of my life. The least you could do is have an adult conversation with me. Instead, you skipped town and changed your number. If I want you, you’re not that difficult to find. Save us some time and call me.
Heart pounding, Ivy dialed Cheryl’s number.
“Hey, Ivy. You settling in all right?”
“How did Seth get my number?”
Cheryl groaned. “He contacted you?”
“Just now.”
“Did you have him down as your emergency contact at the school? If you didn’t change it, somebody probably gave it to him. You and I both know he can concoct whatever story he needs to get what he wants.”
“I didn’t even think about changing my emergency info.”
“Whatever you do, don’t call him.”
Would he really track her here? Was there any chance she could call him and he’d really let her go? That the nightmare could really be over?
She ended the call with Cheryl and dialed, her fingers flying over the digits etched in her memory. The phone thrummed in her ear. Her throbbing pulse slowed.
“Hey, sweetheart.”
Ivy released the breath she held. Somehow the sound of his voice always calmed her, clearing her racing thoughts no matter what she faced. Ivy relaxed into the sofa. “Hey, Uncle Vee. I didn’t wake you, did I?”
“Nope. Just finished unpacking and now I’m kicked back reading that Robert Frost anthology you bought me. What are you up to?”
“I’m in town taking care of some things for Grandma. Would you like to come over and have dinner tomorrow? Like old times?”
He’d lived in Grandma’s house for as long as she’d known him. Always so devoted to making sure she was cared for. Ivy wasn’t the only one whose world had been turned upside down over the past several weeks.
Grandma always said that when the world was shaky you should stick close to the people you love. Advice Ivy had ignored for far too long.
CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN
SEPTEMBER 20, 1994
Harvey walked along Church Street humming a tune, the slight chill in the air hinting at fall’s approach. A smile snuck up on him. He’d carved the twelfth tally mark into the tree last night. Twelve days he’d succeeded in keeping Ivy safe.
As odd as it was, he was getting the hang of the little arrangement. The pastor kept to himself, so if Ivy happened to fuss, no one was around to take notice other than the elderly lady. And as long as she did her watching from inside the house, he didn’t worry about her hearing Ivy’s rare cry. Of course, it would be easier if the woman stopped trying to be so nice and left him alone.
He pulled his collar away and smiled down at Ivy. She wasn’t colicky like some of the babies from foster care. As long as he kept her fed and changed on schedule, she was an angel. It was almost as if she was as determined as he was to keep up this charade.
Sunlight winked in the dew as he rounded the final bend in the road. As always, he ensured his shirt was draped and didn’t cling to Ivy before climbing the church stairs.
The door was locked. He knocked. After shifting on the landing for a bit, he went around to the back door. Also locked. Now what?
“Yoo-hoo! Harvey!” Pearl waved him over from her front porch.
A weight slid from his shoulders and rested heavy in his chest. He muttered softly to Ivy. “All right, stay quiet and be still so she doesn’t think I have an alien growing in my gut.” He walked to Pearl.
“Pastor Thomas won’t be coming in today and asked me to watch for you. He hated that you’d have to come all this way, but he didn’t have your phone number.”
“Oh. All right.” He took a step back, ready to pivot on his heel.
“Wait, Harvey. He doesn’t have a list for you, but the trash is supposed to run this afternoon. Would you be a dear and empty the trash cans into the dumpster around back before you go? He said he’d pay you for the full day.” Her hand trembled as she held out the key.
He nodded and took it from her, trying to decipher the pinched expression on her face.
Thrilled with the prospect of spending the rest of the day with Ivy, worry-free, he turned toward the church.
“Harvey.” His name came out so abruptly it was as though it had pressed against her lips and jumped out against her will.
He faced her, and his heart did an odd stutter step in his chest at the moisture glistening in her eyes.
Her bunny-slippered feet shifted on the porch. “I’ll be right back. I have something for you. I’ve been meaning to give it to you. But, well, wait right there.” She disappeared into the house.
Pearl was always cheery and overly kind. But today she seemed on edge. He felt an odd sort of kinship with her evident anxiety. While he waited, he coached himself on a calm and polite response, no matter what she offered.
She emerged from the house holding a pair of new work boots in front of her chest. “I’d like you to have these, if they’re the right size.”
The soft quaver in her voice drew him forward. He held out his hands. A breath she must have been holding rushed out of her, and the creases around her eyes relaxed as she placed the boots in his hands.
“These are awful nice. Are you sure?”
She shrugged. “You’d be doing me a favor. They’ve been sitting at the back of a closet. Boots like these are supposed to be used.”
“Uh . . .” He glanced down at the boots. They were just a pair of boots, but the sound of her voice made it seem as if they had a heart and soul of their own.
“Harvey, please?” Her voice a whisper.
He managed a nod. “Yes, ma’am. Thank you.” He checked the boot size. Eleven. He swallowed. “They’re my size.”
Her smile trembled at the corners. “I’ve got things inside to tend to. Have a good day.”
He paused, his equilibrium off-kilter. He was the one who was supposed to be trying to get away before he lost control.
Harvey unlocked the church and walked through the handful of classrooms, emptying and replacing the trash bags. The classrooms had that old elementary school smell. No matter where he was placed over the years, the classrooms always smelled the same—books, glue, and something indefinable. He studied the crafts on the wall. Men in tunics and sandaled feet. One with a big boat and a lot of animals.
He continued on to Pastor Thomas’s study. His desk was impeccable, a mirror of the man himself. There were only a handful of wadded papers in the bottom of the wastebasket. Harvey picked them out and placed them in the larger bag.
Ivy squirmed against his chest. He unbuttoned the large shirt and left it open. He scooted the piece of fabric aside and kissed her on the head. She blinked at him and smiled one of her sleep smiles, making whisper-soft snuffles and squeaks.
“Little Miss, we have free run of the place. Let’s go visit the nursery for your feeding and changing instead of the gully this time.”