The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai

Author:Rebecca Makkai
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Penguin Group USA, Inc.
Published: 2011-04-18T16:00:00+00:00

23

One Light, Two Light, Red Light, Blue Light

As I drove, I made a list in my head of all the people who could link me to Ian’s disappearance. If the authorities got the slightest hint, one anonymous phone tip, they’d have their pick of witnesses now. My father would know to lie for me, but my mother would make a mess of it, and who knew what Glenn would do. Loraine, of course, would recognize Ian’s name on posters or in the papers, but she didn’t know quite how much time he spent with me. Tim the landlord would notice I was gone, but he wouldn’t know about Ian. I realized I should call and tell him I was out of town. Sophie Bennett, the teacher at Hannibal Day, was also a concern. She knew I was worried about Ian. But she knew the family well enough that she’d assume they’d locked him up somewhere. She was probably dying to tell me about it, asking at the library when I’d be back. If she started talking to Rocky, if he told her I’d vanished, that would be the worst. But nobody talks to Rocky.

Rocky could figure it out easily, all on his own. Maybe he already had. And yet somehow I wasn’t worried about him. Why was that? My stomach lurched. “Because he’s in love with you,” it said.

When Ian was in the bathroom at a gas station, I stood in the snack aisle and dialed the downstairs library extension on my cell, knowing Sarah-Ann would answer. She did.

“I’m just checking in,” I said.

“Oh!” I could picture her sitting there, surrounded by books she couldn’t figure out how to re-shelve, reading a magazine from upstairs. “Are you back?”

“No, I’m not—I think it has to be a few more days. My friend is very sick, and I’m helping with her children. It’s worse than I thought.”

“Oh, my heavens, well I’m sure you’re a blessing!”

“Can you handle everything for a while?”

“Yes. Well, we had to redo the computer, because things got in there backwards. But it’s just fine now, and yes, it’s wonderful!”

I wasn’t going to bother imagining what that meant. “And Chapter Book Hour is 4:30 on Friday,” I said.

“Oh dear, it is, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is. The Borrowers, by Mary Norton. The one about the little people who steal things. It should be in the top left drawer.”

“I don’t see anything but staplers!”

“That’s the right. Look on the left.”

“Oh, good! Where do I start?”

“Right where the bookmark is.”

“Now Lucy, you need to talk to Rocky. He was trying to reach you. Did he reach you? There was something terribly important. Shall I connect you upstairs?”

“No, I’ll call him. Tell him I’ll call very soon.” I hung up and bought Oreos and a box of tampons.

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