Family Ties by Ernest Hill

Author:Ernest Hill
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2010-09-01T04:00:00+00:00

21

With bated breath, I walked outside and leaned against the truck. Despair overtook me and I tilted my head back and gazed into the heavens. “Oh, God,” I sobbed. “Why is this happening? Why?” I turned and looked back at the shed, feeling hot hate rise in me again. No, I would not turn him over to the police. Not now, not ever.

I climbed into the truck and drove back to Brownsville. For a few hours, I lingered in my old bedroom at my mother’s house, listening carefully for any word regarding the police search for Little Man. Then at six-thirty, after I had heard nothing, I drove to Peaches’s house. When I reached the open door, I entered without knocking. She was sitting on the sofa attempting to grade papers. I could see her mind wasn’t into it.

“Are you alright?” she asked, snapping to her feet. Her voice was excited. Her roving eyes examined me.

“I’m alright,” I said, crossing the room and slumping onto the sofa.

“What happened last night?” she asked, sitting next to me.

“I went back to Lake Providence.”

“I expected to hear from you,” she said. “And when I didn’t, I nearly worried myself to death.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You should have called.”

“I know.”

“I didn’t sleep a wink.”

“I’m sorry,” I apologized again.

She touched my swollen face with the tips of her fingers. “It looks worse.”

“I’m alright.”

“I still think you should see a doctor.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“You could have a concussion.”

“I’m alright,” I said again. I leaned back against the sofa. She sighed.

A silent moment passed, then she spoke again. “Did you see him?”

“Yeah,” I said.

“How did it go?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

She sighed again.

“You aren’t really going to help him get away, are you?”

I didn’t answer. Instead, I rose and walked to the kitchen counter. My head was swirling. No, I did not want to talk, nor did I want to think. I looked at the clock. In a few minutes, this would all be over. He would be on his way to Little Rock.

“You are going to do it,” she said. “Aren’t you?”

I didn’t answer.

“What about yesterday?” she said. “You told me you would bring him in. Was that a lie? Did you lie to me?”

“No, I didn’t lie,” I said. “I just changed my mind.”

“I won’t let you do this,” she said.

“I’m going to help him,” I said. “That beating last night knocked some sense into me. I’m going to help him and that’s final.”

“Final.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Final.”

“Just like that.”

“Just like that.”

She paused and shook her head. “This is not right.”

“I can’t turn him over to the cops,” I said. “Not knowing what I know.”

“Please don’t do this,” she pleaded. She took my hand and looked deep into my eyes, beseeching me to listen to reason. “You haven’t thought this through.”

“Yes, I have.”

“No,” she said. “Maybe you’ve thought about his escape. But you haven’t thought about his life.” She paused and furrowed her brow. “How is he going to live?”

“That’s all been worked out,” I said.

“It has?”

“Yes,” I said.

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