Four and Twenty Blackbirds (Eden Moore 1)

"Sort of. I found my father. "

"Really?"

"I mean, he's dead and everything, but I found him. "

"Oh. " I thought he sounded relieved, maybe a bit.

I went ahead and filled him in on the evening's events, leaving out the parts about Malachi being my brother and seeing him in the graveyard. Dave grunted agreeably at the narrative, finishing his coffee while I talked. I concluded with, "And then I saw you sitting here," bringing him as far up to date as I had any plans to.

He twisted his arm around in his bag's strap, then stood with it. "Does this mean you're ready to come home?"

I hesitated, but couldn't think of a reason to say no. Even so, I wasn't ready to run off to my room, pack up, and leap into my car. My hesitation was not lost on Dave.

"It isn't safe here in town, not with that boy still running loose. "

I wanted to point out that Malachi was in his mid-thirties by now, but it seemed superfluous. I wanted to insist that I stay where I was for a while yet, that I hadn't found out everything I needed to know, but nothing sounded practical or convincing.

Dave shifted his weight beneath the heavy bag, waiting for my response. He looked old and tired, his eyes sagging from concern or lack of sleep and the first starts of gray decorating his temples. He wasn't my hippie fudge buddy anymore, but he was still Dave, and he deserved more from me than ambivalence.

"I think I'm going to stay here, at least for another couple of days. They'll have Malachi before morning, and I'd like to talk to Tatie some more if I could. She got drunk and passed out before I managed to ask her everything I wanted. And maybe I'll go back to the cemetery in daylight or . . . " I glanced down at his camera bag. "I might take some pictures, or something," I finished weakly.

"That's your call. But just so you know, Lu's gonna hurt me when she hears it. "

"But you know where to find me now. " I sounded like I was pleading, and maybe I was. "I'm sorry I didn't call or anything, but I'll give you my room number and I won't change locations without letting you guys know. I promise. " I meant it, too.

"You should call Lu. "

"If I do, she'll just yell at me. She's probably not finished from yesterday. "

"She's worried. And she hasn't been feeling well. Let her yell. It'll do her good. "

"I'll think about it. What do you mean, not feeling well? She was fine last night. "

"She's a tough old birdie, she is. She's all right. Don't worry about her. "

"You take care of her, then. "

"I always do, don't I?"

"Yeah. "

"Call her," he said, patting my cheek. "I'm going to head on. My cell phone's in the car. On the way home I'll let her know you're alive, but you call her too. Let her hear your voice. " He slung an arm around my shoulder, squeezing me with a half hug. "Be careful. "

"I always am. "

"You and I both know that's not the case. "

"Yeah. "

He turned to leave, pausing at the door. "Good-bye. I mean it, be careful. "

"Maybe I will, and maybe I won't. But I sure won't do anything you wouldn't do. "

"Dear God," he swore. "Don't put it that way, or we're both screwed. "

I was about to hug him and send him on his way when I got an idea. "Hey, Dave?"

"Huh?"