Run Away Baby

“Awww, you lost your little dog! That’s sad,” said Meggie. “What kind of dog is he?”

“He’s a mutt,” said the woman. “Spaniel and collie mix is our best guess. Little guy. No more than thirty-five pounds.”

“Thirty-five pounds? That’s not that little,” said Meggie. “I’ve got kids smaller than that.”

“He goes by the name of Charlie,” said the woman.

“Charlie. That’s funny!” Meggie exclaimed.

Rake interrupted her before she could continue on about what a coincidence it was. “We haven’t seen him, but if we do we’ll let you know.”

“Why don’t I write down my cell phone number for you,” said the woman. “I’ll go get a pen and some paper out of my purse. It’s in the truck.” She passed by the shed again.

Without her chaperoning him, the man became more aggressive: “You know, we’ve lived on the other side of that hill for two years now. I can’t say I’ve ever seen anyone down here that whole time.”

“Really?” said Rake.

“Well, with all the ‘no trespassing’ signs all over the place, most people know to keep out of here.”

“Who do you think put up all those signs?” asked Rake. He seemed to be closer to the shed now. They sounded like they were all just on the other side of the wall.

“I’m only asking. A man can ask a question about the land that borders his own land, right?”

“I don’t see how you think it’s a good idea to ask anything of someone you never met before,” said Rake. “I asked you who you thought put up those signs. Since it wasn’t you who put ‘em up, since you’re asking about them, we both know you’re trespassing. Now me, and her, who can say? But somebody put up those signs, and it wasn’t all of us, so somebody standing here right now must be trespassing, right? And either it’s you and me, or just you. Which do you think it is?”

Abby decided that in a roundabout way, his accusations kind of made sense. Mainly though, he sounded like an idiot.

As quickly as the man had grown bold, he backed down: “I don’t know. I certainly don’t since we’re still fairly new to this area. Do you know whose land this is?” He was trying to sound normal, trying not to squeak or stammer. There was goopiness to his voice now. A humpty dumpty dorkiness to it. At first he had sounded like some educated, wimpy, non-local who had thought he could outsmart the local riffraff by pretending to be a Wild West marshal. But now he was switching to the safer character of good cop in a scene missing the necessary bad cop.

“Do I know whose land this is?” Rake repeated, incredulous. “I’ll tell you what: Do you know whose land this is?”

“Well, no, that’s why I’m asking,” said the man. Backpedaling.

“Here you go.” It was the woman’s voice again, the shuffle of footsteps in tall grass. “I wrote it on a McDonald’s napkin. I hope you can read it. Call anytime, no matter how late it is.”

“Yeah, we’ll call you if he turns up,” said Meggie. “I lost my dog once. I was about seven or eight years old…”

“They don’t want to hear your story,

” said Rake, cutting her off.

“We’ll leave you two be,” said the woman, “but if you find our little dog, please let us know.”

“Yeah, we will,” said Meggie.

“You two have a good night,” the man said to Rake and Meggie.

“Thanks. You too. I hope you find him,” said Meggie.

“Thanks,” said the woman. With Charlie’s hand still pressed over her mouth, Abby listened as they returned to their vehicle. She considered breaking free and yelling, but she didn’t. She couldn’t. She would be right back with Papa Rottsy this time tomorrow if she did. They listened to the sound of Rake and Meggie retreating back toward the fire pit, and the sound of another beer being opened.

“Good girl,” Charlie whispered to Abby when he heard one car door and then another slam shut.

He loosened his grip on her. She squirmed away and starting whispering, as fast as she could: “Don’t let anything happen to me. I’ll get you all the money you want, but only if it’s between just you and me. I can get you more money than you’d ever imagine. But it has to be…”

He clamped his hand over her mouth, pulling her head against his chest. “They’re still out there,” he whispered in her ear. “They haven’t left. You need to shut up.”

She nodded as much as his strong arms would allow. They heard the people’s vehicle starting, and the sound of gravel crunching as they slowly drove away.