Damon could be gone.
Forever.
And there was the real and terrible possibility that Nana Mama, Jannie, and Ali would soon be gone.
Forever.
That word—forever—had released a wave of anguish that broke my resolve and my faith, and I’d curled up in a fetal position, feeling like I’d been gut shot and sobbing like there was no tomorrow.
But when I’d awoken to Gloria Jones pounding at my door and seen the video, I’d taken heart. It was totally convincing. For all intents and purposes, Atticus Jones had died there onscreen. For all intents and purposes—
“Do you think he’ll let one of them go?” Ava asked, shaking me from my conflicted thoughts.
“We can hope so,” I said. “But I’m not counting on it.”
“So what are you going to do?” Gloria Jones asked. “Just sit here and wait to see if a member of your family shows up somewhere?”
“Ball’s in Mulch’s court,” her father said. “Not much else he can do.”
I thought about that a few moments and then shook my head. “I think I’ll go to the Berkshires, try to figure out how Damon was taken.”
“That’s a ten-hour drive, at least,” Gloria Jones said.
“I’ll fly out of Pittsburgh, go to Albany,” I said. “His classmates and teachers should be returning today from their Easter break. Classes start tomorrow.”
I knew it was a weak angle, but I got to my feet anyway; it was the only one I could see at the moment. Looking over at Ava, I said, “You still in?”
She nodded, but then bit her lip. “Could I ask Mr. Jones one more thing before we leave?”
The old detective’s eyes were closed; his breathing was shallow, and he looked so frail, he put me in mind of a baby bird that had fallen from the nest.
“Dad?” his daughter said in mild alarm, getting up from her chair.
“I haven’t given up the ghost yet, Gloria,” her father said with his eyes still shut. “What can I do for you, young lady?”
Ava asked, “Did you ever track down Mulch’s mother?”
Jones’s eyes opened and he looked at her, puzzled. “Why?”
Ava shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe he contacted her? I mean, Little Boar abused her too. She left because of that, right?”
The old detective cocked his head in a way that indicated he’d never seen that angle, and then he said, “You’ve got a real future in this game, you know that?”
Ava flushed, said, “It just made sense to me.”
“Makes sense to me too, now that you mention it,” Jones croaked. “And the answer to your question is no, I did not try to track down Lydia Mulch.”
Ava looked at me, said, “Maybe we should do that instead?”
“It’s a good thought,” I said. “No doubt. But the trail on Mulch’s mother is thirty years cold. Damon disappeared from school less than nine days ago.”
Ava appeared crestfallen until Gloria Jones said, “Ava, how about you stay here with me awhile and we try to find Lydia Mulch together?”
Ava’s forehead wrinkled, and I could see she was intrigued by the idea but didn’t want to leave me.
“Do it,” I said to Ava. “You’ll still be helping even if you’re not with me.”
She paused, said, “You’ll come find me when it’s all over?” I walked over and hugged her, saying, “Of course I’ll come find you, Ava. You’re family. Maybe the last family I’ve got.”