Twisted Roots (DeBeers 3)

I hurried out to tell Heyden I had made a firm decision to go home, but when I stepped into the dining room, I saw he was still not there.

"Where's Heyden?" I asked Uncle Linden. He was in the middle of telling Bess a joke he recalled and held up his hand to ask me to wait.

"So the operator says, you're getting a busy signal because you're calling your own number. and the schizophrenic says. if you're so smart. lady, tell me, then why does someone else answer the phone?"

Bess roared with him. ''Heyden?" I asked.

Uncle Linden shook his head. "He didn't come in yet," he said and turned back to Bess and began to tell her another joke.

I hurried out of the house and stood on the front steps, looking toward the motor home. Neither Heyden nor Chubs was there. and Heyden was nowhere in sight. It was so quiet. Even the birds were hiding from the afternoon sun. My chest felt like a hive of ants were moving around inside it.

I walked quickly down to the motor home.

"Heyden!" I called. "Heyden!"

I listened but heard nothing. Then I walked around the side of the barn and called again. A door opened and Chubs emerged. He looked surprised.

"Somethin wrong, miss?"

"I'm looking for Heyden. He didn't come in for lunch and I don't see him. Is he in there with you?"

"No, ma'am, he's not. I thought he was goin' in to lunch. too," Chubs said. "You look in the motor home?"

''No," I said, a surge of hope pushing out my panic. I rushed to it and opened the door. "Heyden?" I stepped into the coach, but he wasn't in there.

Chubs waited at the door. "He's not here," I said.

"Hmm." Chubs stepped forward and gazed around the property. "Coulda taken a walk anywhere. I guess."

Something teased my brain and soon after became an image and a sound, I turned and rushed into the coach, looking everywhere. My fear found a solid place in my heart to set itself down firmly.

Heyden's guitar was gone! Maybe he went some-where to be alone arid play ft, I thought. He liked expressing his feelings through the music. I stepped out of the coach and listened again. Behind us in a patch of wildflowers, dozens of bees hummed, and from above us a jet plane dropped some thunder, but other than that. I heard nothing, nothing resembling music.

Chubs looked at his watch. -He took his guitar," I moaned.

"We was going to start workin' again in about ten minutes. I'm sure he'll be back." Chubs said. "Meanwhile. I'll get to it."

He returned to the engine. I sat in a shady place and watched the fields and the driveway, but Heyden didn't appear. After a while I heard a screen door open and close and saw Uncle Linden and Bess come out of the house. They walked toward the easel, and then. realizing I wasn't beside her. Bess stopped and looked around,

"Rosemary," she called. "Rosemai7." Her voice filled with that familiar panic I had heard in my own when I had been calling for Heyden.

I stood up and waved. "I'm over here!" I shouted.

"Oh. Come back to the rock. Mr. Montgomery wants to finish what he's doing, and then we'll take our walk."

"I'll be right there," I said.

They continued and I looked frantically in all directions. Chubs raised himself from the engine and looked at me. "He's not back," I said.

Chubs shook his head. Another thought occurred to me. and I hurried back into the motor home. I looked about and then my heart sank.

His guitar wasn't the only thing missing. Whatever he had taken along in the pillowcase was gone as well.

My worst fears were realized. Heyden had left us.

14

Making the Right Decisions