It started to rain, so he went into the barn, where it was dry. He climbed up into the loft and sat there, staring at his radio.
He didn’t know what to do. His dad would know. His mom would know. His brother and sisters and even his grandma would know what to do. But Bobby was scared and worried. He didn’t want to leave his sister, but he didn’t want to stay and have that man find him. Because he knew, deep down, that something super weird was going on and he needed to get help.
He couldn’t use the radio because the man might hear him. Going home seemed to be the best option, but what if Whisper Creek flooded the road and no one could get back to help Avery? Then his sister would be trapped here with no one.
He laid back in the hay and closed his eyes. His dad always said that when you had a hard decision to make, you should shut off the world. Close your eyes, get rid of all the junk in your head, and focus on your problem. If you’re quiet enough, calm enough, and say a prayer, the answer will come.
Bobby didn’t know if that would work. He didn’t sit still all that well—his teacher always told him to stop fidgeting. But his dad was the smartest person he knew and if his dad said it would work, then Bobby had to try. He didn’t know what else to do, so he closed his eyes, said a prayer, and waited for an answer.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Gianna’s bedroom door opened abruptly, and the hulking man stood there, his eyes hard. “Avery,” he barked.
Gianna yelped and Avery jumped. She hated that she was scared, so she steeled her expression and looked him in the eye.
“What?”
“You need to call your mother and say anything you need to say so that she tells you it’s okay for you to spend the night. I don’t want any surprises. No parents showing up here, no more little brothers on the radio. Understand?”
“Did my mom call?”
“Some woman named Penny. Her mom”—he pointed to Gianna—“talked to her, said she’s your grandmother?”
He said it as an accusation, as if Rose had lied to him.
Avery nodded. “Yeah, she lives with us.”
Why hadn’t Bobby told her? He should have been home by now. But Avery didn’t say that. She didn’t want this guy to go out looking for him.
“Get up,” he said. “Now.”
She got to her feet slowly and he grabbed her arm, pulled her out of the room and down the hall to the kitchen.
Carl and Rose looked scared, tired, and very old, as if this ordeal had aged them a decade.
The stranger pointed to the kitchen phone mounted on the wall. “I’m going to remind you, Avery, that if you give any hint that there are any problems here, and your mom shows up? She’s a dead woman. Do you understand me?”
Avery’s stomach twisted, and she nodded. She went to the phone, was about to dial, when he grabbed her wrist. “Her cell phone. She’s up on Rock Creek Road, your grandmother said. What’s up there?”
“I—uh—I don’t know.”
“You’re lying.”
Avery really drew a blank. Rock Creek… Who lived there? Then it hit her. But if she told him the truth, he’d know her mother was a nurse and might make her come here and fix his friend Sam. Avery was torn. She wanted her mom, but she didn’t want her mom to be hurt.
“What?” the man demanded.
“A friend. The Suttons. They live up there,” she said. “I don’t know why she’s there, maybe she brought them some food or something? My grandma bakes a lot when there’s bad weather.”
He stared at her and she didn’t think he believed her, but he let go of her wrist.
Avery dialed her mother’s cell phone.
Three rings later, she answered. Tears burned behind Avery’s eyes. But she worked to keep her voice calm. The man had his face near hers, so he could hear both sides of the conversation. His eyes bored into her. She swallowed.
“Hi, Mom. It’s Avery.”
“You’re still at the Mendozas?”
