Chapter 44
It was past Danny’s bedtime. He was sleepy. He rubbed his eyes. He never stayed up this late.
He wished his daddy would come back.
Danny cuddled up to the new puppy his daddy had given him. He’d opened all the presents his mom had hidden for him and the ones Santa had left.
Danny smiled. He’d gotten lots of good stuff. But the puppy was the best. He couldn’t wait to show his puppy to his friends.
He frowned. He might not get to do that. His dad had said they would have to leave Laurel, or the police would never stop bothering him. Danny’s grandma and grandpa had poisoned their minds. He didn’t know what that meant exactly, except that it was bad. His daddy said Danny would make new friends.
Danny was glad to be back in his own bed.
His daddy had said no one would come looking for him here.
But Danny had to stay in his room, and he couldn’t turn on any lights except his little flashlight.
The windows were covered with blankets just to make sure no light got out if he forgot. The police might drive by or something.
There was food and water for the puppy. Food and water for Danny. And all the presents. His dad had even brought a bucket to the room and said that Danny should pee-pee in it. He wasn’t to leave his room for anything.
Danny smiled again. That meant he didn’t have to take a bath!
Wouldn’t be for long, though. His daddy was coming for him before the sun was up in the morning, he’d said. They would pick up his mommy and then they would go far away. Danny got to pick the place.
He liked that.
His mommy would be glad to be out of the hospital. She still didn’t talk, but his daddy said that she would talk as soon as all the lies stopped being whispered in her ears.
One thing was for sure: She would make Danny take a bath.
A loud creak made Danny’s eyes get big. He made a sound in his mouth—the same kind he made when he watched a movie and something happened that he wasn’t expecting.
He hugged his puppy tighter. It whimpered.
Danny sat up. Maybe his daddy had come back early.
He scooted out of bed and went to the door. His hand stilled on the knob. His daddy had said not to leave the room.
But if his daddy was here, it would be okay.
Danny turned the knob and opened the door enough to stick his head out. He listened for the sound of his daddy coming up the stairs.
The house was quiet.
And dark.
Danny shivered. He didn’t like being here alone.
His puppy jumped off the bed and ran over to him. Danny reached down to pick him up, but he ran out the door.
“Puppy! Stop!” He still had to decide on a name for his puppy. “Come back!” The puppy just kept going.
Danny ran to his bed and got his flashlight. He couldn’t let the puppy run around the house by himself. He might get into something.
“Puppy!” Danny could hear him yapping. He followed the sound down the stairs.
His daddy had made him keep his eyes closed when he brought him inside the house.
He’d kept his eyes closed all the way to his room.
That was where Santa had left his presents.
The living room was a mess. Broken glass was on the floor.
Stuff was turned upside down. What was that big red spot on the floor?
He remembered his daddy had ketchup on his face that night. Boy, he’d made a big mess. Danny’s mom wouldn’t like that. But they were moving anyway. Didn’t matter. The next people who lived here could clean up the mess.
Danny found his puppy in the kitchen. “You silly puppy.” He stepped in something wet. “Ooo. Bad puppy.” His dad said he’d have to learn the puppy to go potty outside.
Danny picked up his puppy and turned to go back to his room. The beam of his flashlight landed on the door to the basement. It was open.
Was his daddy down there? Maybe he had come home.
Danny went to the door and peeked down the stairs. “Daddy?”
No answer. It was quiet down there.
“Daddy!”
The puppy scrambled out of his arms. Danny tried to grab him, but he was tumbling down the stairs before Danny could catch him. He yelped and whimpered.
“Puppy!” He hurried down the stairs. If the puppy was hurt, what would he do?
He finally reached the bottom step and scooped up the whimpering puppy. “You’re being a bad boy.” His daddy said boy puppies were the best. The puppy snuggled against him, reached up, and licked his face. Danny giggled. Maybe he’d forgive him for being bad this time.
Danny started to go back up the stairs but something out of place made him look again. His daddy always kept the basement perfectly clean, just like his mommy kept the house. His daddy didn’t like messes. He was probably mad he’d spilled all that ketchup.
Rocks were piled up.
Danny hugged his puppy tighter. “How did those get there, boy?”
Had someone been in their house while they were gone?
Boy, his dad would be mad about this! Danny looked around some more, moving the beam of his flashlight over the basement floor.
He made that scared sound in his mouth again.
He walked closer to the pile of rocks, looked down at the big hole.
He shined his flashlight around the whole thing.
It looked like . . . like a grave.