A Million Ways Home

by Dianna Dorisi Winget

  My feet still ached from all the walking, and I couldn’t think of any place to go. I slipped over to sit in the crinkly red leaves beneath a maple tree and watched the few people strolling around. That’s when I spotted Lizzie, just coming over the hill from the parking lot. She headed toward the cactus house, dressed in black skinny jeans and white sneakers. Her bright pink highlights glinted in the sun. She noticed me a few seconds before she reached the entrance, and then turned and walked over with an uncertain wave. “Hey, Poppy.”

  “Hey. What are you doing here?”

  She shrugged. “I thought you’d be here. Are you okay? I’m really sorry about your grandma.” She dropped down in the leaves beside me. “Everybody’s going bonkers looking for you.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Mom and Marti went to check your old apartment. And Trey headed to the kids’ center, I think, and I don’t know where after that.”

  “Does anybody know you’re here?” I asked.

  “No. I thought you probably wanted to be alone for a while. I’ll leave if you want me to.”

  I sagged against the tree trunk. Tears filled my eyes, and I didn’t bother to brush them away. “I don’t know what I want. I don’t know what to do.”

  Lizzie didn’t say anything. But she reached over and let her hand rest on my arm for a few seconds, and I was glad she was there. She cleared her throat. “That’s how I felt last year, after Mom and Dad divorced. It’s still kind of how I feel now.”

  I closed my eyes. Neither of us spoke for a while.

  “What did you and your grandma do when you came here?” Lizzie finally asked.

  I took a shaky breath and tried to focus on her question. “Took walks and had picnics. We watched the stars.”

  She picked up a maple leaf and examined its vein pattern. “Dad and I used to come here on Saturday afternoons. We’d get Italian sodas and just walk around.”

  “You should ask him to do it again.”

  “I don’t think he would now. Everything’s different.”

  A heavy pressure throbbed behind my eyes, and my throat choked with tears. “Oh, Lizzie,” I said. “Just ask him. Someday you might not be able to.”

  Her eyes sparked with alarm, and I knew she got my point. Dry leaves crunched as she leaned back on her elbows.

  I closed my eyes again. A squirrel scolded from the branches above. The air smelled of early-fall lilies, mixed with a hint of coconut sunscreen from someone walking past. I wondered why anyone would bother with sunscreen in October. My stomach suddenly let out a really loud gurgle.

  Lizzie sniffed. “Wow. That sounded like thunder.” She dug in her pocket. “I’ve got three dollars. Want something to eat?”

  I shrugged. “No, I’m okay.”

  “Well, I’m kinda hungry. I’ll walk over to the food cart and see what they’ve got.”

  She returned a few minutes later with a bucket of popcorn. “Is this okay? It was either popcorn or slushies, and those things are so sweet they make me hurl.”

  I wasn’t sure if I wanted to eat or not, but the buttery smell was hard to resist. I took a handful. “Popcorn’s good. Thanks.”

  “Speaking of food, you wanna hear something weird? Gunner’s not eating.”

  Gunner. I’d forgotten all about him. I looked at Lizzie. “He’s not eating?”

  “Not much anyway. He hasn’t since the other day, when you found out about your grandma. Mom says he misses you.”

  It seemed wrong to think about anyone besides Grandma Beth right then, but I pictured Gunner sitting beside me, strong and steady enough to lean against, and a sharp longing for him filled my heart. I took another handful of popcorn. About the time the bucket was empty, the clock tower chimed four heavy bongs.

  Lizzie sighed. “Guess it’s time to call Mom and get busted for disappearing. What about you? You can’t stay here by yourself.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Well, I won’t tell her I saw you if you don’t want me to.”

  “She’ll ask why you’re here.”

  “I can make something up. She’s already convinced I’m a bad kid, so why not live up to my rep.”

  “She doesn’t think you’re a bad kid.”

  Lizzie snorted. “Yeah, she does.”

  “No, she doesn’t. She wishes you’d talk to her more. She even told me that.”

  Surprise flickered across her face, and I could tell she wanted to believe me but wasn’t sure she could. She was quiet for a minute, then she said, “So, do you want me to tell her you’re here, or not?”

  I thought about my decision to lie to Trey, how it hadn’t turned out very good. The last thing I wanted was for Lizzie to have to lie for me. “It’s okay,” I said. “You can tell her I’m here. I don’t wanna stay by myself anyway.”

  Lizzie made the call, and I listened to Carol’s voice jump back and forth between relief and exasperation. Then Lizzie slipped the phone back in her pocket and rolled her eyes. “Brace yourself. The cavalry’s on its way.”

  “Your mom?”

  “And Marti.”

  I slowly climbed to my feet. “Guess we might as well go wait in the parking lot.” I crumpled the empty popcorn bucket and looked around for a trash can.

  That’s when I saw him.

  A man with a black baseball cap and ripped jeans stood just off the path about thirty yards away. He was partially hidden behind the arching branches of a locust tree, smoking a cigarette and watching us.

  It took my weary brain a few seconds to recognize what was familiar about him. Then all my senses jumped to full alert, like somebody had thrown a bucket of cold water on me. I took a step back.

  “Are you okay?” Lizzie asked.

  But I didn’t answer, because I wasn’t sure if I was okay or not. My brain told me the man was William Eugene Frank. But was my brain playing tricks? As soon as I’d given Trey his positive ID, Frank’s name had gone out all over the news. Wouldn’t he be scared? Wouldn’t he run? But then I remembered something Trey had said the first night we met. Scared people do stupid things. And I realized that, scared or not, Frank probably needed to shut me up. Maybe he’d been keeping an eye on me, waiting for a safe opportunity when nobody else was around. A strange sound came from my throat.

  Lizzie stared at me. “What’s the matter, Poppy?”

  “Don’t look around,” I ordered. “Just look at me and listen.”

  “Don’t look at what?”

  “That guy in the black hat,” I said, talking out of the side of my mouth, “standing in front of the pond.”

  She swiveled to look even though I’d told her not to. “Stop!” I hissed. “We don’t want him to know we see him.”

  “What are you so freaked out about, Poppy? Who is he?”

  “The guy I saw rob the gas station that night. His picture’s up all over town.”

  Lizzie’s mouth dropped open. Then her eyes widened with understanding. “Oh. My. God! I told you, Poppy. Didn’t I tell you?”

  My heart thudded in my chest and sweat beaded under my arms. “Yeah.”

  “What do we do?”

  “We need to get the cops here before he takes off. We need to call Trey, but I don’t have my phone.”

  She thrust her phone out to me, but I just stared at it, frozen. “I can’t think … I can’t remember his number.”

  “Then just call 911.”

  I grabbed the phone and touched the numbers with trembling fingers.

  “This is 911,” said a woman’s voice. “What is your emergency?”

  “This is Poppy P-Parker,” I stuttered. “I need to get a message to Detective Trey Brannigan. He’s with the —”

  Lizzie gasped. “He’s coming!”

  The man in the black cap headed toward us, his hat pulled low over his eyes, his gait casual. I fought back the urge to run and tried to think. There were a lot of good hiding places along the trail if we ran deeper into the park. But that meant there would be a lot of good hiding places f
or him, too. Maybe he’d end up getting away again. Is that what I wanted?

  I wasn’t sure what would happen to me if they caught him. Would I have to stay at the center until I grew up? Would I get sent to live with strangers? But there was one thing I did know for sure. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t do the right thing. I’d already helped him stay free long enough. We had to lead him toward the main entrance, where the police would come. I grabbed Lizzie by the arm. “Come on, this way!”

  People stared as we raced past the cactus house, across the sloping lawn of the lilac gardens and toward the parking lot.

  Lizzie panted alongside me. “Where are we going, Poppy?”

  “Just follow me.” I cut a sharp right turn that took us beside a row of scattered cars in the parking lot. We stopped and squatted behind the safety of an SUV, our breath wheezing in our chest. “Is he coming?” I asked.

  “Don’t know,” Lizzie said. “Can’t see him.”

  I stole a quick look around the bumper of the SUV. It took me a minute to spot him. He walked toward us, his head swiveling back and forth, scanning the area. “I see him. He’s not running. He’s trying not to draw any attention. That’s good.”

  Lizzie’s eyes were huge. “Good? Are you crazy?”

  A wave of nausea gushed over me, and I put a hand on my stomach.

  A faint, high-pitched sound reached my ears, and I stared around before it dawned on me that the voice was coming from Lizzie’s phone. The 911 operator had stayed on the line. “Poppy, are you there?” she asked. “Talk to me if you’re still there.”

  “I’m still here,” I said. “I need to get a message to Detective Trey Brannigan. He’s with the Spokane Police Department. Tell him to come to Manito Park as fast as he can. The guy they’re looking for is here.”

  “Detective Trey Brannigan,” she repeated in a remarkably calm voice. “Okay, Poppy. I’m trying to reach him now. Tell me what’s going on. Are you in danger?”

  “Just give him the message, please,” I begged. “He’ll know what’s going on.”

  I caught glimpses of the black baseball hat bobbing along in the open spaces between the trees. “Come on,” I said to Lizzie. “I know where to go.”

  We ran hunched over, to the far side of the parking area. Then I sprinted across to the MANITO PARK sign and over to the stone arch. I knew there was a big drainage culvert below the bridge; I’d seen it countless times with Grandma Beth.

  I dropped to my hands and knees and crawled inside the corrugated metal pipe with Lizzie practically on top of me. The ground inside was cold and mushy with mud. We hovered inside the pipe, our hands and knees coated with muck and our breath coming in harsh gasps.

  Tears ran down Lizzie’s cheeks. “What are we g-gonna do? What if he sees us?”

  “It’s okay,” I said. “This is a good place to hide.”

  “But we could get trapped in here.”

  The high-pitched sound reached our ears again. Lizzie grasped her phone. “Hello?” she said.

  “Poppy,” I heard the operator say, “I’ve reached Detective Brannigan. I’ll transfer you.”

  Lizzie tossed the phone to me. I waited, breathless.

  “Poppy?” Trey said anxiously. “Are you there?”

  I nearly wilted with relief. “Trey,” I gasped, “he’s here at the park.”

  “Frank? Has he seen you?”

  “Yeah, he’s following us.”

  “Who’s us?”

  “Me and Lizzie.”

  “Does he know where you are right now?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t think so. We’re in a drainage pipe by the stone arch in the main parking area.”

  “All right, listen to me, Poppy. Stay calm, and stay put. We’ve got officers less than two minutes away. Okay?”

  My teeth chattered. “I’m really s-scared, Trey.”

  “I know. But you’re gonna be okay. How many people are hanging around the parking lot?”

  I crawled to the opening of the culvert. I saw an older couple with a golden retriever and a kid doing tricks on his skateboard. “Only a few,” I said. “It’s mostly just cars.”

  “Good. Now tell me what Frank is wearing.”

  I tried to think. “Ripped jeans, just like the day at the gas station. And a black cap.”

  “And a blue shirt,” Lizzie added.

  “And a blue shirt, Lizzie says.”

  “Okay, hold on,” Trey said. I listened while he relayed the information over the police radio in his car. I gripped the phone. “Trey, are you still there?”

  “I’m right here, Tiger. Tell me if you can see Frank.”

  “No, no, I don’t see him…. I don’t know where he went. Should we stay here?”

  “Yes!” he said. “Don’t move.”

  Lizzie grabbed her face. “What about Mom and Marti?”

  “Carol’s coming, Trey. And your mom. They’ll walk right into all this.”

  “I’ll take care of it,” he said. “You just stay put, hear me?”

  I raked my fingers down my cheek. “Okay, but don’t hang up.”

  “I won’t.”

  Lizzie tilted her head. “I think I hear them.”

  “Who?” I yelped. “Frank?”

  “No, the cops. Listen.”

  I picked out the first notes of approaching sirens. “We can hear sirens, Trey. The cops are coming.”

  “I’m right behind them,” he said.

  A beige Volkswagen Bug turned in off the street and cruised by in search of a parking spot. Right as the car swung into a space, William Eugene Frank appeared at the driver’s door. I sucked in a breath.

  “Poppy?” Trey said. “What’s wrong? Talk to me.”

  Lizzie squeezed up beside me. I watched, stunned, as Frank jerked open the door of the Volkswagen and dragged out a young woman in a flowered sundress. She screamed as he threw her to the pavement. “He’s getting away,” I cried. “He just stole a lady’s car.”

  “Describe it to me,” Trey said.

  “It’s a Bug. A beige-colored one. He’s backing it out.”

  “She’s gonna get run over,” Lizzie yelped, pointing to the young driver.

  I dropped the phone and covered my ears just as the woman scrambled out of the way and cowered behind a nearby car. And then the sound of sirens grew loud, and police cars swarmed the area. The golden retriever started to bark, and the elderly couple scattered as the blacktop turned into a field of flashing lights and squealing tires.

  Police surrounded the Volkswagen. The driver’s door flew open, and Frank jumped out. For a second, I thought he might make a run for it. But officers swooped in, shouting orders with guns drawn. He raised his hands and dropped to his knees.

  Lizzie grabbed my arm and shook me hard. “They got him,” she whooped. “They got him.”

  I laughed. “I know. I know.” And I started to shake like a quaking aspen.

  Then I spotted Trey, weaving through all the chaos and cars, heading straight toward the stone arch. Lizzie and I scrambled out of the culvert, and I threw myself against him. He laughed and tightened an arm around me. “Hey, it’s good to see you little mud rats. You both okay?”

  Lizzie hovered a few feet away, taking big gulps of air and hugging her arms around herself. I grabbed her hand and pulled her over to me. Trey winked at her. “I hear you were the only one smart enough to know where to find Poppy.”

  She stared at him blankly before her eyes widened. “Oh, uh — it was just a hunch.”

  “Good hunch,” he said.

  Lizzie ducked her head, but not before I saw her grin.

  Trey put out a hand to her. “Come on, your mom’s about to tear her hair out.”

  “She is?”

  “What do you think?” he said.

  William Eugene Frank stood handcuffed beside a patrol car. His back was to me, and I was glad. I didn’t want to see his face, and I didn’t want him to see me. All I wanted was to be far away from him. Marti an
d Carol waited across the street from the park, eagerly staring in our direction. As soon as they caught sight of us, they both came running over. Carol threw her arms around Lizzie, laughing while tears ran down her face. “Oh, baby!” she said. “I was so worried about you.”

  Marti just wrapped her arms around me and rocked me back and forth like I was a little kid. “I’m so sorry for all you’ve had to deal with,” she whispered in my ear. “So, so sorry. And even though you may not believe it right now, things will get better. You’ll see.”

  I closed my eyes. How could things get better? Grandma Beth was gone. Nothing could ever be the same. I’d have to go back to the center — for good. But her words still calmed me. “I sure hope you’re right,” I whispered.

  “How did you guys know what was going on?” Lizzie asked.

  “TJ had an officer call us as soon as he heard from the 911 operator,” Marti said.

  “Worst phone call of my life,” Carol added.

  Lizzie stepped back and gave her mom a silly grin. “Really? Worse than the one saying I got caught spray-painting the federal building?”

  “Oh my God,” Carol said. “Way worse. Way, way worse.” She wiped at her face. “So now that I’ve aged ten years in the last thirty minutes, what do I do with the rest of my evening?”

  Marti laughed. She checked her watch. “Well, you know, it just happens to be dinnertime. What do you say we get these girls into some clean clothes and then go get a bite to eat?” She looked at me. “Can you eat something, Poppy?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “I’ll try.”

  Lizzie smiled. “Let’s do it, Mom. A big greasy hamburger and fries.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Carol said.

  I glanced around for Trey, but he was gone.

  Marti seemed to read my mind. She gestured toward the parking lot. “Can’t keep a detective away from the action for long. This is a big day for him.”

  I took a shuddering breath as I looked over at all the police cars and flashing lights across the street. And I felt proud that I’d helped to bring a criminal to justice, but mostly I just felt tired. “He can have it,” I said. “I’ve had all the action I can take.”

  I SLEPT late the next morning and woke to the smell of bacon frying. Marti and I lingered over our omelets and orange juice and watched some morning news show. We didn’t talk about the phone call Trey had warned us to expect — the one from Miss Austin, saying it was time for me to go back to the center. I prayed that just maybe there would be a miracle, that she wouldn’t call, that maybe she’d forget I existed.