The Courage Tree - Diane Chamberlain [90]
“I think they’ll be looking for me because Angelo told me he was going to tell the police where he dropped me off.”
“Why on earth would he do that?” Zoe asked. “He has the money, right? He’ll only get himself in—”
“I don’t know why.” Marti sounded very tired. She rubbed her hands over her face. “I stopped trying to figure him out days ago. That’s just what he told me.”
“Oh, it sounds like he was shooting off his mouth, don’t you think, Mart?”
“No, I don’t think, Mom,” she said sarcastically. She drew on her cigarette. “I think he’s going to tell, and they’re going to come looking.”
“But then they’d pick him up, too.”
“I know it doesn’t make sense.” Marti waved a dismissive hand in the air, and the ash of her cigarette fell on the floor.
She’s going to burn this place down, Zoe thought.
“Maybe he’ll call from a pay phone or something,” Marti continued. “All I know is that the man hates me and has no scruples whatsoever.”
“Well, even if he did call the authorities, he dropped you off by the barn, right?” Zoe asked. “And you walked back a mile to come into the woods, and we’re a good ten miles deep into the forest, so it’s unlikely—”
“They’ll use dogs, Mother. They’ll pick up my scent.”
Dogs. She hadn’t thought of that. “Well, what should we do?” she asked.
“Well, first and foremost, you’re not going to leave me here alone and go take her—” she pointed at Sophie “—through the woods to the road.”
“I have to,” Zoe said. “I don’t really have a choice.”
“You shouldn’t have let her come here.”
“I didn’t invite her, Marti. She’s lost, do you understand? She just found her way here.” Beneath her arm, she felt a shiver pass through Sophie’s body, and she looked down to see the little girl crying. “It’s okay, Sophie. We’re going to work this out, honey. She was in an accident and got lost, Marti,” Zoe repeated. “You know how you feel after spending one night in the woods? Well, Sophie spent three of them.”
Marti looked at Sophie and seemed to soften at that information. “Okay,” she said. “All right. But she’ll just have to stay with us then. You can’t take her—”
“No,” Sophie whimpered.
“Marti, I’m going to fix her a shoe and walk her to the road,” Zoe said firmly, “and the sooner I get going, the sooner I’ll be back.”
“Do you honestly expect her not to tell anyone that she met Zoe in the woods?” Marti asked. “And now she knows I’m here. They’ll ask her a lot of questions, and—”
“I won’t tell!” Sophie promised. “I’ll just say a nice lady helped me.”
“Right,” Marti said. “And they think there’s only one ‘lady’ running around out here in the woods, and that’s me. So they’ll pump you for information on the lady, and you’ll screw up, and—”
“Marti, stop this,” Zoe said. “Just calm down. Maybe we shouldn’t make a decision about this right this second. I think we all need some time to adjust to what’s happening here, okay?” She looked down at Sophie. “Okay, honey? Why don’t you go take your nap now, with your courage flower, and when you get up, I’ll tell you what we’ve decided to do. Maybe you should take a nap, too, Marti.” She’d have to give up her air mattress to her daughter. She’d create a mattress for herself out of towels and clothing.
“Right.” Marti drew on her cigarette again. “Like I could really sleep.”
Sophie stood up and limped into the bedroom, closing the creaking door behind her.
“She’s limping like crazy,” Marti said. “How far is the road?”
“It’s a ways,” Zoe said. “Five miles. I’ll have to make her a crutch or something.”
“You’ll never get her to walk five miles with her foot like that.”
Zoe sighed, afraid that Marti was right. Sophie was not complaining, but it was obvious that she could barely put any of her weight on her left foot.
Marti leaned forward, elbows on knees. “Mother, please. Please! I’m begging you. We can’t let her go. We’ll all have to stay together. They’re going to be looking for me. And—” Marti’s voice broke “—I can’t go back there, Mother. I just can’t,” she said, as she lowered her head into her hands.