“Just a little homesick.” Mom’s going to kill me for losing GranPat.
“Do you need to call home?” She squeezed his arm.
“My phone’s broken.” He patted his pocket.
“Want to use mine?” Her eyes searched his.
He shook his head. Can’t phone Earth from here.
She squeezed his arm. “Please, let me help you.” Ruth seemed genuine, and so different from Rouge back home.
Ben nodded. “Okay. I need to speak with Jack alone for a minute. Could you ask him to come outside?”
“Yes.” Her eyes met his. “Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be all right.”
He touched her hand. “Thank you.” Her blue eyes swam with sincerity and her lips looked so darn soft. His head leaned closer.
She beamed and brushed her lips against his.
They kissed for a moment and she broke contact. As she went back inside, he rubbed his fingers against his lips, and smiled. Not bad Benzo.
Jack walked outside onto the cement patio. “Everything okay?”
Ben slid the door closed. “Do you have a phone on you?”
“Yea, why?” Jack said a little perturbed.
He told Jack what he wanted, and shared Grandma Betsy’s concern about the telephone lines.
Jack phoned home and enabled the speaker phone feature.
“Jack, where are you?” Patsy asked.
“I’m okay, Mom,” Jack said. “I’m with friends from the party.”
“Did you have a happy birthday?”
“Yea. Some people got too rowdy, but everybody’s okay.”
“Who showed up at the party?”
“You know. My friends. Lori, Brandon, Trudy, Ruth, Charmaine, Mr. Roscani and a few others. I thought you and Pop-Pop might stop by.”
“We planned to come, but he was exhausted from the yard work.”
“That’s not true,” GranPat said in the background.
Ben’s mouth opened and his shoulders relaxed a little. GranPat. Thank God.
Patsy cleared her throat. “Anyone else show up? Someone named . . . Ben?”
Ben’s eyes grew wide. She knows.
Jack didn’t hesitate. “No, nobody called Ben at my party. Why?”
“Where are you right now?”
Ben shook his head and silently mouthed, “No.”
“At a service station,” Jack said. “Tim’s car got a flat and they’re fixing the tire.”
“Tim who? You need to come home now—”
“Hey, Mom, gotta go. Don’t worry, I’m okay. I might stay at Tim’s house tonight. See you tomorrow.” Jack hung up. “How does she know about you?”
“I’ve never met her, and GranPat doesn’t know I’m here.” Ben ran his hand through his hair. “I held something back from you earlier.”
“What?” Jack put his phone in his pocket.
“I saw one of the CSD agents meeting with your mother in her office today.”
“Balls up!” Jack began pacing. “Did they see you?”
“No.” Ben leaned against the house. “Would she help them?”
“I love my Mom, but she only believes in things she can see or touch. She had a tough time when my brother died. We all did. But she got over it.
“No way would she believe your story over the Commonwealth’s. If they offered her a finder’s fee, she’d wrap you in her arms and dial C-S-D.” Jack shook his head. “You were right. GranPat is bait.”
Ben looked down at his shoes. “What do we do now?”
“We need to hide away tonight, but not here. My mom might call Brandon’s parents looking for us.”
The door slid open. Lori stepped outside and studied their faces. “Everything chill?” Her blue eyes reflected the moonlight.
Jack touched her shoulder. “Ben and I need to leave. I’ll speak with Brandon and let you know the plan.” Jack slipped back into the house.
Lori stayed outside with Ben. Her profile looked sleek and strong like a lioness hunting at night. “You know . . . Charlie, you’ve put us all at risk, and I don’t know anything about you. Do I?”
“Sorry, I –”
“I’ve never heard Jack talk about you.” Lori stepped closer. “But he cares about you like a brother. Why is that?”
Ben remained silent and wanted to melt away. She was right, and it was all his fault. His eyes dropped down toward the ground.
“There it is. That look. I remember seeing it all through elementary and middle school from . . . my best friend. Whenever he was confronted for—”
“Doing something stupid?” Ben met her eyes.
She tilted her head. “Yep.” She nodded. “And tonight, at the restaurant, you said—”
“I’ll always be your friend.” He tried to smile.
She blinked. “Are you Ben? I don’t understand. How?”
“I’m not your Ben, but pretty close.” He told her the short version of how he came to Terra.
She shook her head. “If you weren’t standing here in front of me, I wouldn’t believe any of it. No wonder people are after you. It’s wonderful, and crazy, and sad, and scary, but I’m glad you’re here.” She grabbed him by the ear, shook it, and then kissed him on the cheek. “Seeing you reminds me how much I’ve missed my Bennie.”
He blushed. “I’m not him.”
“Jack’s happy to see you too. He’s always blamed himself for Ben’s death, but the accident wasn’t his fault. He still doesn’t get it, but you can help him.” She narrowed her eyes. “Bad things happen, but thank God for second chances. Understand?”
Ben nodded. “Bad things happen.” He’d always felt responsible for Jack’s death, but speaking with someone who understood meant a lot. GranPat had no trouble talking to anybody about anything. Ben wished he could be more like his grandfather and speak with his parents about Jack’s death, even if they didn’t want to listen. Maybe someday he could tell Lori how much she meant to him. But not here. Wrong world and wrong Lori.
She lifted her chin. “We need to fix this before things get worse.”
The door slid open and Jack stepped out. Both Ben and Lori smiled at him.
Jack’s eyebrow rose. “You told her?”
“She recognized me. Apparently, she was my best friend here too.”
She folded her arms. “So what’s the plan?”
Jack and Ben moved inside and spoke with Brandon. After saying goodbye to the girls, they snuck out through the basement door and waited two blocks away. Jack leaned against a light pole, while Ben walked the cement curb like a tight rope. Ben stopped and teetered on the edge when an elderly man walked past with a miniature white poodle.
The dog either couldn’t make up his mind where to pee, or ran out of ammunition. The man growled. “C’mon, Buttons. This isn’t solar science.”
A white van raced toward them and stopped a foot away. The driver rolled down his window and motioned the boys inside. Jack opened the door for Ben, and they climbed inside. DJ Donner drove them to his home in Tampton for the night.
Chapter 23
Moments ago, Patsy had hung up the phone after speaking with Jack about his party. Patrick sat on the red fabric sofa in Patsy’s living room with his arms crossed. The overhead light threw shadows as an aged television star hawked a new and improved UAC sleep chip.
“Why’d you lie to Jack? I would have gone to his birthday party.” Patrick’s lips formed a tight line.
She blew a plume of smoke toward the discolored ceiling tiles above her head. “Have you seen yourself in the mirror? You look dog-tired after all the work you’ve done today. I thought it best you stayed home and rested.” She picked up the circular remote and spun the wheel clockwise to change the channel.
“Why did you ask about Ben?” He couldn’t keep the irritation out of his voice.
“Who? You need to get your hearing checked,” she said loudly. “I said ‘Len’. Mr. Roscani, the manager at Jack’s restaurant, has a nephew named ‘Len’.” She stared
back at him. Her green eyes swam in a sea of white lies, but didn’t flinch.
“You said ‘Ben’, I heard it quite clearly.”
“Well, I don’t know. Maybe I did. I think of Ben sometimes. Don’t you?”
Patrick gave her a hard look. “Yes. I do.”
Patsy finished the cigarette and stubbed it into a crowded red ceramic ashtray. “Well some of us have to work tomorrow.” She stood up and moved toward the stairs. “See you in the morning.”
Patrick glared at her, thankful he hadn’t confided in her. Patsy lied easily, but not well. Why would she ask about Ben? Her Ben died on Terra two years back. Patrick shivered and hoped his Ben was somewhere safe on Earth.
He needed to be careful tomorrow. Get in the bank, find the watch, and get out. Patsy may know more about what’s happening than he. Had she already been through her father’s papers? Patrick’s shoulders sagged. Keep breathin’.
Sheriff’s Deputy Louis Dauphine stopped for gas, and drove back to Patrick’s house in Carmichael, PA., USA. He’d told John to stay put in Carlston tonight, and visit the Carmichael house in the morning when they had more information about Ben and his grandfather.
He and John had been close as kids, and Louis would do anything for his cousin. John had taught him how to swim, and years later introduced him to the woman who would become his wife. Louis stood as Ben’s godfather at the baptism and pallbearer for Jack. For Louis, finding Patrick and Ben meant everything.
Louis had visited Patrick’s house three hours earlier and found a smashed patio door, signs of a scuffle, and blood stains. Someone had broken in and dumped the place while searching for valuables. They’d smashed the cellar door as well, but left the scientific equipment intact. Ben and Patrick were gone, but he found messages on the house answering machine from Patty, Patrick’s doctor’s office, and a Phylo Caliban.
The deputy cruised up the drive and parked his patrol car in front of the garage. Darkness cloaked the house. The porch light he’d left on two hours ago had been snuffed. Louis’s gut tightened. Someone had come back.
He lowered his window and listened. Hearing a noise from behind the house, he slid out of his vehicle and pulled his nine-millimeter Glock. He held the gun with both hands extended and walked around the side of the house. As he crossed into the back yard, a tall man dressed in black bounded from the back deck and ran for the woods. The intruder’s moonlit silhouette included an automatic weapon.
“Police! Stop, or I‘ll shoot!” commanded Louis. The man slowed and turned his weapon toward Louis. Louis fired three rounds and the intruder dropped like dead weight. Semi-automatic fire erupted from the woods to the right of Louis’s position. Bright flashes bloomed from three separate muzzles. Oh shit.
Louis’s eyes went wide as he hesitated. He took a round in the chest, one in the shoulder, and went down hard. His teeth bit his tongue as he hit the ground and tasted blood. His shoulder burned as if on fire. Who are these guys?
He stayed down as bullets pinged into the aluminum siding above his prone body. His hand moved to his chest and felt the warm slug against his bullet-proof vest. Lucky that, but the shoulder wound soaked his shirt with warm blood. He crawled on his stomach back to his vehicle and called for support.
Jack and Ben sat on an old green couch and watched a ‘Sinefield’ cartoon on Terran television in Ken Donner’s cluttered basement outside Tampton. The flickering screen provided the only illumination.
“I’m surprised the show is animated,” Ben told Jack. “They use real actors on Earth.”
“How could that be funny?” Jack said.
They both laughed when the ten-foot-tall yellow Craymar accidently fell and poked out his third eye. Ben felt blessed to have this time with Jack.
Jack’s cell rang at 11:00 p.m. “It’s Lori.”
Ben turned down the volume.
“Yeah.” Jack told her. “We’re at Ken’s house . . . No. You should go home and stay there.” Jack listened for a while. “Okay, Okay,” he said, and gave her directions. “See you then.” He hung up and turned to Ben. “They’re on their way.”
“They?” Ben sat up in his chair.
“C’mon. Let’s go outside.”
The moon shone on the dewy grass as crickets chirped in a cascading rhythm. Only males chirped to attract and find a mate. Ben kept quiet. Lori would be there soon. Though glad to see Jack again, he couldn’t shake his feelings for Lori. He kicked at a broken stick that lay in the tall grass.
“Upset about something?” Jack asked.
Ben’s shoulders tightened. What could he say to Jack without sounding stupid? “No. All good.”
“Cowshit,” Jack said. “You’re mad at me about something.”
“Uh.” Ben sighed. “It’s hard to explain”
“Pretend I’m your big brother. Just tell me.”
Ben rolled his eyes. “It’s my problem, not yours.”
“The fuse is lit, Bro.” Jack eyed him. “Better now than later.”
Ben stared at his feet. “Okay. Okay.” He raised his head and faced Jack. “Back home, Lori is my best friend, and . . . I’ve always had a huge crush on her.”
Jack’s eye’s sparked in the moonlight. “Oh. So you have a problem with me, because she’s your girl back home?”
“No. No. I mean she’s not my girlfriend. She’s seeing Brandon.”
“Brandon? Huh.” Jack frowned. “Ever tell her how you feel?”
Ben grimaced. “God, no. I don’t want her to feel weird, or lose her as a friend.”
“Okay. But what if you told her and you became better friends?” Jack asked.
He blinked. “But I don’t want to blow it.”
Jack nodded. “Sure. That could happen, but if she’s your best friend, I think she’ll understand no matter what.” Jack’s eyes locked on his. “Just remember this. If you’re too afraid to take a chance, you’ll always be left with fewer choices.”
Ben swallowed. “Okay. I’ll think about it.” This was the Jack he’d missed.
“Good.” Jack squeezed Ben’s shoulder. “So. Still mad at me?”
“I know it’s stupid, and things are different here. But I can’t always control how I feel.”
“It’s not stupid.” Jack glanced at the moon. “Look. I should be glad to see you. Right? You’re like a second chance. But when I see how well you turned out, it drags up all this guilt about . . . my brother’s death. It’s my fault he died. I should have gone running with him that morning instead of staying in bed.” He caught Ben’s eyes. “Am I being stupid?”
Ben sighed. “No. I get it. I feel responsible for my brother’s death. He died saving my life.” Ben’s throat tightened. Why does Jack think I turned out well? My own mother doesn’t like me. “I’m such a mess. I wish I had died instead.”
Jack put both hands on Ben’s shoulders. “No. It doesn’t work that way. We live the best lives we can, despite what happens. We can live for ourselves . . . and our brothers. They would expect nothing less.”
Ben stared at Jack. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too.” Jack said. They heard a car over the sound of the crickets. He raised his eyebrow. “You’re going to be cool about me and Lori. Right?”
“Yea.”
“Good. I’m not giving her up.”
Ben nodded. “Smart man.”
Lori rolled up in her red electric VW. She parked under a tall tree halfway down Ken’s long driveway.
Lori and Ruth stepped out of the car, each carrying a sleeping bag.
“Hello ladies,” Jack said smiling. “Good to see you again.”
“Happy Birthday,” Lori said to Jack. She nodded at Ben.
“Thanks, Sweetie.” Jack hugged her.
Lori caught Ruth’s eyes and nodded.
Jack and Lori turned and walked hand-in-hand back toward Ken’s house.
Ben smiled at Ruth and began to follow Jack and Lori. Ruth caught his arm. “Hold up, Charlie.” She smiled. “Let’s give
them a little space.”
“Oh.” He blushed. Of course they didn’t want him around. His chest tightened. Ditched by my brother and my best friend. His real brother would have treated him better. A wave of sadness rolled in on a swell, but he kept his head above the darkness. “I guess I can be pretty thick sometimes.”
“No, not at all. You’re kind and sweet. Let them have this night.” She took his hand. “Jack will be away at school soon.”
“Yea. You’re right.” His eyes drifted toward the house. Jack deserved her more. I’m just passing through.
She squeezed his hand. “Charlie.”
He broke away from his thoughts and looked at her. She smiled at him. Oh. Did she expect him to . . . what?
“Be here, with me, in the moment,” Ruth said. “Close your eyes.”
“Okaaay.” This is getting weird.
“Feel the cool night air around us. Do you hear the crickets?”
“Yea. They’re loud.” Her hand felt soft in his.
“Now listen for the tree frogs. It’s similar, but a different sound.”
He heard a less frequent throaty squeak amid the cacophony of crickets. “Yes I do. In the background.” He grinned, squeezed her hand, and opened his eyes. She seemed . . . real. He felt a tingle go all the way through him, and grimaced.
“Is something wrong? You don’t look happy to see me.” Her sapphire earrings glowed in the moonlight.
“No. It’s not that.” He looked at the house and then back to her. “I like you. I just have a lot going on right now.” He rested his hands lightly on her shoulders. “Why are you here?”
Her face fell as if she’d been wounded, but, gradually, she found the strength to smile. “I wanted to see you again.” She dropped her sleeping bag on the grass, rested her fingers on his forearms, and stretched toward him on her toes. “You’re so sweet, and troubled, and strong. I didn’t want to pass on the chance to –”
Ben leaned into the kiss and felt her soft lips open. Her tongue tasted like mint. He folded his arms around her and squeezed. No matter how confused he felt about Terra, or Jack, or even Lori, this Ruth made him feel good about himself. He flowed into the moment, floating above the dark swells, and wanted to make it last.
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