After Grandmother’s funeral, Rocky settled quickly into his old routine. Sam has stopped trying to coax Rocky out of the casino. Besides, he is too busy now, working to fill the void Grandmother left behind.
By deed, the house is officially Sam’s once he turns 21, which is seven years and a few months away, but feels like forever. Until then, Grandmother left Old John and Becca trustees of the place. Grandmother wasn’t only smart about the natural world, but about the business world, too. She set up the deed so Rocky could lose all the money he wanted, but never lose her house.
The ruby remains hidden in Sam’s dresser drawer as he gathers up his dirty clothes and Allie’s laundry, too. He scoots past the cot Rocky sleeps on. The small room is dark and the shades are pulled. The smell makes Sam grimace. Clothes and empty beer cans are scattered everywhere. In some ways Rocky is more of a teenager than Sam is. How could Grandmother believe her son would someday find his way back to the integrity of the old ways?
Rocky’s warrior costume lays in a pile in the corner of the room. Cabinet drawers are half-opened as if someone riffled through them. Rocky often hides money for the next time his luck shifts. Sam resists the urge to look through the small room for spare cash. Even if it is his father, this is stealing. And even if his warrior days may be over, he still wants to make his grandmother proud.
Meanwhile, he needs a new hiding place for the ruby. If Rocky searches for money, which he often does when on a losing streak, he might look in Sam’s room, too. Rocky wouldn’t hesitate to cash in on Sam’s treasure.
Little Bear follows Sam from room to room in search of a new hiding place. The summer breeze rushes into the kitchen. Without air conditioning, a breeze is a luxury during July and August, the hottest months in North Carolina.
Tiny specks of dust lifted by the breeze float around the kitchen, magnified by the sunlight coming through the back windows. Suddenly, the smell of lavender travels in from the backyard, causing Sam to fight back the tears that automatically come. In a way, having so much to do keeps him from missing her. But the fragrance from her favorite plant awakens his grief again.
Drawn to her room, Sam opens her old chest and looks through a box of photographs. Photos of Rocky as a boy are in there, as well as photos of Sam’s mother with Rocky in high school and at their wedding. There are photos of Sam and Allie as babies, his mother and father smiling as they each hold them in their arms. What happened to the people in those photographs? How did things change so completely? Sam blames the casino for most of it. After Rocky lost their house, his mother never forgave him. He lost all the money in their savings account, too, money his mom saved for years. As long as Rocky gambles, Sam must protect the ruby.
After putting the photos away, Sam goes to Grandmother’s closet looking for a place the ruby might be safe. Once he opens the door, something looks different. Her neatly stacked boxes and baskets are tossed about. Fear flutters in Sam’s chest. He searches for the basket where he put their entire savings. He finds it upside down on the floor in the back of the closet—empty.
When Sam arrives at the casino his fists are clinched. He drops his bike on its side and tells Little Bear to stay before he sneaks inside. Rocky is seated at his usual machine. Approaching quickly, Sam slams his fist into Rocky’s back, wanting to wake him up from the long sleep gambling has caused. Rocky barely flinches, but he swears loudly when he stands to face his son.
“You took the money, didn’t you?” Sam asks. People turn from their machines to look. He doesn’t feel afraid, but angry.
“What do you care?” Rocky asks.
“That’s all the money we have in the world!” Sam says.
Tears threaten, but Sam wills them to stop. Rocky will think he is weak and it will give him the upper hand.
“I’ll win it back,” Rocky says. He turns to face the poker machine again.
Sam raises his fist to his father to hit him again, and then stops. Nothing Sam does will make any difference. Shame makes his face flush that this man is his father. He runs out of the casino, past Judy, and climbs on his bike. Fueled by his emotion, he rides so fast Little Bear can’t keep up. Sam pumps the petals of his bike as hard as he can. Three miles up the mountain, tears of anger, disappointment, and finally grief for his grandmother come. Captured by the wind, they fly behind him.
CHAPTER 15: A NEW HIDING PLACE
Standing in the kitchen where Sam feels his grandmother’s presence the most, he surveys the room for a hiding place where Rocky won’t think to look. His eye stops on the red metal canisters above the stove. The “F” and “R” are the only letters remaining on the outside of the flour container faded with age. After he opens it, memories flood over him from the smell. Memories of his grandmother rolling the flour dough out on the counter top, dusting flour onto the rolling pin, and then rolling the dough out smooth. Memories of her cutting out perfect round pieces of dough with a juice glass and placing them on a baking pan to put into the oven. His mouth waters.
“This flour canister is the perfect hiding place for the ruby,” Sam says to Little Bear.
Little Bear nudges Sam’s leg like he agrees.
Sam admires the stone one last time before pushing it deep into the flour’s cool, silky whiteness. The ruby disappears.
“Not in a million years will Rocky think to look in there,” he says.
Little Bear yawns like a million years is a long time to wait.
Later that week, Sam harvests his grandmother’s apple trees and delivers two bushels to Young John to sell. He has never worked so hard in his life. His arms are more muscular and a little money is coming in. Sam, having learned his lesson, hides the cash he makes in a jelly jar and hides it in a hole in a large beech tree at the back of their property. Meanwhile, he constantly questions what he should do with the ruby. Grandmother always said answers find us, instead of us finding them, and sometimes they travel a great distance to get to us. For days Sam waits for an answer like a passenger waiting at a train station for a train that never arrives. But at least he trusts the ruby is safe.
One day, while Allie plays at Beth’s, Sam returns to the summit of the mountain for the first time in weeks and stands in the exact same place he first saw the red hawk.
“I miss you, Grandmother,” he says aloud to an empty sky. He hopes to hear her voice on the breeze again, but he hears nothing. A dark cloud covers the sun, and thunder rumbles in the distance. A storm is moving in fast.
“We’d better get home,” he says to Little Bear. Lightning storms are intense on the mountain and deserve respect. In a way, Sam is relieved his plans to revisit the trail are ruined. He hasn’t made peace with the mountain yet. Going back means he has to relive that day. Not only the good parts, but the bad parts, too.
When Sam gets back, the house looks different, in the same way his grandmother’s closet looked different after Rocky stole their money. The screen door is propped open with a chair like someone took a screwdriver to bust the latch. His heart races. Someone has broken in.
Rocky’s car is still gone, as well as Allie’s bike. Whoever did it must have known the house was empty. Thunder rumbles in the distance as Sam walks around the house peering in different windows. He discovers his bedroom window is broken and fragments of glass are scattered all across the ground outside.
Little Bear sniffs the ground and Sam notices the tiny drops of blood on the window sill. Lightning strikes the ridge above them, followed by a loud boom of thunder that makes Sam jump. The storm is no longer in the distance. It is right on top of them. Little Bear, who is afraid of storms, runs around to the front porch and Sam follows. Thick, sloppy raindrops fall. Sam is hesitant to go inside, but the storm forces them to find shelter.
Within seconds, the wind tosses tree branches around and another crash of thunder vibrates the ground underneath his feet. Mother Nature sounds angry. Another lightning strike hits so close Sam’s scalp tingles with electricity. Shaking, Little Bear huddles between Sam’s legs.
Every now and again he whimpers as if begging Sam to stop the storm. For Little Bear’s sake, they have to go inside.
Opening the door slowly, Sam listens to see if anyone is still there while Little Bear runs in. Lightning crackles, pushing him into the hallway. Grandmother’s straw hat lays on the floor, stepped on and crushed. Bird feathers are scattered everywhere. The contents of the hall closet litter the floor. Sam inches his way down the hallway. Someone has torn the place apart looking for something. Sam shudders. He waits in the hallway, his senses turned up on high to tell if the burglar is still there.
Sam edges his way from room to room, calling on his ancestors for courage. He finds Little Bear huddled under Grandmother’s bed. Every room looks like a cyclone has blown through. The door to Sam’s bedroom is closed, although he is certain he left it open. Sam backs his way into the living room, reaches for the phone and dials 911.
Ten minutes later, Sheriff Duncan arrives with police lights flashing. A possible break-in is big news in the tiny community of Rachel’s Pass. Usually, all the sheriff does is hand out parking tickets in town or direct traffic in the parking lot after high school football games.
The sheriff gets out of the squad car and slams the door, hoisting up his pants below his wide gut. He puts out his cigarette under his shoe, exhales a screen of smoke, and then quickly sticks a piece of gum into his mouth before walking over to Sam. Ashes from his cigarette cover his shirt like dandruff.
“There’s broken glass out back,” Sam says. “It looks like they came in through there.”
Sheriff Duncan pops his gum. A pungent smell of Juicy Fruit, cigarettes and coffee spreads in Sam’s direction. The sheriff rests his thumbs in his belt, his fingers red and pinched from his protruding stomach. Regardless, Sam feels relieved to have him there.
Sam follows the sheriff inside the house. The trail of debris leads to Sam’s room. His pistol drawn, the sheriff opens Sam’s door.
“Holy shit,” the sheriff says when he sees what’s inside, and then apologizes for his choice of words. Then he holsters his gun and steps aside. Sam’s room is a complete shambles.
The sheriff holds out his arm to stop Sam from entering. “We need to protect the crime scene,” the sheriff says, as if he’s watched too many episodes of Law and Order.
The two of them witness the ravaged room. His mattress is thrown on its side and clothes are everywhere. Every dresser drawer is emptied of its contents and tossed on the floor, as well as the shoes, clothes, and games from Sam’s closet. His bed sheets and bed spread are ripped off, too, and a shoe box full of Rocky’s old baseball cards is dumped into the middle of the floor.
“Do you know of anyone who could have done this?” the sheriff asks.
“No,” Sam says, however in the next second he thinks of Rocky. But Rocky would never leave this big a mess, unless he was trying to throw Sam a curve ball which used to be his specialty. The jewelry store owner might have done it, but how did he find out where Sam lived? Only one other person knows Sam’s secret, but Buddy would never tell. Would he?
Sheriff Duncan fills out a police report and takes photographs with a small camera. All of Sam’s worldly possessions crackle and crunch beneath his feet. The dresser drawer—the ruby’s original hiding place—is overturned behind the door. At least he hid the ruby somewhere safe. Or did he? He has been so distracted by the destruction he didn’t think to check the kitchen to see if the ruby was still there.
After the sheriff leaves, Sam runs through the obstacle course of debris into the kitchen. His worst fear is confirmed. The flour tin is moved, its contents dumped onto the kitchen cabinet and spilled onto the floor. The ruby is gone, leaving only the footprints tracked through the flour that lead out the back door.
CHAPTER 16: TO CATCH A THIEF
Buddy answers Sam’s knock at the front door of his parent’s trailer.
“I need to talk to you,” Sam says. Once inside, Sam grabs Buddy by the arm and pulls him down the hallway toward his room.
“Ouch,” Buddy yells, “hey, you’re hurting me, Sam.”
Sam shoves Buddy onto his bed.
“Quit it, you jerk. Tell me what’s going on,” Buddy says.
“Somebody trashed Grandmother’s house, and they took the ruby!” Sam says, his cheeks flushed with rage.
Buddy cowers as Sam approaches again. Grandmother urged Sam to seek out peaceful solutions, but that’s the last thing he wants right now.
“Why would somebody trash your house?” Buddy asks. He looks genuinely confused.
“How can you not know?” Sam asks. “Has the smell from your shoes finally eaten up your brain?”
Buddy lowers his eyes.
“Somebody found out about the ruby,” Sam says.
Buddy looks at Sam with a flash of understanding.
“Who did you tell?” Sam asks.
“Oh man, I'm so sorry, Sam.” Buddy puts his head in his hands and moans.
Sam sits on Buddy’s bed and the strong odor from Buddy’s sneakers makes Sam’s eyes water. He kicks the shoes under the bed, but really they should be buried.
So who’d you tell?” Sam asks, calmer now.
“Believe it or not, I had a good reason,” Buddy says.
“Tell me,” Sam says.
“I told Tink.” Buddy ducks like he might get hit.
“Tink?” Sam says. “You told Tink Watson? The same Tink Watson who pretended to be a friend so his dad could get in good with the tribal council? The same Tink Watson who dropped me like a hot coal as soon as his dad got the job? And then told everyone at school that I was a loser?”
“That’s partly why I told him,” Buddy says. “He was at Raven’s doing all that one-up bullshit, where he rubs your nose in all the money his family has, and I got fed up, Sam, and I told him I knew somebody a thousand times richer than him. Then I told him about the ruby you found. I'm sorry, Sam,” he says again. “I never thought he would steal it.”
The thought of Tink trashing his grandmother’s house makes Sam feel sick to his stomach. Being betrayed by Tink once was bad enough, but twice makes Sam want to throw up his lunch, and preferably on Tink.
“I can’t believe you told the biggest fake in Rachel’s Pass. What did you think he’d do, Buddy, be happy for me?”
The look on Buddy’s face seems punishment enough, but Sam is still angry.
“Everybody knows Allie can’t keep the secret, so I didn’t tell her. But I thought I could trust you, Buddy.”
Betrayal at the hands of Tink Watson is expected, but from his best friend? That’s almost as bad as falling down a mountain. But Sam doesn’t have time to deal with Buddy now. He has to get the ruby back.
After leaving Buddy’s trailer, Sam rides his bike into Rachel’s Pass. He waits for Tink outside of Raven’s store. Sam isn’t in the mood for a peaceful solution; he wants revenge, bloody nose revenge. In his imagination, Sam nails Tink with a right hook that turns Tink’s pretty white face into mush and sends blood squirting into the street.
For several minutes Sam pummels Tink in his mind, but as time passes he decides violence probably isn’t the wisest solution. A bloody nose might prevent Tink from returning the ruby. Plus, Sam wants to keep the gemstone a secret or every thief in the state might be after it. Not to mention what could happen if his gambling-addicted father found out. To win the ruby back, Sam needs to be clever and figure out a way to keep Tink’s mouth shut.
Sam waits for hours, but Tink never shows up. Then he goes home to clean the mess. Not long after Sam arrives, Allie runs home after hearing the news at Beth’s.
“Why would somebody do this to our house?” Allie asks. She sits on Sam’s bed while he folds shirts from the floor, sniffing the armpits to tell if they are clean or dirty.
“I’m not sure,” Sam answers. “But they’re long gone now.” He hates to lie to Allie, but sometimes a lie protects people from a scary truth.
Allie takes his ball cap and puts it on her head. “Can I wea
r your hawk feather?”
“For a little while,” he says.
“Why do you wear this feather all the time anyway?” Allie asks. “Aren’t you worried people will make fun of you?”
“I don’t care what people think,” Sam says. “Besides, I like it. And I don’t want to forget that day on the mountain.”
What Sam hasn’t told Allie or anyone is that he heard his grandmother’s voice that day at the same time she was unconscious, and he’d give almost anything to hear her voice again.
Rocky’s Buick pulls up in the driveway. He is home earlier than usual. Evidently the news of the break-in made it to the casino. The screen door slams.
Rocky walks into Sam’s bedroom. “You okay?” he asks.
“What do you care?” Sam says, still angry at Rocky for taking all the money out of Grandmother’s basket.
Rocky looks at Sam for a long time—like they are two streams, and he has no idea how to create a bridge between them.
“I like your hat,” Rocky says to Allie.
“It’s Sam’s,” she says, sitting on the end of the bed.
Rocky stands at the door for several seconds and then leaves without saying a word.
“I wish he was more like he used to be,” Allie says to Sam. “He acts so sad.”
“I’m surprised you remember the old Rocky,” Sam says.
“I was in first grade when he started going to the casino,” Allie says. “Before that he was nice.”
“I remember that, too,” Sam says. But he is too busy missing Grandmother and dealing with the mess to also miss Rocky.
Circle of the Ancestors Page 7