starts lengthening and seems all knees and elbows, brown eyes and a wary expression.
"These are Joey Patterson's kids," Mitch said as the light hit them. "He's been gone for three days and they don't know where he is. Just the three of them, left by themselves."
"Come on, sweetheart," Alma said, her arms around the little girl. "Let's have a little bit of dinner and then you can go to bed."
Stasi seemed momentarily rooted to the floor as though all the wind had been taken out of her sails. "Dinner," she said. "Yes, there's dinner in the oven."
Mitch very carefully didn't touch the boys as he herded them in ahead of him. "This is Jimmy and Douglas. Boys, this is Mrs. Sorley and Mr. Segura."
"Hi," Lewis said. He looked at Alma over their heads. "Sure, I can put out more plates."
"And this is Merilee," Alma said. "Jimmy's been doing a good job taking care of her." And that expression spoke volumes, a two year old with nobody but a kid who must be about eleven to take care of her for days. "She can sleep in Dora's room tonight. There's room in her bed for two and it's nice and safe and quiet in there."
"The boys can sleep on the couch," Mitch said. "But you guys should wash your hands and get ready for dinner first."
Stasi had found her feet and hurried into the kitchen babbling ten miles a minute about this and that and the other.
Lewis caught Alma in the doorway. "What happened?"
She took a deep breath, a streak of dirt across her cheek. "Joey Patterson bugged out. He left the kids twenty bucks and a note saying he was sorry. They thought he went to work but it was really clear he didn't. Mikey at the station said he took the local to Denver on Tuesday. The oldest — that's Jimmy — has been watching the two little ones but they're out of food at the house and anyway we can't just leave them alone. We called Sheriff Donnelly, which is how we found out about Mikey. Donnelly asked around. Anyhow, he said that he couldn't leave the kids by themselves in the house but he reckoned they could sleep in the jail." She looked down at the little girl in her arms. "But you know we couldn't do that, Lewis!"
"Of course not," Lewis said. Merilee regarded him with big, sleepy eyes.
"So Mitch asked if the sheriff would let us take them home with us and he allowed as how we could have temporary custody on the grounds it was better for them than the jail."
"My father will be back tomorrow," Jimmy said loudly from the kitchen.
Stasi hovered with a pan of macaroni and cheese. Douglas was already tucking into it like it was the best thing ever.
"He can come pick you up as soon as he does," Mitch said. "So have some dinner and get a good night's sleep."
"He's gone to Denver to get some money," Jimmy said.
"Of course he has, darling," Stasi said. "But pip-pip cheerio and all that!"
Jimmy stared at her. "What does that mean?"
"I have no idea," Stasi said airily. "It's just a thing you say."
"Is he?" Lewis asked quietly.
Alma shook her head. "I seriously doubt it. And if he does turn up, I expect the sheriff is going to have some things to say about child desertion. Merilee's not but two! She can't be left on her own like this, with no responsible adult!"
"Well," Lewis said, looking down at her cuddled against Alma, so like Dora and so unlike. "Of course they can stay as long as they need to."
"I knew you'd say that," Alma said, and her smile was tired and glorious.
I n his cabin aboard the Matston Line’s Malolo , Jerry shuffled the cards in the circle of light from his desk lamp, the worn pasteboard sliding comfortably through his fingers, the colors still bright after all these years. The porthole glowed hot gold as they ran on toward the sunset, but the desk was in shadow. He could — should — have asked Lewis or Stasi to read for him before he’d left Colorado, but at the time he hadn’t been sure he really wanted to know. This job was a gamble: a summer in Hawaii, supervising a dig that was so far outside his own
"These are Joey Patterson's kids," Mitch said as the light hit them. "He's been gone for three days and they don't know where he is. Just the three of them, left by themselves."
"Come on, sweetheart," Alma said, her arms around the little girl. "Let's have a little bit of dinner and then you can go to bed."
Stasi seemed momentarily rooted to the floor as though all the wind had been taken out of her sails. "Dinner," she said. "Yes, there's dinner in the oven."
Mitch very carefully didn't touch the boys as he herded them in ahead of him. "This is Jimmy and Douglas. Boys, this is Mrs. Sorley and Mr. Segura."
"Hi," Lewis said. He looked at Alma over their heads. "Sure, I can put out more plates."
"And this is Merilee," Alma said. "Jimmy's been doing a good job taking care of her." And that expression spoke volumes, a two year old with nobody but a kid who must be about eleven to take care of her for days. "She can sleep in Dora's room tonight. There's room in her bed for two and it's nice and safe and quiet in there."
"The boys can sleep on the couch," Mitch said. "But you guys should wash your hands and get ready for dinner first."
Stasi had found her feet and hurried into the kitchen babbling ten miles a minute about this and that and the other.
Lewis caught Alma in the doorway. "What happened?"
She took a deep breath, a streak of dirt across her cheek. "Joey Patterson bugged out. He left the kids twenty bucks and a note saying he was sorry. They thought he went to work but it was really clear he didn't. Mikey at the station said he took the local to Denver on Tuesday. The oldest — that's Jimmy — has been watching the two little ones but they're out of food at the house and anyway we can't just leave them alone. We called Sheriff Donnelly, which is how we found out about Mikey. Donnelly asked around. Anyhow, he said that he couldn't leave the kids by themselves in the house but he reckoned they could sleep in the jail." She looked down at the little girl in her arms. "But you know we couldn't do that, Lewis!"
"Of course not," Lewis said. Merilee regarded him with big, sleepy eyes.
"So Mitch asked if the sheriff would let us take them home with us and he allowed as how we could have temporary custody on the grounds it was better for them than the jail."
"My father will be back tomorrow," Jimmy said loudly from the kitchen.
Stasi hovered with a pan of macaroni and cheese. Douglas was already tucking into it like it was the best thing ever.
"He can come pick you up as soon as he does," Mitch said. "So have some dinner and get a good night's sleep."
"He's gone to Denver to get some money," Jimmy said.
"Of course he has, darling," Stasi said. "But pip-pip cheerio and all that!"
Jimmy stared at her. "What does that mean?"
"I have no idea," Stasi said airily. "It's just a thing you say."
"Is he?" Lewis asked quietly.
Alma shook her head. "I seriously doubt it. And if he does turn up, I expect the sheriff is going to have some things to say about child desertion. Merilee's not but two! She can't be left on her own like this, with no responsible adult!"
"Well," Lewis said, looking down at her cuddled against Alma, so like Dora and so unlike. "Of course they can stay as long as they need to."
"I knew you'd say that," Alma said, and her smile was tired and glorious.
I n his cabin aboard the Matston Line’s Malolo , Jerry shuffled the cards in the circle of light from his desk lamp, the worn pasteboard sliding comfortably through his fingers, the colors still bright after all these years. The porthole glowed hot gold as they ran on toward the sunset, but the desk was in shadow. He could — should — have asked Lewis or Stasi to read for him before he’d left Colorado, but at the time he hadn’t been sure he really wanted to know. This job was a gamble: a summer in Hawaii, supervising a dig that was so far outside his own
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