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she’s already met Zack,” Maggie said. He’d been the minister of Grandma’s church in Deer Island, after all.
    “She knows Reverend Locklin,” Mama said. “Now she wants to get to know Zack .”
    Maggie didn’t think there was that much difference between the two, but she knew some folks disagreed. Though most liked Zack as much as they had liked Reverend Locklin, there were still many who thought he had to prove himself. He had, after all, pretended to be a minister, deceiving them for months.
    Grandma added in her letter that she wouldn’t be able to wait for a reply to her letter because her friends, the Busfields, were going to visit their daughter in Bachelor Flat and had offered her a ride, since Maintown was not far away from their daughter’s place. They planned to arrive Monday in the late afternoon.
    Maggie didn’t know why Mama was in such a dither over the visit. Grandma Spooner was not the critical type, unlike Grandmother Newcomb, Dad’s mother. Grandma Spooner wouldn’t care if the house was clean or if the larders were full. Mama was probably just excited.
    Zack came early. Maggie was a little groggy after being out late at the Parkers’ the night before, but she was excited, as well, not so much about seeing Tommy—that made her a bit nervous—but the outing with Zack and Ellie would be fun.
    The morning started off cloudy and chilly. Maggie feared rain might interfere with their plans, but the clouds had dispersed a little by the time Mama fed Zack breakfast. Dad threw a canvas tarp into the back of the buckboard, just in case. At least they could cover their purchases. As for the passengers, well, they were Oregonians and weren’t afraid of a little moisture. There were a few sprinkles during the six-mile drive to St. Helens but not enough to deter their plans.
    Rain was the least of Maggie’s worries as they neared town, and nerves assailed her. Would Tommy hate her for waiting so long to see him? Zack had visited him a few times and tried to assure her that Tommy held nothing against her. What would she say to him? As friends they had fished together, hunted together, swam in the pond, hiked over the countryside. But they had never visited each other. And most of the things they had done never involved much talking. Tommy was, well, rather a simple-minded boy. Most of the kids in school called him far worse than that— dummy, bonehead, moron were among the kinder names. He’d never done well in school, probably couldn’t read beyond the first primer. Same with all the other subjects. Maggie had first befriended him when Mrs. Donnelly had asked her to help him with arithmetic in third grade. He never could get long division or fractions.
    Tommy was not a refined conversationalist. The few times he talked to Maggie about anything of consequence, he complained about his father. Tom Donnelly was a drunken, illtempered layabout. He regularly beat Tommy and ridiculed him. It seemed Tommy could only please his father when he drank with him and shirked responsibilities. No wonder Tommy got such a bad reputation, but he had only been desperately trying to please his father.
    Zack parked the wagon in front of Dolman’s General Store, where Ellie went to begin the shopping. Since she didn’t know Tommy that well and her presence might make him uncomfortable, she’d shop instead. Maggie was glad that Zack had agreed to go with her to the jail. She not only wanted his company during the visit but hoped that his presence would give her courage should the sheriff be there and think to question her.
    Thankfully, only the deputy was present, and he wasn’t interested in asking questions. He led Maggie and Zack back to the cells—he didn’t even bother to search them first! He did take a look under the covered basket Maggie held, and his eyes glinted at the sight of the plump muffins Mama had baked for Tommy.
    Tommy jumped up from where he’d been lying on his cot when he saw his