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there. She walked around for a few minutes, looking at the remains of a large garden and wondering who tended it, then went back inside.
    She wished desperately that Bart had come with her. Or that he’d call and tell her he’d found Dad. He had to be all right, didn’t he?
    But things did happen to people. There hadbeen that terrible accident that had killed her mother, when her car had slid on the ice and crashed. Everybody had said EllaBelle Adams must have died instantly when she hit the cement wall, that she couldn’t have felt any pain.
    Buddy hadn’t even been able to see her at the last. They’d closed the casket. Not that she wanted to see what had happened to her mother; yet for the longest time she had felt that Mama hadn’t really died, that she was still alive somewhere, and would come walking through the door any minute.
    But an accident wouldn’t have happened to Dad. He was a good driver. He’d only given up driving trucks, which he loved, to work in the mill after Mama died, so she and Bart wouldn’t be home alone so much. He said it was the other fellow you had to look out for, the one who wasn’t a good, careful driver. And he would have been driving a truck, and sitting up above other drivers, and not very likely to be injured even if there was an accident. He’d told her that, so she wouldn’t worry.
    It was impossible not to worry, though. What if even her brother didn’t come back? What if she never found out what had happened to either of them? What if she had to stay here with Aunt Addie and Aunt Cassie forever?
    Her eyes prickled and her throat ached, thinking about it.
    The screen door slammed behind her, and she spun around. Max was standing at the top of the steps. “What happened to my kitten?” he demanded.
    â€œWhat?” Buddy couldn’t imagine why he was asking her.
    â€œAre you deaf? I asked what happened to my kitten?”
    â€œI heard you,” she said with as much dignity as she could muster. “I just didn’t understand why you’d think I would know. I haven’t seen him.”
    â€œI put him in that box just inside the back door.”
    â€œI guess he must have climbed out. I don’t know where he went.” And then, because she would have made the offer to anyone else, she added, “Doyou want me to help you look for him?”
    â€œHe’s too little to climb out. Somebody must have taken him out.”
    â€œWell, it wasn’t me.”
    Max was scowling. “I heard you went over to sign up for school. Does that mean you’re going to stay here?”
    It only occurred to her at that moment that Max was school age. “I hope not, but they said I should go as long as I’m here,” she said. “How come you weren’t in school this afternoon?”
    â€œThe seventh graders are off until Monday. They’re fumigating our room and the library, right next door to it, and there was nowhere for us to have classes.”
    â€œFumigating?” Buddy echoed.
    â€œYes. Some guys came in to clean up the mess and the smell and stuff.” Max’s scowl had faded. “We had an incident yesterday. Somebody brought in a skunk, and it got loose. Old Faulkner thinks the rooms are going to be fit to move back into by Monday, but nobody else thinks so. You ever smelled skunk up close?”
    â€œYes,” Buddy admitted. “Our neighbor’s dogtangled with one once. They didn’t let him into the house for a week, even after they washed him in tomato juice. He still stunk.”
    â€œExactly,” Max said with satisfaction. “I’m betting it’ll still stink on Monday. I brought my books and my backpack home, and I can still smell it on them. And the skunk wasn’t actually anywhere near me. Cassie said I had to leave them on the back porch to air out, but they’re no better yet.”
    â€œWhat happened to the person who