The Journey Home (13 page)

“I suppose there's no harm in that,” Mrs. Ratzlaf said. “I just want to make it clear that we are not responsible for either of you. Understood?”

“Yeah, sure,” Jake said, trying to look innocent.

“Right. Anyway, don't dillydally.”

Mrs. Ratzlaf continued on to the next tables, telling everyone to get a move on.

Marty looked at the others. “
Dillydally?
What century is she living in?”

The others chuckled, but Jake and Taylor sighed with relief. “Thanks for covering for us,” Jake said.

“Yeah,” said Taylor. “That was a close one.”

“So,” Max said, “when are you going to tell us the
real
deal?”

“Uh, what do you mean?” Jake hedged.

“Well, obviously you aren't in a jazz band from Colorado,”
Max said. “And your parents aren't back at the museum. So what
are
you doing here on your own?”

“Are you orphans?” Tess asked excitedly.

“No!” Taylor exclaimed. “We're going to rescue our mom.”

“Why? Is she in trouble?”

“Yeah . . . Well, no . . . We don't know,” said Taylor all at once.

“Well, which one is it?” asked Marty.

Jake and Taylor looked at each other. Neither of them answered.

“Maybe we can help you,” said Max. “We'd want help if
our
mom was in trouble.

“We might as well tell them,” Jake said, sighing.

They gave the twins and Tess a quick rundown of the last five months. They left out plenty of details—like seeing Bull shoot the man back in Pittsburgh, and how Bull fell to his death in Grand Teton National Park. But they did tell their new audience that some bad people might be after their mom and that was why they had to hurry back to Pittsburgh.

When they'd finished their story, Marty whistled. “Whoa. You guys are like outlaws.”

“They're more like explorers,” Tess said.

“I'm sorry about your mom, but I wish
we
got to do stuff like that,” Max chimed in. “Plus, you don't even have to go to school!”

“You know, back at the museum you said life in the wild
must suck,” Jake reminded him. “Now you're jealous?”

“Oh . . . Sorry.” Max looked sheepish. “You just make it sound so cool.”

“It's not as cool as you think. It's dangerous. You were right about that part.”

“Yeah,” said Taylor. “Just a couple of days ago, I got caught in an avalanche and Jake and Cody had to dig me out.”

“An avalanche? Seriously?” Tess stared at Taylor like she was sitting across from a rock star. In the next moment Mrs. Ratzlaf's voice boomed through the restaurant.

“FIVE MINUTES, EVERYONE! If you have to use the restrooms, do it NOW! We're not stopping again between here and Nebraska!”

“Quick,” said Taylor. “Do any of you guys have a cell phone? We want to try to call our mom to see if she's all right.”

“Good idea,” said Jake.

“Yeah, sure.” Marty pulled a phone from his pocket and handed it to Jake.

The boys hurried outside to where Cody was waiting. Taylor slipped him half a slice of sausage pizza that Tess hadn't finished, while Jake dialed their home number. Unlike their call on the satellite phone the week before, the sound on Marty's phone came through loud and clear.

“Is she answering?” Taylor asked.

Jake shook his head. “Not yet.”

“Hang up and try again,” Taylor said, but just then a voice spoke.

“Hello?” their mom said nervously.

“Mom! It's me, Jake!”

“Oh, thank God!” Jennifer said, her voice filled with relief. “Are you boys all right? I've been so worried about you since we got cut off last time. Where are you?”

“It's okay, Mom. Taylor, me, and Cody are fine. We're on our way back to Pittsburgh. Are
you
okay?”

Jennifer hesitated on the other end of the line. Then she said, “Yes. I'm fine. Don't worry about me.”

Taylor had his ear close to the phone but pulled back.
Something's wrong,
he mouthed to Jake.

Jake nodded. “Mom, what about Bull's boss's men? Did they come to see you?”

“Is Bull with you?” Jennifer asked, alarm in her voice. “Did he hurt you boys?”

“No, Mom. We've haven't seen Bull in . . .” The words caught in his throat. “Months.”

Because he's dead, Mom. DEAD.

“These men,” Jen whispered. “They think Bull stole some money from them.”

“What men?” Jake said, worried now.

“Bull's business partners!” she said. “They tell me different things every time.”

Jake thought back to the night Bull shot the guy in the woods near their home in Pittsburgh. Bull had obviously
been mixed up with some very bad people. It had been naïve to think that just because Bull had disappeared, these people would let the matter drop.

“Are they threatening you?” Jake asked. His heart was pounding and his stomach was in knots. The pizza he'd eaten only moments ago churned inside him.

“It's not your problem,” Jennifer said defiantly. “I can deal with it.”

“Mom, tell us!” Jake wouldn't take no for an answer.

There was a long pause before she spoke again. “These men started coming around as soon as I was out of the hospital. A guy named Valenti does most of the talking. He says Bull has their money, they want it back, and I have until Christmas to give it to them.”

Jake and Taylor looked at each other.
Valenti.
Jake wondered if that was the man in the woods with Bull that night. Valenti must be the boss.

There was only one way out of this, he realized, but it would mean the end of everything. Bull's death would come out. Their dad might go to jail. But their mom would be safe.

“Mom, we've got to go to the cops.”

“No!” Jennifer said instantly.

“But Valenti . . . he'll come for you . . .”

“Jake, I haven't finished. Valenti says he knows where Bull went. He says Bull took off after you boys. Valenti has been here. He took that school photo of the two of
you. The one I kept on the bookcase. He knows what you look like.”

“Oh no.” Jake pressed his knuckles into his forehead and willed himself to keep it together.

“And I can't go to the police. Valenti said they'd find out if I did, and one of his men would kill me.”

Taylor spoke into the phone. “Mom, remember Officer Grasso? Find him; he's a nice guy and can help.”

Jake nodded in agreement. “And we'll get back there as soon as we can.”

“No!” Jennifer exclaimed. “You boys stay
away
. Valenti's men are watching the house. I know they are!”

For a horrible moment Jake couldn't tell if his mom had gone crazy. What she'd just said suddenly sounded totally paranoid.

When Jennifer spoke again, however, she sounded perfectly sane. “The only thing that's kept me going this past week is knowing you boys are safe, and I want to keep it that way. Jake, promise me you'll stay with your father!”

Just then the band kids started streaming out of the pizza place toward the two motor coaches.

“Mom, we've got to go,” said Jake. “We'll call you back as soon as we can.”

“Go find Officer Grasso,” Taylor shouted into the phone.

“JAKE! PROMISE ME! I WANT YOU TO—”

“I love you, Mom.” Jake closed his eyes and ended the call, cutting his mom off midsentence.

The twins and Tess hurried up to them. “Did you get through?” Marty asked.

Jake's mouth was dry. “Yeah.”

He tried to hand the phone back, but Marty shook his head. “No, you hang on to it for now, buddy. I'll say I lost it. Just mail it back to me when you get home. My address is in the contacts.”

“Oh, man. Thanks. We owe you big-time.” Jake switched the phone off to save on battery power and tucked it safely away.

“What are you going to do now?” Max asked.

“We've got to get back to Pittsburgh as fast as possible,” said Jake.

“But how?” Tess asked.

“We need to catch a train,” said Taylor. “Or a plane! We've got enough money for tickets, right, Jake?”

Jake gritted his teeth. “We need that money for
something else,
Taylor, or have you forgotten?”

The thought of giving Bull's money to Valenti made Jake feel sick to his stomach. Especially as they'd spent some of it.

“So, what do we do?” Taylor looked as if he were ready to collapse with exhaustion and despair.

Max and Marty grinned at each other, and at the brothers.

“What?” Jake asked. “What are you smiling about?”

Marty said, “We've got an idea.”

16
“You can ride to Chicago with us!” Max said.

“What?”

“There's at least four or five empty seats,” Marty explained. “And you can get halfway to Pennsylvania.”

“People are going to notice,” Jake objected. “And Ratzlaf won't get fooled twice. She'll bust us right away.”

“Mrs. Ratzlaf rides in the other bus,” said Tess, looking smug. “And the back-up bus driver will be asleep.”

“Jake, listen,” said Marty. “We're an all-district band. That means we come from schools all over the place. Marty, Tess, and I only know a few other kids from our school. Plus, we've only played together a few times, so most of these kids still don't know who's who.”

“But what about Cody?” Taylor asked.

They all looked at Cody, wagging his tail, staring up at them.

“Does he bark a lot?” asked Tess.

“Not usually.”

“Perfect,” said Max. “We'll sneak you into the back row of the coach.”

Jake looked at Taylor. “What do you think?”

Taylor didn't hesitate. “Let's go for it. What's the worst that can happen?”

Jake could think of half a dozen things, but agreed. “Okay. If it works, it'll save us a lot of time. We just need to get past the bus driver.”

Max winked. “Leave that to us.”

The driver stood next to the coach door, counting heads as students piled up the stairs. While Jake and Taylor hung back, Marty and Max took their large backpacks and snowshoes from them and carried them up to the driver. “Can we put these back in the luggage compartment?” Marty asked.

The driver scowled at the snowshoes. “What are those things? I don't remember seeing them before.”

“They're snowshoes,” Max explained. “We bought them as souvenirs.”

The driver shook his head. “You kids. And now I lost my count.”

While the driver walked down the side of the bus to open the lower baggage compartment, Tess hissed, “Now's our chance. Go!”

With Cody tucked snugly inside Taylor's parka, Tess led the boys onto the coach, and they quickly made their way to the back row of seats. A few students were already sitting there, but Tess smiled sweetly and asked them to move.

Jake and Taylor scooted into one side of the large backseat, and Tess sat next to them, blocking the driver's view of the boys. Moments later Max and Marty climbed up into the bus, each carrying a blanket and a pillow, grinning broadly. They grabbed their daypacks from where they'd been sitting before and made their way to the back of the bus.

“Chicago, here we come!” Max whispered, plonking down onto the other side of the bench seat.

Jake grinned. “Thanks, guys.”

“Yeah,” said Taylor. “That was pretty cool.”

“We're not home free yet. Stay down,” Tess warned as the bus driver climbed back onto the coach.

“Under the blankets, quick!” said Marty.

They hastily covered up Jake's and Taylor's hunched figures with the blankets, and Tess leaned on top of them to make it look like she'd just made a comfortable bed for herself. As the rest of the kids on the bus chatted noisily, the driver slowly shuffled down the bus aisle redoing his head count to make sure everyone was on board. He paused briefly, looking at Tess, Max, and Marty, but his numbers evidently tallied.

He spun around and walked back to the driver's seat.
After fastening himself in, he turned the ignition key, and the bus's giant engine roared to life.

So far, so good,
thought Jake.

The pair of coaches drove two hours to Casper, where they picked up Interstate 25 heading east. Tess and Marty pulled out their tablets and tracked their progress using Google Maps. Jake and Taylor played with some game apps, which helped pass the time. Occasionally the kids glanced out the window to look at the snow-covered landscape. Twice they spotted groups of pronghorn antelope nibbling at the sagebrush along the interstate, and near Douglas they saw a billboard advertising the
WORLD'S LARGEST JACKALOPE
.

“Hey, look,” Taylor said as the coach whizzed by without stopping. “How cool would it be to see a real-life jackalope?”