“I saw you and Tyson had a little brother time there.” Shan sounded pleased when we got home. Then she said, “He didn’t want to give you drugs, did he?”
“He was smoking weed,” I said. “I didn’t want any.”
She made a clucking sound. I didn’t say he was a crackhead, crankhead, whatever he was. It didn’t matter; probably we both knew that already. I said, “He apologized. Said welcome home. I think he’s pretty bent up right now. Tell you the truth, I’m kind of glad he’s in Peterborough.”
She nodded, looking tired. “He tries, hon. I know you remember him being crazy bad before you disappeared. He should have picked you up that day. He tore himself apart about it after.” Her voice was pleading. It was as if she was convincing herself as much as me.
I said, “I know. You told me. He didn’t.”
“I know he wanted to. He just can’t always help himself. He hangs with some bad people up there, I think. Bad influences. And Momma tries to…” She bit her lip. Her shoulders began to shake. “Oh God…sometimes, this family…”
“Hey,” I said. “We’re here now.” She gave me this huge apple-blossom smile and went to hustle Brooklynne off to bed.
Major dopers are nut cases. I’d met them before, with Harley. The “memorial” Tyson had given me was nothing special, far as I could see: a cheap gold neck chain with a letter D hanging from it. The clasp was broken. It was about as exciting as the other junk Carleen had brought over. I put it in some rolled-together socks at the back of my drawer. I figured I had more important things to think about.
Sunday, I checked the telephone book. There were four Griffins. I wrote down the addresses and looked them up on a town map I’d found in the kitchen junk drawer. After supper, I asked to borrow Matt’s bike. Gillian had shown me how to fix the flat with a little kit she had. It was getting dark earlier now. I pedaled under streetlights.
At the second address, a silver Camry was parked in the drive. It was a good-sized, suburb-type place a block from Gillian’s, on a street not as fancy. A light was on in back, in what I guessed was the kitchen. I stood under a tree, away from the streetlight, and watched until I saw Griffin. He had a plate and a glass. Blue TV light flickered on in the front room. I moved closer to the house. I don’t know what I was going to do. A dog started to bark. I rode away.