Tommy left the shed while Pearl stayed back to pack a few things in her bag. He saw through Miss Violet’s windows that the mob must have circled back and were storming her house again. He snuck along the edges to Mama’s house and entered.
“Mama! Pearl said Katherine’s gone?”
Mama squeezed him so tight it pushed his air right out of him. “You’re free.” She covered her eyes with her hand. “He followed through with his promise.”
“Whose promise? Who followed through on what? I escaped.”
“They didn’t let you out?”
“No, they were getting ready to haul me away, down to the cellar cells, when I saw an opening and ran. And we have to go. All of us. My debt and troubles are too big. Pearl’s packing some things, and then we’ll go.”
Mama leaned back against the dry sink, looking confused. “Oh no, no. I paid your debt. I did. At the saloon with the cottage money. But you’re free. They won’t bother you. Your name’s off that board . . .”
Tommy put his arm around her. “I’m so sorry, Mama. But we have to go. The judge’ll never let this be. Where did Katherine go to? We can pick her up.”
“Aleksey took her to his mama, to the farm. He’ll keep her safe. Yale’ll be released. I managed a few favors. I can breathe on that count. But you . . . you’re right. You can’t stay, Tommy. Judge Calder’ll never let you be if you escaped.”
Tommy pulled away from Mama and took her hands.
“We can’t trust these people. We’ve got to get Yale ourselves.”
Mama’s mouth drew up at one corner. She looked away. “Not like that. I made arrangements for Yale.”
“We’ll get her on the way out of town.”
“We can’t just snatch her out of Glenwood. I need to get her through proper channels. And I’ve secured that process.”
“You trust some process after all of this?”
She nodded. “You need to trust me. If I’d have known you could escape, it might be different, but I’ve already traded on some very old—”
The sound of policemen shouting, threatening to arrest people next door startled them. “You have to go,” she said. “Meet Katherine at the Zurchenkos. I’ll send word that you’re coming, and once I get Yale, we’ll join you and clear your name.”
She ladled water into the kettle, her hand shaking.
Tommy felt his mother’s body tense from across the room.
“I’m so sorry, Mama. This is all my fault. All this running and lying and Yale . . . I should have kept better watch over Katherine.”
She stepped toward him and took his hands. “I know things are a mess, but if you’re safe, knowing Katherine is, I can settle the rest of it.”
“Come with me.”
She shook her head, fear in her eyes. He held her the way she’d squeezed him earlier. “I love you, Mama. I love you, but you have to leave with us. It’s not safe.”
She sobbed into him, then gathered herself, pulling away, wiping tears and steadying her breath.
She pulled a gold money clip from a pocket hidden in her skirt. “This was my father’s. I came across it at McCrady’s and bought it back because I thought it might be good luck to have it, the prospect of filling it with scads of money someday. It’s empty, but I know you’ll fill it . . .”
Her voice trailed off in a way that reminded him of Pearl when she was shy about her shortcomings.
The kitchen door swung open. Pearl appeared, sopping wet, the dark night lit with lightning bolts behind her. Fern shook off the rain and Frank, on her shoulder, lifted his wings and shuddered as well.
“Pearl,” Mama said. Tommy saw relief flash across his mother’s face.
“I’m ready.”
Mama wiped more tears away. “I’ll take good care of them until we meet up.” She held her hand up as though taking an oath.
“Take care of who?” Tommy asked.
“Fern, Teddy, and Frank.”
Tommy nearly fell over.
Pearl pulled Teddy out of the pocket of her coat—one of Mama’s worn ones. Mama must have given it to her at some point. “Thank you for the coat, Mrs. Arthur. Thank you for caring for my precious animals.”
Tommy was glad Mama and Pearl had been talking, but surprised.
“I secured the trunk in the back with all your things the Zurchenkos brought,” Pearl said.
Mama nodded. “I’ll get it out of the shed later.”
Pearl knelt down and hugged Fern around the neck. Her shoulders shook as she began to cry. Tommy pulled her up. “We have to go.”
Pearl stood and held out the rope to Jeanie. She took it and drew Pearl into a hug. Tommy heard his mother’s hushed words. “I’ll watch the animals, and you watch my Tommy.” Pearl nodded without pulling away. “’Course I will.”
Pearl unloaded all the gear that went with her animals, bowls clanging, tears dripping down her cheeks.
Tommy kissed his mother’s cheek and held her tight. He squeezed her three times, for the first time using the secret code for I love you. She started to cry, squeezing him back three times.
His eyes filled. He was overwhelmed with love and regret. “I love you, Mama. I’ll make you proud.” Saying that reminded him of Dr. Hayes. He dug into his pocket and pulled out the note he’d promised to deliver. She took it and swallowed him up for one more hug. “We’ll be back,” he said.
“Not until it’s safe,” she said.
“Immediately thereafter.”
And before he heard a word she had left to say, he left, taking Pearl’s hand.