CORA HADN’T KNELT BESIDE HER BED IN YEARS. IT WAS HARD ON HER knees, but she believed God forgave her. After all, he was the one who gave her these old, achy knees. Harper was missing, though, and that was an emergency, so she’d been getting up early, every morning to kneel gingerly beside her bed and storm the gates of heaven.
“I am so sorry I told that poor child it woulda been her fault if I got run over. That was thoughtless and cruel. I didn’t mean it . . . so if you could please direct her path back toward this house, I promise I will never, ever—”
Cora stopped, midsentence, and listened to a noise outside—What was that? It sounded like the bell on Rudy’s bike . . . but how could that be? She frowned. If it wasn’t so damn hard to get up, she’d go look, but then it’d be hard to get back down again. She sighed. She was down now and that’s where she was staying. She continued to listen, though, hoping no one was stealing the bike—even if it would teach that girl a lesson! Rudy was constantly leaving her bicycle in the middle of the walk or on the curb where someone (most likely her poor mother) would trip on it! And she was always riding it without her helmet, too . . . “That child is gonna be the death a me!” she murmured. “It would be just as well if her bike was stolen!” She shook her head in dismay and then bowed it again.
Twenty minutes later she murmured Amen, slowly pulled herself up, and made her way down the hall, feeling ten years older than she actually was. She woke the boys and then peered into Rudy’s room, too. “Time to get up,” she said softly.
“Any news, Mama?” Rudy asked, rubbing her eyes sleepily.
“No news, baby,” Cora answered. “You need to get up, though, because we have to get your Halloween costume together.”
Rudy sat up. “I don’t feel like it. I don’t feel like trick-or-treating,” she said glumly.
Cora sat down and put her arm around her. “I know you’re worried, Rudy. I’m worried, too, but we’ll find Harper. The police are lookin’ and it’s been on the news and they’re havin’ a search party today.”
“I want to help search!” Rudy exclaimed excitedly.
“No,” Cora said firmly. “The best thing you can do is go to school.”
“Why? Why is that the best thing? That’s not gonna help find Harper.”
“It is the best thing because then I don’t need to worry about losing you, too.”
“You won’t lose me,” Rudy protested.
Cora stood. “You need to get up and have breakfast.”
Rudy frowned. “You won’t lose me,” she muttered as she threw off the covers and shuffled down the hall. “Hurry up, Joe!” she shouted, banging on the bathroom door. “I hafta go, too!”
When Rudy finally appeared in the kitchen, Cora eyed her. “What would you like for breakfast? Joe says there’s only one waffle left.”
“He can have it,” Rudy said as he pulled the last waffle out of the box. “I’m not hungry.”
“You have to eat something,” Cora commanded.
“I’m not hungry,” Rudy said defiantly, “so don’t cook me anything.”
Cora sighed. “You’re gonna be hungry.”
Rudy shook her head, picked up her backpack, went into the living room. As soon as she sank into a chair, McMuffin hopped up onto her lap and lay down. She stroked her soft fur and thought about Harper. “This is why Harper and me should have cell phones,” she called out. “If she had a cell phone, we could just call her and ask her where she is.”
Cora came into the room, drying her hands. “That is true, Rudy, but I can barely afford phones for me and Frank.”
Just then, Frank came into the room, distractedly looking at his phone. “Besides,” he said, without looking up. “If Mom got you a phone, you’d just lose it.”
“You’re one to talk, Mr. Left Mine in My Locker. A lot of good it’ll do you there.”
“I didn’t lose it.”
“I wouldn’t lose it, either!”
“You would, too—you can’t even take care of your bike.”
“I can too.”
“Then why was it lying in the middle of the walk when I got home last night?”
“It was not.”
“Was too,” he said, opening the door to prove he was right, but when he looked out, the bike wasn’t there. “You must’a moved it.”
“I did not!” Rudy said, gently pushing McMuffin off her lap to look.
Frank stepped outside and saw it leaning against the house.
Cora frowned. “Did you move it, Frank?”
“No, ma’am,” he answered. He looked back at his phone for the time. “I gotta go.”
“You haven’t had breakfast.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Ain’t nobody’s hungry ’round here,” Cora said in an exasperated voice. “I don’t know why I bother buyin’ food!”
“Bye, Mama,” Frank said, kissing her cheek. “Love you.”
“Love you, too,” Cora said with a sigh.
“Oh,” he said, looking back. “You tol’ me to remind you to find out about the after-school program.”
“I have just a little bit going on right now, Frank.”
“I know, but the captains are starting unofficial practices next week and it’d be good if I showed up.”
“I’ll try to remember.”
“Thanks.” He looked back again. “Let me know if they find Harper.”
Cora nodded and waved, but when she went back in the kitchen, she realized he’d forgotten his lunch. She grabbed it and hurried outside to catch him, but he was gone, and she shook her head. “No breakfast, no lunch . . . I don’t know how you’re goin’ to have the strength to play basketball!”
She looked at the clock. “We need to go, too.” She saw Joe’s empty plate on the table. “Rudy, where’s your brother?”
“I don’t know,” Rudy said. She was back in the chair with McMuffin on her lap.
Cora bustled down the hall and found Joe playing a game on Frank’s computer. “Let’s go, young man. It’s time for school.”
“Just a minute, Mama. I want to finish this level.”
“One . . . ,” Cora began slowly. “Two . . . three . . . four . . .” She was trying very hard not to lose her patience.
Joe groaned and clicked off the game. “You ruin everything.”
“I know,” Cora said. “That’s how life is.”
Five minutes later, she hustled them out the door with their costumes in their backpacks.
“You coming to the Halloween parade, Mama?” Rudy asked as they walked to the bus stop at the end of the driveway.
“We’ll see,” Cora said. “I’d like to, but it depends on what happens today.”
As they walked past Mr. Peterson’s old apartment, Joe reached in and pulled the old metal gate closed. It squeaked and clattered as it slammed into place.
Cora frowned. “Why was that gate open?”
“So the ghosts could get out,” Joe said in an eerie voice. “Ooo—oooo,” he teased, hovering around Rudy, flapping his arms.
“Cut it out, Joe!” Rudy admonished sharply. “There’re no such things as ghosts!” But as she said this, she noticed that the curtain in Mr. Peterson’s apartment was open a little, and she stopped and stared. “That’s weird,” she muttered.
“What’s weird?” Joe asked, following her gaze.
“Nothing,” she answered, sounding annoyed and picking up the pace. “Hurry up! The bus is coming!”