Page 81 of Stay Buried

“Yes, Mama,” she said, head bowed.

Mini went up to her room, pulled back the curtain, and peeked out. She looked for the cardinal she’d seen yesterday, wondering if he might have something else to show her, but he wasn’t there.

She thought and thought about the white horse, Stella.

She thought about the watch in her pocket.

She looked at the window, squinting her eyes, remembering thefigure she’d seen behind her yesterday, willing her to come back, but all Mini saw was her own reflection.

She hadn’t seen her brother yet today. He hadn’t come out of his room. Papa was in his usual spot by the fireplace, smoking cigarettes, staring into the cold ashes. No fire today even with frost on the grass this morning and cold mist covering the town like a blanket. No breakfast either. Mini had fixed herself a piece of bread with jelly. Mama had made strong black coffee for her and Papa, but that was all.

After following the bird to the pasture yesterday, she’d gone to the cemetery, which she probably shouldn’t have done. But she didn’t know how else to reach him, to leave him a message.

But that had backfired too, just like everything else.

The strangers had seen her.

And now the woman from the cemetery yesterday, Ashley, who’d shone the light from her phone in Mini’s eyes, was walking down their street, right toward the house. And she was carrying Mini’s horse! He was there, tucked right under her arm.

“No, no, no, no,” Mini moaned, a useless incantation.

Shiloh, who was curled on her bed, opened one eye to look at her.

This was bad. Very bad.

Ashley was going to come right up to the door and knock-knock-knock and tell Mama and Papa all about Mini being in the cemetery. Say, “We met your little girl last night by the knackerman’s grave, and she left her toy behind.”

As if Mini could possibly get into any more trouble.

What would Mama do? Lock her in her room? Tie her up outside with a note for the knackerman, saying,Come get her. She deserves it?

Mini held her breath, watching. Ashley glanced up, saw Mini, gave a barely discernible tilt of the head; a gesture that clearly meantcome on, follow me. Then she kept on walking down the street.

Should she go? If she didn’t, Ashley might come back to the house and knock.

Mini closed and locked her bedroom door. Mama wasn’t going to come up and ask if her special girl wanted pancakes or French toast for breakfast. Papa wasn’t going to tease her about the funny cowlick in her hair she could never get to behave and lie flat. And Finn, he probably wouldn’t come out of his room, period. He might have died in there by now for all she knew.

She put on her oldest, most patched pair of jeans she used when she was helping Mama in the garden, slipped on her oversized blue hoodie—a hand-me-down from Finn—and pulled up the hood, her best hope for a sort-of disguise. She opened her bedroom window, checked to see that the street was empty, dropped quickly onto the little roof that covered the side porch, and clambered down the old pear tree, as she had so many times before. Head down, willing herself not to look back, she sprinted up the street, in the direction Ashley had gone.

It didn’t take long to find her. She was up ahead, turning left onto the old dirt road that led to the side entrance of the cemetery.

Mini moved quickly, keeping her gaze downward, not wanting anyone who happened to pass by to recognize her. But no one passed. The streets were deserted, everyone at school, the factory, or home. But it was more than the time of day; she felt like people were hiding, waiting.

She turned onto the dirt road carpeted in old pine needles, slowing a bit now, taking time to catch her breath and think. What did this woman want with her? Was she dangerous? Mini had been warned her whole life about the danger of outsiders. A person from out of town, a person who hadn’t grown up in Boone’s Ferry, they would never understand the things that went on here. You mustn’t reveal secrets to an outsider. They might tell the authorities, who would come to town and ruin everything. Kids would be taken away, adults questioned and punished. Boone’s Ferry would never survive.

And above all, outsiders must never, ever hear about theknackerman.

Mini had broken that rule too, last night when she told them whose grave it was.

But really, what did she have to lose anymore?

The knackerman was coming for her and her family. It was only a matter of time.

“Not long,” Mama had said. “He’ll come for us soon.”

Was he watching her now?

She didn’t think so. The knackerman began his ride at dusk. Night was his time. In the light of day, they were all safe.