I wasn’t in Chief’s lap when I woke. I was in my room, with the drapes shut, and a small measure of light that made its way around them to blast Orley (the red stuffed dog with the blue floppy ears) where he sat on the floor. I kicked free of my blankets and slid out of bed. I had to find Chief and make sure he was still okay. Huey’s threats were still fresh in my head and I didn’t think I’d be able to breathe regular until I saw Chief, still in one piece. I checked his room first. His bed was still made. I went to it and pulled up the covers to reach the sheets. They were cold. Chief hadn’t slept in his bed all night. I ran out of his room, down the hall and jumped down half the stairs. When I crashed into the wall in the front hall my sister yelled from the kitchen, “Kelly? Is that you?”

How did they always know? It could have been Joe. They just always figure on it being me for some reason.

I walked slowly to the kitchen. Maggy was sitting at the table reading a magazine.

“Where’s Chief?” I asked her.

“He had to go to the station today.” I turned to leave and she said, “Where are you going?”

“To the station. I gotta see Chief.”

“No you’re not.”

“I ain’t? Watch me.”

I turned to leave again but this time she had my shoulder before I got to the door.

“What!” I yelled at her. “I need to go–”

“You need to march upstairs and change your clothes before you go anywhere.”

I looked down and saw I was still wearing my nightshirt.

“Oh.”She smiled at me, then messed up my hair. “Go on upstairs,” she said. “I’ll fix you breakfast.”

“I don’t want anything, Maggy. I want Chief.”

“I’ll call him, okay. He wanted to know when you woke up.”

“Okay. But tell him to come home,” I told her, then went upstairs to dress.

Maggy hung up the phone as I took my seat in front of the greasy eggs she’d set out for me. “Is he comin?”

“He’ll be home in a few minutes. He’s eating at Elly’s.”

“Why isn’t he eating here?”

“He wanted to talk to Mike, honey. Now eat your eggs before they get cold.”

I started in on the eggs. Above my head I heard Joe moving around. His door closed and soon I heard footsteps on the stairs. I looked up to see his face peeking around the door.

“Mornin’ Joe,” I let him know.

“Mornin’ sis,” he answered back and slid into his chair.

“You doin’ anything today?” I asked him.

“Going over to Benny’s. He got a new squirrel gun for his birthday, yesterday.”

“Can I go?”

Joe looked at me, but before he could answer, Maggy butted in.

“Neither one of you is going anywhere until Chief gets in.”

“But I told him I’d be there.”

“I mean it, Joey.”

Someone knocked on the front door, just as Joe opened his mouth to argue further.

“I’ll get it,” I let them know and jumped out of my seat and ran to the door, Maggy yelling ‘wait!’ behind me.

I unlocked the door and saw Mike standing on the porch.

“Hiya Mike! You here to see Maggy?”

“Hiya back, Squirt. How are you today?”

“Fine.”

“I heard you had ‘fun’ yesterday?”

“I always have fun with you.”

Mike raised his left eyebrow at me, making his right eye squint sharply.

“All right, so the part with Huey wasn't altogether that fun.”

“Kelly,” Maggy said behind me. “Let Mike in.”

I backed up to let Mike in behind me. “Maggy said that Chief was with you,” I said as we all made our way towards the kitchen.

“Yes. He stayed behind to talk to Miss Elly,” Mike told me, looking sharp at me. “You’re real worried about him, aren’t you?”

I swallowed sharp and nodded that I was. “Cuz o’what Huey said, Mike. He said–”

“Look, Squirt,” Mike went on. “Your father can take care of himself. And if it makes you feel any better, know that I’ll look after him. But you have to put what Huey said out of your mind. You can’t wear yourself out worrying about Chief. It won’t do you or him any good.”

“But, Mike–”

“Kelly I know how you feel,” Mike cut me off. He kept his voice low and directed full at me so’s I couldn’t help but get his point. “Chief’s in no danger. He can handle the...the tiger. He already did it once, didn’t he?”

“Yes, but–”

“He’s a good police officer, isn’t he?”

“Yes, but Mike. The ti–”

“The only way that tiger can get to him, Squirt, is through you. You need to be stronger than that blasted tiger. You need to be smarter. What Huey said–”

“He said the tiger was gonna get Chief, Mike. I seen it do the Preacher! It doesn’t care–”

“Kelly–”

“It’s gonna rip his head off, Mike! He said so! Just like Hank and me. He’s gonna kill Chief!”  I felt the hot water drip from my eyes all at once. My side ached. “Mike– you can’t let it do it! You can’t–I gotta see Chief! I gotta tell ‘im.”

“Kelly, listen to me,” Mike cut me short again and held my attention with his eyes.

“I’m listening, Mike,” I told him so quiet that even Maggy couldn’t hear.

“Good.” He pulled out a hanky and dried my face. “What Huey said,” he went on after putting the hanky back into his pocket, “was what his father, I mean the tiger, wanted you to hear. It wants you to worry over your father so you won’t worry enough over yourself. It’s trying to wear you down, Squirt. You need to let it go. Put it to rest and trust your father’s ability to take care of himself. Chief needs to know you can handle this so he can go after the tiger. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You need to believe two things, Kelly. One, it is you the tiger is after. And two, both your father and I are capable of stopping him. Believe in those two things, okay, Squirt?”

“Okay, Mike. I believe.”

“Good.” Mike gave me a smile before straightening himself up. Once he was standing he looked over at Maggy who obviously heard the whole thing. I could read the fear in her eyes. She didn’t know what happened yesterday. I hadn’t told anyone.

“Kelly,” she said, still staring sharply at Mike. I could see the question in the look, but she wasn’t about to ask it while I was hanging around. “Kelly, honey, go finish your breakfast.”

I started towards the kitchen when the front door popped opened. I whipped around as Chief stepped inside the house. He looked tired. His hair was all over the place and his shoulders were slouching. His eyes were mapped in red and the skin underneath them looked dark and bruised. It was scary how he looked.

He smiled for me and said. “Good morning, pumpkin. Did you sleep all right?”

I gave him my best smile back and shrugged. “I guess so.”

“I want you to gather up whatever you need for the day, baby. You’ll be spending today with Coach and Billy. Get any games, or toys– you can even bring Hoover.”

I looked over at Mike. He was giving me sharp attention. I knew he expected me to say, “no” and that I wanted to stay with Chief. And it was true. I wanted to say that. But after thinking over Mike’s words, I knew that was the last thing Chief needed.

“All right,” I told Chief, glancing at Mike who smiled and nodded at me.

I ran upstairs after my games and things. I stuffed them all in a pillow sack and dragged them down the stairs after me.

“But Chief,” I heard Joe say from the kitchen as I turned the corner at the front door. “I told them I’d meet them.”

“You can call them and let them know you won’t make it.”

“Benny doesn’t have a phone.”

“Then call one of the other boys, Joe. I don’t want you in the woods today.”

“Why?” I asked Chief from the kitchen door. He turned around from Joe to stare at me. He was leaning against the kitchen sink; Joe was cornered behind the kitchen table. All three of the grown-ups were breathing down on him. His face was red at having his plans upset. I went on for my brother’s sake. “The tiger doesn’t want Joe, Chief. He wouldn’t even know him.”

Chief looked more closely at me. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“Joe’s not in the Dead Place,” I let him know. “The tiger hunts from there. He wouldn’t even see Joe.”

Chief looked at me a little longer. Then he said, “You said the Dead Place moved. Suppose it moved to include Joe?”

He had me there. But I’d know if it had, because I moved with it. Wasn’t that what the dreams were all about? So I let him know that, “I’d know if it did, Chief,” I told him. “I’d know if it included Joe. The tiger doesn’t see him. Not yet anyway. Besides, he’s a boy. Nothing like the men at the depot.”

I watched Chief look over at Mike. Maggy’s face was turning white. So was Joe’s. Mike was staring straight at me. I suddenly felt hot and itchy. The quiet in the room was fearsome.

Then, Chief said, “You may be right, pumpkin. But I think I’d like it better if Joe stayed with you and Coach today. All right?”

I shrugged. It didn’t bother me much. It bothered Joe more. And there was something even Chief was forgetting. If the tiger came after me, he could notice Joe, then. I glanced over at Joe, who looked to be unhappy about missing out on using Benny’s squirrel gun.

“Chief?”

“Yes, honey?”

“If the tiger comes after me, he’d see Joe then.”

Chief looked as if I just kicked him in the gut. So I went on, “I think Joe would be perfectly safe with Benny and his squirrel gun.”

It was a long while before Chief said anything. The whole time he just kept staring at me. Then he turned to Joe and thought a spell before saying,“All right, son. You can go to Benny’s. But I want you to be careful. Stay in the open and stay together. If you see Fred Blackney... shoot him in the kneecaps and run like hell. You got that?”

Joe stared back for a while. He looked at me, then turned to Chief and nodded.

“Good,” Chief said quietly, then to me, “You ready, pumpkin?”

“Yes, sir. Just gotta find Hoove.”

“He’s in the back yard, honey,” Maggy said.

“What!”

“He’s in–”

“Alone?” I asked her. I looked at Chief. “Chief–”

“I’ll get him,” he said and left the kitchen. I ran to the kitchen window to watch Chief call after my dog.

It didn’t take but two minutes of hollering before Hoove came running in from the woods. Chief opened the back door for him and he ran straight in, his tongue dripping and his tail wagging fit to beat holy Jesus.

“Kelly,” Chief said once he was inside. “Take your dog to the truck, Mike and I will be there shortly.”

I nodded and left, grabbing onto Hoove by his collar.

It was a sunny day outside, and the brightness hurt my eyes. The truck was parked neatly to one side of the drive. I led Hoove to the back and pulled open the hatch. It was starting to get rusty and took a heap more prying than usual.

When Hoove noticed we were going for a truck ride, his tail wagged faster. He jumped in the truck bed before the hatch was even completely down. Once inside he went back and forth trying to look out all sides of the truck at once. I climbed in after him and waited for Chief and Mike.

They came out of the house a while later. Maggy stopped them on the porch. I watched her as she talked to them. More than once they all turned in my direction–all three of them at the same time. Bit creepy. Then Chief and Mike left the porch altogether, Maggy looking on after them.

“You all set?” Chief asked me when he got to the truck. 

“Uh-huh,” I let him know. “We’re all set back here, isn’t that right, Hoove?”

Chief pushed the tailgate back up and secured it.

*  * *  *  *

Hoove flung his pink tongue into the wind as the truck moved up Main Street. We went on up Walnut, then from there Chief turned off onto Elm and then onto the north end service road, a winding road with thick woods on either side. The road was all gravel and clouds of broken gravel and dust spit up as Chief’s truck rolled over it.

I leaned against the back of the cab watching my dog. Every now and again he’d fling his head towards something new, dog spit flying everywhere at once. A lot of times I had to wipe it off my face. Through the cab window I heard Chief's and Mike’s muffled voices but couldn’t make out what they were saying over the ping of the pebbles that hit the wheel well of the truck and the rush of the breeze howling past my ears.

Eventually we turned down the Blackneys' private road, stopping just a short time at the front gate while Mike climbed out to open it. Chief pulled the truck through and waited for Mike to climb back inside the truck. Then we drove the hundred yards or so up to the Blackneys’ cabin.

I watched from the bed as both Chief and Mike climbed out of the cab.

Mike stopped just outside his door as Chief made his way to the front porch. We both watched him knock loudly on the door.

“What are we doin’ here, Mike? Thought we was goin’ to Coach’s.”

“We need something of Fred’s with his scent on it, Squirt. Something to give the dogs.”

“Oh.”

Chief knocked again and the door opened. Hank stood behind it. He shook Chief’s hand and looked past him to me and Mike at the truck.

He smiled for me, “Hey ya, sis. How’s your cut?”

“Nine stitches, Hank. And a shot.”

Hank’s smile fell. “Gee, sis. I’m sorry about that.”

“Not your fault, Hank.”

Hank nodded and turned to Chief. “His things are in his room. I’ve pulled out what I know was the last thing he wore- there may even be some blood on it from that fight you two had.”

“Thanks, Hank,” Chief said and followed Hank inside.

Mike waited with me outside, I suspect to guard me from the tiger–or maybe Huey, being as he was probably just as bad.

Chief came out a few minutes later. Hank walked him to the truck.

“I don’t know, Chief. It’s been six months. You think there’s enough of a scent on that shirt to do any good?”

“The shirt’s been stuffed away in a hamper full of dirty clothes for the last six months. There’s bound to be some kind of scent on it.”

Hank smiled. “Pa wasn’t much on cleanliness.”

Chief smiled back. “Nope. So what are your plans for the future?”

“No college is going to take a jailbird, Chief. But Sid Douglas offered me a job rebuilding old junkers. Not exactly the future I thought was waiting for me, but what the ‘hey.’”

“Good luck,” Chief said. They shook hands and Hank stood back as both Mike and Chief climbed back into the truck.

I waved to him as we pulled along the drive and saw him wave back. I noticed the curtains of the front window swing shut to his right. It felt as though an ice cube rolled down my back and I felt the hairs of my neck pop up and give notice.

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