Page 34 of Landry

“But the trellis is broken,” Ava said. “How will he get to my room?”

“I’ll fix it in the morning,” Landry said. “I promise. But for now, we need to go home.”

Ava’s gaze shifted from Landry to Camille and back to Landry. She nodded. “Let’s go home.”

Landry straightened, held out a hand to Camille and helped her to her feet. Then he swung Ava up into his arms.

She leaned her head on his shoulder. “I feel bad.”

“Why?” Landry asked.

“We didn’t find Billy Ray,” Ava said. “I hope he’s okay.”

“You are a good friend,” Camille said. “You wanted to help him.”

“And we wouldn’t have found where he lives if it wasn’t for you,” Landry pointed out. “A good friend listens and remembers.” He followed Camille through the door and waited while she closed it securely.

“It’s hard to believe a ten-year-old has been living here alone, and no one knew,” she said.

“He’s a smart kid,” Landry said. “And he chose his friend wisely.”

Camille’s heart went out to the boy with no parents, living in the bayou alone. She was disturbed that she hadn’t known he was real, assuming Ava had an imaginary friend. Her daughter had a big heart and had only wanted to help the boy.

They walked back out to the boat.

As before, Landry got in first, then settled Ava on the bench across from him and assisted Camille in last. She freed the line from the dock and tucked it into the boat.

The little motor started on the first pull. Soon, they were chugging through the bayou, heading back to the little cottage. The rocking motion of the boat had Ava yawning and rubbing her eyes. Camille turned sideways and eased Ava onto her side with her head lying across Camille’s lap. She was asleep in seconds.

Camille glanced toward Landry. “What are we going to do about Billy Ray?”

“I’ll get Remy to help us find him. He’s probably been out there for weeks and has been doing fine until now.”

“Sounds like he’s a flight risk,” Camille said. “I don’t want to scare him into leaving the area.”

“I’ll make sure Remy understands. He can also do some investigation into missing boys around ten years old. Sounds like he might be a runaway from a foster home.”

Camille nodded. “It’s bad enough to lose your parents, but to be stuck in a home where you’re unhappy...”

“Running away might have been his only choice,” Landry said.

The little engine coughed, sputtered and quit.

Landry immediately tried to restart it. No matter how many times he pulled the cord, the engine refused to start. “Hand me the flashlight,” he said.

Camille passed it to him.

Landry unscrewed the gas cap and shined the light down into the tank. “It’s empty. I didn’t even think to check before we left.”

“Me either. I never take the skiff very far, and my neighbor is usually kind enough to fill the tank for me,” Camille said.

Landry pulled his cell phone from his pocket and stared down as the screen blinked to life. A moment later, he slipped the phone back into his pocket.

“No service?” she guessed.

He shook his head. “None.”

“Reception is spotty out here.” Camille turned carefully so as not to disturb Ava and grabbed the oar hooked to the inside of the boat. “Thankfully, my neighbor was also kind enough to make sure I had a paddle in case the engine didn’t work.”

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