The Tracks by Sally Royer-Derr (little readers TXT) 📕

hung around the trailer the rest of the day. Watched some TV, read a couple of chapters in a book. But mostly I wondered how I was going to contact Tommy’s father. I tried calling the number, but it was disconnected. Dead end. I still had the address. But if the phone was disconnected, he probably didn’t live there anymore. Plus, it was in Hershey, Pennsylvania. A town about two hours from here.

We had been to Hershey, PA, once. They had an amusement park there, and the whole town smelled like chocolate. I thought they called it Chocolate Town. We’d stayed at a cheap hotel with a great indoor pool. We rode roller coasters and ate gigantic chocolate chip cookies. Biggest cookies I’d ever seen. It was fun, and I’d love to go back again. But I had no clue how. Mom didn’t have the money to go on a trip.

No sign of Tommy for the rest of the day. At least I didn’t see him. I supposed he could have been there without me knowing it. I mean, he was a ghost. Normally, however normal hanging out with a ghost could be, I’d be creeped out thinking he was lurking around me, but that wasn’t the case. I felt comforted by his presence. Seen or unseen.

I popped the last potato chip in my mouth and crumpled up the empty bag. I squeezed the bag, enjoying the crinkle sound it made for some reason. I had to find a way to contact his dad. I needed to find him for Tommy’s sake. The first thing I had to do was to see if he was still living in Hershey. If he was, somehow I’d get there.

***

The library was fast becoming my best friend. Thank God for Google. I found Joe Tucker easy enough. Turned out he was still at the same address. At least it appeared to be true. And I found a new number. One that I held tight in my hand on lined, white paper as I pedaled back home. A number that I hoped was answered by Tommy’s father.

All this sleuthing had my blood pulsating throughout my body. I felt alive. Like I hadn’t in months. Not since Dad had died. I had a purpose and a goal. Nothing seemed impossible to me now. I’d find a way to Joe Tucker. I’d find the answers for Tommy. And I’d find my own answers, when the time came.

Chapter Twenty-One

After dinner, I grabbed the cordless phone from the kitchen wall. I started down the hall toward my bedroom.

“Don’t stay on the phone too long, Emily,” Mom called.

She flipped on the faucet in the kitchen sink. And the clink of the dinner dishes rang out as they sank beneath the water.

“I’m expecting a phone call.”

“Okay. I won’t be long,” I promised. A phone call. Yeah, probably from what’s-his-name. Nick. I’d almost forgotten about him in the excitement of the past couple of days. Almost.

I locked the door behind me and sat on my bed. Unwrapping the crumpled piece of paper, I took a deep breath. And dialed.

He answered on the second ring. A deep, male voice. Smooth and melodic, like Tommy’s.

“Hello.”

I cleared my throat. “Hello. May I speak to Joe Tucker?”

“This is Joe.”

My mind went blank. “Uh…hi. My name is Emily.”

There was a pause on the other end. “Okay…”

I needed to get it together. “Yes. I’m a friend of your son’s.”

“You’re a friend of Danny’s?”

The words I’d started to say fell out of my mind. Who was Danny? He must have another son. “Uh…no. Tommy.”

Joe was silent on the other end.

“Are you still there?”

“Yeah. Is Tommy there? Can I talk to him?” Joe’s voice sounded breathless.

He didn’t know about Tommy’s death. I gripped the phone and squeezed my leg until my skin reddened. I didn’t want to tell him about his son’s death. But, now, I didn’t know what to tell him.

“Emily? Are you still there?”

“Yes. Mr. Tucker, Tommy can’t talk to you now.”

“Where are you? He’s there with you, right? Just doesn’t want to talk to me.”

“I…”

“Where are you?”

“Maidenford,” I answered, without thinking.

“Maidenford,” Joe repeated. “So, she moved again,” he muttered.

My original plan of telling him I had something from his dead son to give him flew out the window. He didn’t know Tommy was dead. I wasn’t going to tell him. Now I realized what I needed to tell him.

“Mr. Tucker, I need you to come to Maidenford,” I said, with as much authority I could muster. “Tommy wants to see you.”

Another short silence. “Will he talk to me?”

I took a deep breath. “I hope so.”

***

After hanging up, I put my radio on and quickly locked my bedroom door again. Tommy lay stretched out on my Hello Kitty comforter, staring at the fly buzzing above him. He’d showed up when I’d hung up with Joe. He hadn’t said a word, yet.

I lay down next to him and stared at the fly, too. It was a small fly, flecks of green on his wings, but he flew fast. Almost seemed hyper in a way. Buzzing to and fro and never getting anywhere. I pushed my head back farther into my soft bed pillow. After the day we’d had, I felt as if I could fall asleep in about two minutes.

His fingers intertwined with mine. Warm, strong, and smooth. We didn’t look at each other. But I rubbed my thumb on the side of his hand in a circular motion. I liked having him so close to me.

“Will you be able to talk to him? I mean, do you think he’ll be able to see you?” I whispered. I was worried about this. Right now, I was the only one who could see and talk to Tommy. For