Hide and Seek (4 page)

“I know just how you feel, buddy. Remind me sometime to tell you about my finger-painting disaster of 1946. Want to sit on my shoes?” Big Bob asked Razi after Mama rubbed his teary face with her napkin. Big Bob was so big that you could sit on his shoes and lean back, and it was the perfect place for Razi to play under the table with the nuts and bolts in the Carter family toolbox.

After Razi was settled, the conversation continued. They were talking about Big Bob’s recent visit to his sister’s house.

“Anyway …” Big Bob took another sip of coffee. “It was so good to see Betty. She found a box of my mother’s jewelry, and she wanted each of us to pick out something to keep. As you can imagine, I didn’t have the faintest idea. But I thought our Alice might like this.” Big Bob reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a ring. It looked tiny in his palm. He passed it to Mama, who held it up to the light. The Carters oohed as it flashed green sparkles all across the room.

Razi’s head popped up from underneath the table. “Can I see it? Please! Please, Big Bob. I can be careful.”

“Of course you can,” Big Bob said. He caught Razi’s waving hand and examined the fingers. “I think it will fit your thumb. Then you can look at yourself in the mirror and be the king of Horton Street.”

Mama passed the ring back, and Razi stood very still while Big Bob put the ring on his thumb.

Everyone turned to watch Razi scamper down the hall. Mama said, “It is a lovely ring, Bob, though I’m not sure it will fit Alice. Is it an emerald?”

Big Bob nodded. “Emerald was my mom’s birth-stone. According to Betty, it was Mom’s favorite ring. I thought if Alice liked it … well, that would be a way to honor Mom. I know she would have loved Alice, but of course Mom was long gone by the time I met—” Bob stopped talking and stared at the tops of his hands. “Maybe Alice could wear it on her pinky. That’s fashion-forward, isn’t it, Keisha? A pinky ring?”

Big Bob looked at Keisha as if she would know such a thing. “I’ll ask Aaliyah,” she said. “She has a subscription to
Stylin’ Teen.”

Razi ran back into the room, waving his arm. “I am the king of all that I see,” he declared. “But now it is time to fix my drawbridge.” He pulled the ring off his thumb and handed it back to Big Bob. Then he disappeared under the table.

“Didn’t you say on the phone there was something
else you wanted to talk about?” Daddy asked Big Bob. “Something about a pup?”

Keisha glanced at Mama. Could it be? Had they told Big Bob to be on the lookout for a puppy?

But Mama just looked curious.

“Oh, right. We got a pup at the Humane Society and he’s causing quite a commotion. Dr. Wendy thought you might be able to help.”

“With all those dogs, how does one puppy cause a commotion?” Mama asked.

“Well …” Big Bob paused. He looked as if he didn’t know how to begin. “I was there when they brought him in. Poor thing seemed scared of his own shadow. I just spent a little time petting him, trying to calm him down. It seems he took a liking to me, and now … whenever I show up, he sets to howling.”

“Sure you don’t have a wolf pup there?” Daddy asked. “Same animal family.”

“No. Dr. Wendy said it’s not a wolf pup. But it might be coyote. Or a cross.”

“A coydog? Where did they find him?” Mama asked.

“A farmer found him out in his field. In Allegan. He thought about keeping him, but his other dogs wouldn’t have him. They kept deviling the poor little guy.” Big Bob had been turning the ring in his fingers. Now he
put it in his pocket. “We’re not sure what to do with him. That howling means he’s more than a mutt. He’s got a good bit, if not a whole bunch, of wild in him. I was wondering if you’d take a look, Fred.”

“No!” Razi’s head popped out from under the table. “Right, Mama? No dogs allowed!”

“Razi Carter.” Mama’s voice was firm as she leaned down to speak to him under the table. “You do not make the decisions in this family. Bob and Dr. Wendy are asking for our help. When we ask for their help, Bob and Dr. Wendy help us. As my father used to say, ‘One hand cannot clean itself.’ ” Mama straightened and said to Big Bob: “Your puppy can stay with us a few days in a pen in the back, Bob.” She gave Keisha a serious look before adding, “If it is wild, it belongs here.”

“Did the farmer give him a name?” Keisha asked. “When he thought he would keep him?”

“Nonononono,” Razi was saying under the table. “No dogs allowed. I said no! Bad dog, Harvey.”

“Don’t interrupt, Razi,” Daddy said.

“Racket,” Bob said, raising his voice so he could be heard.

“Racket?”

“That’s how the farmer found him. Sitting at the
side of the field, just a-hollerin’ his poor little head off and making a racket.”

“Ada,” Mama whispered. “Run tell Grandma she has a visitor.”

“Doggies are bad. Bad dog, Harvey!”

“Razi Carter! Don’t make me tell you again.” Mama was using her stern voice.

As she bounded up the stairs, Keisha thought that even though Razi didn’t like dogs, he and this puppy had at least one thing in common—racket making.

Just as Keisha was returning to the kitchen, Zeke and Zack knocked on the back door and called out, “Hello, hello! Anyone home?” The Z-Team were like family to the Carters, so the boys opened the door without anyone having to get up.

“Any ginger cake left?” Zeke asked. “Mom is drying leaves in the microwave for her collection, and she says if you have some ginger cake to feed us now, she’ll take us all to identify bark later.”

“I have an extra one warming in the oven.” Mama reached for the hot pads. “I talked to your mama this afternoon.”

“I’m afraid Keisha can’t go.” Daddy helped himself to another slice. “I’ll just finish up this cold cake so we can set the pan to soak.”

“What?” Zack wasn’t happy about this. “Keisha’s the one who pays attention.”

It was true that Keisha had more patience for Mrs. Sanders’s biology lectures than Zeke or Zack. Maybe that was because she had a lot of practice listening to Daddy talk about animals.

Zack took Grandma’s chair, and Zeke sat in the chair that Big Bob had just left on his way to visit with Grandma.

“You can lean on my legs if you want, Razi,” Zeke told him, stretching his legs out as far as they would go. “How come you can’t go with us, Keisha?”

Mama served Zack and Zeke two big slices of cake. Keisha took Big Bob’s plate and the cake pan to the sink, filled it with soapy water, and started to wash the dishes, waiting for Daddy to explain. Sometimes he didn’t want everyone to know about their business. And if the Z-Team told their dad, a lot of people on his route would know by the end of delivery time tomorrow.

“Well, boys …” Daddy stretched out after his snack, clasping his hands behind his head. “The truth is, we have work to do. We got a D.I.D. report this morning and we need to go check it out.”

“You got a ‘did’?”

“Yup. Over at Huff Park.”

“That’s way better than looking at bark,” Zack said, even though his mouth was full. “Can we come with you?”

Keisha knew for a fact that the Z-Team did not know what a D.I.D. was because she didn’t know what a D.I.D. was.
Deer in Darkness? Deer in Danger?

“If it’s nature, Mom will let us go. Please!”

“Yeah. It gets so boring when she goes into her tree trance.”

“What’s a tree trance?” Razi wanted to know.

“That’s when she stops moving and looks at the tree for a long time,” Zeke said, and he let his mouth drop open like he was stupefied.

“She doesn’t like us to talk while she’s doing it, either,” Zack told them. “Or find sticks for a fort.”

“And what, Mr. Carter, is a D.I.D.?” Mama asked, pulling the pitcher of milk out of the refrigerator.

“I’m surprised you don’t remember, Mrs. Carter. ‘D.I.D.’ stands for ‘Deer in Distress.’ ”

More than a few crumbs escaped Zack’s wide-open mouth. “Deer in Distress?”

“I never saw a deer up close,” Zeke said. “Just on TV. Can we come? Please?!”

“Well, I can call your mom, but I can’t promise we’ll see the deer,” Daddy told the boys. “I tried to track it this morning, but no luck.”

“Yes you will find it.” Razi’s voice rose from underneath the table. “Because he has a pumpkin on his head. And Grandma says wearing the color orange always gets you noticed.”

“A what?”

“How?” Zeke and Zack were filled with questions.

Keisha and Daddy answered them as best they could.

“So we’re just going to check it out,” Daddy said. “And we’ll try to track the deer, but there’s no guarantee we’ll find it.”

“We can ride our bikes,” Zeke said.

“Deal,” Daddy said. “I’ll bring the truck, just in case we need it. We’ll park at the end of Joan Street and walk down from there. While you boys go home and get your bikes
and
permission, we can see if the lady who reported the deer is back from work. Razi-Roo?” Daddy bent his long body over and stuck his head under the table. “Will you come and help us find the deer?”

“Can I do somersaults?” Razi asked.

“As many as you like.”

Razi climbed out from under the table. Mama pulled him toward her for a cuddle. “I’ll stay here and feed the little bunnies,” Mama said.

A construction worker had found a den of baby bunnies on a site about to be leveled, and the Carters were helping to fatten them up so they could survive the coming winter in the wild. Mama added, “And I’ll get out a crate for our new visitor.
And
I’ll work on my soup because Mr. Sanders is sure to stop by after his route.”

Since Mrs. Sanders used her kitchen for biology experiments more than cooking, Mr. Sanders was also a common guest at the Carters’ house.

“Wait a minute. You’re getting a new animal?” Zeke pressed his finger on all the crumbs on his plate and licked them up. “What is it?”

“I bet it’s a bear,” Zack said.

“Maybe it’s another alligator,” Zeke added, remembering their adventure with an alligator in the city pool last summer.

“Can we see it? Pleeeeeease?”

Mama laughed. “You can’t see what isn’t here yet. Run home and get your bikes. Maybe a little riding will help you work off all that noisy energy. Tracking a deer is quiet work.”

Keisha put her hands on her brother’s shoulders and chug-chugged him out the door to the truck. Even though she was big enough to ride up front, Keisha sat in the backseat with Razi. “Want to play rock, paper, scissors?” she asked her brother.

“No, but thank you very much for inquiring.” Razi stared out the window.

Daddy’s glance met Keisha’s in the rearview mirror. Razi loved rock, paper, scissors.

“We’ll track that deer, but I think we’re going to have to track your smile, too, Razi,” Daddy said.

It was a short ride. They parked at the end of Joan Street, on a bare stretch of ground next to a sign with a picture of a hiker. An arrow pointed between the houses and down the hill into the park.

“There’s 422 Joan Street, Daddy.” Keisha jumped out of the truck and rang the doorbell. By the time Daddy and Razi caught up, she had already figured out there was no one at home.

“Hmmm,” Daddy said. “I thought she might still be at work. I didn’t want to go on her property this morning, but I wonder if she’d mind if we took a look out back now. We might find a print.”

Keisha tugged on Daddy’s shirt. A man had come out of the garage next door, carrying a rake.

“Excuse me.” Daddy stepped off the porch and walked over to the neighbor’s yard. “We’re from Carters’ Urban Rescue. I’m Fred Carter and these are my children, Keisha and Razi. We got a call this morning about a deer with a pumpkin on its head, and we’ve come over to investigate. But no one’s home. Do you think your neighbor would mind if we went into her backyard to check for tracks?”

The man stuck out his hand. “Dan Gorman. Pleased to meet you. Go on and check out the backyard. I’m sure Prissy wouldn’t mind.” Mr. Gorman scratched his belly
and leaned on his rake. “But that deer is long gone.”

“Does she have any bad doggies back there?” Razi peeked out from behind Daddy; his finger was curled in Daddy’s belt loop.

“Nope. Just a cat that sits in the window.”

“Does the cat have soft fur?” Razi asked.

“Standard-issue,” Mr. Gorman replied.

Keisha did not want to get into a conversation that covered all the wonderful things about cats. “Pleased to meet you,” she said, holding out her hand the way Daddy had taught her and looking the man straight in the eye.

“That’s a nice handshake, young lady.”

“Did you see the deer, too, Mr. Gorman?”

“I should say so. Didn’t have my glasses on at the time. Looked like a pumpkin was bobbing along in the air. We see more deer here than you’d think, being in the city and all.”

“So it really did have a pumpkin on its head.…”

Daddy crossed his arms and looked at the sky, the way he did when he was thinking things over.

“My grandbaby girl is in the hospital getting her tonsils out, and I thought it would cheer her up some if I took a picture of it. But now I can’t find the picture!”

“You lost your camera?”

“No. It’s on this newfangled contraption.” Mr. Gorman pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and held it out to Daddy. “Maybe you know something about these things.”