Promise (10 page)

A male's voice joined the instruments, singing the first few lines of the song. Suddenly Gram's voice joined in, belting out lyrics, louder than the singer.

Yo-Yo was instantly rolling on the floor, laughing as Gram's gravelly voice continued to pour through the intercom. Kaden quickly grabbed his pillow, smothered the intercom, and, falling back onto the bed, laughed uncontrollably, too.

Late that night, Kaden lay in bed listening to the crickets and tree frogs through the window. Yo-Yo had quickly fallen asleep but Kaden couldn't. He lay there with his eyes shut, thinking. While fishing, he had made the decision to talk with Yo-Yo about his dad but there was one more thing worrying him. The fire tower. He hadn't told Yo-Yo about the tower and wasn't sure he wanted to. But he knew he couldn't talk to Yo-Yo in his room. Gram would hear through the intercom. The fire tower offered privacy but it was Kaden's special spot and no one but Gram and Emmett knew he went up there. Kaden's eyes suddenly popped open.
Except Dad,
he thought suddenly.
Dad knew! He left the backpack for me there
.

Kaden had not really thought about it before.
But Dad knew! Or did he?
In his mind, Kaden went over the day he first saw the white truck come up the fire tower road. He knew Dad hadn't seen him.

Then he thought about finding the backpack.
Maybe the backpack wasn't really for me. Maybe Dad threw it up there and was going to come back for it later
. Worry set in.
Maybe Luke was right. Maybe Dad was planning to hide stolen stuff in it in the woods
. Now Kaden was wide awake. He sat up in bed, looking out the window at the darkness. A crescent moon waxed in the sky. Just bright enough to make shadows.
No
, Kaden told himself. He was certain Dad wasn't like that anymore. He was positive Dad left the backpack for him. Kaden tried to convince himself but could not erase the conflicting thoughts from his mind. He looked over at Yo-Yo. Gram wouldn't talk with him about it and neither would Emmett but Kaden was glad to know he would soon have somebody to talk it over with.

Monday, September 5

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CABIN FIVE

The next morning, Kaden, Yo-Yo, and Gram had just finished breakfast on the porch, when Emmett walked up from the road. It wasn't even seven o'clock.

“Everybody sleep well?” Emmett asked. Kaden got up and gave Emmett his seat. He knew Emmett was checking up on them to make sure everything had gone okay.

“I should think they got plenty of rest,” Gram said. “I let them sleep in.”

“All the way to six thirty,” Yo-Yo complained.

“That late, huh?” Emmett grinned.

“I've got chores lined up for the boys to do after breakfast,” Gram said. “No sense in wasting daylight.”

“Now Greta,” Emmett said. “It's Labor Day. A holiday. Give them a break. Let them just be boys for the day.”

Kaden and Yo-Yo waited. Gram frowned at Emmett. Emmett smiled at Gram. “You're not going to turn into hoodlums in one day, are you, boys?” Emmett said.

“No, sir,” Yo-Yo started. “Not us. Not hoodlums. We'll do a little reading and then . . .”

Kaden kicked Yo-Yo and gave his head an almost imperceptible shake. He didn't want Yo-Yo to list something they would do that Gram didn't believe in.

“Well, you can at least hang out the laundry. I already did a load this morning while you two were sleeping in,” Gram stated.

“Come on,” Kaden said. He and Yo-Yo walked toward Cabin Four.

“Did you ask him?” Kaden heard Emmett quietly say. “He never mentioned a word yesterday.”

“No, there's nothing to ask,” Gram answered. “You said the backpack didn't come from you, so there's only one person it could have come from. I don't know what Dennis is up to but I haven't seen him for over a week and I don't think Kaden has either.”

“The boy's growing up, Greta,” Emmett said. “You can't shelter him forever. You need to talk with him. Or let me.”

“We've been over this before, Emmett.”

Kaden wanted to hear the rest of the conversation, but Yo-Yo started talking. “Where are we going? I thought we had to do laundry.”

“Cabin One is the junk cabin,” Kaden started explaining. “It's like a basement, attic, and garage all rolled into one. Then there's my cabin and Gram's, and Cabin Four is the laundry room, or as Emmett likes to call it, the formal bath.”

“What's in Cabin Five?” Yo-Yo asked.

They had reached the fourth cabin. Kaden ignored Yo-Yo's question, opened the door, and walked in. Yo-Yo followed him.

A washing machine stood in the back corner. A small table covered with a pink vinyl tablecloth sat beside it, holding two plastic laundry baskets. A bathtub and shower occupied the other back corner. A flowery pink shower curtain was pushed to one end and a fluffy pink throw rug was on the floor. A tall set of pink wicker shelves stood against the wall holding stacks of sheets, neatly folded pink towels, and a variety of knickknacks.

“Wow!” Yo-Yo said. “I wasn't expecting this. It's so . . . so girly.”

“All the pink stuff is Emmett's doing,” Kaden said, opening the washer, pulling out wet clothes, and putting them in one
of the baskets. “Gram put in the bathtub and washer when we first moved here. From then on Emmett's added something for each birthday and Christmas. He says a woman needs at least one room that's womanly. Gram grouches about it but she hasn't thrown the stuff away. My guess is she likes it, even though she'd never admit it.”

“I don't care for all the pink but I like the monkey,” Yo-Yo said.

On the top shelf sat a ceramic monkey with its hands covering its mouth. Kaden knew it was Emmett's way of telling Gram he'd keep her secrets.

Kaden let the washing machine lid drop, picked up the loaded basket, and headed for the door. Yo-Yo followed but before Kaden pushed open the screen door, Kaden abruptly turned around. Yo-Yo walked right into the laundry basket.

Kaden asked, “Can you keep a secret?”

“Scout's honor.”

“Good. When we finish with the laundry, I have something to show you.”

After hanging the clothes up to dry, the two boys went to Kaden's cabin, grabbed his backpack, then rushed back to the kitchen.

“Fill the canteen with water and grab us each a couple juice boxes from the refrigerator,” he told Yo-Yo as he made
three peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. He stashed everything in his backpack and they stepped out onto the porch.

“You two are awfully quiet,” Gram said. “What are you scheming?”

“Nothing,” Kaden said. “We were just making some lunch to take to the tower. Is there anything we could have for dessert?”

“I don't think Emmett would mind if someone stole off with that bag of cookies out in his truck,” Gram said, smiling.

“Cookies?” Emmett said innocently.

“Everyone knows you always keep a bag hidden behind the seat,” Gram said.

Yo-Yo raced over to the truck, rummaged around, and came out with a half-full package of cookies. He crammed them into Kaden's backpack and then followed Kaden along the shortcut through the woods from the back of the junk cabin to the fire tower road.

“What were you talking about, going to a tower?” Yo-Yo asked.

“You'll see. It's a secret and you can't tell anyone about it,” Kaden said.

They were quiet until they turned onto the tower road.

“You never told me what's in Cabin Five,” Yo-Yo said.

Kaden had wondered how to start and was glad Yo-Yo
just stumbled into it.

“It's my dad's cabin,” he said.

“But I thought . . . ,” Yo-Yo started, then stopped.

“That's okay; it's no big secret my dad's been in prison,” Kaden said. “Cabin Five was his cabin when he was a kid.”

“Your dad lived here when he was a kid, too?” Yo-Yo asked.

“Just in the summer. My grandpa was the president of a big company in Chapston City but he loved to fish. So he always took the summer off and came up here to fish. At first Grandpa, Gram, and Dad all lived in the big cabin and rented the four little cabins to other fishermen. But when Dad turned ten, he got to move into Cabin Five by himself.”

“I bet you miss your grandpa,” Yo-Yo said.

“I never knew him. He died in a car wreck just before my dad started high school. After that Gram never came out here again, at least not until after I was born.”

“So you've lived out here your entire life?” Yo-Yo asked.

“No, not until I was three. I lived with Gram in Chapston City. Dad was there at first but I vaguely remember him. Can't hardly picture what he looks like. He came and went, and then one day he never came back at all. I didn't know it then, but that's when he went to prison. After that Gram sold everything and we moved out here.”

“What about your mom?” Yo-Yo said.

Kaden wasn't expecting this question. “She died when I was a baby and my dad just showed up at Gram's doorstep holding me. That's how I came to live with Gram. I've wondered about her but don't think my dad told Gram much about my mom. The only thing I've heard is her name was Katie. That's how I got my name. The first syllable is from her name, the second comes from Dennis, my dad's name.”

“At least you don't have to explain your name every time you meet someone,” Yo-Yo stated.

“Yeah, that must be a pain,” Kaden agreed.

“You get used to it,” Yo-Yo said.

They walked along for a little while longer.

“So, if your grandpa had a big company . . . ,” Yo-Yo started, then hesitated. He kicked at a rock, but said nothing more.

“If he had a big company what?” Kaden said, not wanting Yo-Yo to stop with the questions. He was actually relieved to have a chance to talk about what was never discussed.

“If he had a big company, what happened to all his money? How come you can't afford a phone or TV?”

Kaden laughed. “Grandpa left Gram plenty of money. Everyone knows she could buy anything she wants. She just doesn't want to. She chooses to live like she does. And I guess
I'm stuck with living like she does, too.”