Grave Shadows (15 page)

Chapter 60

I struck out with the cop,
but Mom knew a social worker—Liesel Parrish—who investigates kids in trouble or families who abuse children. I remembered she once said she could run the license-plate number of someone she was investigating, so I called her.

“Why do you want the info?” Liesel said.

I told her the owner of the truck was a construction guy working near our school. “I think he might have taken some stuff from my friend’s house.”

“Hmm,” she said. “If you promise you’ll contact the police if you find out anything and if you promise not to do anything dangerous, I’ll e-mail you the information.”

Chapter 61

Jeff’s Diary

by Jeff Alexander

A 200-mile bike ride is a lot like having cancer. You’re never sure what the next day will bring. With a disease, you can lose your hair, go through surgery, feel fine, or get dizzy and fall a lot. With a bike ride, the road could be bumpy or smooth. The clouds could roll in and you can’t see much, or it can clear up and feel like you can see for a hundred miles. Or you can get dizzy and fall a lot.

I wouldn’t want to go through cancer or a long bike ride without good friends. I’m riding with my friend Bryce. We’re camping out, eating lunch, and even going in the hot springs together. It’s sure made the difficult journey easier.

This morning I talked with our leader, Gary. His daughter died of cancer when she was five. He rides with a picture of her taped to his handlebars. I imagine she keeps him going mile after mile.

Gary keeps us going because he’s always there in front, telling us where to go, what to do, and which trail to take. That reminds me of another friend who’s good to have with you when you have a disease or even when you don’t. A lot of people think God is a lucky charm you wear around your neck for good luck, or that he’s some old guy in heaven just waiting to smack you when you do something wrong. But I’ve come to know Jesus as a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Even when I’m upset about my disease and want to blame God, Jesus is there.

The Bible says, “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

It doesn’t say he will heal you or take you out of something scary, but if you’ll let him, Jesus will guide you through anything.

If you have pledged money to support our ride and for cancer research, thank you. I hope you’ll be there when we finish in a couple of days.

Chapter 62

The next morning we ate breakfast in the lodge
with the mountain lion staring at us. Then Jeff and I stayed in the hot pool until his parents showed up. I didn’t want to go near the water where Jeff and I had seen the snake, and I was glad he didn’t bring it up. If Ashley had been here I’d have tried to get her to go, because she’s spooked by anything that slithers. But the truth is, I’m just as afraid as she is.

As we packed, Jeff got a phone call and went outside to talk. When he came back we headed to the camp for a late-morning meeting. A storm was brewing. Gary talked with a TV weather guy and finally gave us the go-ahead.

The first mile was the hardest, trying to get back into the rhythm of pedaling together. The hot spring had loosened our muscles, but I wondered if the water had relaxed us too much. Jeff seemed slow, and he still looked pale.

Our goal was the bottom of Wilkerson Pass, but when we got within 10 miles of it, passing through Hartsel—population 75 with a gas station, a general store, and two restaurants—the clouds rolled in.

Buffalo and cattle grazed in a nearby field. I told Jeff we should play “Hey, Buffalo,” where you holler at the animals and get a point for every one that actually looks up. I tried to scream, “Hey, Buffalo!” But I was so winded and tired I couldn’t make them hear me.

I glanced back to see Jeff smile. He didn’t even try my game.

Lightning struck on the horizon, and thunder rumbled soon after.

Chapter 63

I slept late,
then went downstairs and had breakfast at the computer. I found a message from Liesel Parrish.

Here’s the information you wanted. FYI, this guy looks clean. No arrests, warrants, tickets. Remember, you promised you’d be careful with this.

At the bottom she listed his name, Clarke Jeppeson, and his work and home phone numbers. I called his office and reached a secretary. I told her I was a student at Red Rock Middle School and had noticed construction there. “Can you tell me what’s going on?”

I heard her rattle some papers. “Here’s a number you can call.”

“So you don’t know what’s going on?” I said.

“Clarke told me to give that number to anyone who calls. Okay?”

I dialed but reached the voice mail of someone who identified himself as Tim Minaro at DM.

I hung up before the beep, wondering what DM stood for.

Chapter 64

The longer we rode,
the cloudier it got. The sky looked like a sheet of foam with the little nubs sticking out. It was pretty, and I’d never seen it like that before, but frankly I’d rather have seen it from inside a nice warm house or car.

Every time lightning flashed, Jeff gasped. I asked if he wanted to pull over, but he said he wanted to keep up with the others.

“Know what I do when I get scared?” he said, huffing and puffing. “I make up jokes.”

“Okay,” I said.

“What did the little kid on the trail say to the mountain lion?”

I chuckled. “I give up.”

“‘I hope you’re stuffed.’”

It was bad, but it took my mind off the lightning. Then it was back and forth, trying to make each other laugh. “What did the buffalo dad say to his kid when he left the herd?”

“Bye Son.”

“What do you call two male cows who read Scripture?”

“Bi-bulls.”

“What did the mother llama say to the baby llama pushing the doorbell?”

“‘I’m Mama Llama Ding-Dong!’”

They were so bad we couldn’t help laughing. It started raining, but we didn’t care. We just kept pedaling, passing others who slowed.

I told Jeff about the verse in Proverbs I had read a few days earlier, and he said, “What did the kid with cancer say to the guy who rode 200 miles with him?”

“I give up.”

“Thanks for being my friend.”