April was too shocked to move, then both hands flew up to her mouth. “Theo!” she said, but he could barely hear her. “Let’s go!” he demanded.
“What are you doing here?” she yelled.
“I’m here to take you home.”
At 10:30, Chase was hiding beside a dry cleaners, watching from across the street as people were leaving Robilio’s Italian Bistro. He saw Mr. and Mrs. Shepherd, then Mr. and Mrs. Coley, then his parents. He watched them drive away, and then wondered what to do next. His phone would ring in a few minutes, and his mother would have a dozen questions. The sick dog routine was about to come to an end.
Chapter 19
Theo and April inched along the wall, sidestepping weary dancers taking a break from the action, and moved quickly through the semidarkness to a door that opened onto a stairway. There was no chance her father would see them, because he was lost in Plunder’s intense version of the Rolling Stones’ “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.” “Where are we going?” Theo yelled at April.
“This leads outside,” she yelled back.
“Wait! I gotta get Ike.”
“Who?”
Theo darted through the crowd, found Ike where he’d left him, and the three made a quick exit down the stairs and onto a small patio behind the Kappa Theta house. The music could still be heard and the walls seemed to vibrate, but things were much quieter outside.
“Ike, this is April,” Theo said. “April, this is Ike, my uncle.”
“My pleasure,” Ike said. April was still too confused to respond. They were alone, in the dark, beside a broken picnic table. Other patio furniture was strewn about. Windows on the back side of the house were broken.
Theo said, “Ike drove me down here to get you.”
“But why?” she asked.
“What do you mean, ‘Why’?” Theo shot back.
Ike understood her confusion. He took a step forward and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. “April, back home no one knows where you are. No one knows if you’re dead or alive. Four days ago you vanished without a trace. No one-including your mother, the police, your friends-has heard a word from you.”
April began shaking her head in disbelief.
Ike continued: “I suspect your father has been lying to you. He’s probably told you that he’s talked to your mother and everything is okay back home, right?”
April nodded slightly.
“He’s lying, April. Your mother is worried sick. The entire town has been searching for you. It’s time to go home, now.”
“But we were going home in just a few days,” she said.
“According to your father?” Ike said, patting her shoulder. “There’s a good chance he will face criminal charges for your abduction. April, look at me.” Ike placed a finger under her chin and slowly lifted it so that she had no choice but to look at him. “It’s time to go home. Let’s get in the car and leave. Now.”
The door opened and a man appeared. With biker boots, tattoos, and greasy hair, he was obviously not a student. “What are you doing, April?” he demanded.
“Just taking a break,” she said.
He stepped closer and asked, “Who are these guys?”
“Who are you?” Ike demanded. Plunder was in the middle of a song, so he obviously wasn’t a member of the band.
“He’s Zack,” April said. “He works for the band.”
Immediately, Ike saw the danger and came through with some fiction. He reached out with a big handshake and said, “I’m Jack Ford, my son Max, here. We used to live in Strattenburg, now we’re in Chapel Hill. Max and April started kindergarten together. Quite a band you got in there.”
Zack shook hands. He was too slow to put together his thoughts. He frowned, as if thinking caused pain, then he gave Ike and Theo a puzzled look. April said, “We’re almost finished. I’ll be just a minute.”
“Does your dad know these guys?” Zack asked.
“Oh sure,” Ike said. “Tom and I go back many years. I’d like to talk to him during the next break, if you could pass that along, Zack.”
“Okay, I guess,” Zack said, and went inside.
“Will he tell your father?” Ike asked.
“Probably,” she said.
“Then we should leave, April.”
“I don’t know.”
“Come on, April,” Theo said firmly.
“Do you trust Theo?” Ike asked.
“Of course.”
“Then you can trust Ike,” Theo said. “Let’s go.”
Theo grabbed her hand and they began walking quickly away from the Kappa Theta house, from Frat Court, and from Tom Finnemore.
April sat in the backseat with Judge and rubbed his head as Ike zigzagged his way out of Chapel Hill. Nothing was said for a few minutes, then Theo asked, “Should we call Chase?”
“Yes,” Ike said. They pulled into an all-night gas station and parked away from the pumps. “Dial him,” Ike said. Theo did so and handed the phone to Ike.
Chase answered his cell phone immediately with, “It’s about time.”
“Chase, this is Ike. We have April and we’re headed back. Where are you?”
“Hiding in my backyard. My parents are ready to kill me.”
“Go in the house and tell them the truth. I’ll call them in about ten minutes.”
“Thanks, Ike.”
Ike handed the phone to Theo and asked, “Which of your parents is more likely to answer their cell phone at this time of the night?”
“My mom.”
“Then get her on the phone.” Theo punched the number and handed it back to Ike.
Mrs. Boone answered with a nervous, “Theo. What’s the matter?”
Ike calmly said, “Marcella, this is Ike. How are you doing?”
“Ike? On Theo’s phone? Why am I suddenly worried?”
“It’s a very long story, Marcella, but no one is hurt. Everybody’s fine, and there’s a happy ending.”
“Please, Ike. What’s going on?”
“We have April.”
“You what?”
“We have April and we’re driving back to Strattenburg.”
“Where are you, Ike?”
“Chapel Hill, North Carolina.”
“Keep talking.”
“Theo found her, and we took a little road trip to get her. She’s been with her father the entire time, sort of hanging out.”
“Theo found April in Chapel Hill?” Mrs. Boone repeated slowly.
“Yep. Again, it’s a long story and we’ll fill in the details later. We’ll be home early in the morning, I’d guess between six and seven. That is, if I can stay awake all night and drive.”
“Does her mother know?”
“Not yet. I was thinking that she should call her mom, tell her what’s up.”
“Yes, Ike, and the sooner the better. We’ll check out now and drive home. We’ll be there when you get there.”
“Great, Marcella. And, I’m sure we’ll be starving.”
“Got it, Ike.”
They passed the phone back and forth again, and Ike spoke to Mr. Whipple. He explained the situation, assured him everything was fine, heaped praise on Chase for helping find April, apologized for the deception and confusion, and promised to check in later.
Ike pulled over to the pumps, filled the tank, and when he went inside to pay, Theo took Judge for a quick walk. When they were on the road again, Ike said over his shoulder, “April, do you want to call your mother?”
“I guess,” she said.
Theo handed her his cell phone. She tried her house, but there was no answer. She tried her mother’s mobile, and there was no service.
“What a surprise,” April said. “She’s not there.”
Chapter 20
Ike had a tall cup of coffee, which he gulped down in an effort to stay awake. Just a few miles out of town, he said, “Okay, kids, here’s the deal. It’s midnight. We have a long way to go, and I’m already sleepy. Talk to me. I want chatter. If I fall asleep at the wheel, we all die. Understand? Go, Theo. You talk, then, April, it’s your turn.”