A month had passed since Manny last saw the house that had belonged to Cerdic. “And it hasn’t changed in the least,” he commented under his breath, and then laughed. “Of course it hasn’t.”
“Talking to yourself?” a familiar voice asked from behind him.
Manny swung around and smiled. “Bad habit I know, Gebhard.”
“Are you back to stay now?” Gebhard opened the front door, waiting for Manny to enter.
“No. I’m on my way south but I couldn’t come through the city and not stop to say hello to everyone.”
“Manny!” Jakie shouted, racing down to the foyer the second he spotted him at the bottom of the stairs.
“Hey, kid. How goes?” Manny said, reverting to character as he ruffled Jakie’s hair.
“Better now that you’re here. You sticking around?”
“I wish, but I can’t. Places to go, things to do you know.” With a smile, Manny allowed Jakie to pull him up the stairs to the living room. “So where’s everyone?” he asked, seeing the room was empty and not hearing the usual voices.
“Mr. Shadrick took them on an outing to the museum. I couldn’t go 'cause I’m sick.”
“You sure as hell don’t act sick. What’s wrong with you?”
Standing on tiptoe, Jakie whispered conspiratorially, “Nothing. I just didn’t want to go so I said my stomach hurt.”
Manny chuckled. “Brat. So everyone went including Hamlin?”
“Not Hamlin. He left.”
“He what?” Manny shot a look at Gebhard, who nodded. “Why?”
“He didn’t say exactly why,” Gebhard replied. “Just that there was something he had to do.”
“Did he say where he was going, or when he’s coming back?”
“No. He just packed up and took off.”
“Damn him,” Manny growled angrily. “He could at least have—“
He was interrupted by the sounds of many footsteps coming up the stairs. Then the boys flooded into the room, surrounding him with bodies and words all spoken at once as they greeted him. In the bedlam that ensued, Manny had no chance to think about what he’d just learned as the boys fed him with questions and told him about everything that had happened since he’d left.
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