Soon he was exhausted and wishing he had waited longer before setting out. Every step seemed to take the pain and amplify it, sending it shuddering through his body. He found himself leaning on Daniel for support. But he refused to complain and although they stopped a couple of times for water, he never asked for a rest.
He didn’t actually see the road until they reached it. One moment his foot was on sand, the next it had come down on tarmac. He looked to the right and there it was, a straight line cutting into the far distance. There were no buildings anywhere around but a line of telegraph poles followed the road, the wires looping between them. Daniel let out an exclamation of delight. Telephone wires meant contact with his mother. It was all he wanted.
They had walked down the road for about a hundred yards when Jamie saw headlights moving towards them. He was immediately nervous but then he glanced at Joe, who nodded slowly. This was what he had been expecting. A few moments later, a beaten-up minibus pulled out with an Indian driver behind the wheel. Jamie wasn’t sure how he had found them. Had he been patrolling the road every night, waiting for them to show up? But that didn’t matter now. He was just grateful to get off his feet, glad to be finally on his way.
Joe spoke a few words with the driver and they all climbed in. At once they set off. Daniel must have been more tired than he thought because he fell asleep almost immediately. Jamie sat, slumped against the window, watching the landscape – dark and empty – flash by.
An hour later they stopped on the edge of a small town. Jamie saw electric lights in the distance and the bulky shadows of houses. He had no idea where they were.
“I leave you here,” Joe announced.
“Thank you.” Jamie wasn’t sure what to say. “What will happen to you now, Joe?” he asked. “The police will be looking for you. And you haven’t got a job.”
“My people will look after me. You don’t need to worry. And if you need us again, we will come.”
Jamie knew that was true. He had no way of contacting them but somehow they would look out for him. If the need arose, they would be there. Joe leant over and the two of them shook hands. Then the Indian climbed out of the minibus and the three of them set off, leaving him standing alone.
After that, Jamie slept.
The next time he opened his eyes, he knew at once where he was: right back where it had all started, in the city of Reno. The familiar landmarks were all around him. The Hilton Hotel in the distance. The great black glass block of the City Hall, towering over the city centre. The casinos and the pawn shops. The rushing water of the Truckee River. In a way it was the last place he had wanted to be, but he and Alicia had agreed that it made sense. She wanted to be close to him while he was in Nevada – but not too close. Alicia could rent a place in Reno and be just a few hours away from the prison. She had decided she would wait for him here.
“Where do I take you?” the driver asked. Jamie knew nothing about him – not even his name.
“There’s a place called Paso Tiempo,” Jamie said. “It’s near the airport.”
Paso Tiempo was a mobile home park just round the corner from the motel where Alicia had stayed the last time she was in Reno. It was a long strip of road with houses that were little more than boxes on wheels parked alongside each other in a neat row. They slowed down and stopped outside one of the homes: number twenty-three. It was the prettiest one in the park, surrounded by flowers. Alicia had rented it for a month.
The minibus stopped. Jamie nudged Daniel. “Wake up,” he muttered. And at that moment the door of the trailer opened and there was Alicia, standing on the top step. She must have heard them arrive. Perhaps she opened the door whenever any car pulled up. Daniel saw her and was wide awake instantly, his entire face filled with an expression of joy. He scrambled past Jamie, almost falling out of the minibus, and ran to her. Then the two of them were in each other’s arms, not wanting to separate ever again.
Jamie got out more slowly. He was in a lot of pain. He could barely move his neck or his right arm and he was limping. At that moment he felt many things. He was glad he had brought Daniel back. Of course he was happy for the two of them. But, looking at them, he was also aware of something else: a deep sadness that cut into him even more than the wound in his back. He had no mother. Nobody had ever held him like that and nobody ever would. He was ashamed of himself. It was wrong of him. But he knew that he had come to the end of a road. Alicia and Daniel had each other. There was nothing more they could do for him.
Alicia looked up and saw him.
“Jamie,” she said. “You brought him back.”
Jamie nodded.
“How can I thank you? How can I ever thank you enough?” Then she realized. “What about Scott?”
“Scott wasn’t there.”
She heard the heavy words and went over to him, taking Daniel with her. For a moment the two of them faced each other and she reached out, wanting to draw him into her embrace. But he stepped back. “You’re hurt,” she said.
“I’ll be all right.” Jamie looked past her. “Do you mind if I go in? I need to lie down.”
“Of course. You must tell me…” She stopped herself. “I’m so sorry
… about Scott.”
But Jamie had already walked past her. Somehow he dragged himself up the steps and went into the trailer. It was cool and clean with a little kitchen and a sofa and a table. He sat down. The mother and her son remained on their own, outside.
NATIVE SON
They did nothing at all the next day. Jamie needed to rest and Alicia and Daniel were glad to have time alone with each other. They felt safe in the trailer park. People came and went and nobody asked too many questions. Jamie hadn’t been seen. They could have been a family trying to sort themselves out or they could have been on the run from the law – to the other inhabitants, it made no difference.
Alicia was worried about Jamie. She had brought him lunch and changed the dressing on his wound. They had spoken a little, but most of the time he wanted to be by himself. He had been gone only a week, but now that he had come back he was completely changed. Of course, he had been shot. He had nearly died. And she could sense his disappointment at not finding Scott. But it was something more even more than all that. He had aged. He was looking at the world with different eyes.
The next day was a Saturday and Jamie woke late. The trailer only had one bedroom, which Alicia was sharing with Daniel, and Jamie had a sofa bed in the main room. They all knew that they couldn’t stay here much longer. They were wasting their time in Reno. There were still things they had to do.
When Alicia came through, Jamie was sitting up. She was glad to see that a lot of his colour had returned and he seemed to be moving more easily.
“Coffee?” she asked.
“Thanks.” He looked around him. “Where’s Danny?”
“Still asleep.”
Alicia went into the kitchen area and boiled the kettle. “How are you feeling?” she asked.
“I’m tired, Alicia. But I’m going to be all right. I just need to start looking for Scott.” Jamie hesitated but there was something he had to know. “When are you and Danny going back to Washington?” he asked. “You’ve got your work to go back to. There must be a lot of stuff you have to do.”
Alicia brought the coffee over to the bed. “You can get one thing out of your head,” she said. “I’m not going to leave until we’ve found Scott. I told you that from the start. We’re in this together… and Danny agrees. We’re going to stick with you.”
Jamie nodded his thanks. “I don’t have any idea where to start,” he said.