Towering

size?”
    “Yeah.” I tried to laugh. I hadn’t anticipated this question. I looked around, trying to see if the old man, Jerry, was there, if I’d made the trip for nothing. “I’m not sure. Mind if I just look around.” I didn’t see him. I didn’t know why I’d been so sure he’d be there.
    Josh looked dubious. “Sure. But usually, people bring in the old washer or the faucet or something. It’s hard to judge otherwise.”
    “Is there a standard size?”
    “Nothing’s standard in Slakkill.” He gestured toward the aisle where the washers were. “The houses are old. Most faucets are washerless these days, but don’t tell the people who come in here. They want to repair the one they have for the fifteenth time, instead of buying a new one that will last the rest of their lives.”
    I spotted Jerry. He was, as usual, browsing through the yard sale items. I said to Josh, “Would it be better to buy a new one?”
    He shrugged. “If you can talk her into it.”
    “I can try. Is there some kind of catalog with pictures of the faucets. Maybe she’d like a pretty new one.”
    “I could give you some websites if she, you know, believes in the internet.”
    “Paper would probably be better.”
    “I can print something out. Just give me a minute.”
    “No problem.” I gestured toward where the old man was standing. “Take your time. I’m going to look at your secondhand stuff. I want some board games.”
    “Board games?”
    “The old lady, she’s been kicking my butt at something called Rummikub. I thought maybe if I got a different game, the playing field would be more level.”
    Josh shook his head. “Beating up on the elderly, nice. Oh, I think we’ve got Battleship.”
    “Perfect. I’ll look for it.” There were board games over where the old man was standing. “Take your time. I want to make sure it has all the pieces.”
    “Good idea.” He walked away.
    I headed toward Jerry in the opposite direction of Josh. I wanted to see what he was looking at, but on the way, something caught my eye. A hairbrush. The same silver hairbrush I’d seen before. I remembered Rachel telling me her mama used to brush her hair with a fancy hairbrush. I picked it up. The bristles were made of boar’s hair, and the back had an intricate design, flowers as Rachel had said, orchids or lilies. It was ten dollars. I decided to buy it for Rachel.
    I approached the guy. “Hello?”
    Nothing. Maybe he was deaf. I walked closer and raised my voice slightly. “Hello?”
    He jumped, then, like he hadn’t realized anyone was there. He’d forgotten he was in a public place and was just caught up in his own little world. “Oh, you scared me. Hello.”
    “I’m Wyatt. Mr. . . .”
    “Jerry. Do I know you?”
    I held out my hand. “We met the other day. You were in here buying a television set.”
    “Yessiree, it was a good one too.”
    “It actually worked?”
    “You bet it did. Watched the Sugar Bowl on it.”
    I fought the urge to ask which teams had played because, if he’d watched it on that TV, maybe his house was some kind of portal to 1985 or something. But I didn’t ask. I remembered how it had been with my grandfather, after he’d lost it. He didn’t remember things that had happened the day before, but the past, he remembered really well. I wanted to ask Jerry about the past.
    I picked up the Battleship game. “I think I’ll buy this. I want to play it with my friend, Danielle. Do you know her? Danielle Greenwood?”
    He took his hand off the set of hot rollers he’d been contemplating and stared at the ceiling, like he was trying to remember. “Danielle Greenwood . . . I think Suzie has a friend named Danielle.”
    “Suzie?”
    “My daughter, Suzie. She’s about your age. Do you know her from school? She’s a cheerleader.”
    I nodded. “I think so. Does she know Danielle?”
    “Yes, I’ve seen her at the house. Pretty girl, long, dark hair, right?”
    “Yeah.” I wondered what year he was thinking it was, how old Suzie had been when Danielle disappeared.
    He shook his head. “I know Danielle. Poor girl.”
    “Why?” We were getting someplace now.
    “I’m sorry to break it to you, boy, but I don’t think you’ll be able to play Battleship with Danielle Greenwood. She’s disappeared.”
    “Disappeared?” I looked to see if Josh was anywhere around.
    “Yes, disappeared. The police think she’s just run away, but Suzie said she’s dead.”
    In the empty store,