I gestured at it and Camden nodded. We crept closer and tried to look in through the frosted glass pane but couldn’t see anything. Camden tried to listen with his ear pressed against it. He heard nothing either. That could be good or that could be bad.
We went around the side of the block and came into the front. There was a rusted chain link fence surrounding a tiny swimming pool with heaps of leaves floating in it, a small house for the office, and the single row of rooms. There was only one car, my uncle’s old truck, and that was it. I scanned the dark street to see if there was anything out of the ordinary but there was nothing—so far—that made me suspicious. It looked like he’d been telling the truth, which made me feel bad for doubting him and bad for putting him in this position.
With Camden leading the way, his hand hovering near his waistband where he had tucked his gun, we headed for room number eight. I made a sign at him to be careful, take it easy, and don’t go in the room guns a blazin’ on my poor uncle. I’m not sure if he picked up on the gesture or not.
I quickly rapped at the door. “Uncle Jim?”
Camden stepped back and to the side, his hand on the gun handle now, like he was playing cops and robbers.
I waited with bated breath, listening hard, until the door opened a crack, the chain lock on.
“Ellie,” Uncle Jim said, giving me an odd smile. “Come on in. I’m so glad you came.”
He undid the chain lock and opened the door. He looked like he wanted to hug me—he was being quite emotional for my stoic uncle—but first I needed to be sure he was alone. I brushed past him and did a quick sweep of the room. Camden followed, going even further by checking the bathroom and closets.
“Looking for someone?” Uncle Jim asked, his voice shaking a bit. He must have been stressed out of his gourd.
I quickly gave him a hug while Camden locked the front door. “Sorry, you know me, Miss Paranoid.”
“I know,” he said softly. “Now I can see why you are.”
He went and sat on the sagging bed with the tacky green floral duvet and started tugging at his flannel shirt. He let out a sigh. “I don’t know what to do, Ellie.”
I exchanged a look with Camden. Mine was sympathetic. His was hard. He looked at Uncle Jim with all the warmth of a hawk scouring a field for its next dinner.
I mouthed What? to him but Camden ignored me.
“Tell us what happened?” Camden asked in a steely voice.
Uncle Jim glanced at him, surprised. “I already told Ellie everything.”
“You never told me,” Camden pointed out. “So tell me.”
My uncle pursed his lips, looking Camden up and down. “How on earth did the both of you get on the run together?”
Ah shit, I thought. Camden was going to tell him about my robbery attempt. Another thing my uncle really didn’t need to know.
“I was in trouble with some people and Ellie agreed to help me,” Camden said, keeping his eyes on him. My lungs expanded gratefully.
“You’re both in trouble with different people?” he asked incredulously. “Jesus, kids, what the hell is wrong with you both?”
“You tell us,” Camden said. He took a step closer to him, his right hand looking anxious and poised. “And while you’re at it, tell us what happened.”
He frowned but said, “Like I already told Ellie, I went out earlier today, I came home. There was a fire truck there putting out the last of the flames. It was only a row of trees but it had burned right through them. The workers were upset—one, Jorge, was bleeding from his nose, says some people roughed him up. They wanted to talk to me, and when they told them that I had gone out for a bit, they hit him. Then they left.”
“What did they look like?”
“They said there were three of them. All Hispanic, although Jorge thought one sounded Puerto Rican or something. But wherever they were from, their English was impeccable. Especially the guy with the longer hair. He had some vivid eyes and they thought he was the one in charge, and maybe a little loco. He didn’t say much but he had some sort of authority. Anyhow, I guess that could be your Javier, couldn’t it Ellie?”
I nodded. Vivid eyes, a little loco, and oozing power? Yes, that sounded just like Javier.
“So then what?’ Camden asked. The impatience in his voice was rising and I wondered just what the hell he was thinking. The story sounded tight to me and made sense. Javier had a dramatic flair for lighting things on fire.
Uncle Jim sighed and continued to fidget with his shirt. “Obviously they were gone when I came. I talked to the cops, didn’t see your father unfortunately, Camden, and they said they’d keep a lookout. They’ve at least got arson and assault charges on them. But I know those kind of men. I’ve been dealing with Ellie and her mother for way too long. They can’t be tracked or traced. You won’t find them but they’ll find you, you know? So I had to run. I came here. Figured it was a good place to lay low.”
I eyed the water stain on the ceiling. “You could have picked a better place.”