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If
she were going to try to escape from Henry, this would be where she would
go. Or if she were trying to hide something from them. Putting things in
traditional hiding places would be a joke with these guys. Safes, banks,
behind fences or under the mattress, would not work. She thought about Lou.
He knew them better than she did. He would have figured out the same thing.
 hen she got home,
Henry could be heard making a terrible racket in the kitchen. Edna was
puzzled; he never let her catch him in the house and away from the door.
When she figured out what she was doing, she wasn't too happy.
“Henry, don't put that in the freezer!”
“It's just for a day or two. Oscar
is sending me some supplies to take care of him.”
“Did you put him in a bag, I hope?”
“Yes. A Hefty Steel Sak. Tied up nice
and snug.”
“I'm coming through, so don't panic.
I won't look.”
She had a large chest freezer and
the sides were probably shoulder high for Henry. He was making terrible
grunting noises. Henry was doing ‘labor’
Taking off her hiking boots, she leaned
back on the couch, waiting. Wouldn't it be fun if Mom stopped by just
now. After she heard the freezer lid thump shut, she heard the ripping
sound of an ice cream wrapper.
“Henry, I think I know where Louis
may have left that video.”
“You do?” He sounded patronizing.
“You said there were more negatives
in that safe. From what Alice told me, I can't see Lou being the kind
of person who was interested in scenic landscapes. You said the other
negatives were landscapes, right?”
“There were no people or buildings
in them. Just stuff. Obstacles. Things that get in the way. You know,
like out there.” She couldn't see him, but she knew he meant the
forest.
“If I wanted to hide something from
you guys, that's just where I'd put it.”
“You think the negatives will show
us where?”
“He wasn't a nature boy. If he wanted
to be able to find it again, he would make some kind of record. He knew
the limitations of your ability to see objects.”
“Could you find a place you'd never
been just by looking at his photos?”
“Maybe. Henry, don't eat a fourth ice-cream
cone. That's gross.”
“Will you be going back to town before
next week?”
“I have to pick up the cat at the vet
tomorrow morning.”
“Perfect.” She heard him tear
into another Nutty Buddy.
cont. on page twenty-two
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