they took a wrong turn. Two, in fact. Traversing unfamiliar highways and country roads was difficult enough in and of itself, much less on a moonless, rainy night. Add in weariness from the week, and it was no wonder Lily had misread the map. Twice.
All the backtracking was costing them more time, and civility. Her apologies for the errors had prompted assurances from Ellis, but only of the compulsory sort. From his growing aloofness, her own defenses arose. Combined, they formed an imposing third passenger. When at last they found Tilikum Road, she was more anxious than ever to reach their destination.
Car slowing, they rolled down their windows. There were fewer chances of locating the home through rain-streaked glass. The scents of mud and wet straw wafted in, as did moisture that dampened their seats and clothing. Minor grievances, given their objective.
“There’s a house.” Lily pointed toward lights set back from her side of the road. Could Calvin finally be this close?
“Look for the mailbox.”
She strained her vision. Sprawling fields appeared to dominate the area. The irony that Calvin had landed in a place so similar to the home he’d lost was as comforting as it was cruel. “Right there.” A tin postal box caught the beam of the head lamps.
Ellis stopped within reading distance and cleared his windshield with the manual wiper blade. The documents remained on Lily’s lap, yet the couple’s names and address were already etched into her mind.
She sighed at the painted numbers on the box. “It’s not theirs.”
“Just keep an eye out for the next.”
He was right to sound unfazed. On the map, the road wasn’t all that long. The correct house had to be here somewhere.
She resumed her focus as they drove on. The rattling of the engine was nearly lost to the pattering of rain and chirping of crickets.
Another wrong mailbox, and another. A fourth bore no markings, and the absence of lights implied that the residents had retired for the night. Ellis opted to bypass them for the time being, saying he would circle back if needed. As they continued, however, the chance that it was the right one gnawed at her.
“Could we go back to that last one now?” It likely meant waking the household, but past nine o’clock in a farming area, that was going to be a common challenge. And they simply had to present their case before the director had a chance.
Ellis gave her an assessing glance, as if to decide if she was acting on a hunch or out of impatience. Whichever the conclusion, he replied, “I’ll flip around after this hill.”
“Thank you.”
The car sputtered up the remaining half of the incline, then coasted down. When the road went level, Ellis eased over to the side, allowing them the width to double back. As soon as they swung around, Lily spied another mailbox. Lit by the head lamps, its black letters on a white background read like a marquee.
GANTRY
“Stop,” she said, and he did. The A was partially worn off, the Y obscured by rust, but there indeed was the surname. It matched the document signed by Bob and Ada Gantry. “That’s them.” Her pulse jittered.
Ellis leaned toward her, just enough to peer out her window.
A light was moving in the distance, being carried by someone. Then the figure disappeared into what looked to be a house.
“At least one person’s awake,” Lily said brightly.
Ellis agreed. But there was no racing to the finish line. He simply closed his window, cueing her to do the same, and rumbled slowly up the dirt drive. Scattered stones caused bumping and more rattling.
They parked near the barn. “Let me do the talking,” he said. There was no arrogance in the statement, no note of condescension.
And it dawned on Lily that his stoicism over the course of the drive had been from contemplating his approach, as every word could be crucial.
“Are you sure?” she said. “I’d be glad to start it off if you’d like.” True, her discussion with the orphanage director hadn’t been fruitful—not directly so—but it had given her practice.
“I need to fix this.” He sounded dutiful as he angled to face her. “They’ve had him only a few months. If they’ll just agree to speak with Geraldine, I’m sure they’ll understand. She’s a caring, decent person. And she’s Calvin’s real mother. How in good conscience could they say no?”
“They couldn’t,” Lily agreed. Now she was the one who needed to instill confidence, regardless of her stirring fears. She even