CHAPTER THREE

The trail was becoming fresher, and if Billboard wasn’t mistaken, he was closing in. Ethan was probably hiding, and watching him approach.

Billboard had grown more and more intrigued with the boy’s brain as the day wore on, having avoided a few more, simple traps along the meandering route on which he’d been led. One concocted hazard, if he’d stumbled into it, would have had him covered in stinging nettles. Another, a viney-lasso of sorts, had been set up to hook around someone’s feet and yank them skyward.

Billboard chuckled. He’d avoided both, which had been a blessing considering the nettles, but if he’d stepped into the well-disguised loop, it wouldn’t have done anything. His weight would have kept his large-assed-body on terra firma despite the boy’s best efforts.

Billboard slowed his steps as he moved closer to where he believed his quarry was obscured. How should he play this? Should he just overtake the boy, grab him, then read him the riot act before bringing him back to his distraught mother? Or should he appeal to Ethan’s vanity, talk loudly about how smart the kid was and how BB was currently stymied as to what he should do, next?

Billboard paused. If it were him as a youngster…

Yup. Acknowledgment. That’s what he would have wanted.

Billboard found a large rock and sat down, seemingly contemplative. “Ethan?” he called out. “I know you’re nearby. I can read your trail. But you didn’t make it easy. I have to give you enormous kudos. If I hadn’t been a highly trained, military tracker, I wouldn’t have been able to follow you, and I’d probably be covered in sticker-burs to go along with the goose-egg on the back of my head from falling into your pit. By the way,” he added, “I’m Billboard, and your mother hired me to find you.”

When there was no response, he kept up his conversational patter. “I wonder, though, if this is the right time and place for you to be practicing your skills? Your mother is really upset; scared actually, that something terrible happened to you. And I can only imagine how she’ll feel if the weather takes a turn for the worse.”

Billboard looked at the cloudless sky through the leaf-burdened trees and chuckled to himself. He knew the forecast was supposed to be good for the next few days. But was Ethan aware of that?

He continued.

“You know, if I don’t bring you home, your mother won’t have any choice. Her next step will be getting the police out here with their dogs. And I’m fairly sure you don’t want all that fuss.” He was banking on Mrs. Jakes’ distrust of the authorities having made it into Ethan’s steel-trap brain, so the decision would be easy.

“No police,” came a small voice ahead and off to the left of him.

Billboard pretended to ponder. “Well then, if that’s the case, I’m thinking I’m your best bet.” He casually played what he felt might be a trump card. “And maybe once you agree to head back with me, I can show you where a few of your attempts to evade me, went wrong.”

There was rustling in the undergrowth, and Billboard waited patiently. Ethan had to make up his own mind whether or not to come out, because if BB oversold his hand and lost the boy’s interest, there’d be a chase, after which Ethan would surely never trust him.

“You’re a good tracker?” Ethan finally asked, from a position that was a little bit closer than before.

“It took a long time,” Billboard admitted. “But, yeah. I learned the basics when I was in the Marines. Then when I took my current job at SOS—which is a search and rescue company—I met a guy named Sarge, and he blew me away with everything he knew. It made what I’d learned in the military look like a children’s game of hide and seek.”

“Wow,” Ethan expounded, clearly having his interest peaked. “Do you think I can…? Can you make it so I can meet Sarge?” Ethan asked.

Billboard snorted to himself. Of course, the kid wanted to be introduced to the best, but still, BB couldn’t help but tease. “What am I, kid? Chopped liver? Aren’t I the one who followed you out here?”

“Yeah. You did,” Ethan agreed. “But you also fell into my pit,” he added without missing a beat.

Billboard let out a booming laugh, and it felt good. When was the last time he’d been this amused?

“You’re right. I did. And the guys are going to give me a ration of incredible sh--…um, grief over it.”

Now there was a snicker. “You can say shit,” Ethan assured him. “My mother told me that’s only a twenty-five-cent swear. Not like the ‘F’ word. That’s worth a whole dollar that goes into our swear jar.”

Billboard found himself really liking this kid, who was an interesting combination of naiveté and brains.

“Duly noted,” BB responded. “We’ll both owe your jar a quarter.”

“Wait. You’re going to tell on me?” Ethan asked suspiciously, but sounded more cheerful than annoyed.

Okay. It was time to cut a deal.

“I tell you what,” Billboard pondered. “You come out and sit with me; let me convince you it’s in both our best interests for you to accompany me back to your mom, and I won’t say a word about the swearing.”

“Does that mean I can use the ‘F’ word?” Ethan’s curious voice came back.

Billboard laughed again. “Don’t push your luck, kid. That’s some pretty spicy language for an eleven-year-old.”

“Twelve,” came the immediate reply before he backtracked a bit. “Well, almost. My birthday is next month, then I’ll be old.”

Billboard couldn’t stop his mirth from bubbling over as he howled. “Well, I’m thirty-four, so I guess that means I’m ancient. But you know what kid? I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. So what do you say? Should I teach you some stuff before I’m too decrepit to move anymore?”

Billboard made the offer, then held his breath. The bushes swished again. Was Ethan getting ready to run, or would he agree to hang out?

“Umm… Okay.” The small, tentative voice was back. “But you have to promise that my Mom won’t punish me.”

Should BB lie? Nope. That was a slippery slope.

He slowly shook his head, hoping the boy was looking. “I can’t promise anything, Ethan. That is your mother’s call to make.” Maybe a little guilt would grease the wheels. “You know she didn’t sleep at all last night; she was so worried about you.”

“She knows I’m good in the woods.” There was a strange kind of strength in Ethan’s answer, but he wasn’t finished. “ And she knows I’m doing it for us. Just in case—” He cut himself off abruptly.

Billboard sat up straighter. What had the boy been about to say? “Just in case, what, Ethan?” he asked, hopefully keeping his tone casual.

There was a moment of silence before…

“Nothing. Forget it.”

Damn. Billboard would have to let that go. It wasn’t exactly the time to pry since he was attempting to build trust with the boy, so he changed tracks.

“Hey Ethan? What about self-defense?” BB asked casually.

“Uh, what about it?” came the slightly confused reply.

“Well, you’ve got your evasion techniques down pretty good, but what if, like me, a bad guy is able to follow your trail. Don’t you think having a few skills that will help you fight someone off would also be a good thing?”

“You… You can teach me that stuff?” Ethan’s voice came back cautiously excited.

“I sure can. I have mad skills, you know,” he said somewhat pompously, which got the laugh he wanted from Ethan. “I’m not kidding,” he added. “One of my teammates, Prez, has two daughters, Rainie and Lakisha who are fourteen. We taught them everything they need to know about staying safe.”

“Do they… Do they have survival skills, too?” Now Ethan sounded hopeful. It suddenly occurred to Billboard that perhaps the boy was a little too “outside the box” to have made many good friends, and was looking for similarly aged kids with whom to share his adventures.

“They have some ,” Billboard admitted. “But nothing like you.” He was being honest with Ethan. “I’ll bet if we get approval from their parents, we can show Rainie and Lakisha some of the things we both know, then they can fill you in on some hand-to-hand.” And they would, with relish. The pair—ever since their kidnapping by a deranged zealot—were all about situational awareness. Which made Billboard think…

Mizzay’s niece, Rory—of whom their office manager now had custody—might also like to participate. Rory was just Ethan’s age, and he could easily see the pair becoming friends.

“There’s also Rory,” Billboard put in lightly. “She’s another of my co-workers’ kids. She’s twelve, and she’s always up for an adventure.”

Yeah. Rory had been held by the terrorists, too, and it had taken some intense therapy, but the girl was feeling more intrepid every day. Living with Mizzay, Billboard figured, was an excellent example of what strength looked like, because Mizzay was one of the toughest women he knew.

“They won’t think I’m…weird?” Ethan asked, and Billboard’s heart almost broke at the hope in that question. Clearly, the boy was misunderstood by his peers.

BB, himself, had been teased unmercifully at Ethan’s age, and he would have killed for just one good friend.

“Are you kidding?” BB scoffed. “Once the three of them hear that you sent me crashing into a hidden hole, and that I spent a really long time tracking you, they’ll be falling all over themselves to be your friend.”

The girls were amazing examples of what goodness and kindness should look like in today’s oft-time jaded youth. Once they heard that Ethan had no friends, they’d make him feel included, no matter what.

The bushes quivered, then the branches parted to reveal a small, but very good-looking boy. His big brown eyes, behind large, black-framed glasses, blinked toward Billboard in seeming astonishment as he took him in.

“You’re huge,” he finally said.

Billboard shrugged, maintaining his relaxed position on the boulder. “That’s why I’m called, Billboard. Because I’m pretty big. But I wasn’t always. As a matter of fact, all the way through high school, I was what people called a pipsqueak. It wasn’t until I joined the Marines that I bulked up.” He chuckled. “Do you know that at the last school reunion I attended, nobody even knew who I was?” Which was for the best. He’d never had anything in common with his schoolmates, and he’d simply gone to confirm that he’d remembered those years correctly.

His foray into nostalgia was a one-and-done. As far as Billboard was concerned, he never had to attend another reunion as long as he lived.

Ethan took a few steps more in BB’s direction. “So I might…?”

“You never know, kid. You could grow up to be as big as me, or bigger. But I’ll tell you something.” He tapped his temple. “It’s what’s up here that really makes the difference, and you’ve got that totally nailed. So don’t listen to the haters. They’re probably just intimidated by how smart you are.”

In retrospect—and with a little help from Doc Ed—Billboard had figured that out about his young self.

“Yeah. I guess.” Ethan kicked at a rock, and his blond hair—a little long in the front—fell across his eyes. He swept it back in a well-practiced motion. “So, can you start teaching me fighting stuff, like right now?” he added, hopefully.

It was tempting, but Billboard needed to be the adult here and get Ethan home safely. “Not today, Ethan. Right now, I need to call your mother and my office, and tell them I’ve located you.” He didn’t say “found”, because Ethan had truly never been lost.

“I get it.” Ethan kicked another rock. “Can I… Can I talk to Mom and apologize?”

Billboard nodded solemnly, reaching into his pocket to extract his phone. “That might be a good idea, for starters. Although I’m pretty sure it won’t get you out of any punishment she has planned.”

“Nope,” Ethan agreed, before a grin finally broke out across the boy’s face. “But it might make it easier.”

Billboard chuckled. “It might.”

He dialed Mrs. Jakes’ number.

“Billboard?” She answered breathlessly on the first ring, a question in her voice.

“Yup. I have him.”

“Oh! Thank God. I was so worried.”

“I know, and he’s remorseful over having caused you any grief.” Billboard attempted to smooth things over a bit with the woman before raising his brows at Ethan. “But the good news is, he’s all in one piece, and he wants to talk to you.”

“Please,” Mrs. Jakes replied.

Billboard held out his phone to the boy, who walked forward and took it without a hint of reluctance.

“Mom?” he began, “I’m sorry.”

Billboard couldn’t hear the other end of the conversation, but by the looks that flashed across Ethan’s face, his mother was giving him a mixture of both love and censure, which was exactly as it should be.

“Yeah, Mom. We’ll be home soon,” Ethan assured her, before a new animation appeared on his face. “And Billboard says he’ll show me more survival skills and some self-defense stuff, too,” Ethan paused, then added, “if it’s okay with you.”

He gave a thumbs up and flashed a grin Billboard’s way, so apparently Mrs. Jakes had agreed.

“Yeah. I love you too. See you soon.”

He disconnected and handed the phone back to Billboard, who got up from his rocky perch.

“I don’t think I’m in too much trouble,” Ethan beamed, looking way up at him.

Billboard chuckled and shook his head, turning to walk back in the direction from which they’d both come. “I wouldn’t be so sure. You caught her when she was relieved that you’re okay. Once she’s had time to think about it…” Billboard trailed off to let that sink in.

“I get it,” Ethan agreed, falling into step beside him. “But I’m still not upset. Because meeting you and maybe making some new friends will make it waaaay worth it.” He smiled from ear to ear.

“Okay. But make me a promise,” Billboard cautioned, in what he hoped was a serious, grown-up voice. “If you ever have the urge or the need to take off again,”— Right . Need. Because there was something spooking the Jakes duo—“you call me and give me a heads up so I can come join you.”

“That would be cool,” Ethan agreed. “Then you can start teaching me stuff. Or maybe we can—” His face fell. “Darn. I’m signed up for some college math courses for the last two weeks of school, so it’s gonna hafta be after that.”

“Do you have classes this coming Saturday?” BB asked.

Ethan brightened. “Nope. Why?”

Billboard gave him a light tap on his shoulder. “Because that means we won’t have to wait. If it’s okay with your mother, I’ll pick both you and Rory up this Saturday morning. We’ll head to Quincy where we’ll grab Lakisha and Rainie, then I’ll take you all to the Blue Hills where we’ll practice all kinds of stuff. How does that sound?”

Billboard extended his hand out for a high-five.

Ethan leapt up and they slapped palms.

“Like the best Saturday ever.”