"I wouldn't guess one of the parents did it," she says thoughtfully. "Because that wouldn't explain why the mom was relieved, even if she really, really didn't like him or something, she would've had to have been worried they'd get caught unless it was the dad that did it and she didn't even know, but that seems unlikely. The ransom theory has the same problem, but less of it. Driven away by bad treatment explains why the mom was relieved, though, if she wasn't the one treating him badly but wasn't brave enough to do anything about it herself."

"I do think he ran. Wouldn't care very much to guess why with nothing solid to go on based on things happened when I was scarcely older than you."

"And he's probably not going to show up now, any which way."

"Wouldn't expect it. No."

"Yeah, soon enough they packed up and went to - can't remember where."

"Huh."

Charlie shrugs. His lemon square is gone. "I don't think you ought to worry. Very safe town, kid probably ran away of his own accord for whatever reason."

"Yeah, I know how safe the town is," she says. "Filed under: reasons my aunt moved here."

"There you go, then." Charlie puts his dish in the sink and meanders into the room with the television. He turns on some manner of sport, volume low.

"You haven't been over here before," observes Bella. "Want to see my room?"

"Sure."

Up to Bella's room! It contains many books and a bed and a chair and a handful of apparently little-used stuffed animals and other toys occupying a basket at the foot of the bed.

"Ooh, books."

"Mm-hm. Don't read the notebooks please."

"Yeah, I wasn't planning on it. How about the book books? Any good ones?"

"Most of my books are at Renée's house, mostly because that's where I am birthdays and Christmas and that's when I get most of my books, but the ones that are here are the ones that I've read and liked enough that I want them handy when I'm here and there isn't a really good bookstore around."

"I'll take that as a yes. Which ones are your favourites?"

Bella starts pointing out books, ranging from Watership Down to Christmas Carol to Pinnochio to Heidi to Pippi Longstocking to a fairly complete set of Roald Dahl.

"You know, I've never read Watership Down. Worth it?"

"It's about bunnies, but it's pretty serious for being about bunnies. You can borrow it if you want. There's a sort of a sequel but I don't have it here."

"Sure, thanks," she says.

Bella offers her the book. "I like old books," she says. "Renée thinks this is just because old books that are still getting printed have been - sorted through a lot already, though."