Thomas listened while looking at the picture on the wall over there. There was something about it.

“And what Mama said about being an Eater. Well,” Macky said, “my Daddy says the Eaters was a band of Indians, and a band has related kin.”

The picture! Thomas was thinking. Look at it!

“But what does she care about that? She ain’t a Indian!” Pesty said.

“Well, who knows why?” Macky replied. “She sometimes tells about her people here, don’t you, Mama?” spoken gently to his mother. “Been here for ages. Wasn’t just Daddy’s people was part natives.”

“Who cares?” Pesty said, like a smart aleck.

I can’t just go over and look at the picture, can I? Thomas thought. “That’s a nice picture over there. Can I see it?” he said. He went slowly around the bed, so as not to disturb Mrs. Darrow. He acted only casually interested in the picture. It didn’t look like anything much up close. He didn’t know too much about painting. But he knew this was the kind you could buy ready-made in the dime store. It had a beige sky and a deeper brown earth. It looked somber.

I bet I could do that good, he thought. A horseman out in a track of land was what it was. There was a mean homestead to the horseman’s back and a rocky trail in the foreground. Then he felt Mac Darrow right behind him.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Macky spoke low, whispering in his ear.

“Looking at the picture,” Thomas said evenly. “I bet I could almost copy it, too.”

“Didn’t know you were some painter,” Macky said, his voice a menace.

“I’m not,” Thomas said. “But this looks like a piece of sculpture. I mean, look at the thick paint of the figure. Shouldn’t be that hard to carve the figure in one piece.” He didn’t care whether Macky believed him or not.

Maybe he thinks I’m on to something, Thomas thought. Else why did he come up behind me so fast? He’s afraid I’m on to something, if he knows what’s here.

Because it wasn’t the painting that had caught Thomas’s eye, to pull him up so fast out of his seat. It was two corners of the picture frame. Two triangles opposite each other, made up two of the four frame corners. Two right triangles with legs of wood, forming two right angles. The solid mass areas between the angles and their hypotenuses were almost entirely hidden under the painting. But the thin edges of the hypotenuses gave off a slight glint when he moved his head back and forth.

The picture frame triangles were probably the same as the ones the Darrows had made themselves and had placed in doorframes of the Drear house months ago. By that trick the Smalls suspected Darrows meant to show them that they could secretly enter the Drear house whenever they chose. They meant to frighten Thomas’s family into fleeing the house, and they had almost succeeded.

Mr. Pluto first told Thomas and his father that during slavery, triangles had been a cross reading for escaping slaves. Where a triangle fit in one of the four positions on the Greek cross would give the direction a running slave was to travel. If a triangle fit on the cross in the top left quadrant above the plane, or northwest, then the direction would be north. If it fit in the southeast quadrant, or lower right below the plane, then the direction would be south, and so on.

These two triangles are to be hidden forever in that picture frame, Thomas thought. But why? His heart quickened. I saw them fast because I know about triangles. Macky looked surprised out in the woods when I mentioned the triangles in the house. He didn’t know about them! Or maybe he knew about just these two in the picture. He wouldn’t know his mama wandered the house. But where would Mrs. Darrow get these triangles? And why do they glint yellow? … Does Macky think they are gold? Could they be? That’s it! That’s what Macky’s hunting! He knows about these two in the picture frame. He figures they might be gold. There might be more somewhere, and if he finds them, he’ll have treasure for his daddy and his brothers! That’s why he’s trying to find out something from Mr. Pluto. I bet that’s it.

Have to get out of here, wait for Papa to come home.

Thomas had been thinking quickly. Macky was still breathing down his neck, leaning around him to watch his expression. Thomas kept himself calm.

“Mr. Thomas, you like that picture?” Pesty came up to stand at his side. Macky eased off a little. “My mama made it,” she said, proudly.

“You mean, she painted it?” Thomas said.

“Uh-huh,” Pesty said. “She used to paint. Same picture all the time. But this the only one she ever put a frame to. Made the frame herself, too.”

Macky stumbled away.

“Mac, Macs, ha-ha,” Mrs. Darrow murmured.

He slipped out of the room without saying goodbye to anyone.

Must be real sad to have a mama who is crazy, Thomas thought, and regretted the thought. Macky loves his mama, and she cares for him. You can tell.

Pesty was looking at him. Does she know about these triangles hidden in the picture? he wondered. Does she know why they’re hidden; can she see the glinting? He wanted to say, “Pesty, what are they doing there?” But something held him back. Instead, he said, “Triangles, right triangles.” Testing her.

“What, Mr. Thomas? Try what?” she said.

“Never mind,” he said, not quite believing she didn’t know. He was beginning to believe she knew a lot more than she was telling.

Thomas’s mouth was dry. He sighed and swallowed. “Where’d Macky go?”

“Heard him go outside,” Pesty said.

“Then now’s the time to skedaddle,” he said. “Hey! Where’d Great-grandmother go?” Just that moment she came back in through the door. “Where’d you go?” he asked. “Where’ve you been?”

“I went out to see who’s coming, just after Macky left. Thomas, I believe the misters are coming. We’d better get on back the way we came.”

Mrs. Darrow was up on one elbow, leaning forward toward Thomas and Pesty.

“Get gone!” she said. “My horse, get away!”

“She don’t want anyone close up to her picture too much, Mr. Thomas,” Pesty said. “She must’ve woke up and seen you.”

“I’m going, I’m getting away, Mrs. Darrow,” he said softy. “Great-grandmother, let’s go.”

“Yes,” Great-grandmother said. “Mrs. Darrow, we’ll come to see you again sometime. We’ll be real neighbors one day.” She smiled kindly on the sick woman.

Mrs. Darrow stared at them with her black, burning eyes. “I’m an old-time gardener,” she said. “I sit on the right side. Forever.”

“Yes, indeed,” said Great-grandmother. “Goodbye now, dear. We’ll see you soon. Maybe take a walk with you.”

“Take a walk!” said Mrs. Darrow, and she laughed uproariously.

Thomas led Great-grandmother Jeffers through the closet and into the tunnel.

“I’m going with you,” said Pesty. They heard a door slam in the house just as Pesty slid the closet door closed.

“You don’t have to come,” Thomas whispered. “Maybe you should stay with, your mother, see that she doesn’t make a slip.”

“They don’t pay attention to her,” said Pesty. “She’s probably already asleep again. Here, I’ll lead.” She squeezed by Thomas and Great-grandmother.

“Let’s go!” Thomas said.

“Give her the flashlight,” Great-grandmother said.

“No, ma’am, let Mr. Thomas hold the light,” Pesty said. “So’s you-all can see the way. I don’t need no light.”

Be glad to get back to the house, Thomas thought, relieved that Pesty was leading them. So much to tell Papa! Hope he and Mama won’t be mad at me. Lucky! I’ve got Great-grandmother on my side.

14

WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT the little fellows could be so rambunctious? That Mrs. Small, her arms full of groceries in the kitchen, would have a moment’s distraction. Often now the boys got away from her, running off like two wild pups. They were only going upstairs to see Great-grandmother and Thomas. And probably Pesty was with Thomas still as well. Shortly before, Mrs. Small had stepped up onto the front veranda and instructed Billy to take her key from her purse.