Lost Boy by Tim Green Read Free Book Online

Ryder.”
    After a steady electric hum that grew by the second, the lock rattled and the door swung open and there he sat, frozen and twisted, like a smashed car after a very bad accident. “Well? Tell me she’s up and about.”
    Doyle gave Ryder a glance. “No, not really. She’s looking good, though. We talked to her, right, Ryder? She’s a little out of it, but she’s been through a lot.”
    â€œWhat about the father? Did you ask about the father?” Mr. Starr’s eyes shifted back and forth between them.
    Ryder nodded.
    Doyle’s mustache sagged. “Well, we’re not totally sure because of all the medicine she is on, but she looked at Ryder and was talking about someone named Jimmy and then she said ‘Jimmy Trent.’ Does that ring a bell?”
    Mr. Starr’s eyes widened.

“Not with me.” Mr. Starr’s look of surprise became a glare. “Either you weren’t listening, or you already forgot. She told me nothing . She left Auburn, New York, when she was pregnant with Ryder here, and never looked back. No names. No mother. No father. No boyfriend, or anyone named Jimmy.”
    â€œAnd Ryder’s last name is Strong, so maybe that’s it,” Doyle said.
    â€œNo, that’s not it.” Mr. Starr seemed to enjoy telling Doyle he was wrong. “She named him Ryder because it means ‘warrior on horseback.’ The ‘Strong’ part is just what it sounds like. Strong. She told me that. ‘Shoesmith’ is the name of some English teacher she had a crush on. Changed her name so they couldn’t find her, not that it sounded like they would have ever tried.”
    Doyle looked at Ryder. “You think ‘Trent’ is the signature on that baseball?”
    â€œWhat baseball?” Mr. Starr growled.
    Ryder explained that his mom had a signed baseball she kept hidden. “And he called her his gem.”
    â€œWell, let’s see it, then.” Mr. Starr frowned. “Although I can’t see how that will help.”
    â€œIt might help us connect everything.” Doyle stroked his mustache. “If it’s Trent, then that’s gotta be his dad. Okay, I gotta go, but maybe you two could google ‘Jimmy Trent’ and ‘baseball’ or something. You want to do that?”
    â€œI have a nurse come into my home every day in the morning and the evening.” Mr. Starr spoke calmly and quietly. “I’m fed and clothed and bathed like a broken doll. Do you really think I won’t do everything within my mental power to shed the yoke of an abandoned child as quickly as I can?”
    Doyle glared. “He’s not abandoned. His mother wants him. I’d be glad to have him if I didn’t spend half my nights in the firehouse.”
    Mr. Starr flicked his eyes at Ryder, who was simply too tired to care, and his eyes softened. “No, I suppose that’s not what I meant. Obviously, I spend too much time alone.”
    Doyle accepted the shadow of Mr. Starr’s apology with a nod, then brightened and snapped his fingers. “Hey, maybe Jimmy Trent still lives in Auburn. Maybe there are a family of Trents. Maybe call them and ask for a Jimmy. I don’t know. I’m a fireman, not a detective. I gotta go, kid. You’ll be okay with Mr. Personality. His bark is worse than his bite, remember?”
    â€œYeah, I guess,” Ryder mumbled.
    Doyle got serious. “I’ll check back in tomorrow, after my shift, and I’ll take you to see your mom. Maybe you should go to school? I’m just saying. . . .”
    Ryder shook his head. He couldn’t even think about school.
    â€œOkay,” Doyle said, “well, be positive.”
    Then Doyle scooted out the door and down the stairs, leaving behind the fading clunk of his boots and a lot of discomfort.
    â€œWell?” Mr. Starr sounded like he was over being sorry for saying Ryder was unwanted,