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thought I’d lose my mind I made myself focus on that. On finding information that would lead me to you.”
    His eyes were a light shade of brown, maybe hazel, flecked with gold I could see even in the shadowy light. Unrelenting. Goosebumps ran up my spine. I couldn’t escape this man any more than I could escape the past. The days that followed Pop’s arrest and death were burned in my memory forever. He’d used the Camerons to reach me with a gift of love. The money was now a bond between us all.
    I didn’t know what to say.
    “Wait here.” I stumbled to the RV then past Ella, soundasleep and angelic in her bunk. I searched through a cigar box where I hid mementos and what little decent jewelry I had. When I walked back outside and held out my hand, palm up, a small, smooth quartz rock gleamed dully under the yellow streetlights. “You gave this to my mother. She named me Venus because of the story you told her about this. How it was a piece of the evening star. She loved that story. She recited it to me every night.”
    Astonishment showed in his gaunt face. I thrust my hand closer to him. I dared him to touch me, but he didn’t move a muscle. My hand trembled, then sank. Holding on to my dignity was hopeless. “After my mother died I wanted to believe you’d always be special, just as she said you were. Maybe you’re not special and neither am I. We don’t have to care about each other. Just tell me if you really believe any good will come of me and my sister going to visit your family in Tennessee.” And then I waited.
    “I don’t know,” he said finally, searching my eyes. “I’m not an optimist by nature. But I promise you this much. You don’t have to like me, but you can trust me. That’s more than you can say about any other ‘government man’ you’ve known.” After another awkward silence he frowned deeply and started toward his jeep. Just before he reached for the door he turned and looked at me one more time. “I like the way you take care of your sister,” he said. “Family loyalty. I respect that. I hope you’ll respect mine.”
    Tears stung behind my eyes. I fought any sign of weakness. I would honor Simon Cameron’s kindness and Gib’s devotion to him.
    “I’ll come and get my money,” I said without a shred of emotion.
    “Good.”
    He left. I strained my neck watching him drive away, even walking to the edge of the street to catch one last glimpse before he disappeared into the Chicago night.
    Every note of music and every musical sound in life radiatesoutward. The vibrations become infinitely small, but they never quite fade. They can still reach you, when you’re suddenly quiet enough and empty enough to catch the echoes inside you.
    Promises and betrayals are the same way.

Five
    “I don’t know if I can do this,” I told Ella the next morning. “I can’t believe what’s happening to us.”
    Ella looked at me with her strong, graceful hands clasped gently to her lips. “We have to go,” she whispered. “I don’t care about the money. I don’t think it’s a betrayal of Pop’s ideals to visit Gib and his family. Gib seems to be a very honorable man who held a very honorable and important job. We have to be fair to him. Pop would agree with that. He preached fairness all his life.”
    “There’s still no rational reason to drive hundreds of miles to spend two weeks with strangers. For all we know these people eat barbecued possum and really do marry their cousins.”
    Ella laughed. “Not at all like us decent folk from Louisiana, where our culture includes sex shows, gambling, and enough government corruption to sink a third-world dictatorship.”
    “But at least we don’t eat possums.”
    “It would be nice to be wanted, for once,” Ella said wistfully. “And I wouldn’t mind taking the money.” She looked at me in utter seriousness. “We could give half of it to a homeless shelter.”
    I sighed. Where did honor end? “The IRA killed Gib’s