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She backed toward the front gate and left the paper sack on top of the thickest fence post, then sent Harold into her SUV and took a final look back. Leon was here—she could feel it. If he was this spooked by company, was it safe for him to be here alone?
She drove half a mile down the road and waited for twenty minutes, then cruised slowly past without stopping.
The lunch bag was gone, and there was no litter on the ground as there might have been had an eager raccoon helped himself to the food.
“So you are here,” she said softly. “Now we just need to make sure you’re okay.”
* * * *
OVER THE NEXT THREE DAYS Sara continued her surveillance of the Sanderson plant by night and she brought food out to Leon by day. He never came forward when she drove up to the gate. But after she left, the food disappeared almost immediately.
On the fourth day she heard the music.
“Leon! This is Sara—are you here?” She stood at the gate, the lunch bag in her hand. She shouted her question more loudly, then waited a few minutes and tried again.
The music stopped. A curtain fluttered. A full minute later, the front door slowly creaked open, and Leon appeared.
“I brought your lunch,” she said. “But I heard such beautiful music that I wanted to stay and listen. Do you play?”
From his tousled, graying hair to his battered, rundown boots, he was unkempt and dirty. But when his mouth lifted into a fleeting, gentle smile, the childlike quality touched her heart.
“Are you doing okay?”
He just stared back at her.
“Are you hungry?”
His expression brightened at that, so she knew he understood. Tonight she would check whether Ryansville had a meals-on-wheels program. Then she’d check with Leon’s social worker. With Leon’s lack of cooperation during his assessment, the woman may not have identified his needs.
Sara watched as Leon slowly descended the stairs and started across the yard, but stopped a few feet from the gate.
“Do you remember me?” She waited, hoping he would speak, but he gave only a slight nod. “Can you tell me your name?”
“Le-on,” he said after a long moment.
“Well, Leon, here’s your lunch. I hope you like it today. It’s turkey, is that okay?”
He didn’t answer, but when she stepped back away from the gate, he moved closer and took the sack, then nodded his thanks and turned away.
“How did you learn to play the piano so well?” she called out. When he looked over his shoulder at her, the sad and lonely look in his eyes made her heart turn over.
“Momma. She died, too.”
“I’m so sorry, Leon. It must be hard being out here alone. Would you like to be where there are other people to talk to?”
“No!”
He definitely had no problem comprehending her words. With an angry slash of his hand, he threw the sack to the ground and strode to the house, then disappeared inside, slamming the door behind him.
With a heavy heart, Sara called Harold to heel and headed for her SUV. Leon clearly wanted his independence, but he probably wouldn’t be able to enjoy it much longer if he didn’t accept some help.
