by Aaron Lazar
When the truck disappeared down the road, she set the boy on the floor and started in on her dishes, keeping a watchful eye on him. Down on the road beyond, she noticed a small car slowing down along the road. It stopped, hesitated, and then kept going on its way.
It’s nothing. I’ve gotta stop being so paranoid.
When the dishes were done, she dried her hands and turned to Joey, who’d built a tower of big plastic blocks. “Who wants to read?”
He knocked over the tower on purpose, grinned at her, and stood up fast. “Read to me, Gaga.”
Her heart swelled. He’d been calling her Gaga for a while now, and it was a unique name, just for her. She loved it.
She took his hand and walked with him to the living room, where a two-foot stack of books sat waiting. “Okay, little man. Let’s read.”
Chapter 48
Orville walked out to the barn, feeling the cold sweat trickle down his forehead. He couldn’t let Tessie see him.
With great effort, he slid open the barn door and slipped into the cool interior, dropping onto a bale of hay. The weakness hit him again, and this time the pain was bad, spreading from his jaw to his arm. He felt the blood drain from his face. When another spasm of pain hit him, he slumped sideways.
This can’t be happening again.
We can’t afford it.
They were supposed to have fixed him up in that last procedure when they went inside and cleaned out his blocked arteries. So what the hell was happening now?
He groaned, and waited for it to pass. But the pain continued.
“Dad?” Ned appeared from the far side of the barn. “Dad? What’s going on?”
“Don’t really know,” Orville said. “Seems like the same as before.”
“Are you in pain?” His son had already pulled out his cell and was dialing.
“Yeah. It’s pretty bad.” He heard his son talking rapidly to the 911 operator, and then from a distance, heard him calling Tessie.
“No,” he sputtered weakly. “I don’t want her to see me like this again.”
“That’s nuts,” Ned said. “Mom? You need to come out here. Bring the nitroglycerin tablets.”
Tessie arrived in what seemed like seconds, and wordlessly slid a tablet under his tongue.
“Did you bring the baby aspirin, too?” Ned said.
He heard Tessie opening a bottle of water, then felt his son’s strong arms sitting him up so he could swallow the pills.
“Can you hear me, Orville?” Tessie’s voice was tight with fear.
In the background, he heard Joey’s voice, too. “Papa?”
His heart twisted some more, but this time out of empathy for his family. How would they get on without him? Who would help Ned keep the farm running?
The ambulance shrieked into the farmyard, and the sound of feet thudding toward the barn came through the dusty air.
We need rain.
It was Orville’s last thought before everything went black.
∞∞∞
Grace lay on the twin beds they’d lashed together in the bunkhouse. Caroline’s appointment had gone well and the ear infection had cleared up now, but she’d canceled bringing her to Tessie’s house at the last minute. She still couldn’t bear to part with her baby, and though she didn’t hold a grudge against Tessie, she just wasn’t ready to trust anyone with her daughter yet.
The bunkhouse was cramped and rustic, with few amenities. In the past, those creature comforts had meant a lot to Grace. But now, strangely enough, she didn’t resent the downgrade in their lifestyle. From a cute cottage in the woods to adult-child-come-home-again, she should have felt disappointed in her circumstances. But nothing like that mattered any more.
All that mattered was Caroline, her beautiful baby girl.
The child slept beside her, cherubic cheeks flushed and lips pursed as if drinking her bottle in her sleep. In and out, the little pink ribbons moved as if sucking her bottle, and Grace almost laughed out loud at how cute it was. Her girl still loved the bottle, and apparently, she even dreamed about it.
Grace ran the back of her hand over the downy soft skin of her baby’s cheeks, still amazed at the beautiful child she and Anderson had created.
How was it possible? It seemed so miraculous that such a perfect little angel could have come from her.
Gently, she slid a finger into her baby’s hand, watching the little digits curl around it.
With a satisfied sigh, she rested her head on the pillow beside Caroline, and watched her sleep.
It was like that these days. She couldn’t leave the child’s side, not for a second. She imagined kidnappers around every corner, behind every tree. She’d even thought about getting a gun.
Her. Getting a gun. It was so bizarre it made her shake her head in disbelief when she brought the thought to the forefront of her mind again.
But what if it happened again?
They’d been all over the news. Pictures of her perfect baby had been seen by millions. And with this copy-cat world they lived in, where perfectly normal high school students went berserk and shot up their fellow students over a crush-gone-bad because they saw someone else do it on the news, she just knew there were others out there plotting to take away her child. The thoughts plagued her day and night. Especially at night, when she found it impossible to sleep. The worries consumed her. She knew if she’d been seeing her therapist, the woman would tell her to focus on the positive, be grateful for her girl’s return. And of course, she thanked God for that every day. But she’d canceled the therapy sessions because she couldn’t stand to leave Caroline’s side.
The idea that someone else would kidnap her baby consumed her.
Okay, so that was crazy, and she probably needed her therapist more than ever. That’s what Anderson said—albeit gently—last night. But she couldn’t get the thought out of her head, and she wanted to be prepared. She needed to protect her baby from the world.
Maybe I’ll home school her.
Could she do that? She hadn’t been the best student in the world, but now she had a reason to be good at it. She could study hard in advance, making sure she learned the material well. She’d stay home, keep Caroline safe, and especially keep her from the public eye.
Her mind plotted along this vein feverishly until her iPhone buzzed on the nightstand. Quickly, she picked it up so it wouldn’t wake Caroline.
“Yes?” she whispered.
“Grace?” She recognized Ned’s voice instantly. Boone’s little brother sounded a lot like him, but had a sweeter tone.
“That you, Ned?”
“Yeah. Hey, listen, Dad’s had another attack. Can you take Joey for a while?”
“Oh no.” She sat bolt upright. “Of course I’ll watch him.”
“I’ve got him in the car seat now. I’ll drop him off in five minutes.”
“Did you call Portia?”
“Of course. But she’s stuck at work. She said you might be able to watch him.”
“Okay. Bring him right over, Ned. I’ve got this.”
“See you in five.”
Chapter 49
Grace met Ned by the house. He hurried toward her with little Joey in his arms. Gently, he set him on the porch.
“Will your dad be okay?” Grace asked. With Caroline on her hip, she reached for the boy’s hand.
“I’ve got no idea yet,” Ned said. “Boone’s coming, too. Should be here—”
Boone’s tractor appeared around the corner of the barn, heading straight for them. He parked it in the driveway, and then hurried to his brother. “Let’s go,” he said to Ned. Almost as an afterthought, he turned to Grace. “You okay with Joey?”
“We’re fine,” she said. “Go.”
They ran to the truck and in minutes she was alone. She wished her parents were home, but every six months her mother needed to be tested in New York City to check on her cancer. The specialist in the city had helped her beat it with a pioneering new experimental drug, but they h
ad to keep tabs on her to be sure it wasn’t returning.
“So, kids. It’s just you and me today.” She carried Caroline and held Joey’s hand, leading him into the kitchen. “What shall we play with?”
Joey hurried to the pile of books Daisy kept in a wooden box under the table in the living room. “Read.”
Grace grinned. “Sounds good. Let’s go sit on the couch.”
Joey chose his favorites and laid a pile of books on the coffee table. “Read dose.”
With Caroline on her lap, she laughed. “Okay, little man. Let’s get started.”
He clambered up onto the couch and looked expectantly at her. “Read.”
She started with The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Caroline’s favorite. When she’d made her way through ten more books, her phone buzzed. Portia’s name appeared on the screen.
“Hey, Grace. I’m stuck at work until seven. Can you manage the two of them?”
Grace tapped her speaker button, still snuggling Caroline on her lap.
“Of course. We can do the barn chores when you get home.”
“Oh, geez. I forgot. There’s noone there to feed the horses, is there?”
“It’s okay.” Grace shifted Caroline to the floor, where she crawled over to the toy cradle in the corner. “We’ll manage.” She glanced toward the door, where someone had just knocked. “Do you think Orville’s had another heart attack?”
“It sounded like it. But Boone will call once he knows what’s up.”
She stood and peered out the curtained window. “Anderson’s got his dress rehearsal tonight for the show. He’ll be out ‘til eleven.”
Someone called to Portia in the background, and she whispered her next words hurriedly. “Want me to pick up Chinese?”
“Sure. Hey, listen. Someone’s at the door. Maybe it’s someone who wants to buy a horse.”
“Oh, I hope so! Let me know, okay? See you tonight.”
“Let me know when you hear about Orville, okay?”
“You bet. Later, sis.”
∞∞∞
Lollie steered the Ford under the sign for Bittersweet Hollow, turning right along the dirt road leading to the farm.
She was ready.
In the distance, the Green Mountains formed a rolling backdrop to the white rectangles bordered by post and board fences. The fields were dotted with horses of all colors. The colossal barn bloomed in the background, and beside it nestled a beautiful farmhouse with a wraparound porch.
It had looked so small from the mountain, where she’d been spying on them.
She had to admit, it would've been a nice place for the children to grow up, but her ranch would be so much better.
She couldn't wait to see Rhett and Scarlet again.
She sat in the little Ford Fiesta she’d boosted from the Walmart parking lot last night. It had been a much easier job than she’d expected, and it has raised her self-confidence another notch.
Hell, if she could steal a car, including swapping plates from another vehicle right next to it, she could get back her babies and bring them to her ranch.
She reviewed the mental checklist she'd created. She’d been thinking about it, refining it, for the past few days while she watched the farm’s comings and goings. She’d even memorized the family’s schedules, when each person went to work and where the children were during the day.
But yesterday, something out of the ordinary had happened at the horse farm. Dirk and Daisy Lamont had emerged with suitcases and had taken off in their old farm truck. They’d been gone all night and hadn’t returned.
And today, Boone’s brother, she was pretty sure his name was Ned, had driven up the driveway as if he was in a great hurry. He’d dropped Rhett with Grace on the porch, had met Boone on the way back to the truck, and they’d both raced off to God knows where.
Something had happened in their family, all right, and now Grace was alone with both babies, in the middle of the day.
It was like a sign from Heaven, exactly what she’d been waiting for.
She turned off the engine, grabbed her purse, and stood outside the car, straightening her clothing. She wore a pretty navy blue skirt and jacket with a white blouse. She wanted to look proper. Wealthy. Not desperate.
It hadn’t been easy cleaning up in the RV, but with careful use of her water, she’d been able to make it last, and had taken a short shower this morning.
Her husband's pistol sat in her waistband, under the jacket. It felt good snugged in her back. It whispered to her, telling her everything would be okay.
She'd repacked most of the supplies from the Devil’s Spring cave back into the RV. She was ready to go once she grabbed the kids and returned to the cave to hide until nightfall.
Walking with all the grace she had, she stepped lightly up the porch stairs and knocked on the door.
Chapter 50
Three days earlier, Rosita had been preparing to say goodbye to Lollie, who’d headed out to her car with two big suitcases. For the first time ever, her employer had insisted on wheeling out her own luggage.
She gently pushed Rosita away from the handles. “Thanks, but I’ve got it.”
Rosita wondered what Lollie packed for her cruise. Had she remembered sunscreen? A sun hat? Her bathing suit? A dress for dinner? This was also the first time Miss Lollie had packed for herself for any trip. “Have a wonderful cruise, Miss Lollie.”
Lollie had smiled mysteriously. “Maybe next year you can come along.”
Flustered, Rosita had chuckled. “Okay. We’ll see.”
When she’d gone, Rosita had planned her daily cleaning regime that would keep her busy for the two weeks. She’d started on the downstairs, and then, three days later, had decided to tackle the upstairs.
Brochures for the cruise sprawled across the kitchen table, and Rosita looked with longing at the colorful umbrellas on pink sand beaches with azure water glistening in the background. “Oh, it looks so beautiful,” she said aloud. Then she looked out the windows of the sunroom that faced the Atlantic, and laughed at herself. “But look at what I see every day. This is paradise.”
She gathered her cleaning supplies and headed upstairs. She’d take care of Lollie’s bedroom first, because she knew it would be an untidy mess.
At the top of the stairs, she turned right, carrying her broom, dustpan, Swiffer, spray bottle, and rags.
The bedroom was just as she expected. Clothing was strewn over the bed and chairs, and even on the floor in Lollie’s bathroom.
Sighing, Rosita began to pick up the clothes. For some reason, Lollie had tossed flannel shirts and woolen socks into the mix. Why would she do that? She’s headed for the tropics, where a lightweight sweater or raincoat might be the warmest outwear she’d need.
Strange.
She spritzed and wiped down the bathroom fixtures. Swept the floor in both rooms, and then flipped up the bed skirt to sweep under the bed.
Normally empty, now it was filled with boxes of papers. “Oh, Miss Lollie. What is this mess?” Dropping to her knees, Rosita dragged two cardboard boxes out from under the bed, and then ran the broom across the dusty floorboards.
Why didn’t Lollie just put these papers in the closet, or the desk, like all her other paperwork? Maybe it was all her genealogy papers?
She shook her head, applied a pad to the Swiffer, and began to swipe the floor clean under the bed.
Just as she was about to slide the boxes back under the bed, Rosita noticed a rolled up map on top of the pile. It looked old and brittle, and with a guilty look over her shoulder, she gave in to her curiosity and unrolled it onto the floor.
A map of Vermont? Of the Green Mountains?
Why Vermont?
A cold chill raced down her spine.
The babies came from Vermont.
Oh, Miss Lollie. What are you up to now?
Chapter 51
Rosita maneuvered the old Chevy pickup into the passing lane, roared past the mobile home sitting on an oversized truc
k bed, and turned to reassure Rocco, who’d grabbed the armrest and had started sweating.
“Don’t worry. She can handle herself up to eighty. Or so my son tells me.”
Rocco rolled his eyes. “You sure? This thing is shaking like it’s gonna fall apart any minute.”
“Si.” She smiled sideways at him and smoothly pulled into the travel lane. Shifting on her pillow, she settled back into the stream of traffic and tried to relax. It hadn’t been easy convincing Rocco to come with her on her cross-country chase for her boss. He’d needed to take a few unplanned vacation days from work, so it had taken some fancy footwork on his part.
But after she’d showed him the maps under the bed, with the circled locations in Vermont, he knew Lollie would need to be stopped. Or helped. Or something.
Lollie was after those little children. And she already had a three-day head start.
Rosita tried Portia’s cell phone. She’d called four times in the past few hours with no response.
Maybe she was at work. Or maybe they didn’t let her keep a cell phone on when she was on the job.
She wished she’d taken down all of their numbers. But the home phone number at both the Hawkes’ and Lamonts’ farms weren’t picking up, either.
Where was everybody? Had Lollie already taken the children and led them all on a wild chase across the country? Did she already have a line of police cars chasing her?
She tried not to panic. Her boss was crazy, yes, but she’d never imagined Lollie would go this far. And what was all that business about the cruise? She’d never boarded that boat. When Rosita had stopped to gas up the truck before she picked up the reluctant Rocco, the lady behind the desk said she’d seen Lollie pulling out of the town parking area a few days ago in a big white RV.
“I don’t know why I said I’d come with you,” Rocco said, shaking his head. “This is crazy.”
“Miss Lollie’s a little bit crazy. You know that.”
“A little bit?” He relaxed his grip on the armrest. “But how will we find her?”
Rosita knew she needed to give him more. He’d agreed to help her after her heartfelt plea that morning, but she hadn’t had time to fill him in with all that she’d found.