Cord decided that before he left for California, he was going to have a serious talk with his brother.
His niece came back and sat down at the kitchen table. “Brock’s not in there. I guess he’s in the bathroom.”
“I’ll go get him.” Cord swallowed another mouthful of cereal, then walked through the penthouse to the hallway. “Hey, sport? Breakfast is ready.” He rapped on the bathroom door.
When his nephew didn’t answer, he opened it. Brock wasn’t there. Maybe he was playing on the computer in Maggie’s study. But further investigation yielded no sign of his nephew.
Cord checked the living room. He wasn’t in there. Neither was his backpack. He’d rolled up his sleeping bag in its case and had left it propped against the couch. Perhaps he’d gone outside for a few minutes? Cord couldn’t imagine it—the children had strict rules about always telling someone where they were going, no matter what.
Before Cord said anything to alarm Maggie, he planned to look around the grounds of the complex.
It took him two minutes to dress, then he went to find Katy. She was in the study watching cartoons, too engrossed to ask about Brock. Cord could be thankful for that small mercy.
“Honey? I’m going downstairs for a newspaper. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.”
He strode across the penthouse to the foyer, but his footsteps stilled when he saw a big handwritten note taped to the front door.
Dear Aunt Maggie and Uncle Cord, I know why Mom sent us to stay overnight with you. I don’t want to move to Colorado so I’m running away. I left this note so you would know that nobody kidnapped me. I have food and money. I know where to go for help. When I get where I’m going, I’ll call Mom collect so she knows I’m okay. Love, Brock. P.S. Tell Grandma and Grandpa McFarland not to worry about me. P.S. Tell Katy to take care of my ant farm.
P.S. Tell Dad if he ever wants to see me again, he’ll have to make an appointment with my secretary.
Brock had underlined the “my.”
Cord bowed his head, assailed by the memory of recent conversations he’d had with his nephew. It appeared Brock had taken his advice about making an appointment with his father, but something had gotten screwed up in the process.
Cord should have seen this coming. For once he’d been too caught up in his own emotional crisis. Because of Kit, he hadn’t been able to concentrate on anything or anyone else.
Without a second to lose, he whipped out his cell phone and called Detective Willis at the Salt Lake Police Department. After taking down the description of Brock and all the pertinent details, the other man said they’d begin an immediate search.
“Brock’s parents aren’t aware he’s even missing. Don’t let the media get hold of this until they’ve been contacted.”
“Understood.”
They clicked off before he looked up the home phone number of Ben’s private secretary. She wouldn’t be at work for another hour at least. He disliked bothering her, but this was urgent.
After five rings he heard Mrs. Arnold’s voice. “Cord? I saw your name on the caller ID. I take it Ben has asked you to relay a message to me.”
“No. That’s not the reason I’m calling. Forgive me for disturbing you this early, but this is important. Have you spoken to Brock in the last few days?”
“Brock? Why…yes. He called the office yesterday morning, as a matter of fact. He said he wanted to make an appointment to see his father. I played along and told him there was an opening next Monday. He said that was too far away and hung up.”
Mrs. Arnold had no idea what was riding on Brock’s call.
“I have a terrible feeling I said the wrong thing.”
“Not at all. He’s going through a hard time right now, but it’s nothing to do with you. For the time being, I’d prefer we kept this between the two of us.”
“Of course.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Arnold.”
He clicked off and headed down the hall to Maggie’s room with Brock’s note in hand. She was just coming out the door. They met halfway.
“What’s the matter? You look upset again.”
He took a fortifying breath. “Brock has run away. I’ve already called the police. Read this.”
Maggie slowly took the note from him. When she finally lifted her tortured gaze to his, he filled her in on his conversations with Brock and Ben’s secretary.
“That poor child,” she whispered. “Where do you suppose he’s gone?”
“I don’t know. We’ve got to tell Julie and Ben, but not over the phone. Let’s get Katy home right away.”
“I’ll grab her.”
“While you do that, I’ll bring the car around and meet you out in front of the complex.”
“We can’t tell Mom and Dad yet.”
“Agreed. I warned the detective to keep this hushed up until they hear from Ben and Julie. See you in a minute.”
KIT EMPTIED THE LAST LOAD of wash and put it in the dryer. “Okay, Janene,” she said, coming into the living room. “I’m ready to pay you back for picking me up from the airport last night. Where do you want to go for breakfast?”
“Don’t you mean lunch? We slept in too long.”
“We did.” She yawned. “It felt so good.”
Her friend studied her for a moment. “You know something? I’ve never seen you this happy before. It’s really true what they say about love. You’re a different person. I can’t wait to meet Cord.”
“I can’t wait for him to walk through that door. I’m still having a hard time believing this has happened to me.” She gathered up her cell phone and put it in her purse.
“It’s been a long time in coming.” Janene smiled. “No one deserves a wonderful man more than you. The way things are going, you’ll end up married before Tony and me.”
They left the apartment and walked out to the guest parking area. “It’s too soon to talk about that,” Kit said after they’d gotten in Janene’s car.
“But not too soon to entertain the thought.” She put the key in the ignition.
Kit sobered. “I just hope Cord hasn’t changed his mind since our conversation last night.”
“If that were the case, he would have called by now. What do you say we go to Panera’s for cinnamon bagels with cream cheese?”
“Perfect.” It was only a couple of blocks down the street. Kit didn’t want to be gone a long time. She was anxious to get back to the apartment and prepare for Cord’s arrival.
They pulled into the strip mall parking area. “What do you know. The line of people waiting at Panera’s isn’t even out the door yet.”
“It’s our lucky day.” My lucky day. As Kit started to open the car door, her cell phone rang.
Janene grinned. “Now I wonder who that can be. You talk to him while I hold our place in line.”
She nodded before clicking it on. “Hello?”
“Kit?”
Just hearing him say her name sent a shiver of delight through her body. “I’m so glad it’s you, Cord. How soon are you coming? I’m counting the minutes.”
“I’m counting them, too, believe me. But something serious has come up. Brock ran away from home.”
“What?”
“He left a note. Apparently he has a destination in mind, but no one knows where that is. I’ll tell you all the details later. Right now we’ve got a major search on our hands. The police have been looking several hours already. I won’t be able to fly down today.”
“Of course not,” she exclaimed. “Your family must be devastated.”
“Brock’s parents are in a state of shock. Katy’s at my parents’. We’ve all split up to see if we can find him. I’ll call you as soon as I can.”
“Forget me. I pray he turns up before the day’s out. Cord?” she cried. “Don’t hang up yet. I just thought of something.”
“What?”
“Maybe he found a way to get to Brighton. When we were on that hike, I heard him tell Ryan how much fun it wo
uld be to stay at that abandoned fire lookout near the pass. I wouldn’t put it past him to go up there. He loves the mountains as much as you do.”
“That’s an inspired thought. I’ll check it out. In the meantime, don’t you decide to go someplace where I can’t find you, Kit. I couldn’t handle another crisis right now.”
The second she heard the click, she hurried inside Panera’s to tell Janene the news. “I knew it was all too good to be true.”
“Don’t say that, Kit. You couldn’t have known Brock would disappear like this.”
“I realize that, but it’s awful, Janene. He’s a wonderful boy who’s hurting too much over a situation he can’t control. I just wish I were still in Salt Lake. I can’t stand being here, unable to help. The more people on the search, the better.”
“What’s to stop you from going back?”
Kit didn’t have to think about it. “Nothing.”
“Then I’ll drive you to the airport. We can eat bagels on the way.”
“You’re the best friend in the world, you know that?” Kit handed her a ten-dollar bill. “While you pay for them, I’ll phone for a reservation right now.”
Another airline ticket would diminish her small savings further, but being there for Cord was more important than anything else. Thank goodness she’d already done her wash and could pack clean clothes.
AT SIX IN THE EVENING Salt Lake time, Kit’s plane touched down. All the earlier flights had been full, so she’d been forced to wait for this one. It was raining in the valley, with thunder cannonading in the distance. The idea that Brock could be up in the mountains alone made her shudder.
After getting a taxi, she asked to be driven to Renaissance House. By the time she pulled up in front, the rain was coming down in sheets. With her suitcase in hand, she entered through the main doors. Dinner was already being served.
When Mac saw her, his eyes widened in surprise. “Cord told me you’d gone back to California.”
She had no idea how much the older man knew, but this wasn’t the time to talk about it. “I did, but when he phoned me earlier today and told me about Brock’s disappearance, I couldn’t stay away.”
“It’s a surprise to everybody. He’s a good kid. Can’t understand it.”
“He hasn’t been found yet?”
“Not to my knowledge.”
Her spirits sank. “Brock’s such a darling boy. Whatever’s wrong, I want to do what I can to help find him.”
“Does Cord know you’re here?”
“No. I just arrived and tried to call him from the airport, but he didn’t answer. Do you think someone could let me in the cottage? I’ll put my suitcase in there and try to reach him again.”
“You bet.” He got on the phone to one of the staff and asked him to cover the desk for a few minutes. “Okay. Come through the mansion. Otherwise you’ll get soaked, walking around. This storm’s a whopper.”
He picked up her suitcase. She followed him down a palatial-looking hallway past several offices to the rear entrance of the building. Rain was still pouring from a dark thunderhead. Kit ran behind him across the grounds to the cottage.
Mac let her inside the foyer and turned on the light. She thanked him before he hurried back to his regular post.
Once again ensconced in Cord’s house, she shook off the moisture the best she could before entering the bedroom. The maids had been in; she could tell by the professional way the bed had been made up. Fresh towels hung from the bathroom racks. Everything was spotless, reminding her that Cord had stayed at Maggie’s last night.
What a shock it must have been to wake up this morning and discover Brock’s note. It was a desperate act to get attention—and in that, he’d certainly accomplished his objective. He wasn’t old enough to understand how exceptionally painful this would be for his family.
Kit tried calling Cord again, to no avail. Needing to do something constructive, she reached for the phone directory and looked up Ryan Wentworth’s number. It was a place to start.
There were six Wentworths listed. On her third try she reached his mom. When Kit explained who she was and why she was calling, Mrs. Wentworth broke down in tears. That got Kit started.
“I want to help—phone people or whatever. Right now I’m staying at the cottage behind Renaissance House.”
“I can’t think of anything more either of us can do at the moment. My husband’s out on a search of the neighborhood, going door to door. When this storm lets up, Ryan and I will come by for you. We’ll drive around and look for him.”
“That would be great. I want to help search for him. May I speak to Ryan for a minute, please?”
“Sure. I’ll put him on. He’s right here.”
“Kit?” Ryan didn’t sound like the same exuberant boy from the other day.
“Hi, Ryan. I’m sorry to hear about Brock, but I know he’ll be found.”
“I hope so.”
“I’m sure you’ve been asked a lot of questions because you’re his best friend.”
“Yup. I told the police to look in all the parks, ’cuz that’s where Cord told Brock homeless people stay when they don’t have anyplace to sleep.”
Out of the mouths of babes.
“That was a terrific suggestion, Ryan. You know when I was growing up, my friends and I used to play in an old, deserted pavilion on the waterfront. There was this room we could get into through some loose slats over the window.”
As she spoke, there was a sudden flash of lightning. “I was just wondering if you and Brock had a secret hideout somewhere that nobody else knows about.”
“No. We don’t have anything fun like that. Sometimes we get in the back of my parents’ boat in the garage.”
“Have the police checked there?”
An earsplitting crack of thunder prevented her from hearing his answer. The next thing she knew, the cottage lost electricity. Looking through the window, she saw the mansion lights were out. Worse, the phone had gone dead on Ryan’s end.
The power failure had to be massive to affect this part of the city, all the way to where Ryan lived.
Though it wasn’t pitch-black, the house was dark enough that she strained to see her way to the kitchen. Maybe one of the drawers would yield a flashlight. She was halfway there when another clap of thunder shook the ground so hard it made her jump.
That’s when she heard a noise. She could have sworn it came from above her head. A gust of wind had no doubt caused a tree limb to break and fall on the roof.
More lightning illuminated the kitchen. When she couldn’t find a flashlight in the drawers, she opened some cupboards. Eventually she found a light with a nine-volt battery. It worked!
She smiled in the dark, remembering Cord’s comical, “Never fear, Ranger Cord is here.” But her smile was short-lived when she thought of him and the rest of his family frantically looking for Brock. Who knew the boy’s condition by now? She cringed to think of him out in this violent weather.
Kit had never been in such a ferocious storm before. It raged on and on. She sat down at the kitchen table. With only two small windows that could shatter, she felt safer right there than anywhere else in the house.
Flashes of lightning lit up the room. Another furious clap of thunder had her springing to her feet again. Like before, she heard a sound coming from above, only this time she was pretty sure it was an animal moving around in the attic. Maybe it lived there and the storm had disturbed it.
While she stood there listening, her ears picked up another sound—someone knocking on the front door. It wouldn’t be Cord, who would have used his key to get in. She shone the light ahead of her and hurried to the foyer.
“Mac? Come in.”
He stepped inside, holding his own light. “We’ve got the backup generator going at the mansion. Who knows how long the power will be out? I couldn’t get you on the phone, so I thought I’d come myself to invite you over.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you. Let me grab a few thi
ngs. By the way, I think there must be an animal of some kind up in the attic. During the worst of the thunder, it moved around.”
“That’s odd. Cord just had the entire cottage debugged and checked out a couple of weeks ago. While I’m here, I might as well take a look. Can’t have a pesky raccoon chewing its way through the shingles.”
Curious, she followed him to the little storeroom off the kitchen. “How will you get up there?”
He flashed his light against the wall. “That makeshift ladder nailed to the two-by-fours. During the bootlegging days, John McFarland kept a stash of liquor up there nobody knew about. That ladder didn’t use to be stationary.” Mac disappeared up the rungs.
There had to be lots of wonderful stories Cord could tell her about his illustrious ancestor. Kit wanted to hear them all. She couldn’t wait to be with him, to throw herself in his arms. It felt like years instead of twenty-four hours since she’d left for California, wondering when or if she’d ever see him again.
Just then she heard Mac talking, but it was impossible to make out words. Walking over to the ladder, she called up to him. “What did you say?”
“Cord’s had a visitor, all right. He’s on his way down now.”
He?
She mouthed the word before pure revelation flowed through her. “Brock?” She practically shouted his name.
“Yeah. It’s me.”
He descended the ladder first, holding on to a strap of his backpack with one hand.
Kit didn’t stop to think. With her adrenaline surging, she gave him a bear hug that probably came close to knocking the wind out of him.
“Oh, Brock. You scared the living daylights out of everyone. Your parents are going to be so happy to know you’ve been found and you’re all right.”
He eased out of her arms, looking patently unhappy. “Do we have to call them yet?” He’d asked the question in the dullest voice she’d ever heard.
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