Lost and Found

by Colleen Coble

  His eyes softened, and he put his hand on his shoulder. “I know. It’s time for supper.”

  He gave her a big hug, and then they joined the rest of the family at the table. Dad offered up the prayer, then everyone began to fill their plates. Despite the yummy smell of one of Emily’s favorite meals, beef pasties, she really didn’t feel like eating.

  “And me and Dave, we’re making a volcano for our science project. It’s gonna really blow up and everything.” Her little brother Timmy rattled on and on about school stuff. Usually his nonstop talking drove Emily crazy, but right now, his constant jabbering was a welcome distraction. It gave her time alone with her thoughts.

  “What’s with all the breads and cakes in the pantry?” Dad asked Naomi.

  “Ladies’ group at church. I’m delivering a basket to the waitresses over at the Copper Club later tonight.” Naomi finished cutting up Matthew’s food and pushed his plate back in front of him.

  “Alone?”

  “No. Bree is picking me up at nine.”

  Emily pushed her food around on her plate. She was really worried about Marika calling again, and she couldn’t help but wonder how Olivia was. She’d sworn she wasn’t going to tell her parents she’d found out, but Emily didn’t know how. As it was, she wanted to tell Dad and Naomi about it but knew she couldn’t. It wasn’t her secret to tell, and Olivia had been betrayed enough.

  “Emily, honey, is something wrong?”

  She stared at Naomi from across the table. “Just not really hungry, I guess.”

  Dad cleared his throat. “Are you worried about Marika? I told her I’d press charges if she called again.”

  Emily nodded, but she was still worried. Marika never listened to anyone.

  “You know we won’t let anything happen to either of you.” Dad included Timmy in his look.

  “I know.” Yet Emily just knew her mother would not give up easily.

  And the thought of actually seeing Marika after everything she’d done terrified Emily right down to her bones.

  TWO

  “Did you talk to your parents?” Emily snatched a strand of hair that had escaped her ponytail and tucked it behind her ear. “I started to call you a million times but didn’t want to interrupt.”

  The school’s hallway was crowded with all the junior high kids. Emily had to move closer to Olivia to hear her since they didn’t want to be overheard.

  Olivia’s brown eyes filled with tears. “I just couldn’t say anything to them, Em. I mean, there has to be a reason they didn’t tell me, right?”

  Emily hugged her best friend. Tight. “I’m sorry, Liv. Really.” She just couldn’t imagine knowing such a big secret and not saying something.

  Olivia shut her locker and leaned against it. “I started to bring it up more than a dozen times, then stopped myself.” She pushed off the lockers and started down the hall.

  Emily fell into step beside her. “Why?”

  “They have to have a reason for not telling me. Something that would upset me if I found out.”

  “More than just knowing you’re adopted?”

  Olivia stopped and stared at her.

  “I’m sorry. I just can’t imagine not asking them.”

  “That’s because your dad and Naomi are different from my parents. Mine are more . . . I don’t know . . . formal about parenting.” Olivia shrugged. “But maybe they act that way because I’m adopted.”

  “Don’t be silly, Liv.” Emily shifted her books and began heading to homeroom again. She had to turn sideways every now and again as someone brushed alongside her.

  “Is it silly, Em? I mean, I’m wondering about everything they’ve ever said or done that I can remember. Every time someone said, ‘Oh, you look just like your mother’ or ‘You have your father’s smile,’ they were wrong. It feels like my whole life is a big, fat lie.”

  Emily didn’t know what to say, so she remained quiet and just continued walking. While it might not be a bad thing to find out Marika wasn’t her mother, she couldn’t imagine finding out her dad wasn’t her dad.

  “And who else knows? I mean, my parents couldn’t have just had me appear with no explanation. Others have to know. People who never said a word to me.” Olivia shook her head as she stepped around a group of kids huddled near their lockers. “I can’t stop thinking about questions. Last night, I even had some crazy dreams.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like about my birth parents.”

  Emily stopped outside of their homeroom class—English. The bell would ring soon, but she wanted to hear this. “What about them?”

  “I couldn’t see their faces, but they were arguing. My birth father hit her. She grabbed an infant—I’m guessing that was me—and told him she’d give the baby away before she let him hurt it.” Olivia’s eyes were wider than wide.

  “Oh, wow.” Emily’s heartbeat kicked up a notch. She would’ve run straight to her parents’ room if she’d had such a dream. “But that was just a dream, Liv. You were three months old when your parents adopted you, so there’s no way you could remember something like that.”

  Olivia nodded. “I know, but I can’t stop the questions running through my mind or my imagination from running away with me.”

  “You’ll never get answers if you don’t ask your parents.”

  “I know.” Olivia stared at the floor. “I just can’t bring myself to come right out and ask. I don’t know. I think there’s a real reason why they’ve never told me. Maybe it’s something that makes them really sad, and if I bring it up, they’ll get upset.”

  The bell rang, spurring on the kids to move faster through the halls. Several of their classmates’ backpacks bumped against Emily and Olivia.

  Emily pulled Olivia against the lockers, out of the main walkway. “Like what?”

  “I don’t know. I can’t stop wondering if my birth parents are alive. If they are, and I ask my parents, will they feel like I’d rather be with them? Isn’t that what happens on television?”

  “C’mon, your parents know you love them.”

  “But if my birth parents are alive, why did they give me up for adoption?”

  “Maybe they did it for your safety.” Emily’s thoughts raced with ideas. Dad always told her she watched too many true-crime television shows. “What if your birth father was killed by some really bad people and your birth mom had to go into witness protection? She had to give you up for adoption to be sure you’d be safe.”

  Olivia gave a weak smile. “Leave it to you to make this into a Hallmark movie.”

  “I’m sorry. That’s just how my mind works. I’m really not trying to make a joke out of all this.”

  “And I can’t say anything to them yet anyway . . . they’d ask why I was snooping around in Mom’s trunk, and that would spoil the surprise of their anniversary party.”

  Emily sighed. They were really in a tight spot. God, please help Olivia. She’s got to have so many crazy emotions right now and just needs to feel loved. Please remind her that you love her more than any parent on earth. Emily gave her best friend a smile and quickly told Olivia what she’d found out from her Internet searches last night.

  “But what if those attorneys had nothing to do with my adoption? What if this Tarver person is actually a representative at one of those forty-five adoption agencies?”

  “Then we’ll go through all of them once we rule out the attorneys.” Emily could hear the discouragement in Olivia’s voice. She grabbed Olivia’s arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. “We’ll find out about your adoption, Liv. Even if we have to go through every single adoption agency in the state of Michigan.”

  “I guess.”

  “Maybe when I get home this afternoon there will be a reply from my e-mail to the Charlotte Tarver attorney. It could be the start.”

  Olivia flashed a feeble smile. “Thanks, Em. At least you’re trying to figure things out without having to ask my parents.”

  “Hey, that’s what best friends are
for, right?”

  “Right.” Olivia moved to the English room door. “I have Fashion Club after school today, but that should only take an hour or so. Want to come over later and start researching?”

  “I can’t. Sherlock and I have training this afternoon. There’s a competition coming up.” Honestly, Emily was glad she didn’t have to go over to the Websters’. While Olivia might be able to keep a secret, no way could Emily keep silent. Her mouth would open and the truth would jump out.

  “Oh! I almost forgot to tell you, but Marika called last night,” Emily blurted out.

  Olivia’s eyes went wide. “Wow, and here I am blubbering about being adopted. I’m sorry, Em. I know how much she scares you. What did she say?”

  Emily told her. “But Dad says to hang up next time. I don’t have to forgive her, do I, Liv?”

  Olivia bit her lip. “You know you do, Emily.”

  “But I don’t want to see her, much less forgive her!” Those were the last words she could get out before they had to enter class.

  It was a little warmer in the training box out of the October wind. Emily sat scrunched in the small space and waited for Sherlock to find her. She could make out a muffled siren way off in the distance. The training day should have been tiring, but seeing how well her puppy was learning to search had energized her. Before long, he’d have Samson’s search abilities.

  Small paws scratched at the opening to her box, and Sherlock’s happy bark was loud. She grinned and opened the door and her arms. Her puppy leaped up and licked her face. She hugged him. “Good boy!”

  Her muscles were stiff as she crawled out and stood shivering in the wind gusting off Lake Superior. Another siren wailed in the distance. Bree Matthews, the owner of Kitchigami Search-and-Rescue Training Center, gave her a thumbs-up. Bree was Naomi’s best friend and one of the coolest adults ever. Emily wanted to be just like Bree when she grew up.

  Smiling, Emily joined Bree and Samson, Bree’s world-renowned search dog. “Sherlock is learning fast.”

  “He sure is.” Bree glanced at her watch. “It’s nearly five, so I think we’re about done for the day.”

  “Aw, do we have to quit? If I go home, I’ll just have to do homework.”

  “I thought you liked school.”

  “I do, but I’d rather train Sherlock. There’s the competition coming up.”

  “Ah, the competition.” Bree’s green eyes were smiling. “I should have known you’d have that in mind. Okay, we can run them through the obstacle course one more time.” She motioned to the other students, all older than Emily, to move to the obstacle course.

  The competition for SAR dogs in training was only three weeks away, and Emily thought Sherlock just might win his division. He was young, sure, but he was so smart. Her puppy was a born search dog.

  She led Sherlock to the beginning of the obstacles. The course was made of tire swings, a log beam, a teeter-totter kind of board that the dogs had to walk up and down, a large wooden structure that had an open window in it, and boulders.

  “I’ll have Samson go first.” Bree snapped her fingers, and Samson took off.

  Emily watched in awe as Samson leaped onto the very top of the wooden structure, not even bothering to brace his hind legs on the windowsill. He bounded down on the other side, then ran toward the tire swing. The thing barely moved as he launched himself through the opening. He leaped onto the log beam and walked it without flinching. It was so cool.

  “See that, Sherlock? You’ll be able to do that someday,” she whispered into her puppy’s ear and scratched his chin.

  When Samson finished the obstacle course, everyone clapped, and he trotted back toward them with his curly tail held high. What a ham. She patted Samson’s head as he passed.

  “Your turn, Sherlock.” She led her dog into position. “Jump!” She pointed at the fake wall structure. Her puppy whined and pressed his head against her leg.

  “Come on, boy, you can do it.” She pointed and gave him the order again. He lay down at her feet and regarded her with sad eyes.

  Emily’s heart fell to her feet. She glanced at Bree. “I don’t understand. He did okay the last time.”

  “He fell though, remember? Walk him through it with the leash.”

  “He hates that.”

  “You have to help him get over his fear.” Bree’s tone left no room for argument.

  Sighing, Emily clipped the lead to his collar and tugged him forward. He came with lagging feet. “Come on, boy.” She coaxed the puppy to the wall and helped him inch to the ledge, where he perched for a few moments before leaping through to the other side.

  She dropped the leash and clapped. “You did it, Sherlock!”

  Bree and the class members clapped, and Sherlock barked and ran in circles around Emily’s legs, tangling her in his leash. She dropped to her knees and hugged him. “You’ll figure it out, Sherlock. Good dog!” His tail wagged his whole body.

  Her grin faded when something moved in the woods to her left. She squinted in the bright sunshine, then gasped when she caught a glimpse of a woman standing in the shadows. Marika? Emily’s heart raced faster than Samson on the course. She stared harder, standing up, but the figure melted into the darkness of the thick forest.

  It couldn’t have been Marika, could it? Dad and Naomi said Sheriff Kaleva had found no trace of her in Rock Harbor. Emily bit her lip and swallowed hard. She was probably just seeing things. She stepped forward, wanting to make sure.

  As she approached the edge of the trees, some shrubs parted and her mother stepped into the light. “Hello, sweetheart.”

  Emily backed away. “What are you doing here?”

  Marika was as beautiful as ever, with her long dark hair and compelling eyes. “I wanted to see you, of course. I’m still your mother. I do love you, even if you don’t believe it.”

  “Just like you loved Timmy so much that you messed with his insulin meds?” The words burst out of Emily before she could stop them.

  Marika’s lips tightened. “It wasn’t what you think.”

  “It never is, is it?” She scooped up Sherlock and held him tight for courage.

  “I want to be in your life, Emily. Your father will agree to it if you ask him.”

  Emily bit her lip. Her mother had always been persuasive, and even now, Emily wished she could believe her. Sherlock squirmed in her arms when someone shouted his name.

  “I have to go. Think about it, Emily. I’ll be in touch.” Marika turned around and hurried into the recesses of the trees.

  Her mouth dry, Emily stared after her. What was she supposed to do? Her dad had always told her it was important to forgive, but if she did, did that mean she had to see Marika? Shuddering, she began to retrace her steps to join the rest of the group.

  God, I don’t know if I can forgive Marika. A mother is supposed to always love her children and take care of them, right? She didn’t. Emily let out a heavy breath. This was so hard. God, I’d really appreciate some help in forgiving her because I really, really don’t want to.

  Her cell phone vibrated in her pocket. She jumped and then pulled it out. Waiting for her mother to show up was just making her jumpy. She blinked at the message and read it again.

  call me. fire at the school.

  A fire? She put her hand to her mouth and shuddered, forgetting about Marika for the moment.

  Bree moved beside her. “What’s wrong?”

  “I just got a text message. There’s been a fire at the school.” Emily punched in Olivia’s number. The class murmured and gathered around her as the call began to ring through. Several people dug in their pockets for their cell phones.

  “Hello?” Olivia’s voice sounded strained.

  “I just got your message, Liv. Is everyone okay?”

  “Oh, Em, it’s terrible! You should see the lab. It’s all black and burned. I bet it’s going to take weeks to rebuild it. I don’t know for sure if anyone is hurt or not. The medical team of the fire department has bee
n giving oxygen to a few people, but I just don’t know.”

  “An explosion?” Emily could see it in her mind’s eye. Some of the other kids liked mixing things that didn’t go together. “Was anyone hurt?” At least Timmy and Dave were playing in the SAR building.

  “No one seems to know right now. You should get over here though. There are fire trucks everywhere, and practically the whole town is pitching in to help. Your dad and Naomi are here with my parents.”

  “On my way.” Emily ended the call and glanced around at her classmates. “She doesn’t know if anyone was hurt.”

  “My son was there this afternoon for football practice,” Mrs. Wilson said. “I have to get over there. Emily, can you take charge of my dog and drop him by my house?”

  Emily opened her mouth to refuse but then saw the panic in her face. “Sure. I’ll put him in the fence behind the house.” It was only a few blocks out of her way to the school.

  Several other people asked her to do the same so they could check on their kids. Emily had four dogs on leads by the time she left the training center, plus Sherlock.

  God, please don’t let anyone be hurt.

  THREE

  Lights on top of the fire truck and police cars cast creepy shadows over the school. Smoke hung like clouds in the late afternoon air. Fire hoses spread out over the school grounds like a weird spiderweb. Emily dodged two firemen jogging across the parking lot as she dialed Olivia’s number. The stench burned her nose.

  Olivia barely had time to answer before Emily interrupted. “Where are you?”

  “Are you here?”

  “Yes, just got here. I can’t find you though. There are so many people.”

  “Come to the gym. The teachers and Mayor Kaleva have set up a kind of headquarters here. Mom and Dad are handing out bottles of water. Your dad is helping replace the firemen’s tools as needed, and Naomi is helping keep the little kids occupied. I’ll let Naomi know you got here okay.”

  “On my way to you.” Emily slipped her cell phone back into her pocket and headed for Olivia. She sidestepped two sheriff deputies who nearly ran over her. Everyone had turned out to help in this town emergency, no matter what his or her job.