by Lisa Orchard
“I certainly hope so.” He sighed and made eye contact with his wife. “I hate it that I have to ask you to do this, Sarah.”
Sarah didn’t look her father in the eye. She took a deep breath and then sighed. “I know. Don’t worry. I’ll be all right.”
Her father grabbed her arm and pulled on it, so Sarah was forced to look at him.
“What?” Sarah asked, startled by her father’s actions.
“If there’s any sign of danger I want you to stop and run away. It’s not worth it.”
“Okay.”
“He means it, Sarah,” her mother said in her firm voice. The worry line that was a signature feature on both her and June’s face appeared and Sarah felt a stab of guilt.
“I know. Don’t worry.”
Her mother leaned forward and gave Sarah the eagle eye. “I don’t want you taking any unnecessary risks.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
Sarah’s mother relaxed and leaned back in her chair, she brushed the hair away from her face and sighed. “I can’t wait until this is all over.”
Just as her mother finished her statement, little Michael Robinson woke. He stood and stretched. “Hey,” he said to his father.
His father chuckled. “I wondered if you were ever going to wake up.”
Michael giggled. “How long was I asleep?”
Mr. Robinson looked at his watch. “A couple of hours. How do you feel?”
“Pretty good.”
Sarah’s father rose and went over to where Michael stood. “Why don’t we take a look at you?”
Michael nodded and allowed Sarah’s father to examine him. He peered into his eyes and felt around his throat like a doctor would.
“Dad, what are you doing?” Sarah asked. She squirmed in her seat, watching her father.
“I’ve got Michael on a special concoction and I’m just checking him out.” He stopped and stared at the young man. “There’s no swelling. Are you ready for another dose?”
“Yep,” Michael said.
Her father walked over to a cooler sitting near the stairs and carried it back to the table. He took his seat and pulled out a thermos. He unscrewed the top and sniffed the contents.
“What is that?” Sarah asked. She exchanged a look with Lacey and wrinkled her nose.
“It’s the antidote for the damage to Michael’s liver.”
“What’s in it?”
Her father gave her a quick smile. “It’s not medication… it’s a combination of coconut oil, oranges, and grapefruit along with some other things.”
“How is that taking care of the damage to his liver?” Lacey asked.
Her father screwed the cap back on the thermos and winked at her. “Citrus products help cleanse the liver so it functions better. And coconut oil is very effective in helping the liver do its work. The liver doesn’t have to work as hard.”
“Okay?” Lacey gave Sarah a perplexed look. “I don’t get it.”
Her father gave Lacey a patient smile. “Cleansing the liver helps it get rid of toxins. And by giving it less work to do… I’ve allowed it to have time to repair itself.”
“And that’s going to make Michael better?” Lacey twirled her hair around her finger and gazed at the young man who still stood by the rocking chair.
“Yep. He’s shown significant improvement. And as soon as I can get his liver enzymes to normal levels I’ll be sharing this information with the public.”
“Cool.” Sarah gave her dad the thumbs up sign.
Her father shook the thermos in his hand. “Is there a glass or a cup around here somewhere?”
Everyone stood and searched the basement for the requested item. When everyone turned up empty handed, Sarah volunteered to go upstairs and ask Dottie for a glass.
As she climbed the stairs, she glanced back down at everyone in the basement. I hope this antidote works. It’s too late to save Brian Miller, but maybe it’s not too late to save Michael. Guilt stabbed her heart like the blade of a knife. She winced as she resumed her climb. Life is really unfair. Her thoughts turned to Piper Drugs. How could they put something on the market they knew was dangerous? Just the thought of it made her nauseous and saliva flooded her mouth. She swallowed and took a deep breath. I am not going to puke now. Anger ignited in her belly and raged through her system until she was sure if she touched the wall it would ignite into flames. Doesn’t Piper Drugs have a responsibility to the public? Aren’t they supposed to make sure there are no side effects?
Sarah reached the basement door while these thoughts raced through her brain. She took a deep breath and opened it. Stepping out, she glanced around the back room. It was empty and the lighting was dim. Standing still, Sarah waited until her eyes adjusted to the gloom. Then she walked forward, searching for Dottie.
As she moved toward the front of the store, Sarah heard voices. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Like a rabbit hiding from a wolf, Sarah moved forward with silent steps. She reached the curtain and hesitated. Straining to hear, she stood on her tiptoes and listened to the conversation.
“Can you believe it? No bodies.” The voice of the man who had been in the store earlier asking about her parents, Martin Savage.
“It is surprising,” Dottie replied. “I wonder how the fire started when no one was in the home. Did you hear anything from the firefighters?”
“No.”
Sarah cringed at the sound of the head of security’s voice. It was surly and full of anger. Fear tightened its grip on her throat. She tried to swallow, but her mouth was bone dry and there was nothing to swallow. What is he going to do now?
As if reading her mind, Dottie asked, “What do you think their next step will be? Do you think they’ll notify the Robinsons?”
Martin Savage cleared his throat. “Oh, I’m sure they will. After all they’ll need to know their home burned down.”
“Why are you so interested in this?” Dottie asked. Her tone held a spark of a warning in it.
Go Dottie! Sarah cheered silently.
The head of security seemed to back off as if he knew he had crossed a line. “Oh… no real personal interest… just looking for those criminals I spoke of earlier.”
“Ahh… I see. And you think they’re involved in this?”
Sarah could tell from Dottie’s tone of voice she didn’t believe the man.
“Yes I do. If you see them… you be sure and call me.”
“I will,” Dottie replied.
The floorboards creaked as he walked toward the door and when the bell above the door jingled, Sarah took a deep breath and relaxed. He’s gone.
Stepping into view, Sarah said, “Dottie do you have a glass or a cup we can use?”
Startled, Dottie glanced up and caught Sarah’s eye. “Yes… we’ve got some paper cups over by the water cooler.” She motioned with her hand. “By the back door.”
“Thanks.” Sarah gave her a wave and spun around to go back the way she had come.
“Sarah?”
She stopped and faced her. Yeah?”
“You better tell your dad that security guy was back… and he knows there were no bodies in the fire.”
Sarah’s shoulders slumped and she sighed. “I know. I heard him. What do you think he’s going to do?”
Dottie frowned and her brow wrinkled with worry. “I don’t know. But he seems pretty determined to find the Robinsons and your parents.”
“I got that impression too.” Sarah turned and made her way to the water cooler. She grabbed a number of paper cups and proceeded down the stairs. Fear travelled through her body and clouded her brain. Dashing down the stairs, she stumbled but stopped herself from falling. Her heart pounded, sending the blood thrumming through the veins in her ears. It was the only sound she heard. Clutching the rail, she took a couple deep breaths and forced herself to slow down.
When she reached the basement, she hurried to the table and set the cups on it with an agitated hand. “That guy was back.”<
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Her father, who had sat back down after examining Michael, stood and grabbed her shoulders. He looked her in the eye and said, “Are you sure?”
Sarah sighed. “Yes… and he knows there were no bodies in the fire.”
His hands fell to his side and he began to pace. “This is not good.”
“I know. He’s going to be looking for you,” Sarah said. Her thumb found its way to her mouth and she gnawed on her nail. She watched her father pace, waiting for some direction from him.
“Dad?” Lacey belted out. Her tone was impatient and angry. She stood and put her hands on her hips. “What are we going to do?”
Lacey’s tone surprised Sarah. I’m usually the impatient one. She stared at her sister for such a long time that Lacey finally looked at her.
“What?” she asked still agitated.
Sarah dropped her gaze. “Nothing. It’s just I’m usually the one who’s impatient.”
“You don’t own the emotion.” Lacey glared at her sister.
Wow, she’s ready for a fight. Sarah held her hands up in a surrender position. “True.”
“Dad?” Lacey asked again.
“I’m not sure what we’re going to do.” He sighed and scratched his head. He turned to face his wife. “What are you thinking?”
“We can’t stay here too much longer.” Her mother crossed her arms over her chest and stood. The worry frown deepened and she paced in front of the table.
Mr. Robinson cleared his throat. “I’ve got a cabin on Wall Lake. We could go there.”
“Do the locals know about it?” Her father asked. He glanced at Michael. “Hey there, we need you to drink your special drink, don’t we?” He moved back to the table and opened the thermos, then poured the concoction into the paper cup. After handing the cup to Michael, he focused his attention on Mr. Robinson. “Well, do they?”
Mr. Robinson rubbed his face with a weary hand and sighed. “Yep. They sure do.”
“Then we can’t go there.” He paced alongside his wife and put his arm around her shoulders.
Sarah’s stomach fluttered. “What are we supposed to do, Dad?”
Her father took a deep breath and stopped pacing. “Okay. This is what we’re going to do.” He took off his ball cap and rubbed his hand through his hair. “You kids are going back to school on Monday.” He pointed at Sarah. “You’re going to go on that field trip.” He faced his wife. “And we’re going to find a safe place to stay.”
“We want to stay with you,” Lacey said.
He faced his youngest daughter and sighed. “Sweetheart, you can’t. If you guys don’t show up at school on Monday it will look suspicious and Martin Savage will start looking for you.”
“Dad’s right, Lace.” Sarah walked to her sister and put her arm around her. She gave her a quick squeeze.
Lacey shrugged her off. “I don’t care if he starts looking for us. I don’t want to lose Mom and Dad again.”
“You’re not going to lose us again,” her mother said. She walked over and put her hands on Lacey’s shoulders and gave her a gentle shake. “We need to do what your father says so we can all be together again.”
“I don’t know,” she whimpered.
Her mother pulled her into an embrace. “Trust us, Lace. This is the best way. It truly is.”
Lacey shoulders shook with her sobs. Her mother pulled her tighter and everyone was quiet as Lacey cried.
“This is a lot to process,” Sarah said.
“Shut up.” Lacey pulled away from her mother and gave her sister a withering look. “I’m all right.”
Sarah raised her eyebrows and gave her sister a smirk. “Sure you are.”
“Sarah…” her father warned with a shake of his head.
She bit her lip to keep any more comments from escaping. “Maybe it’s time for me to call Scoop.”
“I think that’s an excellent idea. Why don’t you go upstairs? You’ll probably get better reception,” her father said.
Sarah climbed the stairs. Reaching the door, she stopped and listened for Martin Savage. When she didn’t hear any voices, she stepped through the door and pulled her cell phone from her pocket. She punched in Scoop’s number. I wonder how long we’ve been here.
“Hello?” Scoop answered on the first ring.
“Scoop?”
“Were you expecting someone else?” he asked with a chuckle.
Sarah giggled. “No… but we’re ready to go home. Can you pick us up?”
“I can. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Cool. See you in a few.”
Sarah disconnected the call and peered around the store. Dottie must be up front. She strolled forward, searching for the grandmotherly woman.
When Sarah found the shop empty, alarm bells went off in her head. Uneasiness coursed through her system and she shivered as if a ghost had just wrapped its icy arms around her in a malevolent hug. Where is she? Emptiness loomed like a leering beast hidden in the woods… waiting. Her throat tightened and her mouth went dry as cotton. Where is Dottie?
Chapter Twenty-One
Sarah took a deep breath. “Dottie?”
The silence answered and Sarah’s skin prickled with anxiety. She looked around the store once more. The shadows loomed and a sense of foreboding engulfed her. Taking another deep breath, she tried to keep her panic from taking over. Her fear won the battle and she dashed for the stairs. Reaching the bottom, she stopped and put her hand to her chest, hoping to calm her frantic heart.
“Sarah what’s wrong?” her father asked.
She cleared her throat. Her father could read her like a book; she knew she couldn’t keep the information from him. “Dottie’s disappeared!” She said in a harsh whisper. It hurt her throat to talk like that and she wished for a glass of water.
Both her parents stood. Her father reached for her mom and his face turned ashen as he seemed to sense the danger.
“What?” her mother asked in a tense voice.
“Dottie’s not in the store… it’s empty.”
Mr. Robinson stood and guided his son to the rocker, then faced the group. “Something’s wrong. Dottie would never leave the store unattended.”
“Well, she did because it’s empty,” Sarah insisted.
“I’ll call Hank.” Mr. Robinson pulled his cell phone from his pocket. “I better go upstairs to get a better signal.”
“Wait.” Her father grabbed his arm and stopped him from moving forward. “Maybe it’s a trap.”
“A trap?”
“Maybe someone took Dottie to flush us out.”
“Oh, no…” Mr. Robinson slumped against Sarah’s father. Her father guided him to the table and helped him into a chair.
“Dad?” Michael asked in a hesitant voice.
“It’s okay, son. I don’t want you to worry. Why don’t you rest right now? There’s a cot in the back room you can lay down on.”
“Is Dottie okay?”
“That’s what we’re going to find out.” Mr. Robinson stood and moved to his son. He put his hands on his shoulders and looked him in the eye. “I want you to focus on getting better. We’re going to do everything we can for Dottie.”
Michael frowned and his shoulders slumped. “Will you come back and tuck me in?”
“Sure thing.” He put his arm around his son and walked him down a narrow hallway.
“We need to get a hold of Hank,” Sarah said.
“You’re right.” Her father rubbed his face as if he were trying to wipe off his grim expression. “But we can’t do it.” He faced Sarah. “You’re going to have to do it.” He moved to the end table standing next to the rocker. He opened the tiny drawer nestled in the middle and pulled out a sheet of paper. He scribbled on it and then handed it to Sarah. “Here’s Hank’s number. Go upstairs and call him. The reception is too spotty down here.”
Sarah grabbed the paper with a trembling hand. She dashed up the stairs and made her way to the center of the store. The silen
ce seemed loud and Sarah’s ears thrummed with the sound of her blood rushing through the veins in her ears. Her hand trembled as she pushed the buttons on her phone.
“Hello?” Hank answered.
“Hank, it’s Sarah Cole.”
“Sarah Cole?”
“Yeah.” Sarah glanced around her. The eerie silence was giving her the willies and she didn’t want to be in the store any longer than she had to. “You know… the girl who was looking for her parents.”
“Oh… Sarah… how did you get my number?”
“My dad gave it to me.” Sarah stifled a groan. “Listen… I’m in the drugstore and it’s empty. Is Dottie with you?”
“No, she’s not.” Hank’s voice rose an octave and Sarah knew he was alarmed. “Where are you?”
“I’m in the store.”
“Okay. I’m in the apartment… I’ll be down in just a second.”
“Oka—”
Hank disconnected the call before Sarah could finish her response. She put her phone in her pocket and peered around. The sound of creaking floorboards made her jump and she was confused because she hadn’t heard the bell jingle above the door. When she realized it was Hank walking around in the apartment above, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Feeling vulnerable in the center of the store, Sarah moved to the back. I wish Hank would hurry up. As if he had heard her, he appeared from the back of the store.
“Sarah?”
“Hi.” She gave him a small wave and a weak smile.
“Where’s Dottie?”
“I don’t know.” Sarah shrugged and shook her head. “I came up to make a phone call and she wasn’t here.”
Hank sighed. “I know she wouldn’t leave the store without calling me.”
“Why don’t you come downstairs and talk with my dad.”
”Okay… I’ll just lock the store up and then I’ll be down.” Hank moved toward the front door.
“I’ll meet you down there.”
Sarah made her way to the basement stairs. Tears stung her eyes. Please let Dottie be okay. The moisture in her eyes overflowed and trickled down her cheek. Biting her lip, she stifled the sob that made her throat ache and wiped away the wetness.