by Annie Seaton
Blake closed his eyes. As soon as the initial shock of Rod’s call had subsided and he’d told Joe what was going on, a deep need to have Ana with him had filled him. He’d done a lot of thinking through the night and he’d already decided to go and see her after work. He hated that they’d parted on such bad terms. He knew she’d lashed out because she was hurt. But none of that mattered anymore and he just wanted her by his side as they searched for Billy. Nothing mattered except Billy’s being found safe—and soon.
He pulled up outside Jeannie and Rod’s house. Rod was home with the children and Jeannie was out searching with the neighbors. Two police cars blocked the driveway and a news van was parked on the sidewalk. Neighbors stood in small groups talking quietly. He sprinted for the front door.
Blake nodded at the two women who were sitting with the children as Rod shut the door to the living room. “I don’t want the kids listening. Maddy is really distressed. She blames herself because she was on the deck reading when he went through the gate to the back garden.”
“Tell me what’s happening. Where should we look?” Blake pulled out a chair for Rod and took the crutches from him as he sat down.
“I feel so useless with this leg.” Rod rubbed the back of his neck, his anxiety obvious in every movement. “Jeannie and two of her friends headed off to the lagoon while I called the police. There’s been no sign of him yet.”
“The other kids are all here?” Blake hadn’t even taken notice of who was in the living room as they walked through.
“Yes, but there is one good thing.” Rod gripped the side of the table and his knuckles were white. “Jaws is missing, too. So we’re just praying he’s with Billy.”
“Which gate did he get through?”
“One of the side gates was open.”
“You’ve searched the house?”
“Yes, and the yard and the neighbors’ yards. Now we’re waiting for the police with the search dogs to arrive.”
“Where do you want me? Here with the kids or out looking?”
Rod dropped his head in his hands. “Can you stay here with the kids? I’d rather they have someone familiar with them.”
Blake passed him the crutches and Rod headed for the garage.
A familiar sound reached his ears. He looked up as Ana’s truck rumbled down the wide street; she must have left as soon as they’d hung up. She parked it and ran across the lawn to him. She stood in front of him and he wanted to hold her, but he held back.
“Oh Blake, have they found him yet?”
Blake shook his head, unable to speak for a moment. “No, not yet.” He cleared his throat as they walked into the living room.
“I’m sorry I was mean to you. I wanted to apologize to you,” she said.
“It’s okay, I know you were hurt. We’ll talk later.” Ana touched his arm briefly and he smiled at her.”
“Where are Maddy and the boys? Would you like me to stay with them?” she asked.
“That would be great.” Blake looked down at Ana and despite his worry, warmth filled his chest. She stood in front of him chewing on her lip, her work dungarees covered with paint and more splotches of bright green on her hands.
“I’m so happy you called me.” Her gaze locked with his.
“Now that you’re here to sit with the children I’ll go with Rod. They’re in the living room.”
…
Ana walked past the colorful shrubs in the front garden and hurried up the stairs. She pushed open the front door and followed the sounds of the television. A middle-aged woman was sitting on the sofa cuddling a sleeping Jake. Ana walked over and lightly touched the baby’s head.
“Hello, I’m Ana. I’m a friend of the family,” she said quietly.
“Hi, I’m Sophie. I’m from next door.”
“How are the children doing?” Ana whispered.
“Maddy’s really the only one who knows what’s going on. She wanted to go with Jeannie, but Rod asked her to stay here and help me with the boys. Now that you’re here, I’ll take Jake upstairs to his crib.”
Ana slipped onto the sofa next to Maddy. “Hey, sweetie.”
Maddy looked up at Ana. Her eyes were wide and her little chin was shaking. “Hello, Ana. I lost Billy.”
The little girl’s guilt broke her heart. “Oh no, you didn’t, Maddy. It’s not your fault.”
“I shouldn’t have been reading my lighthouse book.”
Ana held her arms open and Maddy slid over the sofa and nestled into her chest. The twins lay on the floor still engrossed in the cartoons on the television.
“You smell funny.”
“I’ve been painting. My friend and I painted a cow on a door. I’ll take you to see it one day. How would you like that?”
Maddy nodded. “How about today? As soon as Billy comes home?”
The backs of Ana’s eyes ached with the tears she was holding back. “Well, we’ll have to see what Mommy says.”
Maddy nodded. “Can we go and play outside? Billy might have come back.”
Ana looked down at the twins. “As long as we all go outside together. It’s my job to look after you while Mommy and Daddy and Uncle Blake are out…finding Billy.”
“It won’t take long,” Maddy said. “He’s got Jaws. They’ll be able to hear Jaws barking and then they can bring him home.”
Ana squeezed the little girl closer to her. “That’s really good thinking, Maddy.”
“Can we look outside, too?”
“We sure can.” Anything to keep Maddy occupied would help the little girl stop worrying about her little brother.
Please, God, let them find him before dark.
Ana switched the television off with the remote control and was met with a duo of disappointed cries.
“Come on, boys, we’re going outside to have an adventure.”
“How about a picnic?” Benny asked.
“Sure, let’s see what we can find in the kitchen.”
“All right, I s’pose that’s okay.” Roddy reluctantly pushed himself to his feet. “Can we have soda at our picnic?”
“We’ll see. You’ll have to show me the way out to the back garden.”
“It’s not the garden. It’s the jungle.” Roddy’s little voice piped up. “I’m going to be Diego. Benny, you have to be Dora.”
Ana averted the brewing disagreement as Benny opened his mouth to protest.
“Come and show me the jungle,” she said.
The children led Ana through to the kitchen and she met a couple of neighbors who were making sandwiches for the search teams. Sophie had come down from the baby’s room and was pouring coffee into mugs on a tray.
“We’ll bring your picnic out.” One of the women called as the children ran ahead to the door. Then she dropped her voice to a whisper. “No news?”
Ana shook her head as she turned toward the door. The back of the house was just above ground level with a huge wooden deck from one side to the other. The twins jumped down the two low steps and disappeared into the garden, where thick bushes and high shrubs screened the high back fence. Soon their excited cries reached Ana and Maddy.
“Do you think it would be all right if I sit in the hammock and read?” Maddy looked up at Ana with her big brown eyes wide and her face serious. Ana’s eyes pricked with tears and she pulled her sunglasses from the top of her head to cover them before Maddy could see she was upset.
“That would be fine.”
Ana crossed to the edge of the deck and listened for the boys as they darted in and out of the bushes. She kept an eye on Maddy, who quickly became absorbed in her book. Behind the fence she could hear the drone of traffic on the San Mateo bridge. A faint but familiar sound hummed beneath the traffic and then stopped. Ana cocked her head to listen but all she could hear was the traffic and the twins yelling in the garden.
“Maddy?”
“Yes?” The little girl gazed across at her.
“Has Billy got his iPad?” she asked softly.
“I don’t know. Why?” Maddy’s voice was wary.
“Come on over here. Tell me what you hear.”
Maddy slipped out of the hammock, her book dropping unheeded to the floor as she came over to Ana, who had dropped to her knees. She lay down and placed her ear against the wood deck. Maddy kneeled beside her and together they listened. After a moment, the faint sounds of Angry Birds music drifted up.
And then it stopped.
“Maddy, is there a way to get underneath here?” Ana asked urgently. She bit down on the excitement filling her chest, not wanting to get Maddy’s hopes up.
“There used to be a door but Daddy locked it. Jaws took his bones under there and they smelled bad.”
“Can you show me where?”
Maddy led her down the steps and around to the side of the house. A small shed filled the gap between the side of the house and the fence, but Maddy pointed around to the back of the shed.
“It’s behind there.”
Ana squeezed through the narrow gap and bent down until she could see the small door. She pushed it, and it opened with a squeak. Turning to Maddy, who was close behind her, she grasped the little girl’s shoulders and held her gaze.
“I have a very important job for you. Run inside and get Sophie and ask her to come straight out and watch Benny and Roddy till I come out.”
Maddy looked at her and nodded.
“Can you do that for me now? Run fast.” Maddy ran and Ana dropped to the ground and pushed through the small space. It was so narrow she had to turn her shoulders to squeeze through, but she was soon rewarded by the sound of a deep, low woof. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, a faint light flickered ahead of her in the far corner. A loud swish and a rush of air preceded the licking of her face by a wet tongue.
…
Blake and Rod got back to the house the same time as Jeannie and followed her into the kitchen. Blake saw no sign of Ana or the kids and assumed she had taken them to play outside.
Jeannie clutched the kitchen bench and doubled over. “Oh, God, where is he…?”
Rod limped to her and his crutch clattered onto the floor as he held her.
Blake walked to the sliding door that opened to the back deck, surprised to see the three women gathered on the back deck and peering around the corner. There was no sign of Ana or the children.
“Rod.” He frowned and kept his voice quiet. “I’m just going out to see Ana and check on the kids.”
The twins were on the swing set and there was no sign of Maddy or Ana.
He walked up behind one of the women he’d been introduced to before. He didn’t remember her name and he smiled apologetically. “Where’s Ana?”
“She’s under the house.” The woman’s voice was full of excitement. “Bronwyn’s just run around the front to get the police.”
“Rod, Jeannie, come quickly.” Blake called through the door before he jumped down the two steps and went around the side of the house. Maddy was peering into a small gap behind the shed and as he watched, Ana wiggled out bottom-first and lay on the ground with her arms stretched out through the small gap
Joy filled his chest, and he blinked away the wetness in his eyes as her soft voice reached him. “If you pass it out to me, I’ll go and plug it in and you can play Angry Birds inside.”
Billy’s head poked through the gap and he handed the iPad to Ana. He crawled out, closely followed by Jaws.
He looked up at Blake and called out.
“Hello, Unca Blake. Can we go to the park while my iPad’s charging?”
Behind him, Jeannie shrieked and pushed past Blake, grabbing Billy in her arms and folding to the ground. Blake swallowed as she cried and buried her face in Billy’s hair. Rod limped over and stood behind them, reaching down to touch his little boy’s head.
Ana slowly pushed herself to her feet and walked toward Blake. Jeannie grasped her hand as she walked past and looked up at her, her face full of gratitude and her eyes awash with tears. Blake held her unwavering gaze as she walked slowly over to him. Her paint-splattered dungarees were filthy where she’d lain in the dirt beneath the deck, and there was a wet streak of dog slobber on her cheek.
He’d never seen anyone so beautiful in his whole life.
He held out his arms and she stepped into them. Her body curved into his and he held her close. He had never wanted anything more in his life than he wanted Ana at that moment. Something passed between them, something so elemental he couldn’t put it into words.
Slowly she pulled away and looked up at him, smiling. When she gazed up at him like that, a lump filled his throat as happiness surged through him.
He knew they would be okay.
…
Ana looked at Blake and took a deep breath. Two hours had passed since she had found Billy. The police had packed up and gone, the TV news team had their feel-good story, and the neighbors had all drifted back to their respective homes. Jeannie was sitting on the sofa, still holding Billy close. To his dismay, his mommy had followed him around and not left his side since he’d crawled out from beneath the house. He glared up at her.
Blake had stayed close to Ana, even following her into the bathroom while she’d scrubbed the dog drool off her face. “I guess I should think about heading home,” she said softly.
“I’m going back to Nebbiton now. I wish we didn’t have both cars here.” Blake frowned.
“Do you want to come down in my truck to keep me company? I could drive you back to the city at the end of the week.” Ana looked down, embarrassed as Jeannie nudged Rod and smiled. This was all too new for her to take in. She looked down at her hands and picked at the bright-green paint that was still stuck to her fingers.
“I guess I could do that.”
Maddy came running over. “Can I come too and see the cow?”
Ana reached out and hugged the little girl.
“How about tomorrow?” She looked across at Rod and Jeannie. “How about you all come down? It’s Saturday and we could have that picnic we keep missing out on.”
It was agreed, and Blake and Ana headed out to her truck after making their good-byes. Blake glanced across at Ana with a grin as she crunched through the gears.
“I have something to show you. You wouldn’t listen to me yesterday, so I’m going to show you my news.”
Chapter Sixteen
Ana followed Blake back to his place and he parked his car in the garage. She put her head back against the seat, enjoying the anticipation that was building in her chest. He was going to show her his news?
“Much better travelling together.” Blake threw a small bag onto the backseat. “We could always take my car and leave your truck here if you’d rather do that?”
“No, I’ll need the truck over the weekend. I promised—” She let her voice trail off— she knew how Blake felt about her doing odd jobs for the old folk.
“Keep going,” he said. “You promised?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
His phone dinged. He glanced at it to read the text message with a smile, but didn’t say anything.
The silence was comfortable as she headed down Highway 1, the rush of the wind through the open window and the loud music blaring from the radio covering up the usual roar of the old truck as it labored up the hills. Every so often, Blake would look across at her and smile. Anticipation curled in Ana’s stomach. She knew no matter what he did or where she worked, she would like to have Blake as a part of her life. Careers and businesses weren’t worth the importance she’d given them. It was all about trust.
“Do you want to go to the store or straight to your hotel?”
Ana glanced over at him. Blake was fidgeting in the seat and kept pulling out his phone and checking his messages. “Can you take a detour via Aldo’s house?”
Ana turned to him with a frown as his phone dinged again. “Aldo’s? My Aldo? Is there something wrong?”
“He’s not your Aldo unless there’s something you’re not telling me.” An
a had never seen Blake so animated. He was practically jumping around in his seat.
“What’s going on?” she asked slowly.
“You’ll see.” He was quiet until she turned the truck into Aldo and Maria’s street and pulled up outside the house. The wooden ladder was propped against the wall next to the front garden and Ana groaned.
“Don’t tell me Aldo’s up on the roof again.”
“No, Aldo and Maria aren’t home.”
She swung around and stared at Blake. “How do you know that?”
His phone dinged again and he read the message and nodded.
“They just sent me a text.”
“Now you are being silly. They don’t know how to text.”
“Georgie sent a text for them.”
“Georgie?”
Blake simply grinned at her and slid out of the car and came around to her door and opened it. “You sound like a parrot. Follow me.”
Ana climbed out of the car and followed him through the front gate, and stopped in the middle of the path as Blake walked over to the ladder and stepped up on to the first rung.
“What on earth are you doing?” His knuckles were white where he was gripping the edge of the wood.
“I’m going up on the roof. Are you coming with me?”
“But you hate heights.”
“That’s right, I do.” Already she could see the perspiration beading on his forehead as he climbed up on the next rung. “So are you coming up with me?”
Ana walked slowly to the ladder. By the time she reached it, Blake was about six feet above the ground. His hands had a death grip on the edge and his eyes were closed.
“Open your eyes or you’ll fall.” She quickly climbed up until she was right beneath him. Luckily she still had her work boots on and the soles gripped the ladder. Blake climbed another two rungs, and she followed him up. His denim-clad thighs filled her vision, and a quiver raised goose bumps on her skin.