by Kat Martin
“Oh, my God.”
He turned to Barney Andersen, the owner of the restaurant, a big, blond Norwegian whose family had settled in the northern part of the state in the old logging days. “Hey, Barn, can you take Marly home? I’ve got an emergency.”
“No problem, Sheriff.” Barney tossed his rag up on the bar and started toward them.
“And put the word out, will you? Little Timmy Carter is missing. He was taken from his mother while they were in the mall. See if you can round up some volunteers to help with the search.”
“You got it.”
“Is that your friend Emily’s son?” Marly asked as she rose from her chair.
Reed nodded grimly.
“I’ll help, Reed.” She looked over at Barney. “I’m going with Sheriff Bennett to help with the search.”
Barney nodded. “I’ll close up here, gather as many folks as I can, and be out there as quick as I can get there.”
“Thanks, Barney.”
The big Swede pulled his apron off over his head. “You just find that little boy.”
Reed looked down at Marly and fought to control his emotions. “Let’s go.” He clenched his jaw. Emily had already suffered so much. He could only imagine how terrified she must be.
They crossed the parking lot. He unlocked the station wagon and opened the passenger door. As Marly climbed inside, he rounded the car to the driver’s side. Reed slid behind the wheel, stuck his portable light on the roof of the car, and started the engine.
“I know how hard this must be for you, Reed.” Marly looked over at him as they roared out of the parking lot. “But you have to believe this is going to turn out all right. It wouldn’t be fair for Emily to lose both her husband and her little boy. God wouldn’t do that to her.”
Reed looked at her hard. “I’d appreciate it if you would remind Him of that, Marly. I’m sure Emily would appreciate your prayers.”
Marly shook her head. “I’m afraid I stopped praying years ago.”
He stepped on the gas and the car surged forward. “Then maybe now would be a good time to think about starting again.”
Marly said nothing more as the car careened down the road. The landscape rushed past in a blur. He tried to fix his attention on the steps he would need to take once he reached his destination. But all the way to the mall, Reed prayed that little Timmy would be all right.
When he glanced toward the passenger seat, he saw that Marly’s head was bent and he realized she was praying, too.
That was the moment he fell completely in love with her.
Marly rode anxiously next to Reed. When they pulled into the mall parking lot, one of his deputies walked over to Reed’s side of the car. The sheriff rolled down his window.
The deputy was an attractive man with a slightly crooked nose, hazel eyes, and brownish-red hair. “We’re getting the command post set up,” he said, “and we’ve sealed off the area in case she went some other direction.”
“Nothing turned up on your preliminary search?”
“We canvassed the mall. They weren’t there. We found some footprints on the trail leading into the forest but they disappeared in some rocks. We’re ready to go back in as soon as we’ve got a search grid.”
“What about the media?”
“Timmy’s photo has been shown on the local TV stations and the search has been announced on the radio, so we’re getting a good turnout of volunteers. We’re trying to get hold of a picture of the woman.”
He tilted his head toward Marly. “Patrick Murphy, this is Marly Hanson, Winnie Maddox’s daughter.”
“Nice to meet you,” Patrick said.
Marly leaned over and spoke through the window. “Same here.”
Reed parked the car and they climbed out. A number of people had already arrived in the parking lot. Men and women milled in front of folding tables where maps were spread open and search grids were being laid out. More cars showed up by the minute. Half the town of Dreyerville, including several local college students, seemed to be there to volunteer for the search.
When someone needed help, it seemed everyone pitched in. But then, that was the kind of town it was. Marly had almost forgotten.
As the three of them crossed the lot, she spotted her mother’s old white Buick easing into one of the spaces. Winnie and Katie climbed out and walked back to the trunk of the car. With help from one of the men, they carried a big blue plastic thermos over to one of the tables, hot coffee, Marly figured, for the volunteers.
Her mother seemed so different now, no longer afraid to be out among people. She had truly become part of the community, something Marly never would have expected. Winnie had always been too worried about what other people would think, what they would do if they discovered the truth about her abusive husband.
Winnie and Katie waved and Marly waved back.
“Emily went in to try on a dress,” Patrick told Reed as they walked along. “She was only gone a few minutes. The woman—Anna McAllister—volunteered to watch Timmy but when Emily came out of the dressing room, both the woman and the boy were gone.”
Deputy Murphy’s worry was apparent. Marly remembered Reed telling her the deputies all watched out for Emily after her husband died. It was obvious she meant a good deal to Patrick Murphy.
Reed rested a hand on the deputy’s shoulder. “We’ll find them, Pat.” Reed looked at Marly. “I need to talk to her.”
“Of course.”
Lines dug into his forehead as he headed for the woman sitting in a chair near one of the tables. She was petite and dark-haired, slender and pretty. Marly expected to feel a stab of jealousy but it never came. Reed had said they were only friends and she believed him. Instead, she felt a sharp pang of concern for Emily and her son.
Sitting in a lawn chair near one of the tables, the young woman looked pale and shaken, her eyes red- rimmed from crying. Someone had draped a brown wool blanket around her shoulders, but it didn’t keep her from trembling.
Reed knelt next to her chair. “It’s me, Em.” He took hold of her hand and she swiveled her head to look at him.
Her eyes filled with tears. “It’s my fault, Reed. I left him with a woman I didn’t know. What kind of mother would do that? What kind, Reed?”
“Patrick said she offered to watch him while you tried on a dress. You trusted her, that’s all. It isn’t always a bad thing to trust someone.”
Emily’s throat moved up and down. “Please... please find him, Reed. If something happens to Timmy... I don’t... don’t think I can go on.”
Reed squeezed her hand and returned to his feet. “We’ll find him, Em. We won’t stop until we do.”
She started crying and Reed motioned for Marly to come over. Before she had reached them, he headed for his men, determined to find the lost little boy.
“Hello, Emily,” Marly said softly. “I’m ... Marly Hanson. I’m a friend of Reed’s.”
She gazed up at Marly through her tears. “It’s... it’s nice to meet you. Reed told me about you when he... when he stopped by last week.”
Marly managed to smile. Reed had told Emily about her. She had been right to trust him. “He thinks a lot of you, Emily. You and little Timmy. He won’t let you down.”
She nodded but her lips trembled. “It’s my fault this happened. I shouldn’t have left him alone with her. But Anna just seemed... she just seemed so nice.” She started sobbing and Marly knelt and caught hold of her hand.
“Maybe she is nice, Emily. Maybe something else is going on here, something we haven’t figured out yet.”
She swallowed. “It doesn’t matter. It’s still my fault. Randy said... said I was a bad mother. He... he was right.”
Marly squeezed hard on Emily’s hand, demanding her attention. “You said Reed told you about me. Did he also tell you about my daughter?” Emily’s attention sharpened. “Did he tell you my Katie had cancer?” Marly turned, pointed to the little girl wearing the pink knit cap. “That’s my Katie.”
“Yes, she is. But as hard as I tried to protect her, as much as I tried to be a good mother, I couldn’t protect her from that terrible disease.”
“Reed said... said she was going to get well.”
“All of us are hoping that’s true. The point is, Emily, things happen. Life happens. As mothers, we just try to do the best we can. Sometimes we make the wrong decisions but it isn’t because we’re bad mothers. It’s just the way life is.”
Emily’s pale blue eyes searched her face. “Do you really believe that?”
“Yes. Yes, I do. Give it some thought, will you?” Something moved at the edge of Marly’s vision. When she glanced in that direction, she saw her mother standing next to Katie only a few feet away. Wordlessly, Winnie turned and led the little girl back to the coffee table.
Marly watched her go, certain her mother had overheard the conversation. Words that rang with a clarity like never before.
Mothers did the best they could. They didn’t always make the right choices but they did their very best.
Just as she had done with Katie. Just as Emily had done with little Timmy.
Just as her mother had done with her.
Marly’s throat closed up and tears burned behind her eyes. So many years had passed. So many wasted years. Maybe it was time for that to change.
Led by the deputies and local police, Reed sent the volunteers into action. They would move in a line fifteen feet apart. If anyone saw anything he or she was to call out. No one was to approach the woman. There was no way to know her mental state or what she might do to the child.
The line of volunteers began moving across the field toward the forest in the distance. Aside from the animal trails that meandered through the woods, it was dense and damp, white pines and cedar, maple and birch. Thick, green foliage blanketed the area and a lush mat of ground cover made the landscape even more difficult to penetrate.
It was still chilly in April but the sun was out, making it easier to see, and for that Reed was grateful.
Wishing he could search with the others, he remained at the command post, waiting for new information, hoping his men or one of the volunteers would come across the woman and the boy. Marly sat with Emily. Em had wanted to search with the others but Reed had persuaded her to stay, saying that the McAllister woman might bring Timmy back to the mall and she would need to be there if that happened.
He thought that a little color had returned to Emily’s pale cheeks and she had stopped trembling. Every few minutes, she would get up and walk around, then return to her chair and stare off toward the woods. He had tried to get her to go inside where it was warm but she had refused.
A little ways away, Winnie and Katie and several members of the Garden Club were manning a table that held thermos bottles of hot coffee and stacks of paper cups, a place where people could warm themselves a little.
Ham and Freddy had ridden out with Freddy’s dad. The boys were walking in the line between Patrick and Deputy Wilcox, close enough that the men could keep an eye on them. Rufus ran along beside the boys, sniffing the ground as if he searched as well.
When a call came in, Reed quickly picked up the phone.
“It’s me,” Millie said.
“What have you got?”
“We finally located Robert McAllister, Anna’s son. He says his mother was in a car accident two years ago. She suffered some brain damage. He says she forgets things sometimes, sometimes gets confused. She's never done anything like this but apparently, his brother lost a child about six months ago, a little boy about Timmy's age. He thinks Anna took Timmy because he reminded her of her grandson.”
“We need to find both of them and fast. I'm going to join the others. You won't be able to call me. There isn't any service out in the woods.”
Reed signed off, gave the phone to one of the senior volunteers, and walked over to speak to Emily. He told her what they had found out about Anna McAllister.
“This is good news, Em,” he said. “Anna isn't some kind of monster. I don't think she realizes what she's done.”
Emily's head moved up and down as if she understood but her eyes were glazed and he could read her fear. The forest was full of hazards, soft edges that could crumble away, hidden ponds, bears. The cold was biting, and that in itself was a hazard to a three-year-old child.
Marly reached over and squeezed Emily's hand. “Reed's going to find him,” she said softly as he turned to leave.
Marly was right, Reed thought. He was going to find them. He just prayed it wouldn't be too late.
12
Marly wrapped her fingers around a paper cup half full of coffee, trying to warm her hands. She glanced over at Emily, who was now in the care of a group of deputies' wives. She should go inside the mall, get out of the chilly air, but like everyone else, she needed to be out here where she could watch for the return of the little lost boy.
“Marly? Oh, my God, it’s you!”
She turned at the sound of the familiar voice, recognized her longtime friend, Peggy Ellis, one of her teammates on the high school tennis team.
“Peggy! It’s wonderful to see you.” They had written a few times over the years but hadn’t really stayed in touch. Four years ago, Peggy had been the one who had written to let her know her father had died of a heart attack.
Peggy leaned over and hugged her. “It’s great to see you, too.” They held on for a few extra moments. Peggy glanced over at Emily, who stood in a circle of women and yet seemed completely alone. “I wish the circumstances were different.”
Marly’s gaze went from Emily to the forest. “I guess everyone in town is out here looking for little Timmy.” The volunteers were out of sight, marching through the dense vegetation.
“God, I hope they find him. Emily’s had more than her share of grief this year.”
“I know Reed will do everything in his power to bring Timmy back.”
Peggy smiled. “Reed, is it? Not Sheriff Bennett?”
Marly shrugged. “We’ve been seeing each other. Unfortunately, I have a job back in Detroit, so I won’t be staying in town much longer.”
“That’s too bad. The sheriff seems like a really great guy.” She reached out and caught Marly’s hand, gave it a quick squeeze. “I’ve really missed you over the years. You were the one person I could always talk to.”
The simple words warmed her. “I felt that way about you, too. I didn’t have many real friends back then. I treasured the friendship we shared.”
“Well, you never know. Maybe you and the sheriff will fall madly in love and you’ll move back home.”
Marly felt a wistful pang. “Maybe.” Coming back didn’t sound as awful as it had when she had first arrived and she was half in love with Reed already. But she wasn’t the sort to jump into a relationship, not after what she had been through with Burly. Not after what her mother had suffered with Virgil.
And she had a life back in the city.
“Listen, I gotta run,” Peggy said. She dug a piece of paper out of her purse and wrote her phone number down. “I’m single again, unfortunately. Still no kids but I’m resilient. Call me if you get a chance.”
Marly took the paper. It felt good to see Peggy after all these years. Strangely, they seemed to feel the same close connection they had when they were kids as if only a few days had passed, not twelve long years. “I will,” she said, “I promise.”
Marly returned her attention to the tall trees and lush foliage of the forest. Reed was in there searching. She had come to admire and believe in him. Reed would find Emily’s little boy.
For the second time in the last twelve years, she said a silent prayer.
Emily stared into the tall copse of trees that marked the entrance to the forest, her heart squeezing with fear and pain. The hours were slipping past. It would be getting dark soon. Dear God, she prayed, don’t let my little boy be lost out there in the dark all night.
She wanted to be out there searching with the others but she knew Reed was right. She needed to stay where she was in case Anna brought Timmy back or some new information came to light.
The day was cold but the sun was bright. Someone had loaned her a pair of sunglasses as she stared out into the woods, searching with her eyes and heart instead of her feet.
Something moved at the edge of the clearing where the forest began. For a moment, she thought she had imagined it. Slowly, the image came into focus. One of the searchers was waving, another appeared, waving and shouting.
“We found him!” the man said. It was Floyd Culver, Doris Culver’s husband.
Emily’s heart clenched. Reverend Gains stepped out of the woods, waving his arms. She thought he was smiling and her hope began to soar.
Joe Dixon and Bumper Murphy from over at Dixon’s Garage appeared. “He’s okay!” Joe called out, sliding an arm around his pretty new wife, Sylvia, who had also come to search.
Emily jumped up from her chair, straining to hear what the men were saying over the roaring in her ears and the pounding of her heart. Several more volunteers stumbled out of the woods. Emily started running. Her legs felt numb from sitting in the cold for so long but she forced them to move toward the people streaming out from between the trees.
Then she saw him. Patrick Murphy held her little boy in his arms, propped against his chest. Timmy was wrapped in a blanket, and as she raced toward them, she saw that Patrick was grinning.
“He’s all right, Em! Timmy’s okay!”
She started crying then, racing toward the deputy, her heart threatening to pound its way through her ribs. “Timmy! Timmy!”
Patrick caught her against him when she stumbled, protecting her from the fall she might have taken.
“He’s okay,” Pat said.
She reached up to take hold of her boy, shaking so badly she was afraid she might drop him.
“Mommy!” He sniffed and she thought he would cry as she gathered him into her arms.
“I’m right here, honey.”
“We couldn’t find you, Mommy. Mrs. Anna got lost.”