"What do you mean?"
There was a pause, then, "We found the student's bag not far from his wallet, and by the look of her school books, she was quite infatuated with him. There's a possibility they ran off together."
Sarah gasped. "No! He wouldn't. He loves Bray. You know him. You've been friends with him since they arrived. Do you really think he'd just leave her like that?"
Again there was a pause. "I didn't think so before this. I thought they were as happy as any couple could be. But the evidence is pointing that way."
I didn't want to listen anymore, so I grabbed Forrest's pillow and covered my head. It blocked out their voices, but his scent caused my emotions to swell up again and finally I cried. I cried hard, letting all the pain and tension pour out of me. By the time I stopped, my pillow was soaked and Jackson had finished and fallen back to sleep.
I carefully sat up, almost knocking over a tray at the end of the bed. How hadn't I noticed Sarah come in? I must have been completely consumed by my emotions. I reached over and picked up a piece of toast and just stared at it. I needed to eat to keep up my milk supply, but my stomach lurched as I moved the toast toward my lips. I wasn't ready.
I covered myself, shuffled out of the bedroom, and down the stairs.
Sarah shot out of the living room. She grabbed my arm as I stepped down the last few steps. "Let's clean you up and we can take Jackson for a walk. Some fresh air will do you good."
"Having Forrest home will do me good," I muttered, pushing her off.
"Bray." The sympathetic tone in her voice irked me. "You can't just sit around the house all day. Let's do something to help get your mind off things for a while."
I glared at her. "My husband is missing. I can't just forget that."
"I know. I just meant…" She slumped. "They're doing all they can."
"He didn't run off with anyone," I muttered, walking out onto the front porch.
She followed right behind me. "I know."
"Especially one of his kids. He's not like that. He loves me and Jackson."
"I know."
I folded my arms and leaned against the rail. "He'll come back."
She brushed my hair from my face. "Let me clean you up, so when he does, he'll be blown away by how pretty you are."
I looked into her eyes through her thick rimmed glasses. "Okay."
She coaxed me into sitting on one of the deck chairs, then rushed back inside. It took her a few minutes to return. She set a hairbrush and some makeup on the small table beside me, then handed me the baby monitor.
"I moved it into your room for you," she said.
"Thank you."
As she brushed my hair, Megan rushed down the street, pushing her stroller. She waved and picked up her pace, and soon, she burst through the gate.
"Bray." She kissed my head and sat beside me. She didn't speak, to my relief, but held my hand firmly in hers.
When Sarah finished tiding me up, she sat in a chair on the other side of me. Hours passed in silence. They each took turns getting up to help in some way or another, to bring me Jackson, or a blanket, or some food, which I didn't touch. About midafternoon, Clint pulled up in the sheriff's truck.
I stared at him, my sick feeling rising again at his solemn face.
He climbed up the stairs and looped his thumbs through his belt. "Still nothing. Paul's called the city and asked for dogs to be sent out. Even the native trackers are struggling to find anything. Whatever happened, they covered their trail well."
My face fell into my hands and I cried again. Both Sarah and Megan wrapped their arms around me and held me tightly between them.
Clint sighed. "I'm so sorry, Bray."
He walked down the stairs.
"Babe?" Megan said.
"Yes?" he answered.
"I'm going to stay with Bray."
"Okay. They're expecting snow tonight, so you three should get back inside."
My head shot up. "Snow? Forrest needs his jacket. He didn't take his heavy jacket."
They all stared at me with pained expressions.
I rushed into the house and plucked his jacket out of the closet by the front door, and took it to Clint. "You need to give it to him."
"Oh my…" Sarah said breathlessly from behind me.
Tears streamed down my cheeks. "Take it! He needs it."
Clint pulled it from my hands. "Okay, Bray."
"Find him before it gets too cold."
He nodded. "We'll do everything we can."
Megan and Sarah took me inside after he left. They made me tomato soup and forced me to eat it. As much as I struggled to swallow, it did sooth the pit in my stomach and gave me some strength.
Finally I noticed Megan and Sarah’s dark bags under their eyes, and Sarah's hair tied back in a messy ponytail. She mustn't have slept the night before, either. I needed to pull myself out of my pit of despair and do something useful. Wallowing never made anything better. So I finished the soup and cleared my throat. Their stares shot to me with anticipation.
"I want…" Their eyes widened as they leaned forward. "I…" I bit my lip. "I need a distraction."
Sarah shot up. "I can set up the projector in town hall and we can watch a movie, a comedy."
I nodded. "That would be nice."
"Okay." She snatched up her phone and rushed out the door.
Megan grabbed my hand. "Let's get you changed. You've been wearing those clothes since yesterday."
My neighbor came over to watch Jackson while I went to town hall. Inside, women bustled about, and the smell of popcorn filled the air. I smiled as tears ran down my cheeks, feeling so grateful for the support the town so freely gave me.
Chapter Six
A week passed, and although my heart ached, I forced myself to go on. I needed to take care of Jackson. I couldn't just give up.
Sarah stayed with me, and when the sheriff came knocking at 8:30 at night, she answered it while I was elbow deep in dishwater. She led him through as I dried my hands. I held resentment toward him for what he'd said about Forrest running off with some teenager, but I fought to keep it hidden. "What's going on?"
He met my gaze with a grim expression. "We've found the girl."
"What? Is she alive or is she…" I couldn't finish the sentence, as if she was dead, it meant Forrest probably was, too.
"She's alive."
My heart skipped a beat as hope filled me.
"But she's not talking."
"She won't tell you what happened?"
"I mean at all."
I let out a long breath. "I want to see her."
He scowled. "Mrs. Miller, I don't think that would be a good idea. I just came to keep you up to date."
"I want to see her." I tossed the towel on the floor, marched out to his truck, and climbed in.
He hurried out after me and pulled open the door. "You can't just climb into my truck!"
"I just did."
He clenched his teeth. "Mrs. Miller, I understand that you're going through a rough spot right now, but you can't just run around like you own the place."
I met his gaze. "Take me to the girl."
"No. I think it will do more harm than good."
"I'll be the judge of that."
His hand tightened on the door. "He wasn't kidding when he said you were stubborn."
He slammed the door in my face and marched around into the driver's seat. "He probably just needed a break from you."
I slapped his shoulder hard. "How dare you!"
He took a sharp breath and looked at me. "That was a bit too far. I'm sorry."
I folded my arms and scowled as tears burst free. "I can't believe you would even think it in the first place."
He rubbed his eyes. "I know. It was horrible of me. You just reminded me of someone for a moment and it made me really mad. But you have every right to be upset. I'll take you to the girl if you promise me you won't attack her or anything."
"Of course I won't."
&n
bsp; He started the engine. "All right."
He drove us to the sheriff's office, then guided me out the back to the holding cells. There were only two cells, divided by a concrete wall, with vertical bars on the front so I could see right in.
"There she is." He gestured toward the back wall.
She sat with her knees pulled up. Her arms wrapped around her legs as she pressed her head against her knees. Her long dark hair draped down around her, covering her dirty jeans and worn sneakers.
I knew who she was. Forrest introduced me to her when I visited; Nova.
I turned to the sheriff. "She wouldn't have done anything to Forrest."
He raised his eyebrows. "Her pack was found near his empty wallet. She's been missing since Forrest disappeared, and now she refuses to say a word."
"She's been abused her whole life," I said softly. "Of course she's scared to talk."
"Braydon," he said in a low voice. "I need to ask you something."
I turned to meet his gaze.
He took a deep breath. "We pulled up Forrest's criminal records and found he's had charges for kidnapping and assault. Is there a chance he did something to her and he's now disappeared to cover his tracks?"
My hand wrapped around the bar of the cell as my jaw tightened. "I know about my husband's past, Sheriff, if you're implying I don't."
He shook his head. "No, I just—"
"His 'kidnapping' was taking his sisters and running away because his stepfather sexually abused them. His stepfather pressed the charges, and his drunk mother let it happen because she had no idea.
"When they were all forced to return home, Forrest moved into his sisters' room. So his stepfather beat him. Forrest fought back, and when he knocked him unconscious, Forrest took his sisters and ran again.
"That time, they weren't forced to go back because his sisters spoke out and said Forrest defended them, so they were moved into a foster home off the Reservation.
"Since then, Forrest has been very protective of women, and the only time I've ever seen him snap was when some moron groped me. You probably saw those assault charges, too."
The sheriff leaned back and sighed. "I didn't mean to offend you."
"Well you did." I folded my arms, scowling as I looked back at the girl curled up in the cell. "Forrest is a good man. He wouldn't hurt her."
"The other thing we've been thinking is she did something to him."
I huffed. "I doubt that. Look at the size of her. Forrest is a strong man."
"All the evidence is pointing to something happening between them before they both disappeared. But without her talking, we have nothing to go with unless we find something else."
"Something else?" My stomach tightened, knowing what he meant. Forrest's body.
"We're going to have to keep her in custody."
I turned to him. "No. There's no way she did anything to him, and there's no way he did anything to her. There has to be some other explanation."
The sheriff raised his eyebrows. "Mrs. Miller—"
"She can stay with me. I know she's in need of a safe home, so she could—"
"No." He folded his arms. "You're vulnerable right now, with a baby and the pain of your missing husband. She could take advantage of you. Steal your money and run off, anything. She doesn't have a good track record."
"I need someone else around the house, and I know Forrest would want me to help her. She's not a criminal."
He raised an eyebrow. "You want to pay bail when the tribe refuses to?"
"I'll pay it."
He shook his head. "All right. It's $25,000."
I took in a sharp breath. I didn't have that. "I'll need to work out a loan."
"Mrs. Miller—"
"I could probably refinance the house…"
"Braydon…"
"Or I could sell the car—"
"Bray!" He caught my arms, making me look at him. "You're not getting a loan."
"I won't let her—"
He grabbed his keys. "Take her home and pay me off when you can." He unlocked the door and swung it open. "I can't believe I'm doing this."
He walked across and stood over her. She didn't flinch. He spoke firmly to her in the tribe's language, but she still didn't move. He reached down and tugged her to her feet. "She's paying your bail so you better be nice to her. No stealing, you hear?"
She shot him a filthy look before dropping her gaze back to her feet.
He led her past me and into the office area. "Mrs. Miller, this girl's name is Nova Garcia. Her criminal record consists of eight counts of theft and two of robbery, one armed. Are you sure you want to take her home?"
"She's not carrying now, is she?"
"No."
"Then she'll be fine. We don't keep guns in our house."
He paused and raised an eyebrow. "You should get one now."
"No."
He rolled his eyes. "You're one of those types."
I scowled. "The type that believes violence breeds violence?"
He shoved Nova into a chair. "This is not a debate I want to have with you. I'm telling you now that you should invest in a handgun to keep with you, because I know that if she gets her hand on one, she'll gladly use it to rob you."
I glanced down at her as she stared blankly ahead. "I won't have guns in my house, Sheriff, and that goes for you too, Nova."
She raised her eyebrow but didn't say a word or look up at me.
He grunted and pulled out some papers. "Fill this out, Mrs. Miller."
I leaned over the desk to fill out the form.
He slipped a second one beside it. "This form will make you her legal guardian. I'd recommend thinking about it for a few days first, to make sure she's not—"
I snatched the paper from him and filled it out, signing at the bottom.
"Braydon, I don't think you should be so impulsive about this."
"Forrest would want me to take care of her until she's back to normal."
"Forrest?" He straightened. "Mrs. Miller, I think your emotional state is affecting your reasonability."
I glared at him and slid the paper across. "File it."
He grabbed it. "I won't file it with the tribe or state for a few days, just in case you change your mind."
"I won't change my mind."
He grunted and turned away from me, slipping the papers into a folder.
I turned to Nova. "Let's go home."
She folded her arms and pursed her lips.
"Nova, I'll give you your own room, all I expect from you is to help with some chores."
She rolled her eyes.
The sheriff came around and pulled her to her feet. "You better behave for Mrs. Miller. If you so much as put a toe out of line I'll bring you back in and lock you away again."
I frowned at him. "Where's the Res school?"
His brow twitched. "They don't want her back at the school until this is solved. She's considered a risk to the others."
I groaned, pressing on my temple. "I'm going to have to home school her. I'm glad I live in a town full of teachers."
He rubbed his eyes. "Let's get you home."
We drove back in silence, and he walked us inside.
Sarah jumped at the sight of Nova and gasped. "What's going on?"
"Mrs. Miller is taking Nova here in for a while," he said, his tone curt and irritated.
I ignored him. "Nova, I'll show you to your room."
The four rooms were all being used—one as a nursery, one the office, and one the master bedroom—so the only one left Sarah had been using.
I rushed in and gathered up her things, then moved them into the office. I gestured for Nova to go in.
She stepped in and looked around, scowling.
"It's not much," I said. "The whole place is still being fixed up, but you can decorate it how you like, and tomorrow we can go get your—"
She slammed the door in my face and locked it.
"Things," I finished. I turned and walked down the ha
llway, and paused to peek in on Jackson to make sure he was safe. He lay sound asleep.
I headed down the stairs, my heart heavy, when the sheriff talking to Sarah caught my attention.
"Take this," he whispered. "I don't want any surprises. Watch them closely, especially the baby. If she's hiding Forrest somewhere, she might want to take the baby, too. Or, if they ran off together, he might have sent her to get the baby. The whole thing is suspicious, especially with her just showing up."
I leaned over the rail to see into the kitchen.
Sarah stood with a gun in her hand. "I'll take care of them, I promise."
"Thank you. I don't want more missing people on my hands, and Braydon is not acting rationally right now."
Sarah tucked the gun into her jeans and pulled her shirt out to cover it. "I won't let Bray know I have it."
"You've been a real life saver through all this. I really appreciate it."
She stepped forward and touched his hand. "Paul…"
He stepped back. "I need to get back to the station."
He turned toward the door.
I hurried to look like I was just making my way down.
He jumped when he saw me, but pulled on his hat. "I'll keep in touch."
"Thank you."
He rushed out the door.
I rested my hands on my hips and glared after him, furious he would go against my wishes and give Sarah a gun in my house. I marched into the kitchen where I flopped onto a chair.
"You all right?" she asked, sitting beside me.
"No." I groaned. "I just want Forrest back. When he gets back, everything will go back to normal."
She grabbed my hand and squeezed it. "Why did you bring the girl home?"
A bubble of anger popped in my chest. "Her name is Nova, and she is my only link to Forrest, so I'm going to do everything I can to help her. She's not a criminal; she's just a confused young girl who's lived a rough life, just like Forrest did." I shot to my feet. "I'm going to bed."
"Bray…"
I ignored her and marched back up the stairs. But at the top, I stopped. The sheriff's words ate at me; she might want to take the baby.
I slipped into the nursery and picked up Jackson. I hurried back into my room and set him in the bassinette, then locked the door.
It didn't show Nova that I trusted her at all, but I didn't want to risk Jackson disappearing too. As much as I didn't want to admit it to myself—because I believed my relationship with Forrest to be strong—if he had run off with someone else, then he would eventually come back for Jackson.
Papina (Bearville County) Page 4