She was about to respond when she heard something snap in the bushes beside the other dock. The dog jumped up, her ears perked. She rose up on all fours, her nose twitching to catch a scent. "What is it, girl? You see a squirrel or a mouse?"
Rick sat up too and moved closer to Freesia. "My dad said that there was a mama bear and her two cubs spotted down by the dump earlier today. Stay still, just in case."
The dog's tail went wild with excitement and she bolted. Rick tried grabbing her collar, but she was too quick.
"Rudy!" Freesia screamed.
A few seconds later, Mizu emerged from the bushes. Rudy jumped all over her like she'd found a lost friend.
Freesia was first relieved and then flooded with anger. "What's wrong with you? You can't just sneak up on people like that. Especially when it's dark."
Mizu laughed as the dog covered her face in licks.
That's weird. The dog never acts like this with strangers. She usually ignores everyone.
"I wasn't sneaking." Mizu wiped her face on her sleeve. "If I wanted to sneak up or spy, you'd never have heard me coming. Trust me. And it isn't even dark yet. Geez, chill."
Rick elbowed Freesia's arm.
Freesia glared at the girl. "Gee, how comforting. You can't just show up uninvited or whenever you feel like it. Remember that stalking thing we were talking about yesterday? Yeah. This would sort of be in that category. Besides, you were supposed to meet us at the beach today. What happened?"
Mizu held her palm up to Rudy and the dog calmed. She walked across the board that connected the two docks together. Rudy splashed across the channel, lapping up some cool water on her way. "Something came up." She crouched down with them. "My guardian told me I had to stick around and do chores. It's better for me around this time to hang out. At least for a bit."
Freesia raised an eyebrow. "So, he's your guardian? Not your boyfriend."
"Who?"
"The guy you're staying with."
"I never said he was my boyfriend. Only that I'm staying with a guy. Do you always jump to conclusions like that? Did I ask whether you guys were dating just because you're hanging out?"
Freesia felt her face warming. She was grateful the orangey sky hinting to a sunset made everyone's face look a little pink. "Forget I mentioned it, okay? Like a lot of other things, you aren't exactly clear when you give information."
"All right, ladies, put the claws away," Rick intervened. "You'll get Rudy all excited."
After a brief silence, Freesia sputtered out a short laugh while Mizu rolled her eyes and smiled.
"Look, sorry." Mizu rubbed Rudy's face between her palms. "I get a little defensive when people start asking me questions. Happens when you get screwed around by the people you trust the most." Her voice trailed off. She sat down on her butt and patted the area beside her, cuing Rudy to join her. Rudy panted happily and plunked down beside Mizu, putting both paws on her lap and resting her head on her paws.
Freesia's jaw went slack. "Holy crap. I've never seen her react to someone like that before. Well, she has, but—" She paused. "It's been a long time since she's been happy. Ever since…"
"Since your mom disappeared?" Mizu finished.
When Freesia looked up from Rudy, the two girls' eyes met. For some reason, Freesia felt like someone had shoved an icicle down her throat. It was like Mizu was looking into her soul, trying to pull things out that Freesia had buried for months.
"H-how did you know about my mom?" she stammered.
Mizu tilted her head, her eyes never leaving Freesia's. "Everyone seems to know about your mom going missing. There're posters all over town. And that detective guy, Cuaco? He's been asking people questions to see if anyone has seen anything."
Suddenly Freesia felt stupid. Of course…the posters. Ugh. Take a chill pill, girl. "Uh, yeah. Detective Cuaco is doing a great job. It's gotta be tough working on a case when there isn't much to go with."
"Well, maybe I can help change that." Mizu's lips spread into a half smile.
Both Rick and Freesia sat up a little straighter. "You know something?" Freesia said so fast she was surprised the words made sense.
"Not exactly. But I found a few things a while ago that might help get you on the right track."
Freesia groaned, releasing a sharp breath. "Are you always this dramatic about everything?"
"C'mon, Freesy," Rick whispered in her ear. "Relax".
Mizu held her hand up at Rick. "Nah, it's okay. I deserved it, I guess. And to answer you…Yes. Yes, I am always this dramatic. It enhances my overall magnetic personality."
Did she just make a joke? And did Rick just call me, 'Freesy?'
"All right, all right," Freesia said, waving her hands around. "You guys are starting to sound like my grandparents. Seriously, though. If you know something or have anything you can tell us, I'd love to know. I need to know. And I'd be…grateful…if you could help."
Mizu grabbed all her hair with one hand and brought it down over her right shoulder. She tugged up her canvas bag, flung the cover open and dug around for a few seconds. She pulled out a pack of sugarless mint gum with two other items. "Do these look familiar to you guys?"
Freesia grabbed a gray hat with fishing lures hanging from it and a broken pair of movie star-sized sunglasses. She didn't recognize the hat and passed it to Rick. But the sunglasses looked familiar. She turned them over, holding them by the stems so the lenses were facing her. The right lens was smashed and there was what looked like dried blood all over them. Suddenly a face from her memory appeared in them and Freesia drew in a sharp breath.
"These are my mom's sunglasses." Her heart pounded so fast she instinctively put her hand on her chest in case it throbbed right out. "She got these the summer before she disappeared. I was with her when she bought them."
Rick held up the fishing hat. "And this is my dad's favorite fishing hat. He was looking for it a few months ago when we first started coming back up here, but he couldn't find it."
"Where did you find these?" Freesia's voice squeaked out the words.
Mizu stuck her tongue out over her ruby-red lips and pulled a piece of gum into her mouth. She held the pack out to the other two, but both waved in refusal. "They were in the woods down by where they said they found your mom's car. Guess they weren't looking as hard as they said because I found them pretty easily."
"You found these things together? In the same place?" Rick frowned.
Mizu shrugged. "They weren't exactly in the same spot. I found the shades practically under the car and I found the hat in the brush right beside the road."
"Yeah, but why would my dad's hat be anywhere near where her mom's car was? The sunglasses make sense because they belong to her mom, but the hat…?"
"I don't know. I guess your dad was there for some reason. Or someone wants you to think that he was. Guess you have some questions you might want to ask him."
Rick's eyes widened while Mizu stared him down.
Freesia looked from her to Rick and decided to break the spell. "How long have you had these things?"
"Not long." Mizu closed up her canvas bag. "I found them a couple of months ago while I was out for a hike. I heard some details about what had happened and thought they might help in some way."
Freesia stared. Holy crap! She's had these all that time? And why didn't the search team find them?
"Yeah, but why didn't you give these to the police or Detective Cuaco?" she asked, a bite to her tone. "This is the kind of thing they're looking for. I mean did you know that they're going to end the search after the summer is over? These kinds of things could really help."
"I don't like cops. I saved them for you so you could decide what to do with them. It's not my place."
"Not your place? Everyone in this town has been working overtime looking for my mom, trying to figure out what happened to her and you seem to be finding things no one else has been able to. I think you can make it your place."
Mizu looked like Frees
ia had slapped her. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I just figured that you guys might appreciate having the information in your own hands so you could ask questions that need to be asked before they get turned over to some stupid forensics team." She turned to Rick. "I mean, wouldn't you rather ask your dad why his hat was found where her mom's totaled car was or why it's smeared with blood?"
Rick said nothing.
Mizu turned back to Freesia. "And don't you want to ask what other evidence was found that you may not have been told about? I'd sure want to know. There just seems to be a lot more going on in this situation than either of you are willing to see."
Freesia and Rick were stunned into silence. That was the most this mystery girl had said since she showed up. And how did she know so much about the details of the case when she was new to the town? Just what else did she know?
Before Freesia had a chance to ask, she heard Gran's voice from upstairs. "Freesia? The sun's almost down, love. Time to come up."
Mizu gave Rudy's head one last rubdown before standing up. "I have to go."
She strode back across the board to the other dock. "Look. I'm not trying to stick my nose in where it doesn't belong. I just want to help. Just don't take things at face value. If you want to find out what happened, you have to be willing to dig as deep as you need to go to find the answers. Even if what you find there isn't what you wanted to find. Or it hurts. Later."
Freesia wanted to call out after her, but something told her that she'd see her again. Probably sooner than she wanted to.
Mizu seemed to just melt right into the trees. Freesia shivered.
The lights on the boathouse flashed on and off—Gran's not-too-subtle hint that she'd asked once and Freesia had to hustle or she'd come down.
She turned to Rick, who was also staring into the trees, his hand still clutching Rudy's collar. The dog's whimper turned into full-out doggie cries.
"Rudy, what's wrong with you?" Freesia asked.
The dog looked down, her ears flopping down against the sides of her face.
Freesia glanced up at Rick. "Look, I have to go or Gran will rip a piece out of me. I'm sorry our chat was interrupted. I'm glad you told me about your dad and what he said. Thank you."
Rick turned to face her. "No need for thanks. I, uh, I'm going to try talking to my dad tonight. I'll tell you what happens. He's pretty out of it though, so I don't know what I can find out, if anything."
Freesia grabbed Rudy's collar, her hand brushing against Rick's. "Don't make trouble, okay? If he's in one of his moods, don't say anything tonight. Wait until later. Do you want me to hold onto the hat for you?"
He smiled, keeping his hand beside hers for a few seconds. "Sure. That's probably safer right now. It doesn't seem to take much to set him off into one mood or another lately. Thanks. Take care. See you tomorrow, okay?"
"I hope so." She winced at her words. Why the heck did I say that? Ugh. "Good night. C'mon Rudy."
The dog kept her head down, whining while she stared sadly into the trees.
"You like her, hey, girl? We'll see her again, I'm sure. C'mon. You want a cookie?" The dog's ears perked up a bit after hearing the word cookie and reluctantly walked with Freesia up the Stairs of Doom.
Her eyes narrowed. Mizu had said she was hiking in the area where Freesia's mom's car was found. There was nothing to see or do up there.
Why the heck was she that far down the highway? Doesn't her…guardian…mind her wandering around everywhere by herself? And how did the search team miss those things she found so easily?
When she reached the top of the stairs, Freesia put the sunglasses inside the hat and shoved both down the front of her pants, careful not to handle it as much as possible—just like they did on CSI. She'd hide it all for now. Until she had the right questions to ask.
When she stepped inside the cabin, she saw Len Patterson at the back door putting his jacket on. Granddad had his hand on Len's shoulder. Gran's cheeks were flushed, her eyes were watery and her nose was red.
They turned as she entered the living room.
"I'm back," she said, trying to ease the tension.
Gran sniffed and wiped her nose on a crinkled-up Kleenex. "Len just came over to…share his thoughts about your mom."
Granddad took his hand from Len's shoulder and shoved it into his front pocket.
"Your mom was an amazing lady," Len said to Freesia, wiping his eyes. "I know our family is eternally grateful for all that she's done. Without her…I…" He looked at the floor. "Let's just say she's done a true service to the community and for us military folks. You can still count on me to help find her."
Gran held her Kleenex to her eyes and breathed deeply. Granddad slapped Len on the back. "That means more to us than you know, Len. Thanks for stopping by."
"Yeah," Freesia said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Thank you. My mom would love to know what she does matters so much."
Granddad walked Len out to his car while Freesia gave Gran a hug and said goodnight. As much as she wanted to know what had happened, she knew no one would answer her. So she filed it away to ask about later. Besides, she was too tired to get into it.
When Gran sat back down on the loveseat, Freesia walked over to the back door, grabbed the metal file box still sitting there and took the long route through her grandparents' room and down the short hallway back to her own room. Freesia shoved the box under her bed, pulled the hat and shades out from their hiding spot and tucked them in behind the metal box. Then she covered everything up with a quilt.
Lying in bed waiting for sleep to come, her thoughts drifted to earlier in the evening on the dock. As grateful as Freesia was for Mizu's help, she was starting to think the girl had a lot more answers than she was letting on. How did the expression go?
Keep your friends close, but your enemies even closer.
They weren't enemies, but they sure as heck weren't friends…yet. And she was going to keep an eye on that mystery Goth girl.
Chapter Thirteen
Freesia startled awake. Her heart pounding, she strained to listen to the high-pitched squealing that woke her up.
Cars? A semi? A dog out in the bush? Some idiot going for a late-night dip?
She heard the sound again, only louder.
Recognizing the voice, she scrambled out of her bed and ran across the cabin to Sage's room. Sage was sitting straight up in her bed, her eyes wide open, screaming. Freesia rushed to put her arms around her, but Sage flung herself around as if to fight off an invisible assailant.
It was similar to a scene from The Exorcist, minus the pea soup or the priest. On a downswing, Sage hit Freesia's cheek, stunning her for a moment. At that point, Freesia wasn't sure what shocked her more—that Sage was having a night terror, or that she was so violent. Freesia came back at Sage again, tackling her and pinning her down to the mattress. At that point, her grandparents and Rudy stormed into the room to see what was going on.
"Oh, God, help us," Gran put her hands over her mouth. "Don't hurt her now, Freesy."
Granddad put his hand on Gran's shoulder. "Don't worry. It's happened many times. Freesy knows what she's doing. I'll heat up Lamby."
The motion of Freesia knocking her down woke Sage out of her night fright. When she saw everyone there, staring at her, she burst into tears. Freesia let go of Sage's arms and pulled her weighted blanket up to her chest. Sage reached up and hugged Freesia, squeezing her with a force that made Freesia lose her breath for a moment.
"It's okay, Sagey." She gave her a hard hug back. She remembered that when Sage was that stressed or anxious, deep pressure hugs worked best. Flimsy or light touch only made Sage feel worse.
Granddad returned with Lamby, warm from the microwave, and tucked it under Sage's arm. He wiped the tears from her cheeks, kissed her forehead and guided Gran and Rudy from the room.
"Holy crap, Sage! What were you dreaming about?"
Sage breathed in a staggered breath, her chin quivering. She didn't respond.
"You know, you were fighting pretty hard there. Can you tell me what you remember?"
Sage shook her head.
Freesia bit her lip, trying to keep her tears in her eyes. "I'm going to ask you this straight out, Sagey, and I want an honest answer. I promise it can be just between us for now. Do you know something about where Mom is?"
Sage swallowed. She shook her head.
"Do you have information about what Detective Cuaco is looking for to help find mom?"
She paused, shaking her head again.
"Do you know someone who might know something about where mom is?"
Sage squeezed her eyes shut and clutched Lamby.
"Sagey, if you know something, even if you think it's something that's small or won't help, you have to tell me."
Sage kept her chin down, looking up at her sister, but said nothing. Freesia sighed as she reached down for the keyboard. "If you don't want to talk again right now, type it."
Sage looked at the door, scrunching her forehead into worried lines.
"Don't worry about them. I'm betting they either went right back to bed or are fixing themselves some tea. C'mon. Tell me."
Sage chewed on her top lip while she typed slower than Freesia thought was humanly possible. If Sage hadn't just had a terrifying nightmare, Freesia would have yelled at her to hurry up.
'An angry man in a blue sweatshirt with a hood yelled at her. He was shaking her and cursing at her. And…'
She stopped typing. Freesia didn't say anything, though she was convinced that Sage would be a pro at being a suspense fiction writer with the tension she was able to generate. "Okay. And…?"
'…told her she'd be sorry if she crossed him.'
Freesia's skin crawled like she was covered in hundreds of caterpillars. She had to choose her next words very carefully, or she knew Sage would be scared into not talking again. "This is what happened in your dream? An angry man was yelling at Mom like that just now in your dream?"
Sage typed again.
'No. He really did it. I saw.'
Freesia's heart pounded. "Who's 'he,' Sage? Who said those things to Mom?"
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