"Anyone check the outhouse?"
Chad was having none of it. A horrible certainty had filled him. This was seriously bad.
At his insistence and with the other two girls now back on shore, they spread out to search...everywhere. Grim faced and sober, they finally regrouped an hour later.
There had been no sign of Cia.
She was gone.
CHAPTER 2
Seventeen years later
The sun shone through the windshield, warm and soothing after the tumultuous last few months. Meg Pearce stared at the wilderness through the passenger window as Pete drove down the highway. She didn't remember any of this area. In fact, she'd been lost since leaving the highway. It had been a long time since her last trip here. That last trip had been so horrible she'd managed to avoid coming back to the area so far. Only it was Pete's favorite spot…
And Pete had been insistent this time. As she hadn't told him the real reasons why she hated this area, and as she'd run out of excuses, what choice was there now? She could explain, but she really didn't want to open up old wounds. She had enough relationship issues to deal with since her brother's death. So if this helped, then she was all for it.
Where had the time gone?
Listless, she watched the miles speed by – just like the years had. These last months had been hell. There had been months of emotional turmoil, and handling of necessities and adjusting to the new status quo which hadn't left much time for grieving. Worn out now, she was a mere fragment of her old self. She needed this rest and some time away; time to recoup her energy and her passion for living.
All that had all disappeared with her brother's death and the changes and challenges that had come with it. Such as parenting his twelve year old daughter and dealing with Pete's unhappy reaction to the new situation. Not to mention Janelle's unhappy reaction to her new life. No wonder Meg's normal oomph had disappeared. But this was a holiday and as she knew to her own cost, if her mood sucked, so did Pete's and Janelle's. But if she could pull out of it and be cheerful, then she could usually get their moods turned around too.
"Hard to believe there is something like this, so close to civilization," she joked, partly because they were two hours out of Seattle and not that far from the Canadian border.
Janelle sniped, "Who said this was close to anything." She glared out the window from the seat behind Pete. "We're in the middle of nowhere," she wailed.
Meg smiled. It was a small thin one, but all she could manage on short notice. The last thing she needed was more of Janelle's histrionics, but given that technology, which her niece appeared to depend on, worked only sporadically up here, she could be in for a lot more of the same. For herself, she was looking forward to being unplugged for a few days – or longer if she needed to. Not that she'd left her cell phone behind. But that was only for business and safety issues. As for Janelle, one day being unplugged was one day too long.
And for Pete, he'd lightened up a lot once he realized they were actually going on this trip. He'd been here many times over the years. He loved being in the bush, renovating this place, working with his hands. It's what made him so good at the construction work he did. Meg travelled for months as part of her work, making it hard to get time away with Pete. And when she did, it was never here. Never here.
She wasn't looking forward to this trip but had to admit she could already feel some of the tension draining from her shoulders and spine. She took a deep breath of the woodsy air. It was so different from the smog of Seattle, and from the wet, coastal smell after rain or the humidity of Haiti. That had been a tough job. It had ended on a good note, but the pain of what her and her team had gone through had been life changing.
Maybe that's why there was a change of heart. With what she'd survived over there, followed by the events since her brother's death, surely she could deal with a seventeen year old ghost now.
She cast a quick glance to the back of the truck cab where Janelle was pouting in the corner. These last few months had been hard on Meg, but they had been hell for her niece. Her brother's death in a car accident had been the latest of a long string of incidents that had torn Janelle's life apart. The first was her mother's death to disease, followed by relocation to Seattle to be closer to Meg and her grandparents. Her brother had thought that Meg would be a good influence on his struggling daughter.
Being uprooted and unloved, as Janelle had put it, she'd been very unimpressed by the move away from her school and friends. She'd had a hard time adapting to her new social situation. And, at the same time, she had been still dealing with the loss of her mother.
Then months after slowly rebuilding a new life in Seattle, her father had been taken from her. Sometimes fate was a bitch.
Pete slowed the truck on the long stretch of empty road. Meg leaned forward wondering how he could find an overgrown turnoff in this mess of woods and brush. Even Janelle sat up and looked around.
"This is a back way into the cabin. It keeps the nosy neighbors from knowing when I'm here." Pete turned the truck onto a deeply rutted track overgrown with waist high grasses. Janelle groaned as they drove onto yet another road taking them deeper into the wooded area. It was darker and much cooler here with tall, spindly trees blocking the sun.
Meg knew it would open up soon. Good thing as the darkness creeped her out.
Damn. Talk about old fears flaring up.
How many times had Pete vacationed here without her? Not that coming here alone had been his fault. She'd been the one gallivanting off with her job. She'd had a bad case of wanderlust all her life that had only been partially slaked after the Haiti trip. At least, she hoped it had been. With Janelle now part of the family, she couldn't just get up and run off any more.
Meg hit the button to open her window. Instantly, cool air spread through the warm cab. Having slowed down, there was a light breeze but it was not enough. She wanted to gulp in freshness, innocence and renewal. All things she so desperately needed to find again.
She leaned back and closed her eyes, willing her adrenals to hold on; hoping peace and quiet were on the way.
"You okay?" Pete asked, concern coloring his voice.
"Fine," she murmured, not opening her eyes. That was another thing on her list; to repair her relationship with Pete. This year it was as if they were brother and sister instead of lovers. Her job, a bone of contention a year ago, had taken second place to Janelle's sudden arrival into their world.
Since the two had bonded by the time her brother had died, keeping Janelle with her and Pete had been the natural option. Meg's only other sibling, Aaron, had moved across the country while Meg had been in Haiti. That had been tough as she'd been close to his teenage sons. She'd been happy to take Janelle in and with the Internet and cell phones they had all been able to stay in touch easily.
Only Pete hadn't seen it quite that way. A temporary situation was fine. Long term, not so much.
Pete had wanted to start a family a few years back. He'd lost his own mother in a car accident while still a young man. It had been an accident he'd barely survived. She'd seen the pain some of the injuries still caused him. He should have been able to relate to Janelle's loss, but instead it seemed to remind him off his own loss – and his inability to deal with it ever since.
She winced at the reality of the first mention of a child being almost eight years ago. She'd been dragging her heels knowing it would curb her trips around the world. Of course, that had been part of the having kids of their own thing; to keep her at home. Now, with Janelle, she'd been home more. Only Pete wanted his own family. Not broken pieces of Meg's brother's family.
Letting her head roll to the side, she stared at the trees as they slapped against the side of the truck. The ruts in the road were deep and every bounce was bringing on a mother of a headache. The bright blue of the lake twinkled invitingly through the trees. It wouldn't warm up for another month and with the horrific storms in this area over the last few years, the lake would likely
be frigid cold right now.
"We're almost there, aren't we?" she asked, hating the fatigue coloring her voice. She glanced over at him to find him staring at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, just a few more corners."
A grin flashed as a lighthearted idea swept through her. "Stop the truck. Janelle and I'll walk ahead." A laugh escaped. "We'll probably beat you there."
She didn't give him a chance to argue. She pushed open her door and jumped out of the still rolling vehicle. She motioned to her niece in the back seat. "Come on, Janelle. Let's take a short cut. The cabin is up just a little ways."
"No, wait," Pete said. "We're almost there." The powerful engine revved as the front end of the truck dipped down again, the large tires spinning in the air before catching the ground. "Meg, get back here," he shouted. "You don't know where you are going."
"You said it's at the end of the road." She laughed. "How hard could that be?"
Janelle giggled and jumped out, slamming the door shut behind her. She ran ahead, catching up to Meg quickly. Of course she didn't walk like an adult; she bounced, with her jet black curls flouncing around her shoulders. Meg smiled down at her. She was a beautiful kid. Her mother's Spanish ancestry had given her beautiful creamy skin and midnight hair, so different from Meg's own pink skin and blond hair.
"Come on, the road curves up again. We'll cut through the trees and be sitting drinking tea before he even gets there." The two waved at Pete and bolted through the trees on the right. With Pete hollering his protest into the wind, Meg laughed and laughed, chasing Janelle into the stick forest. It felt good to sprint and the laughter sent delicious feel-good vibes down her spine.
Without much natural light and in crowded conditions, the pines had grown up tall and skinny, forming a tight wall. It was hard to walk around them in some places. Meg frowned. She hadn't remembered this much overgrowth.
It had been years, but still...
She could see the road as it turned up ahead so it wasn't like they could get lost. The truck labored on behind them. Pete had stopped yelling so that helped and with the fresh air blowing across her face and rifling through her hair, she was already starting to feel better. And her headache had magically disappeared.
They slowed to a stroll, just enjoying the moment together.
"How long are we going to stay here?" Janelle asked, walking at her side. The running and dodging of trees had put a rosy flush on her young cheeks.
"Just for two nights; we'll head back on the afternoon after that." Meg smiled down at her. She held out her hand, her heart giving a slight bump when Janelle reached out to hold it. Her niece looked so much like her father it brought both pain and joy to Meg's heart. "It's just a chance to get away and a chance to relax."
"Like a spa?" Janelle asked hopefully, looking around uneasily. "Please say yes."
Meg laughed. "Not quite, but it will be fun."
Janelle looked at her doubtfully. "Promise?"
"I promise." She looked down at the trusting soul beside her only to see her pointing at something off to the side. There was a steep hill up ahead and a place about a third of the way down where a tree had fallen and gotten hung up on a ledge. It looked like a chunk of the ledge had fallen away from the impact. Heavy storms and the spring thaw could do that. Mother Nature still liked to call the shots in her world.
"What's that?" Janelle asked pointing off to the left.
"Nothing." Meg wrapped her arm around Janelle's shoulders. "Just some downed trees, or rocks – maybe from a small slide after a heavy storm."
"No, not that – I mean that shiny, white thing over there."
Meg let her gaze travel in the direction Janelle had pointed at. Her gaze skimmed past then hesitated and zinged back to rest on the round white ball. Her breath caught in her throat. Her mind screamed, no! Her muscles tensed, and her gaze hardened.
Then, she relaxed. It couldn't be. Not out here. This was just the side effects of her job. She saw bodies everywhere. "It's just a rock," she said reassuringly.
It had to be.
There's no way there'd be a body out here. Of course, her rational mind immediately kicked in and snorted at the thought. Hunters went missing in the woods all the time. There was a lake close by and all kinds of weekend warriors and partiers came up to get away from city life. A body could definitely be here.
One body in particular.
But she so didn't need to see one this weekend. A part of her wanted to tug Janelle away. Maybe come back in another day...or year, but...the rest of her knew she couldn't do that. She had to find out what they were looking at. Her conscience wouldn't let her do less. Not to mention she'd spent more than half a lifetime wondering when a particular set of remains would be discovered. That she was once again in the same general area where her friend had gone missing... Her insides were shaking. It couldn't be.
She dropped Janelle's hand and told her, "Stay here. I'll take a quick look. Just stay here." She took a few steps in the direction of the white thing and glanced back to make sure Janelle was staying put. "I won't be but a second. Besides, if I'm any longer Pete is going to win the race."
With a big grin, she went to dash across the short distance.
"No, don't." Janelle's panicked voice reached out to Meg.
Crap. Meg spun, her gaze darting back to make sure Janelle was still in place. Janelle, who had done nothing but deal with death for the last year, Janelle, who couldn't sleep and desperately needed this time away. Janelle, who didn't need the spectre of death intruding here – because it had intruded enough already. And then she found her niece running toward her, fear clearly etched on her small face. Meg shouted, "Stop!"
Janelle came to a bumbling halt, her face scrunched up, with tears forming in her eyes.
"Honey, don't come any closer. You might fall and hurt yourself. I'm coming back to you. Stay there."
Janelle sniffled and Meg knew she had no choice. Since coming to live with Meg, Janelle was terrified of something happening to Meg and that she'd be left alone yet again. Taking out her cell phone, she quickly noted the GPS location of where she had stood.
"Auntie Meg?"
With one last glance at the rock, still too far away to be seen clearly, she started back to Janelle. "It's nothing."
With a big carefree smile, she grabbed Janelle's hand and ran up toward the road. The cabin had to be close. And she wanted it to be even closer by now. "Let's beat Pete!"
Laughing again and gasping for air, they crashed through the tight brush onto the road just ahead of the truck.
Waving at Pete, they picked up their pace and raced to the cabin.
And beat him.
***
An uneasy truce settled inside Meg – for the moment. She couldn't get that rock out of her mind. There'd been something about it. She'd been too close to it to ignore it and yet too far away to have recognized what it was. She was afraid it might be so much more than a rock.
She needed to go back and find it to make sure. But how could she without alerting Janelle? And she'd have to tell Pete, which could be a really bad scenario. She'd have to choose her words carefully and pick her timing even better.
Somehow.
Pete had a hell of a temper and she didn't want to set it off. She didn't fear him, but Janelle'd had enough distress in her young life. Even a healthy debate with Pete these days disturbed her. That girl needed to rest and to heal. That Pete and Meg were having more issues than usual just made it that much harder to keep the atmosphere friendly, open and supportive.
If only she could take another look. And make sure. Her mind wanted that to be all it was. They didn't need death to intervene here. Not when this trip was all about finding joy in life again. But her heart...well, her heart wanted to find her friend. She's been waiting for an answer for so long. What if she'd just found it?
"Earth to Meg?"
Meg started, and then turned to smile at a frowning Janelle, peanut butter sandwich in one hand and a
n apple in the other.
"How can you eat both of those together?"
Janelle grinned a big sticky peanut-buttery grin, then took a big bite out of the apple. Meg shuddered. She picked up an apple for herself and took a big bite.
"What were you thinking about?" Janelle asked, her mouth full.
Automatically, Meg said, "Don't talk with food in your mouth." Then she winced as she heard echoes of her mother's voice. "Sorry. That was instinct."
"Yeah, yeah." Deliberately it seemed, Janelle took an oversized bite and worked her jaws to munch it down to normal size pieces so she could swallow them.
Meg had to turn away. Before her brother's death, Janelle ate normal food normally. Now she seemed to delight in eating weird combinations in the most irritating ways. Was it to annoy Meg? Maybe; more likely it was for attention.
It had been a very tough year for them all.
Pete walked inside. "Did you leave anything for me?"
Meg pointed to the large sandwich sitting untouched on a plate. "That's yours."
She walked outside to sit on the top step. It was early in the afternoon and they had two days ahead of them. Two days to rest. Two days to enjoy the great outdoors. Two days to not work.
Except...she had to go back to that spot.
"Who wants to go fishing this afternoon?" Pete sat down on the step beside her, a half of the sandwich in his hand. It disappeared in three bites as Meg watched him. He'd always been a big eater but being outdoors seemed to amplify this. He picked up the second half and demolished that in a couple of bites as well.
"Not me. I'd be playing games on my cell phone but, oh, you wouldn't let me bring it." Janelle pouted in the doorway behind them. "Of course you and Meg could go fishing and I could stay here and play games on her cell phone."
"Not going to happen." Meg worked to keep her voice neutral. "We came to get away from all that, remember?"
"I saw you use your cell phone when we were racing Pete," Janelle accused, her voice disgusted and pointed. "So how come you brought your phone?"
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