by Katie Powner
Luke drove off in the waning light without looking back. Gerrit almost shouted after him when he realized he hadn’t engaged the latch, after all. Almost waved his arms to get Luke’s attention when he thought of the narrow road to the north forty and the deer that liked to jump out of the ditch at dusk. But if Luke liked to be the boss so much, he could figure it out himself.
And he had.
Gerrit blinked at the somber sky, his vision fuzzy. His body screaming in agony but unable to move. Was it like this for Luke before their father found him, pinned under the 235 and bleeding out? Did he look at the sky and wonder if there really was a heaven?
“I’m sorry, Luke.” His mouth moved, though he couldn’t tell if any sound came out. “I’m so sorry.”
Hannie’s face appeared above him. “The fence is broken.”
Noah’s voice. “I think he’s broken.”
A blurry figure hovered behind Hannie. “Dad?” The voice was high and strained. “Dad, are you okay?”
Gerrit groaned. “Evi?”
The world would not come into focus. He squeezed his eyes shut. Opened them again. The blurry figure was gone.
A car door slammed.
He tried to sit up, but the pain wouldn’t allow it. “Where’s Evi?”
Hannie looked over her shoulder, then at Noah. But she wouldn’t look at him. “She’s gone.”
CHAPTER
FORTY
Rae folded her arms across her chest and glared at the door. She had no reason to be at Gerrit’s house. He’d made it clear she wasn’t welcome, and her heart still stung from the way he’d dismissed her the other night. But when neither he nor Morgan had shown up for Community Hope this afternoon, a warning in her gut had rung out like an alarm.
Something was wrong.
She let out a deep breath through pursed lips. She wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight if she didn’t make sure he was okay. All she had to do was check, and then she’d never come back here again. She hadn’t even bothered to bring Mr. Whiskers.
She knocked.
Hannie answered. “Oh. Hi, Rae, how are you?”
Rae hesitated. What if Gerrit had turned his wife against her, as well? “Fine.”
Hannie’s voice was serious but kind. “I suppose you’re wondering where Gerrit was today.”
She nodded.
“He had a bit of an accident, but he’s going to be okay.” Hannie stepped back and held open the door. “Would you like to come in and say hi?”
Well, not really. Gerrit’s words from the other night still scratched at her. “Go on now.” But Hannie’s face was warm and welcoming, so Rae stepped inside the house.
“He’s in here.” Hannie motioned for Rae to follow, and they walked through the kitchen into the living room.
Gerrit sat in his recliner, pillows tucked all around him and an ice pack resting on his left shoulder. His face was gaunt and his neck discolored as if bruised. When he spotted her, something flashed in his eyes, though she didn’t know what. Was he going to yell at her?
“Hey,” he said.
She stepped a little closer, vaguely aware that Hannie had retreated into the kitchen. “Hey.”
They eyed each other for a moment, then both spoke at once.
“About the other night . . .”
“You look like you got hit by a train.”
Gerrit leaned his head back against the chair. “I feel like it, too. But it was a ladder, not a train.”
“How was the party?”
“I was waiting for Evi to get back from her walk, and I was afraid if she saw you in the barn, she’d be mad.”
Rae’s eyebrows knitted together. “Why would she be mad?”
“Because she gets mad about everything it seems.” Gerrit sighed. “And because I built that barn for her. It was meant to be our special place. But now . . .”
“Now it’s a shrine to some guy named Luke.”
Gerrit closed his eyes. “Luke was my brother.”
“Oh.” One of the chairs from the kitchen table had been pulled up next to Gerrit, and she sat down on it. That must be why he’d always been so defensive about the barn. Maybe his behavior Saturday night had more to do with Evi and Luke than with her. “Did she see me?”
“Yes.”
The tone of his voice told her everything.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry, too. I don’t want you to stop coming.”
Rae picked at a nail. She hadn’t expected this. “When you and Morgan didn’t show up today, I—”
Gerrit’s eyes flew open. “Morgan wasn’t there?”
She shook her head.
He slammed the arm of his chair with a fist and grumbled something to himself.
Her heart sank. “Have you seen him?”
“He showed up early to the party, and there was a . . . misunderstanding.”
A memory pinged in Rae’s brain. Gerrit had asked her to get a message to Morgan, but she’d been so upset she completely forgot. “I never told him about your moving the party to four o’clock.”
Gerrit groaned. “He heard me say something to Evi and Noah that made it seem like . . . well, let’s just say I blew it big time with both you kids. He ran out of here.”
“It’s my fault. I forgot all about the message.”
“No.” He waved her words away and told her what he had been trying to say Monday afternoon. What Morgan had heard. “I wish I could go to Community Hope and talk to him. Explain. But I’m not supposed to leave this chair.”
“Don’t even think about it,” Hannie called from the kitchen.
He gave Rae a conspiratorial wink. “Yeah, yeah.”
“If you’re stuck here, maybe I can find Morgan and ask him to come see you.”
He looked at her long and hard. “You don’t owe me anything.”
“I’m worried about him.” If Morgan thought Gerrit didn’t really care about him—thought he didn’t matter? Something inside told her Morgan might have done something foolish.
“Me too. When he left . . .” His head sank back against the chair again, his exhaustion evident.
“I better go.” Rae stood. “I’ll stop by his house and see if he’s there. I’ll let you know what I find out as soon as I can.”
Gerrit nodded.
Rae said good-bye and thanked Hannie on her way out the door, all the while thinking about the time she ran into Morgan at his house. How he’d been afraid. How that man had yelled horrible things. She remembered exactly where the house was, but she was uneasy about going there by herself. What if Boss was there?
She hurried along the shortcut back to her house, weaving through trees as she pulled out her phone to text David.
What r u doing? Can u meet me at the entrance to Evergreen?
His answer came quickly.
I’m on my way.
RAE LOOKED AT the house, then over at David. It wasn’t dark yet, but the sun was getting low.
David’s smile lacked conviction. “You’re sure this is the place?”
She nodded. “Thanks for coming.”
He climbed out of the car, and she did the same. “Of course.”
He hadn’t hesitated to offer help when she’d explained the situation, even though she knew he was unsure about her relationship with Morgan. As they walked up to the dark house, she was beyond grateful for his presence.
Neither of them was eager to knock on the door.
She looked over her shoulder, glad to see several cars on the road. “It doesn’t look like anyone’s here.”
“Only one way to find out.” David banged his fist against the door and stepped back. “Here goes nothing.”
Thudding sounds came from inside. They waited. A light turned on. David raised a fist to knock again but hesitated when they heard a shout.
“Who’s there?”
Rae exchanged a panicked look with David. Boss. Maybe they should go.
The door flew open.
“I said who’
s there?”
Her eyes grew wide, and she inched away from the man peering out at them with bloodshot eyes. She looked at David, her legs ready to run.
“We’re looking for Morgan,” David said.
Boss wiped a hairy arm under his nose. “Ain’t seen him.”
“Do you know where he might be?”
Boss swore, his face turning red as he leaned closer to David with a venomous scowl. “Like I care. He’s probably with his dad in jail somewhere.”
“Do you have his phone numb—?”
“Look, you little punk.” Boss grabbed the front of David’s shirt, and Rae whimpered. Why had she left her phone in the car? “I said I ain’t seen him. Now get outta here.”
David stumbled backward after Boss released him. Rae grabbed David’s arm and pulled as Boss slammed the door. “Come on, let’s go.”
David didn’t protest. They dashed back to the car, not stopping to latch the gate. Rae’s heart pounded. She wouldn’t mind if she never saw that guy again in her whole life. She hurried into the passenger seat, and David shoved the key in the ignition.
“That guy’s a piece of work.”
She struggled with her seat belt, her hands shaking. “I thought he was going to punch you.”
“Me too.”
“I’m sorry for dragging you into this.”
David took the buckle from her hand and slid it into the latch. “I couldn’t let you do it alone.”
For a second, she thought he might touch her hand. Instead, he shifted the car into drive and asked, “What should we do next?”
They couldn’t sit outside the house, she knew that much.
“Go down that alley.” She pointed. “Morgan hides out there sometimes when he’s waiting for his mom.”
David pulled ahead and turned left down the alley. She scanned the lengthening shadows and spotted the flatbed trailer but saw no signs of life. How long had Morgan been missing?
“Does he have any other friends?” David asked. “Any other place he goes?”
A lightbulb switched on in her brain. “Della’s Diner. I think his mom works there.”
David pulled onto Sixth and turned left with a flourish. “Della’s it is.”
She was worried about Morgan but couldn’t help a small smile, their close call with Boss now behind them. David was cute when he was driving. They took Sixth back to Parker and followed Parker to I-5. Rae’s palms began to sweat just thinking about having to drive on the freeway herself someday soon—everyone was going so fast—but David took the on-ramp and merged with ease. He hadn’t been kidding when he said he was a good driver.
Della’s was two exits away. Everyone knew where it was because it was famous for its blackberry milk shakes. High-school students often went there on Friday nights after football or basketball games.
If they didn’t find Morgan soon, she’d have to head back home. As far as her parents knew, she was still at Gerrit’s house. They would’ve never agreed to her driving around with David. Things would get very uncomfortable if they found out.
The conversation she’d had with Kylee about David only a few short weeks ago returned to her mind.
“Tell them you’re going to my house.”
“I’m not going to lie to them.”
She swallowed hard. She was lying to them now.
“Don’t worry.” David gave her a reassuring smile as he merged into the left lane to pass a red Jetta. “We’ll find him.”
“What if he’s not at Della’s?”
“Then we’ll have to settle for a milk shake and fries and try again tomorrow. Right?”
She blushed. This wasn’t supposed to be a date. But she couldn’t help wondering what it would be like if he reached over and held her hand. He looked over at her and winked.
“I—” Her answer froze on her lips. Her eyes grew wide. “Look out!”
People say time slows down in an emergency. Seconds stretch like taffy on a pulling machine. As a boxy white car barreled across the median toward them, somehow Rae had enough time to look over at the car they were trying to pass and see a pretty curly-haired woman singing along to the radio in the driver’s seat. Enough time to cross her arms in front of her face in terror. Enough time to replay her worst nightmare, over and over and over.
The white car struck David’s hood from the side. Pushed his car into the woman in the red car. Ripped Rae’s world to shreds.
She had time to wonder what station the woman was listening to. She even had time to wish her mother knew where she was.
But she didn’t have time to scream.
CHAPTER
FORTY-ONE
Hannie hung up the landline and stared at Gerrit, her crow’s feet deep and ominous.
His heart twisted. “Who was that?”
No one ever called this late. No one ever called the landline at all, in fact, except for the occasional telemarketer.
“That was Rae’s mother.” She moved closer to him. “I guess Rae asked her to call.”
She was keeping something from him.
“She found our number in the phone book.”
“I thought our number was unlisted.” He tried to sit up. “Wait, did something happen?”
Hannie pressed her lips together. “Honey . . .”
Fear jabbed his broken ribs and wrapped its fingers around his neck. “Where is she?”
“There’s been an accident.”
Every fiber of his body protested as he moved to the edge of his chair. “Get my boots.”
“Honey, you can’t—”
“Boots. Now.” She flinched, and he softened his voice. “Please.”
She hurried to the mudroom and returned with his boots. “Let me help you put them on.”
He didn’t object. “GMC?”
She nodded, and fear’s grip on his throat loosened the slightest bit. If Rae was at Greenville Medical Center, that was a good sign. People with life-threatening conditions were almost always sent to Mountlake Hospital. And if Rae had spoken to her mother, she must be okay. Unless she asked her mom to call Gerrit because she . . .
No. He wouldn’t think like that.
He ignored the pain as Hannie helped him into her Corolla. Had Rae been driving? He’d never seen her go over thirty miles per hour. She couldn’t have been alone.
“Did she say who else was there?”
Hannie shook her head. What if it was Morgan? What if she’d found him, and they’d both been in the accident? Oh, what had he done?
The fifteen-minute drive to GMC took about ten, and Hannie parked as close to the main door as she could. He held tight to her arm, wincing with every step as they made their way into the building. Hannie inquired about Rae at the front desk while Gerrit leaned against a pillar trying to catch his breath.
“Come on.” Hannie grabbed his arm, and they took the elevator to the second floor.
The muted sounds of people talking, machines beeping, and trays clattering greeted them when they stepped off the elevator. They found the room number they’d been given and knocked on the door.
An older, more nervous version of Rae answered the door. “Yes?”
Hannie cleared her throat. “Is this Rae’s room?”
The woman’s eyes narrowed.
A voice from inside called out, “Mom, let them in.”
The woman stepped aside, and Gerrit stumbled into the room, almost fainting in relief. Rae was sitting on a hospital bed with a black eye and a bandage wrapped around her forehead, but breathing on her own. Awake. No missing limbs. But something else was missing. The spark in her eyes.
She must’ve read his face. “I’m okay.” Her voice was soft. Tired. “And David broke his nose. But those other people . . .”
David. Not Morgan. She read his face again.
“We never found him.”
A man came around from the other side of the bed and held his hand out. “You must be Gerrit.”
He dumbly shook the man’s hand while Hanni
e stepped up and introduced herself to Rae’s mother.
“What happened to the other people?”
Rae’s dad sighed. “They were taken to Mountlake. It doesn’t sound good. The kids were lucky.”
“I need to talk to Gerrit about something.” Rae sat higher on the bed. “Would you give us a minute?”
Rae’s mother hesitated. “I don’t know. . . .”
Hannie gave Rae’s hand a squeeze. “I think I saw some vending machines in the hall. I’m going to see about a snack.”
Rae’s parents watched Hannie stride out of the room, then reluctantly followed. Unable to stand a second longer, Gerrit sank into the nearest chair with an oof. He could feel his pulse in his collarbone thrumming away.
“We went to his house,” Rae began. “Me and David. But Morgan wasn’t there. The guy he lives with is a jerk.”
“Did you talk to that guy?”
“We tried.” She grimaced. “He yelled at us. Practically attacked David. I’m worried Morgan might’ve run away.”
Run away, like Fangs. And Fangs never came back.
Gerrit’s stomach was a gaping hole of regret. If something happened to Morgan, he’d only have his own big mouth to blame. It felt awkward and hypocritical, but he didn’t know what else to do.
God? Let Morgan be okay. Not for my sake or anything. I just . . . he’s a good kid.
“His mom works at Della’s,” Rae continued. “We thought we’d go there and talk to her, but . . .”
“David was driving?”
She nodded.
“You could’ve been killed.” His tone was harsh and scraped against the sterile white walls.
Tears pooled in her wounded eyes. “It wasn’t his fault. That other car crossed the median and rammed us into the red Jetta.”
He looked at the floor. Everything was someone’s fault. Even accidents. God’s, at least, if no one else’s.
Rae sniffed. “The police said the guy in that other car was intoxicated. And I heard a nurse say the woman he pushed us into was pregnant. She said—” a single tear fell—“she said the baby died.”