“I can see that.”
“And I can see you’re as out of sorts as Alicia was last night when she was stomping around the house.”
“She’s got a lot on her mind.”
“You’re on her mind. I’ve seen the way the two of you look at each other. It’s none of my business, so I’m not going to ask, but I am going to tell you this.”
“What’s that?”
“If you hurt her, I will kick your ass.”
Gabe smiled at him. “I can hear Rob in my head saying the exact same thing.”
Twenty
After dropping Justin at school, Alicia ran errands and killed some time at the local nursery picking out new plants for her garden. It was all part of a plan to avoid going home. She wasn’t quite ready to face Gabe after their intense conversation the night before. Not to mention the fact that despite her declaration of independence, she wasn’t all that sure that she wouldn’t throw herself into his arms again the first chance she got. By one o’clock, she had run out of things to do. Fortunately, when she returned home, Gabe was nowhere to be seen.
She tidied up the house, checking her watch every now and then, knowing that there were a million things she should be doing, but she couldn’t seem to concentrate. It was a shame, too, because while Justin had a half day at school, he and David were working on a school project in the library until five, so she should be taking advantage of the free time.
Her doorbell rang, and her pulse leaped in response. She was shocked to find Kelly on the porch.
Kelly gave her an uncertain look. “Can I talk to you?”
She drew in a deep breath, noting the lines of weariness on Kelly’s face. While she was in town, she’d heard that Kelly’s mother had undergone her surgery. She really hoped it had gone well. Kelly had had enough tragedy in her life. “Come in.”
Kelly followed her into the living room. “Is your dad home?”
“No. It’s just us. Why are you here?”
“To talk about what happened.” Kelly sat down on the couch. “You said the other day that I never gave you a chance to explain, that I never listened to you. Well, I’m ready to listen if you still want to talk.”
Alicia sat in the armchair. “I don’t even know what to say anymore. I’m not going to change your mind.”
“I do have a question,” Kelly said, twisting her fingers together. “Jared said that Brian and two of his friends took a hike during lunch. Did you notice anything odd about their behavior?”
Alicia’s heart skipped a beat. “I remember thinking that they were in a great mood and they had a lot of energy considering how long we’d already been on the river.”
“More so than some of the other guys?”
“What are you asking me, Kelly?”
Kelly’s lips tightened. “I’m not sure.”
“Did something happen at lunch that I don’t know about?”
“I don’t know. I need to talk to Marco and John. They were with Brian during lunch. Is there anything else you can tell me that I might not know?”
“We checked our equipment very carefully before the trip. We knew we were taking a tough run, so we were extra careful. If there was any damage to the raft, it occurred when it hit the rocks.” She paused. “As for whether I made a mistake as the guide on that raft, I don’t know. I did the best job I could. The water was higher and faster than I expected. I did see my dad’s boat flip. Did that distract me? Possibly.” She took a breath. “I went into the water with everyone else so I didn’t see what happened to Brian. I know he was a good swimmer, and he had a life jacket, but it appears that he hit his head on a rock and was knocked unconscious. That’s not something anyone can prevent.”
Kelly blew out a breath and sat back against the couch. “It’s hard to accept that there’s no reason for someone you love to die. Harder still to accept that there’s no one to blame.”
“Do you accept that?” Alicia asked, feeling more hopeful than she had in a long time.
“I’m trying to. I don’t want to betray Brian. And I love the Farrs; they’re my second family. And all of Brian’s other friends were there for me after his death. They all thought the same way, and I didn’t feel that I could break away from them. But the fire the other day …” She shook her head. “That was wrong. And I can’t stand by and do nothing anymore. I talked to Russell. He said he didn’t do it.”
“Do you believe him?”
“He’s very angry.” Kelly paused. “I’m worried, Alicia, because I don’t think I can stop whatever is happening. And I’m not sure it’s over yet. You’re rebuilding. Whoever set the fire is going to be angry that it didn’t stop you. I don’t know what they’re going to do next.”
A tingle of fear ran down Alicia’s spine. It was one thing to say that she wasn’t going to let anyone stop her and another to have to deal with whatever came next. She had a child to protect, along with a stubborn and proud father. She needed to be the smart one.
“Are you sure you can’t just quit, Alicia?” Kelly asked.
“If it was just me, maybe. But it’s my dad’s life, his passion. And he deserves to live his life the way he wants to. It’s strange, but his depression lifted after the fire. It’s like he woke up and his anger energized him. He might actually be able to guide again. He’s fighting for something now. And I guess I am, too.”
“We always used to be on the same side.”
“Yeah, it’s strange to think of you as the enemy.”
“I’m not your enemy, Alicia.”
“Really, Kelly?”
“I’ve always loved you like a sister. I shouldn’t have abandoned you. I shouldn’t have listened to everyone else but you.”
Relief ran through her. “I can’t believe you’re saying this. I wasn’t sure we’d ever be able to get past what happened.”
“I want to.” Kelly took another deep breath. “There’s something else I need to tell you. I just don’t know if I should. My mom is in the hospital, recovering from surgery, and I don’t want to jeopardize her health.”
“Okay, I’m confused. What does any of this have to do with your mom?”
“You care about my mom, don’t you?” Kelly asked.
“Of course I do. She was like my second mother. And she wrote me a really nice letter after Rob died. She had Nora drop off some food, too. She was so sweet about it.” She paused, knowing that Kelly wasn’t asking her if she cared about her mom just for the fun of it. “What do you have to say? Is it about Ian? Because I saw him the other day at Justin’s baseball game, and I got a bad vibe. He’s in some kind of trouble, isn’t he?”
“Yes. I’m going to tell you something, and I’m really hoping that you won’t go to the police with it yet.”
Her stomach turned over. “Just say it.”
“Ian cut the fuel line on your car.”
“No.” She sat back in her chair, feeling suddenly sick. “Why? Why would he do that?”
“He owed someone money, and they said if he did it, it would clear his debt. He told me he didn’t set the fire, though, and I believe him. He was really scared.”
“Where is he now?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen him since he told me the other night.” Kelly paused. “Part of me didn’t want to tell you. Ian is my little brother. I need to protect him, but I also can’t let him get away with this.”
“I’m shocked. I can’t believe Ian would do that to me. No wonder he was in such a hurry to get away from me the other day.”
“I want Ian to turn himself in. Do you think you could hold off telling the police what he did?”
It was a big request, considering the state of their friendship.
While she was thinking, her cell phone rang. “Hold on a second.” She took the call. “Keith? I’m in the middle of something. Can I call you back?”
“No, you can’t,” he said tersely. “I’m at the elementary school, Alicia. I got off earlier than expected, and I thought I’d help the
boys out with their project, but they’re not here.”
Her heart stopped. “What do you mean? They have to be there. Did you check the library?”
“The library closed when classes got out. I spoke to their teacher. She said she knows of no project and that the last time she saw them was when they left class together at noon.”
“It’s two o’clock now,” she said, fear rushing through her. “I’m coming down there.” She jumped to her feet. “We need to call the police.”
“They’re already here. I’ve got everyone in the school searching for them.”
“Oh, my God, this can’t be happening.” Nausea flipped her stomach. She wanted to throw up, to scream. The fear of her child being missing was so overwhelming she couldn’t think.
“Try not to jump to the worst conclusion,” Keith said.
“How can I not? Someone cut my gas line, burned down our property, and now my son is missing!”
“Well, he’s not alone. He’s got David with him.”
She could hear the anger in his voice. He was blaming her, but she couldn’t deal with that right now. “I’ll be down there as fast as I can.”
“What’s happened?” Kelly asked, already on her feet. “Is Justin missing?”
“And his friend David. They said they were doing a project in the library, but they’re not there, and the teacher said she didn’t assign them any project.” She searched wildly for her keys, panic making it difficult to focus.
“I’ll take you. You’re too upset to drive.”
“I have to find him, Kelly. I have to.”
“You will, Alicia. I know you will.”
Their eyes met, and for the first time in a long time, they were in perfect accord.
They ran to the car. Kelly started the engine and pulled out of the driveway with a squeal of her tires. “If both boys are missing,” Kelly said, “then maybe they just went somewhere and didn’t want you to know.”
“I can’t imagine where that would be. Justin is only nine. He’s not allowed to go anywhere by himself. It doesn’t make sense.”
“It also doesn’t make sense that someone could snatch up two boys without anyone seeing anything.”
“Unless the boys knew the person.” Her gaze met Kelly’s. “Ian.”
Kelly immediately shook her head, but there was worry in her eyes. “Ian would never hurt Justin. He considers him like a little brother. He taught him how to fish and throw a football. He wouldn’t hurt him,” she repeated.
“He cut my gas line. Did you think he would ever do that?”
“No, but he just wanted you to run out of gas, to be inconvenienced. That’s a far cry from kidnapping.”
“Unless someone had something really bad over him.”
“Alicia, if Ian took the boys anywhere, it was just to worry you, not to hurt them. I’d bet my life on that.”
“It’s not your life you’re betting. It’s Justin’s and David’s.”
Kelly blew out a breath. “I know.”
They didn’t speak the rest of the way.
When they arrived at the school, the police were there, and dozens of people were huddled around. Alicia zeroed in on Keith, racing across the playground to talk to him. The fear in his eyes scared her even more.
“Is there any news?”
“One of the other kids saw Justin and David go to the library after school. He said they told him that they had found a way to get to Five Arrows Point,” he said. “No one saw them after that. Classes were out. Teachers were in conferences. I’m thinking maybe they’re trying to find the place on their own.”
“How? They don’t have their bikes or even their skateboards. And it’s too far to walk—they both know that.”
“To kids their age, the distance probably doesn’t seem real.” He shook his head. “I never should have encouraged them to look on the Internet. I printed out a damn map for them.”
“Somebody had to take them there,” she said. She looked over at Kelly, knowing she was breaking the confidence, but she couldn’t keep the secret now. “I think it might be Ian, Kelly’s brother.”
“Why? I didn’t think Ian was even talking to you or to Justin.” He paused, his gaze swinging to Kelly. “This is about your feud with the town,” he added, anger filling his eyes. “My kid is in danger because you won’t shut down your business, Alicia. Someone took the boys to get to you.”
“Maybe they just went to find the arrowheads,” Kelly suggested, moving closer. “You said they printed up a map, and they told you both a lie about where they would be this afternoon. They probably planned to be back by the time you picked them up.”
“Why would I believe you?” Keith asked. “You’re part of everything that’s been going on. I’m going to talk to the cops and tell them to look for your brother.”
As Keith strode away, Alicia looked at Kelly. “I’m sorry. I had to tell him.”
“Of course you did. And he’s right. I’ve been part of the problem. But no more. We’re going to find Justin, Alicia.”
Despite her optimistic words, it soon became clear that the boys were not at the school. They’d searched every nook and cranny and interviewed whoever was still at the school.
Alicia and Kelly met back up with Keith and the chief of police, Ronnie D’Amico, in the school office. The principal hovered in the background, looking very concerned. They’d never had a child go missing in River Rock. The small-town community had always been a very safe place to live, until now.
“I’m sending some officers around the neighborhood,” the chief said. “I’m going to drive down to where most people start the search for Five Arrows Point and see if anyone has seen the kids.”
“That’s at least six miles away,” Alicia said.
Ronnie nodded. “Maybe they got a ride. Everyone at school told me the same story, that the boys were determined to go looking for the arrowheads. It’s our best lead.”
“I’ll go with you,” Keith said.
“I’ll come, too,” Alicia said immediately.
Keith shook his head. “You need to go home, in case the boys come back.”
“I’m not going to sit at home and do nothing.”
“You’ll be doing something. You’ll be waiting for them. I’ll call you as soon as we get there. We’ll check in every five minutes, okay?”
She didn’t want to be sidelined, but maybe spreading out would be a smarter idea. She had no intention, however, of just going home.
“We need to talk to Russell,” she said to Kelly as they walked back to the car.
Kelly nodded. “You read my mind.”
“Good, because I might need you to get him to talk to me.”
Russell was out. His assistant told them that he’d gone to Sacramento that morning for a meeting and wouldn’t be back until later that night. Kelly tried to reach him on his cell phone, but it went to voice-mail. Ian didn’t answer her calls, either.
“This isn’t getting us anywhere,” Alicia said in frustration as they returned to the car to debate their next move.
“Maybe the boys really did just go look for the arrowheads.”
“But they had to have help. Someone gave them a ride. And I can’t believe they would get into a car with someone they didn’t know.”
“Which brings us back to Ian,” Kelly said with a sigh. “Would he know that they wanted to look for the arrowheads?”
“He was at Justin’s ball game the other day. And if you were within ten feet of Justin this past month, you would have heard about his desire to follow the warrior’s path. He’s had everyone looking stuff up for him, even the school librarian.” She stopped abruptly, clapping a hand to her mouth. “Oh, my God.” She turned to Kelly and saw the same conclusion in her eyes. “Mrs. Farr works at the school library.”
“Dina?” Kelly said doubtfully. “She wouldn’t hurt Justin. She’s a mother, and she loves children.”
“She’s a mother who lost her child, a mother who blames me. Let
’s go to her house.”
“Alicia,” Kelly began.
“No, don’t bail on me now. I need you, Kelly. I need you to be my best friend, because no matter what you think I did, Justin did nothing, and neither did his friend. Those boys are the only important people right now. Not me or you or even Brian.”
“I know that. And I’m not bailing. Whatever the truth is, we both need to find it.”
It was a short five-minute ride to the Farrs’ house. No one answered the bell, so they went around to the back door. It wasn’t open, but it was unlocked. They entered the house, calling Dina’s name.
“I don’t think she’s here, and I know Lowell is out of town,” Kelly said as they paused in the living room. “Look at all this,” she said in confusion and concern.
Alicia followed her gaze. There were photographs of Brian everywhere, stacks loose on the coffee table, others on the floor, scrapbooks on the couch, press clippings from Brian’s days as a basketball star, and a box of trophies and medals. Brian’s entire life covered every inch of the room. Her stomach turned over. This was no ordinary scene. This was obsession.
“I had no idea,” Kelly whispered. “She seemed to be holding everything together the last time I saw her, like she’d been able to grieve and move on.”
“It doesn’t look like she’s moved on to me.”
“Lowell has been gone for a few weeks visiting his sister. The loneliness must have gotten to her.”
Alicia moved over to the desk, and her heart sank even further as she saw the stack of printed pages from the Internet, all stories about Five Arrows Point. “She has to have Justin and David.” Alicia held up the paper. “She must have told them she’d take them there. They told me they were going to the library. It all makes sense.”
Her cell phone rang, and she jumped on it. “Keith—did you find them?”
“No, but we ran into a hiker who said he saw two boys with a woman standing next to a car. But the car is gone, and there’s no sign of the kids. We’re going to search the woods.”
The Way Back Home Page 27