He gripped her wrist until it went numb, and Jaci felt her fingers open, dropping the branch. It was over. She lowered her head.
Behind him Sara screamed, the high-pitched shriek echoing through the trees.
Neal came crashing around the trees, several rocks in his hands. “Jaci, duck!”
She did. Most of the rocks missed, but one smashed into the man’s head. He swore and let go of Jaci.
If he had a gun, he would go for it now. He made no move to grab one, just covered his head and started running.
Ricky burst in, followed by Amanda. “We can’t let them get away,” she said.
“Amanda,” Neal barked. “Move Sara and Jaci away from there.”
He took off after the man. Ricky, brandishing his spear, followed.
Chapter 28
Neal and Ricky returned hours later.
“Let’s go,” Neal said, helping Sara to her feet. “We need to get out of here. Everyone close together.” Neal took up the lead, setting a death march pace.
After several hours of walking, the first brief sounds of civilization began to waffle in through the trees. They could hear the rush of cars, though it wasn’t frequent. Finally, Neal began to slow their pace.
“Ricky?” he asked.
“Good,” Ricky called back.
Jaci’s legs burned from their mad dance through the trees. She slowed, grateful for the change.
“We’ll be out soon,” she said, surprised at how anxious she was to get out of the forest.
“Where do you suppose we’ll come out at?” Neal asked. His voice was level, calm, although slightly out of breath.
Ricky shrugged. “The only city I know outside of the park is Little Falls, and I haven’t been there since we were kids.”
Next to Jaci, Sara stirred. She lifted her head and blinked as if she had just woken up. “I know that name. I think that’s where I was born.”
She tripped and stumbled forward. Jaci grabbed her arm and steadied her.
Unexpectedly, her own knees gave out. Jaci grabbed at a young cedar, feeling the bark dig into the palms of her hands. “Can we rest? Just for a bit?”
Neal didn’t want to stop. She could tell in the way he hesitated.
“We’ll stop when it’s too dark to see. At sunrise we’re out of here. Tomorrow we’ll use my credit card and eat somewhere.”
“I’ll stay with her,” Ricky said. “We won’t be long.”
“Hurry,” said Neal. “Don’t lose sight of us.”
Jaci leaned against the tree and closed her eyes. Her head ached. She swallowed, noting the dryness in her throat. “Ricky? Do you have the water?”
“Yeah.”
She opened her eyes and watched him pull a bottle from the orange bag.
“Here.” He handed her the water bottle, touching her fingers before pulling back.
“Are you scared?” he asked her, zipping the bag and swinging it over his shoulder.
“Yes. Are you?”
“Yes,” he said, looking away from her. “Let’s go. We can’t lose the others.”
October 16
Little Falls, New York
Carl was on edge. No sightings of the teenagers anywhere, and the judge still hadn’t given him his court order. He had called twice yesterday. Perhaps today he needed to ask in person.
He slipped into the city courthouse and rode the elevator up to the third floor. He rocked back and forth on his heels, staring at the numbers as they lit up.
He recognized the cute brunette with clips in her hair behind the glass window. He had spoken to her last time. Carl cleared his throat, stepping up to the speaker.
She looked up.
“I’m Detective Hamilton. May I speak with Judge Acuff?”
She stepped to the counter and looked down at a piece of paper. “Oh. Detective Hamilton. I have a court order here for you, would you like it?”
He fought back the urge to push his hand through the hole and snatch the paper from her.
“How long has that been there?”
“Since yesterday afternoon.” She picked it up and offered it with a smile. “I tried to call you, but the phone number was disconnected.”
Carl glanced at the pink sticky-note on the order. His number was written down in big, bubbly lettering, but the last digit was wrong.
Don’t stress it. You got it now. “Thank you.”
The elevator took too long. He read through the order as he flew down the stairs.
Bursting into the Vital Records office, he waved the court order at the receptionist. “I have it. My court order.”
He slapped it down on the counter and grinned at her. “The file on Abigail Collins, please.”
She glanced over the court order. “One moment.”
He tried to be patient. In a moment he would know where little Miss Abigail had gone. If the boys knew—if they had any idea—they might be trying to reach her.
She handed him the file. Carl walked over to a chair and sat down.
The first pages were photocopies of the court proceeding where the grandmother was denied custody of Abigail. The next two pages detailed the hearing that gave Elizabeth and Mike Yadle custody of Abigail Collins.
Back up. Carl read the names again. Elizabeth and Mike Yadle. But those were Sara’s parents. He stared at the page in his hands, trying to make sense of it.
He glanced at the date. Thirteen years ago. In that moment, all the pieces came together in his head.
Abigail Collins was Sara Yadle. By pure chance, pure coincidence, Ricky and Neal Collins had met up again with their sister, after thirteen years apart.
Unless Sara had known about them and was trying to find them. That was a possibility.
He stepped up to the clerk. “Can you copy this?”
She examined the file. “I’m sorry, I can’t. It’s restricted information.”
“That’s fine.” Carl waved a hand. He didn’t need the written paper. “Thanks for your help.”
As soon as he was in the hall, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed the Yadle’s number. His hands trembled.
“Hello?”
“Mrs. Yadle, Detective Hamilton here.”
“Did you find something?”
Her voice went up in pitch, and Carl flinched. He could just picture her, clutching the phone, waiting for news.
“Nothing I can say right now, Mrs. Yadle. But I do have a question for you. When you adopted Sara, were you aware of any living relatives?”
“Um… yes. There was a grandmother. We don’t know where she is now, though, and she’s had no contact with Sara. We didn’t want her to get confused… Sara, I mean.”
“That’s all?”
“I’m not really sure, Detective. It’s been so long. I remember the grandmother wanted custody of Sara but the government wouldn’t grant it. My husband and I had been waiting to adopt for years, and we got a call. There was a toddler available. There were siblings, too, but the grandmother wouldn’t give them up.”
There had been siblings.
“Why all these questions, Detective? Do you think Sara’s biological family is somehow involved in this?”
“I can’t say anything more, Mrs. Yadle. Just one more question. What was Sara’s birth name?”
“Abigail.”
“Thank you, Mrs.Yadle. I’ll get a message to you if I learn anything vital.”
Chapter 29
Jaci slowly opened her eyes. It was too cold to sleep any longer. She sat up. Sara and Amanda were curled up next to her.
“Morning, Jaci.” Neal gave her a weary smile from the tree he leaned against. Ricky slept on next to him.
Her body ached, reminding her of yesterday. She shuddered. “Thanks for keeping watch.”
Sara stirred and sat up, shivering. “Gotta pee.” She pushed herself to her feet.
“Don’t let her go alone,” Neal said, his lips tightening.
“I won’t.” Jaci got up. “I need to go, too.”
“I’ll be a minute longer,” Sara said. “Go back without me.”
Jaci paused. “Neal said not to leave you alone.”
“I’m fine,” Sara snapped. “Just go!”
“Okay.”
Amanda was up when she got back. She still had her arms pulled inside the knit sweater. Morning sun filtered through the leaves, but it didn’t give any warmth.
“Be back in a moment.” Amanda stumbled away from the group.
Jaci stepped closer to Neal. He splashed water from a warped plastic bottle onto his face, then handed it to her. She took a swig of the acrid water and watched him approach Ricky, who still slept against a tree trunk.
“Ricky,” he said, tapping him with his foot to wake him. “Wake up, it’s morning.”
Amanda returned, her green eyes wide. “I think Sara’s sick. She’s throwing up back there.”
Jaci stuffed bark into the orange bag. Their food for the day. “Does she need help?”
Amanda shook her head. “She said not to worry. She told me to go away. What do you suppose she has? Next thing you know we’ll all have it.”
“I doubt it,” Neal interjected. “She’s pregnant.”
Jaci spun around. Pregnant? But she was only fourteen. She couldn’t be pregnant!
Ricky shook his head. “I don’t think that was the best way to spring it on them.”
Jaci stared at the twins. “You know this for sure?”
Neal nodded. “Yes. She told us.”
“Oh my gosh,” Amanda said. “That explains a lot. Wow. So she’s not—Sara’s not a virgin anymore.”
“You did not just say that,” Jaci said.
Amanda looked at her and shrugged. “What, it’s just a fact. She’s the first one of us to—”
Something inside Jaci snapped, and she lunged at Amanda. “Amanda! Shut up, just shut up.”
Ricky tugged on the orange backpack across her shoulders and pulled her away.
Jaci fought tears and clutched the bag strap. Her hands trembled from the rush of anger. “Poor Sara,” she sobbed.
Ricky gave her a hug. “She’ll be okay. She’s got you.”
If Sara noticed that everyone seemed a little quiet around her, she didn’t comment.
Jaci chewed her bark in silence, wishing she could approach Sara, but not sure what to say.
They drank the last of the water. They hoped to reach a city by lunch time.
“All right, come on,” Neal said. “Just like yesterday.” He took the lead, pushing them on at a brisk pace.
After an hour of walking, they hit a road winding its way through the trees.
“Off the road,” Neal said when Amanda stepped toward it.
“But we’ll be able to go faster.”
“Stay off,” he repeated.
Amanda made a face at him but obeyed.
The forest sloped down from the road. They stayed out of the ravine, walking sideways to keep the road in sight. There was no traffic.
They followed the road as it went south and then veered west.
Another three hours, and the forest began to thin. Pastures appeared, followed by farm houses and cows.
“There’s an old barn,” Neal said, pointing.
Jaci turned itchy, tired eyes in the direction he pointed. “How is it staying up?” She laughed at the sight of the building leaning over, half of the roof caved in.
“I don’t know,” he replied with a smile. “But it will hold for one more night.”
Chapter 30
The barn door slammed shut, raining clumps of hay down on Jaci. She bolted up, blinking, trying to see in the semi-dark.
“Brr!” Ricky stood by the door, shafts of sunlight illuminating him as he rubbed his arms. “It snowed last night.”
The rest of the group stirred, moving into sitting positions around the dried yellow hay.
Jaci hugged her arms around her knees. The pink knit sweater she wore hung loosely off one shoulder, exposing her thread-bare blue t-shirt beneath.
Ricky sat down next to her. “I think your sweater’s a little big for you.”
Jaci glanced at the sweater Silvet had given her. The old woman’s clothes had been loose even when they stayed in the cabin several weeks ago. Now, Jaci couldn’t get the sweater to stay on both shoulders
She reached a hand up and touched her collar bone, feeling the way the skin stretched tight.
“Anything out there?” asked Neal.
“Nope,” said Ricky. “Not even a cow.”
“How much snow?” Sara asked.
“Not much. Looks like an inch.”
“What now?” Jaci didn’t want to walk in the snow. She glanced down at her shoes. Her left toe was visible.
Neal shrugged. “It’s up to you guys. Head out in the snow or wait here ‘til it warms up?”
Neal had only one shoe and a sock. If Neal was willing to walk in the snow, Jaci could do it too.
Ricky rubbed his forehead. “I vote we call a cab.”
“Let’s wait,” Sara said. “It’ll warm up by noon.”
Neal focused on her. “How are you feeling today?”
She blushed a little, and shot a glance toward Jaci.
Jaci swallowed, telling herself not to cry again. “It’s okay, Sara. We know.”
Sara blinked, confusion on her face. She looked at Neal.
He nodded. “I told them yesterday.”
The brims of Sara’s eyes turned red. “Excuse me,” she said. She stumbled over her feet in her hurry to get away from them.
“I guess we’ll just sit and wait for awhile.” Ricky found a spot under a large beam of wood that had partially collapsed, throwing the hay into shadow.
Neal stood up. “I’m going outside.”
“I’m sorry,” Ricky said. “About Sara, I mean.”
Jaci gave a short nod. “We all are.”
The sun came out by ten in the morning, shining brightly enough to melt away any lingering frost. They headed out.
Neal tensed every time a car approached, grabbing Sara’s arm as if preparing to run.
“Are we running from something?” Amanda asked, lifting an eyebrow.
“Just playing it safe,” said Neal. He seemed jumpy.
An hour later they found Stinger’s Bar and Grill.
The worker served up orders in small ceramic bowls. Jaci took a moment to breathe in the aroma; hamburger meat, bacon, bread, cheese. She grabbed a tray and followed behind the others.
Neal reached the check-out register first, and glanced behind him as he held out his credit card. “Ah, we’re all together.”
The girl at the cash register took his card and examined it, smacking loudly on her gum. “You got ID?”
“Um, yeah.” He pulled out his driver’s license. “Can you tell me how to get to the police department?”
“It’s in Rome, about half an hour from here.”
“Half an hour,” repeated Ricky.
Jaci did the mental calculations. Half an hour by car. About twenty miles, depending on the speed. That meant a whole day on foot.
“How do I get there?” Neal asked.
Jaci tuned out the directions and pushed a strand of hair behind her ears. Her stomach twisted painfully. Hot slices of roast beef, pasta, and garlic bread. So many options!
“What entrée would you like?” the serving woman behind the counter asked.
“Roast beef, please.” Jaci watched Sara set her tray down next to Amanda and Neal. “Ricky. Tell me about you and Sara.”
“And for you, young man?”
“Huh?” He blinked, tossing his brown hair out of his face and looking at Jaci. “Sara?”
The woman cleared her throat.
“I don’t have any cough drops,” Ricky snapped, shooting her an annoyed look.
Jaci pointed to the macaroni salad. “That too, please. And a slice of garlic bread.” She waited wh
ile the woman placed a spoonful in a small bowl. “That’s all, thanks.”
“Just give me one of those sandwiches.” Ricky pointed. “What about Sara?”
“I don’t know.” Jaci kept her voice low. “You seem so close. Something about the two of you—actually, the three of you, you, Neal, and Sara…” It nagged at her.
“I’m not flirting. It’s different. I don’t know how to explain it.”
“Does Sara know it’s different?”
They set their trays down at a table. “Sure. Yeah.”
Jaci sat down next to him. “Forget it.” She dug her fork into the food.
Then the nagging coalesced into a solid thought, and she stopped. “Your last name is Collins.”
“Yes.” He grabbed up his sandwich and took a huge bite. “And yours is Rivera.”
“But I think—” She shook her head. “No. Let’s eat first.”
Chapter 31
Jaci tried not to eat too fast. She couldn’t wait to talk to Sara. It all made sense. Their closeness, the bond between them, even their eyes—that hazel color.
She tapped her fingers on the table, watching Ricky finish his sandwich. She pushed her chair back. “Come on.”
Amanda was talking, using her hands for emphasis, when Jaci approached.
“Sara,” Jaci interrupted, “what’s your last name?”
“Have you forgotten, Jaci?” Sara asked. “Yadle.”
“No, not that one. Your biological last name. Before you were adopted.”
She paused a moment. “Collins.”
Ricky looked at Sara. “Really?”
“Yes,” she said, giving Jaci a puzzled look.
“But you know that’s our last name too,” said Neal.
“Yeah. So?”
“Is it just coincidence?” Ricky asked.
“How should I know?”
Jaci’s excitement became certainty. “You’re related.”
Neal stood up. “Let’s head out of here and talk about this.”
The sun was straight up in the sky, casting short shadows from the shops across the sidewalk.
“It’s weird because all three of us are orphans,” said Neal. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t think much of it.”
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