“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rosie asked.
“It’s always about you—your movies, your plans, your ideas—and you think Henry and I should go along with whatever you want. You’re so bossy.”
Rosie opened and closed her mouth before finding her words. “I am not!”
“You are so.” Cam’s eyes snapped and crackled at Rosie. “Why do you think Henry stomped out of here? He’s sick of you telling him what to do, just like I am!”
Rosie’s nails dug into her palms. Breathing hard, she glared at Cam. How had she ever thought Cam was her best friend? She was a traitor and a liar. Rosie wanted to tell Cam off right that instant and say the meanest thing she could possibly think of, but the words were clogged in her throat.
Instead, Rosie whipped around, rushing out of the room, away from her former best friend. Cam didn’t try to stop her. Rosie’s whole body was shaking. Henry wouldn’t help. Cam wouldn’t help. Mama wouldn’t help. There was no one.
She had no one.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Rosie managed to make it through the rest of the school day, though her head ached the entire time. When she got home, Mama was waiting for her on the front stoop with crossed arms. Rosie knew she had really messed up when Mama spoke less in the three hours they were home together than she usually spoke in two minutes. When Mama finally left for the festival, she didn’t even call out good-bye.
After waiting a half hour, Rosie grabbed her camcorder and hurried outside. She sprinted down Magnolia Street and toward River Bend Park. The air was cool, with winter gnawing along the edges. Dusk had already set in, and the light turned amber like a jelly glass filled with sweet tea. Inside the park, silver-and-blue banners hung from the trees and twinkled in the darkness. Rosie could see boats decorated with lights in a rainbow of colors already lining up in Glimmer Creek for the nightly boat parade and fireworks.
Miss Matilda’s grandsons had caught piles of stripers and bluefish, and the smell of frying fish wafted out of the main blue-and-white tent. The Landon High jazz band was warming up on the raised dais of the stage. Nearby were giant inflatable slides and bounce houses in garish shades of orange and pink. Rows of games like beanbag toss and a dunking booth where you could win tickets and exchange them for prizes, like plastic swords and candy bars, lined the waterfront. The cheerful blinking lights of the rides made red-and-green patterns on the faces below.
White tents and homemade booths lined the sidewalk. Mr. Blandstone had decorated one booth with a large hand-lettered sign that read: TRAIN TREASURE HUNTERS CLUB—ALL MEMBERS WELCOME. Rosie could see the Rodgers brothers and Jim and Curtis Cope, along with Mrs. Green and Mr. Waverman. Mr. Blandstone was yelling about how aliens might have already gotten to the treasure.
As Rosie marched forward, her eyes darted left and right. She scanned every face around her, searching for Michael. Her heart was pounding in time with the drums on the stage, beating the same syllables over and over: find him, find him. Her father was here somewhere, waiting for her.
Rosie skirted the main paths to avoid running into Mama, half expecting her to pop up behind Rosie at any second and ruin her entire plan. Finally, she spotted Mayor Grant beside the stage. Crouching down, she crawled through the bushes and snuck behind the raised dais. She peeked around the corner. Mayor Grant was waving his hands and barking into a walkie-talkie.
Rosie whipped her head back behind the stage. Her heart beat so hard against her rib cage, she worried it might fly right out of her chest. She did not want to walk out to the center of the dance floor in plain view. Mama could show up at any moment, but this might be her one chance to talk to Mayor Grant alone. Rosie took a deep breath. She didn’t have a choice.
Hurrying around the stage, Rosie sprinted up to him. “Hi, Mayor, I’ve got the documentary right here, all ready to go.”
Mayor Grant frowned. “Caroline said the documentary wasn’t happening. She said something about you getting in trouble.”
Rosie’s mind raced. She hadn’t even considered how to explain away what Mama might have told him. “That’s because … she thought it wasn’t done. She was trying to give me an excuse. But I—I finished it last minute as a surprise for her. You’re both going to love it.”
“I don’t know …” Mayor Grant averted his eyes. “I haven’t had a chance to watch it yet, and Caroline said—”
“You could watch it right now,” Rosie interrupted. “It’s only twenty-three minutes long.”
Mayor Grant looked back at the stage and glanced down at his watch. “I’m knee-deep in coordinating right now. I don’t have time to watch anything.”
“It’s really good, I promise,” Rosie said desperately.
“I can’t show something I haven’t seen,” Mayor Grant said. “I’m sorry, Rosie, but I did tell you I needed to see it in advance.”
Rosie had to convince him to screen the documentary. It might not be good, but it was better than nothing. She didn’t want her father to think she’d lied about the premiere. This screening had to happen. The famous director Orson Welles didn’t give up when he was trying to finish his film Othello and kept running out of money. He took on other jobs and financed the film himself. And after everything she’d done—lied to Mama, skipped school, snuck out—she couldn’t fail now.
“Mayor, please. I worked so hard. Just … please. This means”—Rosie’s voice broke—“everything to me.”
Mayor Grant examined her face on the verge of tears and finally shook his head. “All right, honey. Now, don’t go crying over spoiled milk. We’ll show your movie before the main feature. Let’s go find that technology fellow.”
Exhaling, Rosie swayed on her feet when she realized how close she’d come to failing.
After explaining how to set up her film, Rosie went back to searching for Michael. She kept to the edges of the park where the trees were the thickest, but still managed to check behind every ride and food stand. She scoured the sidewalks and rows of games. There was no sign of him. She wanted to scream out for everyone to be quiet, for the music to stop playing, for the rides to stop chiming, so she could call out Michael’s name and find him before Mama found her.
“Henry Thompson, please report to the stage,” the loudspeaker blared.
Rosie stopped walking, her eyes focused solely on the stage, her body becoming completely still. Henry? Her neck prickled with warning. Henry? Why did Henry have to report to the stage? A sudden and terrible feeling wormed its way around the pit of her stomach.
Pushing through the crowd, Rosie rushed forward. Her eyes blocked out everything else except the raised dais of the stage. Miss Betty and Henry’s father, Mr. Joe, stood near Mayor Grant and Mrs. Grant. Miss Betty was pacing near the edge of the stage, wringing her hands. Cam ran up just as Rosie did. They looked at each other once before their eyes veered in opposite directions.
“What’s wrong with Henry?” Rosie asked.
“I’m sure it’s nothing, but we’re having a little trouble finding him,” Mrs. Grant said.
“What does that mean?” Cam demanded.
“He’s missing,” Miss Betty said, never ceasing her pacing. “He never came home from school today. I thought he must be here at the festival, but I can’t find him anywhere. I ran into Principal Bradley a few minutes ago, and he said Henry missed his last two classes. Have you girls seen him?”
“Not since lunch,” Cam said.
A cold chill zipped down Rosie’s spine.
“Now, honey, he can’t have gone far,” Mr. Joe said in his slow, deep voice.
But despite Mr. Joe’s assurance, queasiness grew in Rosie’s stomach like she’d swallowed too much river water. The minutes ticked by without Henry appearing. It wasn’t like him to wander off alone. Mayor Grant made another announcement over the loudspeaker, asking Henry to come to the stage immediately. He was nowhere in sight.
Miss Betty began to fan herself. “Oh, dear Lord, something has happened to my Henry. We must find Sheri
ff Parker immediately.”
Rosie was woozy, unbalanced on her feet. The lights above the stage glared down, and the insistent dinging of a nearby game rang in her ears. The faces around her blurred as the truth sank in. Henry was gone.
Miss Betty was barking orders at Mr. Joe. Within minutes, Sheriff Parker and Deputy Cordell showed up and started asking questions. Mayor Grant began talking about shutting down the festival early and asking if anyone knew where Caroline had gone.
Rosie told Deputy Cordell how Henry had wanted to search for the train treasure. The problem was she couldn’t give Deputy Cordell any idea where Henry had gone to search because she hadn’t listened to him. She was more concerned with sneaking out and getting her documentary to Mayor Grant. She had ignored Henry and for what? To find a father who didn’t care enough to find her for twelve years? To screen a documentary everyone would forget in a day?
A missing child quickly sucked any fun from the Festival of the Fish. As news traveled through the crowd, whispers of concern overflowed into River Bend Park. People gathered in small groups near the stage, but Rosie didn’t even bother to look for Michael or Mama. She could worry about all that later, after she found her best friend. Clutching her elbows, she rubbed her arms and worked to bring the feeling back into her fingers. If something terrible happened to Henry, she would never forgive herself.
Hazel hobbled up to Rosie. Her gray braid hung down her back. She wore a long black dress over a pair of black pants with a black cloak thrown over it and a black scarf tied around her neck. It looked as if she had put on every piece of clothing in her closet.
“What are you doing here?” Rosie asked.
“Thought I’d take a gander at your movie,” Hazel said. “Guess that ain’t happening now, with that boy going missing like he did.”
“He’s my best friend,” Rosie said.
“That so? He tried to ask me about finding something yesterday,” Hazel said.
Rosie’s heart soared into her throat. “You talked to Henry yesterday? Did he tell you he was looking for the train treasure? Did you tell him where it was?”
Hazel backed away from Rosie’s rapid-fire questions. “Didn’t tell him nothing. Just like everyone else. Told you I don’t find things anymore.”
“But you could if you wanted to,” Rosie said, stepping toward her. “If you tell me where to find the train treasure, then maybe I can find Henry. Please, Hazel! This may be life or death.”
Hazel’s eyes bored into Rosie’s face. “Guess I could make one exception. Not ’cause I like you, mind you. Don’t much like anyone. But I’m already here.”
“Thank you,” Rosie said breathlessly.
“Don’t thank me till you hear what I got to say.” A soft breath escaped Hazel, and her eyes went blank. Several beats of time passed before Hazel finally said, “You got to dig under the leaves of Lonnie’s safe house.”
Rosie scrunched up her nose. “That’s it? I don’t understand. I don’t know where Lonnie hid out after the train robbery. Can’t you give me some more details?”
Hazel shrugged. “Nope. All’s I can do is tell you how to find things that are lost. Don’t know how to make sense of what comes into my head.”
“But what you said doesn’t mean anything.”
“That’s what I got,” Hazel said, flinging one end of her bedraggled cloak over her shoulder. Without even saying good-bye, she turned and hobbled down the sidewalk.
“Wait,” Rosie called. “Are you sure you didn’t see anything else? Like a street sign or a map?”
Hazel ignored her, and the crowd soon swallowed up her small, hunched form.
Dark clouds hijacked the sky and blotted out the stars. The air was hostile with cold. Rosie didn’t know where to go or what to do next. A weight pressed down onto her chest.
Rosie wanted to chase after Hazel, but it wouldn’t do any good. Hazel couldn’t decipher her own clues on how to find things. She only knew what she’d told Rosie. And what she’d told Rosie didn’t help at all.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Rosie stumbled through the crowd, avoiding eye contact with anyone. The more she walked, the more alone she felt. She wanted Henry. She wanted home. Most of all, she wanted Mama.
Miss Lily, Mr. Jack, and Miss Jessie materialized in front of her, matching expressions of concern on their faces. “Rosie, are you all right? We heard about Henry,” Mr. Jack said.
Miss Lily put an arm around her, giving her a half hug. “You don’t look good, darling.”
“Have you seen Mama?” Rosie asked.
“There was a problem with one of the generators, and Caroline had to get on the phone with someone at the company. I’m not sure where she went,” Miss Jessie said.
Miss Matilda clomped up to them, yelling at Mayor Grant. “Why’d you have to tell Miss Betty not to panic? Everyone knows if you tell someone not to panic, all they’ll do is panic.”
“I am doing my best to prevent hysteria,” Mayor Grant huffed. “You’re supposed to avoid that like the plaque.”
“You mean the plague,” Mr. Jack said.
“I mean plaque,” Mayor Grant said. “No one wants plaque on their teeth. Smells worse than week-old crabs.”
Mr. Jack bent close to Rosie. “Can we help you look for Caroline?”
“Do you want to come back to my house?” Miss Lily asked.
“Give the girl some space,” Miss Matilda barked.
Shaking her head, Rosie tried not to release the tears crowded right behind her eyes. If Mama were here, she’d know how to answer these questions. She’d know to take Rosie somewhere quiet.
They were all staring at her, waiting for an answer, but Rosie wished everyone would disappear. She closed her eyes and saw Henry locked in a basement, his face pale and lit up by a spotlight as a menacing silhouette loomed above him. It was every rated-R horror movie Mama wouldn’t let her see come to life.
Rosie’s airway narrowed, and she swayed on her feet. Her brain was a movie screen fading to black. All at once there she was. Mama ran straight toward her, pushing her way through the crowd and throwing her arms around Rosie. Rosie sagged against her, burying her face into Mama’s shoulder, which smelled of honeysuckle and coffee. She took a deep breath, and air filled her lungs.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” Mama said.
“Oh, Mama, Henry is gone,” Rosie said, tears trickling down her cheeks.
“We’ll find him,” Mama said, patting Rosie’s back. “I know we will. There are only so many places a kid can go in Glimmer Creek, and there’s even fewer places when that kid is afraid of water, allergic to grass, and possesses a healthy fear of the dark.”
“But what if we don’t?” Rosie asked.
“Don’t think like that,” Mama said.
Rosie squeezed her eyes shut. The people around them melted away. It was quiet in the circle of Mama’s arms. Rosie nestled in, never wanting to leave.
“I’m sorry,” Rosie whispered into Mama’s shoulder.
“I know you are,” Mama whispered back. “And I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have gone to dinner last night without talking to you first.”
“I wish I hadn’t gotten so worked up about it,” Rosie said.
“It’s understandable,” Mama said, squeezing her tight. “But there’s nothing for you to worry about. I don’t think Sheriff Parker and I are going out again.”
Rosie looked up in surprise. “Why?”
Mama’s eyes dimmed. “It isn’t the right time for us to start dating. There’s too much going on with you and work getting busy and, well, everything. We only went to dinner that one time, and we’re more like friends anyway.”
This was what Rosie had wanted all along—for Mama to not date Sheriff Parker—but there was no rush of happiness at the news. Instead, she pictured how Mama’s face had glowed when she talked about him and the way Mama had smiled when he opened her car door. Rosie frowned. She wasn’t sure what she wanted anymore except to go home.
Rosie rested her head back on Mama’s shoulder and let out a huge breath. “Can we get out of here?”
“Absolutely,” Mama said with a tremulous smile.
River Bend Park was quieting down as they started toward the exit. Mrs. Grant had her arm around Miss Betty over by the stage. Mr. Jack and Mr. Willis were gathering a growing group and talking about a search party. Miss Matilda and Anna Lee passed out cups of coffee to all the volunteers. Everyone in Glimmer Creek was pitching in to find Henry. Rosie hoped it was enough.
She stopped short when Sheriff Parker strode past. He was looking down at a small notepad in his hand, not seeing them or anything else. Rosie pulled away from Mama. “Please, Sheriff? Have you found Henry yet?” Her voice wobbled on the name.
Sheriff Parker stopped and thrust the notepad back in his pocket. “Not yet, but we will.”
“I already told Deputy Cordell about Henry looking for the train treasure today, but then I talked to Hazel Maywell here at the festival and found out something else. She said the treasure was under the leaves of Lonnie’s safe house, so if you can find wherever Lonnie hid out after the robbery, maybe you’ll find Henry. He’s got to be in the woods somewhere,” Rosie said anxiously.
Sheriff Parker made a note on his notepad. “We’ll take that into consideration.”
Rosie brushed away the tears in her eyes, suddenly furious with herself. “You should also know that I saw Henry at school today. I was distracted with doing something stupid, and we had a fight. And Henry—he was—he was really mad at me. I was acting terrible. He may not have been thinking straight because of me.”
Mama put an arm around Rosie’s shoulder. “You didn’t cause this.”
Rosie couldn’t speak. That wasn’t true. If she had listened to her friend the way she was supposed to, he wouldn’t have gotten lost.
“I’m glad you told me about this,” Sheriff Parker said. “It’s useful to know his state of mind. Sometimes that can lead to a clue about where he went.”
“I know you’re talking to people, but is that really enough? Could you send out search dogs or offer a reward? I know from multiple movie sources that you have the best chance of finding a missing person in the first twenty-four hours,” Rosie said, her voice cracking.
Forever Glimmer Creek Page 16