Rock Harbor Series - 01 - Without a Trace (32 page)

Naomi prayed with her, and when Bree raised her head, the colors of the world had shifted as though she’d stepped out of a black-and-white TV into a cinematic event. There were no clanging bells, no singing birds, but she felt the whisper of another presence. Her Hound of Heaven had found her, and she was his. “Thank you, God,” she whispered. “Thank you.”

22

T
he next morning Bree hummed as she rummaged through the cabinets for something edible. Even the sight of Davy’s boxes failed to dampen her spirits. There would be time enough to bury them. She felt certain she would see Davy again someday, and that joy eased her sadness.

Too excited to eat cold cereal for breakfast, she decided to go to Nicholls’s for coffee and cinnamon rolls. She wanted to see Anu’s face when she heard the good news. Kade had been overjoyed last night and had insisted on making a fancy dinner to celebrate her decision. He’d gone to the store and brought back enough supplies to feed an army. He’d made beef stroganoff fit for a king.

She grabbed her coat and the book Naomi had left behind. She could drop the book off on her way home from the store. Though it was only seven, she knew Anu would be there by now. Bree and Samson trudged down Negaunee and onto Houghton Street through the snowdrifts. She used her key to let herself in. The aroma of yeast and cinnamon was enticing.

“I hope you have enough for me,” she called out as she walked toward the back of the store.

“Bree, I wasn’t expecting you. You’re up early.” Anu hugged her, leaving a smudge of flour on Bree’s jeans. “Oh, dear, I’m sorry.”

Bree brushed at the flour. “It’s coming off, don’t worry. Those smell wonderful. Can I have one?”

“Of course. Coffee is on too.” Anu’s gaze was sharp as she took
in the smile on Bree’s face. “You look different this morning,
kulta.
Has something happened? You’ve found a place for your new business perhaps?”

“Better.” Bree poured a cup of coffee and took a cinnamon bun from the pan. Licking the icing, the grin spread on her face, and she giggled.

“You look positively giddy,” Anu said. “What is it?”

“I’m a Christian,” Bree said simply. “I’ll see Davy again, and Rob.” The burden of her pain and disillusionment over Rob’s betrayal was gone now too, she realized. It no longer crushed the life from her.

Anu cried out and rushed to hug her. Bree set her breakfast on the table and embraced her mother-in-law. Anu held her at arm’s length. “Now you are truly my daughter in all ways,” she said. “Remember this moment,
kulta,
this first love for God. Holding to it will see you through the storms life brings.”

“There are more?” Bree asked with a smile.

Anu wanted to hear all about Bree’s journey toward God, so they sat at the table and drank their coffee while Bree explained the events of the past few weeks.

“Have you talked to Mason or Hilary?” Bree asked finally. “Did you hear what I found at the mine yesterday?”

Anu shook her head. “I had a church meeting last night, so I didn’t get home until after ten.”

Bree told her about the blood.

“The mine is so familiar.” Anu pursed her lips. “So familiar. My husband Abe worked at the mine the year before it closed down. As the accountant, he was good friends with Matthew Kukkan, Fay’s grandfather. There was some talk of looking for gold at the mine. Silly, eh? My Abe told them even if there was gold, it would be too expensive to extract from the copper ore.”

Bree gave a frustrated sigh. “But we still don’t know if the murder
had anything to do with the mine or if Fay was killed in a jealous rage by one of the three men.”

“And what of the woman who might know where my Rob’s plane crashed? Any news of her?”

“We found her hat out by the mine yesterday, but the dogs couldn’t pick up her scent.” Bree was still thinking of the gold. “I wonder if it would be more feasible to extract the gold now?”

“You must ask Mason. Not that it matters now,” Anu said. “I don’t know why I even mentioned they’d thought to look. Nothing ever came of it.”

“I think I’ll stop by his office now.” Bree rose and bent to kiss Anu’s cheek. “Thank you for being such a good example for me to follow,” she whispered.

Anu touched her cheek. “Now you must carry the light, my Bree. Remember the psalm: ‘Even in darkness, light dawns for the upright.’ That is you now. Let your light shine here in Rock Harbor.”

“I’ll try.” Buoyant, Bree called Samson, and they went out into the snow again. Mason wasn’t at the office, but Montgomery said he’d be back around 8:30. She had time to drop off Naomi’s book.

Bree rang the doorbell at the Blue Bonnet then tried the door. Martha or Naomi had already unlocked it, so she stepped inside. “It’s just me,” she called.

Martha bustled down the hall, a voluminous chef’s apron tied around her rose-colored dress. “Bree, dear, you’re just in time for breakfast.”

“That’s what I was hoping for,” she said. “I had a
pulla
and coffee with Anu, but I’m still hungry.”

Martha laughed, and her cheeks turned pink. “You can join Naomi in the dining room. We don’t have any guests until tomorrow, so it’s just us.”

“Even better.” Bree went through the parlor to the dining room. “Hey, girlfriend, you left your book at my house last night. Again.”

“I knew I did when I tried to find it last night.” Naomi took the book with a shamefaced laugh.

“You need to carry your books on a string around your neck.” Bree smiled and sat beside her friend.

Martha wanted to hear all about Bree’s newfound faith. When they were done, Bree went to call Mason, but the phone rang before she could dial.

“I’ll get it,” she called. “Blue Bonnet,” she answered.

“Naomi?” a deep voice asked.

Bree recognized Donovan. “Hello, Donovan. This is Bree.”

“I wonder if you could ask Naomi to come over right away?” Donovan sounded distraught.

“What’s wrong?” she asked sharply.

“A contractor has a bad water leak and needs supplies right away. I need to hurry in and open the store. I was hoping Naomi could watch the kids for a few minutes until the bus comes.”

“We’ll be right there,” she assured him. She rushed to the kitchen to get Naomi.

Five minutes later they were running up the walk to the O’Reilly house. Donovan met them at the door. He thanked them quickly as he ran out. Just as Bree and Naomi went to find the kids, a wail came from the end of the hallway.

“Timmy’s locked in the bathroom!” Emily threw herself into Naomi’s arms. Bree was glad to see a bond seemed to be developing there.

“We’ll get him out quickly,” Naomi said, running a hand over Emily’s hair. “Does your daddy have a screwdriver somewhere?”

She nodded and ran to get one.

Bree took the screwdriver and stuck it in the lock. “Call Kade in case I can’t get this open,” she told Naomi.

Naomi carried Emily with her and went to the living room, where Bree heard her call Kade and ask him to come over. Bree spoke sooth
ingly to Timmy on the other side of the door as she worked on the lock. Jiggling and twisting the screwdriver, she finally heard a click.

“I think I’ve got it!” She turned the knob, and the door opened. Timmy fell into her arms. She picked him up, and he wrapped his legs around her. The feel of his small body brought a lump to her throat.

She and Naomi soothed the children then began to help them get ready for school. Ten minutes later the front door banged, and Kade’s voice called from the entryway, “Everything okay?”

Still carrying Timmy, Bree went to join Kade. “Got him. He’s okay, just shook up.” She smoothed the hair back from his face and pressed her lips to his forehead. “Ready to get down?”

He nodded, and she put him down. “I want Pooky,” he said.

Bree froze. Her chest felt so tight she could barely breathe. “Pooky?” she finally choked out.

Timmy went to the couch and rummaged under a blanket. He turned triumphantly and held out a small, brown koala bear. “Pooky,” he said.

Time rolled backward like a riptide. Bree swallowed hard.

“Timmy,
no!”
Emily said. “You’re not supposed to tell. The witch of the woods will come back and hurt us. Remember how mad she got at Sam?”

The witch of the woods again, but who was Sam? Bree held out her hand. “Can . . . can I see Pooky a minute?” she asked. She was dimly aware of Naomi joining them in the living room. Keeping her eyes on the bear, she managed to walk forward on legs that felt no stronger than spaghetti. Davy’s bear was like a part of him. She’d longed to find it.

Her hands shook as she reached out to take the stuffed animal. There must be hundreds of these little bears around, she told herself. But a tingle went up her arm when she touched the bear and saw the Barney swim trunks it wore. There was a raspberry stain on the right leg over Barney’s face from when Davy had helped her pick enough
berries to make a cobbler. Closing her eyes, she clutched Pooky to her chest.

“Oh, dear God, help us,” Naomi prayed in a hoarse whisper. “I’ve been here several times and never seen it.”

“We hided it,” Emily whispered. “We didn’t want her to get mad.”

Slowly, so slowly, Bree eased down onto the couch. She heard her voice as if from a great distance. “Timmy, where did you get this?”

“Sam gave it to me.”

“Who’s Sam?”

“We told you!” Emily said impatiently. “He belongs to the witch of the woods. He’s her little boy. He gave it to Timmy when he was sick, but then Timmy dropped it. When Sam visited us last week, he said he’d found it and still wanted Timmy to have it. We weren’t supposed to tell anyone.”

Bree was trembling as if she were weak from the flu. She was afraid to breathe, afraid she would wake up. A little boy in the woods with a woman who seemed bent on avoiding people. And now Davy’s favorite toy. What did it all mean? Logic said the woman had found the plane and given Davy’s things to her little boy, which was what she’d assumed about the glove. But what if it was more than that? Was it possible? She was afraid to breathe, afraid to really look at it clearly.

She pulled Emily to her. “This is very important, Emily. What did he look like?”

“Don’t jump to conclusions, Bree,” Naomi said. “The woman gave it to her son.”

“What’s going on?” Kade asked.

Bree blinked and stared up at him. “This belonged to Davy,” she whispered. “It’s his favorite toy. I’m sure he had it with him when the plane went down.”

Kade’s eyes widened. He knelt beside the children. “We need to
find this witch of the woods, kids. Can you remember anything about where her cabin was?”

The urgency got through to the kids, for they grew sober with eyes as round as sand dollars. Emily looked as though she might cry. “It was dark, and we were lost,” she said.

“I know; I know,” Kade said, patting her on the shoulder.

Bree suddenly remembered the hat. “Kade, would you get my ready-pack out of the Jeep?”

Recognition at what she wanted with the pack came into his eyes, and he nodded as he went quickly to the door. He returned moments later with the pack in his hand. Bree took the pack and unzipped it. She pulled out the hat.

“Hey, that’s her hat!” Timmy said.

So the witch and the woman Fay saw were one and the same. “What did Sam look like?” she whispered.

“He was little like Timmy,” Emily said. “And he had dark brown hair.”

Brown hair. Her stomach plummeted. Davy’s was red like hers.

“What about his eyes?” Naomi asked.

“Green!” Timmy announced triumphantly. “Like my marble.”

“Like Bree’s?” Naomi asked.

Emily tipped her head to one side and stared at Bree. “Yes, just like yours,” she said. “And he had freckles like yours too.”

“And he limped,” Emily added.

Bree stared at Naomi. “Is it possible?” she whispered.

“I’m afraid to hope,” Naomi said quietly.

He couldn’t be alive, could he? This was surely just some other child who’d been given things from the wreckage of the plane. Bree’s heart warmed from the tiny hope that flickered there.

“We’re going to be late for school,” Emily said in a small voice. “We missed the bus.”

“Show me where you saw the woman,” Bree said to Kade, jumping
to her feet. “We’ll drop the kids off at school then go out to where you saw the woman.” She wasn’t sure she could drive, she was shaking so hard. “Can you drive?” she asked Naomi. She nodded and took the keys.

Naomi got the kids into their coats. On wobbly legs, Bree walked to the Jeep and got in on the passenger side. Naomi buckled the children into the backseat then got behind the wheel. Kade put the dogs in the rear compartment before he climbed into the backseat.

“Pray hard,” Naomi said, slipping the Jeep into gear.

Bree nodded. She’d started pleading with God as soon as she realized this might not be a dream. Thankfulness welled up in her. The sense of God’s presence was a comfort she’d never expected.

The discard pile by the door had grown larger. Rachel knew she could only take what she and Sam could carry. She had no time or money to make another trip out here. They would buy what they needed in Chicago once she started earning some money. They had to get out of here before that man came back. He frightened her, and Sam had cried for hours when they’d gotten back to the cabin. He’d clearly recognized the man.

The pitiful stack of things they would take lay on the bare mattress. “You ready to get packed up, Sammy?”

He nodded. “Why can’t I take my books?”

“They’re too heavy, son. You’ve read them all anyway. I’ll buy new ones you haven’t read yet when we get to our new home.”

“Can I take
The Little Engine That Could
? It’s not heavy.”

He’d read that book so many times the copy was dog-eared and grimy. But he was right; it was light. “I suppose. If there’s room.”

“There’s room.” He scampered to the bed and began to pack his small backpack.

He owned little. Just the bare necessities she’d managed to buy.
Three pairs of pants and shirts, four sets of underwear and socks, and the coat he would wear out of here. Rachel resolved once again to do better by him once they were in Chicago. She joined him at the bed and packed her own meager possessions.