Rock Harbor Series - 01 - Without a Trace Read online

“Sammy, you hop into your pajamas, and I’ll be back soon.”

  “I want to go too.” Sam stared up at her, his green eyes pleading.

  “You’re not strong enough, Sam. I’ll have to carry Timmy—I can’t carry you too.” He knew to stay inside and keep the door latched until she came back. She’d had to leave him often over the past months.

  Sam’s lower lip trembled, but he didn’t argue with her. It was no wonder the poor little guy wanted to go along. These children were the first contact he’d had with other people in months. Rachel gnawed her lip. She wished she could do better by him. But sometimes you just had to play the hand you were dealt. He would learn soon enough how life threw you punches and you had to stiffen your backbone and fight back, just as she did.

  Giving Sam a little push, she went toward the little boy. “I’ll be back soon. You rest.”

  Sam nodded and watched with wistful eyes as she picked up Timmy then took Emily’s hand and led her out the door. “Wait!” he cried suddenly. He limped toward them and thrust his beloved stuffed koala bear in the little boy’s hand.

  Rachel frowned. “You don’t want to do that, Sam.” The kid had few enough toys. He didn’t need to be giving them away to strangers. From the looks of these two, they were middle-class and probably had bedrooms full of toys.

  Sam’s lip protruded farther. “I want to give it to him,” he said.

  Rachel shrugged. “Just don’t come crying to me tonight when you miss it.”

  “His name is Pooky,” Sam said, ducking his head.

  The little girl took the bear from her brother’s unresponsive hand and cradled it in her arm. She gave Sam a brilliant smile. “Thanks. I’ll give it to Timmy when we get home.” She fumbled in her jeans pocket and pulled out a yo-yo. “Here, you can have this.”

  Sam stared at the yo-yo then back up at Emily.

  “You play with it like this.” Emily took the toy back, slipped the string over her finger, and threw it. Sam’s eyes grew wider as the yo-yo returned to her hand. “Here, you try it.” She thrust it back into his hand and showed him how to put the string on his finger. He awkwardly tried to throw it, but it only came partway back.

  “You’ll get the hang of it,” she told him. “Just practice. Thanks for the bear.” She leaned over and kissed Sam on the cheek. With Pooky in her hand, she scampered out the door behind Rachel.

  Carrying Timmy, Rachel led Emily across the yard and entered the forest. Stumbling over branches and brambles, they wound their way through the thick trees. Rachel’s back ached from the little boy’s weight.

  Over an hour later, Rachel set Timmy down to rest her arms then stood and stretched. The road wasn’t far now, another fifteen minutes maybe. It was still light enough to see. She could park them by the side of the road, and someone would be along shortly. It was the best she could do.

  Leaning down to retrieve her burden, she froze at the sound of voices. People—more than one. And dogs. That could be trouble. She set Timmy back on the forest floor.

  “You’re safe now, kids,” she said hastily. “I’ve gotta go.”

  “Don’t leave us!” Emily scrabbled for her hand, but Rachel evaded her, cursing herself for ever getting involved. She hoped she didn’t regret this day, but she was a sucker for kids.

  Flipping her braid over one shoulder, Rachel took off at a run. “You’ll be okay,” she called behind her. “There are people coming. They’re probably looking for you.” The safety of the forest beckoned her, and she plunged into its sheltering depths. Emily’s wails followed her.

  Kade’s temper was short as he organized the teams and finally got them on their way. The K-9 team he’d worked with before in Yellowstone had represented the height of ineptitude, scattering evidence and leading searchers in the wrong direction. He knew all teams were not that bad—the media reported plenty of success stories—but this search was his responsibility, and those kids were depending on him. Bree Nicholls had deliberately disobeyed his orders. Worse, the sheriff had made it clear his sister-in-law was to be allowed to have her own way. Typical of the nepotism in a small town like Rock Harbor.

  He saw the mayor talking on a walkie-talkie and stalked her way. “Anything?”

  Hilary clicked off the device. “None of the dogs has picked up the scent yet,” she said.

  Kade leaned against the truck. “I thought this was a hotshot K-9 team.”

  “Samson has been written up in more magazines than you can count,” Hilary said. “But even he isn’t perfect. They still haven’t found the plane that went down with my brother and their son.”

  An awkward silence passed between them. “Your family issues are none of my business,” Kade said. “But I don’t like the way Bree Nicholls disobeyed my orders and put those kids in jeopardy.”

  “She knows what she’s doing,” Hilary said. “You haven’t been here long, but she and Samson have found quite a few lost campers since she and Rob moved here.”

  Before Kade could reply, a familiar red car slid to a halt in a cloud of dust. The door on the battered Plymouth spilled open, and his sister, Lauri, got out, her face its usual mask of petulance. He’d often thought of taking her picture and showing her that expression. Would she want her face to take on those lines for the rest of her life? He hadn’t done it, because he knew it would just make her mad. Everything was his fault these days.

  “We’ve already missed the movies,” she said with her hands on her hips. Her gaze traveled to the two young rangers standing near the path to the pavilion. Straightening at their looks of interest, she preened and gave them a sultry smile.

  Kade gritted his teeth. She was way too young to be flirting like that. At sixteen, his sister was a budding Lolita, using the power of her beauty in ways he probably didn’t want to know about. “What are you doing here?” he asked abruptly.

  Lauri turned from her silent flirtation with the rangers and gave her brother a smoldering glare. “You didn’t even phone. If I hadn’t called headquarters, I’d still be wondering where you were.”

  “I should have called, but things developed too fast for me to remember. There are two children lost in the woods, and one of them is sick. I forgot all about the movies. Sorry, kid.”

  “Don’t call me ‘kid’!” Lauri tossed her head again. “I’m sick and tired of always taking second place to your job. If you don’t want me around, just say so. I could go stay with Grandma and Grandpa.”

  Kade sighed, weariness settling over him like a suffocating wave from Lake Superior. “We’ve been over all that, Lauri. You are not going to our grandparents. You’d run over them inside a week. Besides, I promised Mom you’d finish school here, and I intend to keep my promise.”

  Lauri gave him a calculated look far too mature for a sixteen-year-old. Where did she get that manner? He wanted her to enjoy her remaining years of school, to be a normal teenager, but he didn’t know how to ensure that, how to reach the vulnerable child he still sometimes glimpsed in her eyes. She refused to go to youth group at church. It was all he could do to get her to go to church at all.

  “Fine,” she said through gritted teeth. “I’ll see you later.” She slung her long legs under the wheel and slammed the car door shut.

  “Lauri, come back here!” he yelled. Her face set as though she didn’t hear, she tore off down the road, dust spitting from the tires. He clenched his jaw.

  “Why don’t we drive along the access road?” Hilary asked. “It would be better than sitting around here doing nothing.”

  Kade nodded, thankful the mayor had the tact to ignore Lauri’s little scene. He felt the need to be doing something. Otherwise, he might go find his sister and strangle her. He opened the truck door for the mayor then slammed it shut and got in on his side. He started the truck and drove into the dark forest.

  Hilary cleared her throat. “Kids can be a trial, can’t they? I was a lot like Lauri at that age. It was an admirable thing to take on her care.”

  “I’m regretting it d
aily,” he said grimly. The mayor’s sympathy surprised Kade. In their few encounters, he’d always thought her all business. “You have any kids?”

  She turned to look out the window. “Not yet.”

  That was a stupid question and clearly none of his business. When would he learn to keep his mouth shut? The radio attached to his belt crackled to life.

  “Ranger station, come in.” Bree’s voice cut out then surged stronger. “We’ve found them, and I’m sending up a flare. We’re in sector four.”

  Kade grabbed the radio. “Ten-four. What kind of shape are they in?” Only a crackle of the radio answered his question, then a light shot from the forest and illuminated an area to their left. He gunned the truck down the rutted track. Hilary clung to the door as the truck pitched from side to side. He tossed the radio to her.

  “Call an ambulance!” When the truck finished grinding to a halt beneath the spreading light, he jumped from the vehicle, grabbed his first-aid kit from the back, and ran toward the cluster of people huddled at the base of a giant sycamore.

  Bree and Naomi were kneeling beside the two children. The little girl’s face was streaked with mud, and tears had left blotches on her face. She held her younger brother’s hand. Kade’s gaze dropped to the little boy cradled in Bree’s arms, and his heart sank at his condition. Even in the fading twilight, Kade could see him shaking. The sour smell of vomit lingered in the air, which didn’t bode well.

  “Timmy is sick,” Emily sobbed. “Is he going to die?”

  “We just gave him his shot,” Bree said. She pulled the little boy closer to her and wrapped her coat around him. Timmy visibly relaxed at her tender touch. He turned his face into her chest and sighed.

  Bree appeared oblivious to everything but Timmy, and Kade wondered if holding the little boy brought back memories of her own loss.

  Kade opened his canteen and knelt beside the children. He poured a few drops of water into Timmy’s open mouth. The little boy coughed but managed to swallow it, then Kade gave Emily a drink too. Running his hands over their arms and legs, he was relieved to find nothing broken.

  “Just insect bites,” he said. “They seem to be all right. But we need to get them to a hospital. The mayor is calling the ambulance.”

  “I already did,” Naomi said. “It should be here any minute.”

  Kade whipped off the jacket of his uniform and knelt beside Bree. He wrapped the jacket around Emily like a blanket. “The ambulance won’t get here any too soon. I think we’d better run them to the hospital in my truck. Some of you will have to ride in the back of the pickup or wait for the ambulance.” He took Timmy from Bree and moved toward the road without waiting for an answer. Timmy’s head lolled against Kade’s chest, and his small feet dangled from the folds of the coat. Kade didn’t like the boy’s limpness.

  Bree took Emily’s hand, and they started toward the dirt access road. As they reached the road, Kade heard the shrill wail of the ambulance in the distance. Relief left him almost lightheaded. Timmy and Emily would soon be under medical care. Moments later the flashing lights came into sight, followed by the headlamps of two other vehicles.

  Putting her radio away, the mayor came toward them. She reached out a hand and touched Timmy’s hair. “You’re safe now, sweetheart.” She stroked his face then reached down and touched Emily’s head. “You’re both going to be just fine.”

  Emily took her hand, and Hilary’s face softened. Kade turned away from the naked longing in Hilary’s face. He felt he was intruding on something private. His eyes connected with Bree’s, and he saw sorrow in them. All this motherly angst made him put his hackles up, and he tensed.

  Kade signaled with his flashlight in case the driver had trouble seeing them in the twilight. Crunching gravel under the tires, the ambulance came to a stop and two paramedics leaped out. One of the men took Timmy from Kade and rushed him to the back of the ambulance. The second paramedic led Emily to the back as well. The other two vehicles stopped, and two men got out of the battered Dodge truck, its paint a dull orange-red in the light of the full moon.

  “Daddy!” Emily dropped the paramedic’s hand and ran to Donovan. He dropped to his knees and folded Emily in his arms.

  “Thank God you’re safe. Where’s your brother?” He gave her a little shake. “What have I told you about wandering off by yourself?”

  Emily gave a little hiccup. “That I was never supposed to leave without an adult. I’m sorry, Daddy.”

  The man looked around wildly. “Where’s your brother?” he repeated. Hilary reached out her hand but let it drop when the distraught father made no move to take it. “Your children are going to be fine, Donovan. Timmy is in the ambulance.”

  Donovan let go of Emily and ran to the ambulance, where he stood watching the paramedics work on his son. An occasional groan issued from Donovan’s mouth. Kade could only imagine how he felt.

  “Daddy’s mad at me,” Emily said, tears making her voice tremble.

  Bree held out her hand. “He’s just worried, sweetheart. Come with me, and let’s see if I can find you a candy bar or something to eat.”

  “I’m not hungry. The witch in the woods gave us some peanut butter sandwiches.”

  Kade frowned. “Who’s that, Emily?” No one had been with the children. His gaze met Bree’s, and he saw the same confusion in her face.

  “The witch in the woods. I was afraid she was going to eat us like the witch in the woods in the Hansel and Gretel story, but she gave us a peanut butter sandwich. Timmy wouldn’t eat his though.”

  “There was no one with you,” Bree said.

  “She ran away when she heard you and the dogs,” Emily said.

  The little girl may be more stressed than they thought. Either that or she had quite an imagination. “Better get her checked out,” Kade mouthed softly to Bree.

  She nodded. “That’s fine, but let’s get you back to town,” Bree said. “You’ll get to ride in the ambulance. Won’t that be fun?”

  Emily’s lip trembled, but she nodded. “Is Timmy going to die?”

  “No, he’ll be okay in a few days. But the doctors are going to want to look at him, and at you, just to make sure you’re okay,” Kade said. He took her other hand, and they led her toward the ambulance.

  Her head haloed by the light from the ambulance, Emily stopped and looked up at Bree. “What’s your dog’s name? Will you bring him to see me?”

  Bree smiled at Emily and touched her head. Kade dropped his gaze and wondered how old her son would be now. As young as she was, he couldn’t have been very old. Sometimes Kade had to admit he wondered how the Almighty chose who to save and who to take.

  Bree nodded at Emily. “This is Samson. Samson, say hello to Emily.” The dog thrust his nose into the little girl’s hand. Emily giggled as the dog licked her face. “We’ll check on you tomorrow,” Bree told her.

  Kade had trouble keeping his eyes off Bree. Though not really beautiful, she was arresting. The cut of her short red hair emphasized the delicate column of her neck and the fine bone structure of her face. Large green eyes that seemed a bit sad tilted up at the corners. It was no wonder, considering what she’d been through, what she was still going through. Though she looked fragile, Kade had seen her heft a heavy backpack with ease and knew she was stronger than she appeared. He guessed her to be a little younger than him, maybe late twenties.

  Within minutes the ambulance, trailed by the kids’ father in the pickup, tore back the way it had come, leaving only dust and the fast-fading echo of the siren in its wake. “I’ll run you home,” Kade told Bree and Naomi. He could see both women visibly wilting. The day had been grueling, even for him, so they had to be exhausted. The dogs lay panting on the side of road, spent as well.

  “My Jeep is at the parking lot,” Bree said.

  “I’ve already arranged for your vehicle to be left at your home,” Kade said. “I’ll take you straight there.”

  Bree stared at him. “Without asking me?”
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br />   He shrugged. “You left the keys in it. I figured you’d be too tired to drive.”

  Bree motioned for Samson to jump into the back of Kade’s pickup. The dog moved slowly on sore feet. Charley followed him. “You were wrong,” she said. Her gaze dropped. “I had things I needed to attend to before going home,” she said softly. She bit her lip like there was more she wanted to say then headed toward the passenger door.

  His lips tightened. She had been no saint today in spite of her success. “And you disobeyed orders!” Kade snapped. Bree just looked at him, and the calm confidence in her face irritated him even more.

  Naomi jumped into the fray. “You have no idea who you’re talking to, do you? Bree and Samson are one of the top search teams in the country—in the world! Those kids would still be out there if we’d followed your orders.”

  “I’ve worked with some bad teams in my time,” he snapped.

  “Well, we aren’t one of them!” Naomi said hotly.

  Kade compressed his lips. This was getting them nowhere. “How about we call a truce? I made a mistake and so did you. Sorry, Miss Nicholls, Miss Heinonen.”

  Naomi opened her mouth, and from the fire in her eyes, Kade expected a scathing reply, but Bree shot her a quelling look and held out her hand. “Truce,” she said. “But it’s Mrs. Nicholls. And the only mistake was yours.”

  He gritted his teeth but held his tongue. “Let’s get you home.” Naomi opened the door and slid in first, then Bree scrunched in beside her. Suddenly anxious to be free of the whole prickly mess, Kade slammed the door behind them and crawled behind the wheel.

  They rode in silence to town. As they rounded the last curve, the twinkling lights of Rock Harbor came into view. Part of the town’s special flavor came from the setting. Surrounded by forests on three sides, it had all the natural beauty anyone could want. Old-growth forests, sparkling lakes where fish thronged, and the brilliant blue of that Big Sea Water called Superior along the west side.

  They drove through town, down Whisper Pike to Houghton Street and past the businesses that comprised Rock Harbor’s downtown. “You’ll have to direct me,” Kade said.