don't find a body in this car."
Mitch shoved the key into the trunk lock. "Yeah." Chris had lived in Grant's Forge for at least ten years. He'd never been in any trouble that Mitch was aware of and was well liked in the community.
He turned the lock and the trunk opened. The trunk contained fins, a wet suit, a regulator, a beat-up brown cloth suitcase and a cooler filled with diet sodas. But there was no sign of Chris.
Jackson expelled a breath.
Mitch did, too. "Where the devil is Chris?" He moved to the driver's side and got in. He turned the key in the ignition and it started right up. The gas tank was full.
Mitch checked the glove box. Nothing out of the ordinary. He looked under the seats. Nothing.
"I've got a couple more men headed your way, Dieteck and Abley. When they get here, we can start searching the woods."
"Doesn't make any sense," Jackson said.
"No, it doesn't." Chris did have a history of heart trouble, so it was possible he could have run into trouble, and that a motorist had helped him. "Radio Mabel and have her check the area hospitals."
Just then, another patrol car pulled up and Dieteck and Abley got out. They only had a couple of hours of daylight left, but Mitch decided they needed to make the best of it. After radioing Mabel, the four men fanned out and started checking the woods.
It was four o'clock in the afternoon when Kelsey's front doorbell rang. She'd spent the better part of the day working her way through the downstairs hallway, throwing out piles of newspapers, decade-old piles of junk mail and all the other clutter she could find in the front hallway. The process was painstaking. Though she'd have loved to chuck all the junk, she felt as if she needed to check each and every bit, fearing if she didn't she'd miss a clue about her mother.
Kelsey opened the door and standing on the front porch were two teenaged boys. Tall, slim with dark hair, they shared Mitch's deep blue eyes and square jaw. In many ways, they reminded her of the Mitch she'd known ten years ago.
"Hey," she said, recovering.
The boys stared at her for a moment, neither speaking as they took in the sight of her cutoffs, cropped white T-shirt streaked with newspaper print and her blond hair tied back with a bandana.
The older of the two was the first to recover. "Uncle Mitch sent us," he said. "My name is Rick and this is my younger brother Jeff. Mitch said you might need some bags hauled away."
She'd forgotten Mitch had said he'd send over his nephews. "Hi, I'm Kelsey."
Jeff grinned. "We'd have been here sooner, but school isn't out yet for the summer. Nine days to go until freedom." He looked as if he'd recently tried to shave his face. By the looks of it, he'd only managed to nick up his smooth skin. "We are here to help."
She couldn't help but smile. At Jeff's age, the last school days before summer vacation had flown by. She liked school and hated being home with Ruth all day. "You sure you want to spend a spring afternoon hauling dusty papers?"
Rick nodded. "Mitch said whatever you needed hauled away, we were to do it."
Mitch had remembered her and she was touched. "You guys are in for some work."
Rick looked past her into the hallway. "Does the whole house look like this?"
"Oh, yeah. You should see the upstairs." She stepped aside to let them in. Being alone in the house all day had taken its toll. Too many unwanted memories had flooded her brain and, in truth, she was feeling a little squirrelly. She was actually grateful now for the company.
Jeff, who looked to be about fourteen years old, pulled off his ball cap. "Man, I always knew the old lady was a little creepy, but I never figured on this."
Rick jabbed his brother in the ribs. "Jeez, Jeff, shut up."
Jeff shrugged. "What? Mrs. Warren
was
creepy. She got after me just a month ago because she saw me tossing out old newspapers. Guess she had a thing for newspapers."
Rick looked at Kelsey, his eyes filled with apology. "Sorry. Most people thought
Mitch shoved the key into the trunk lock. "Yeah." Chris had lived in Grant's Forge for at least ten years. He'd never been in any trouble that Mitch was aware of and was well liked in the community.
He turned the lock and the trunk opened. The trunk contained fins, a wet suit, a regulator, a beat-up brown cloth suitcase and a cooler filled with diet sodas. But there was no sign of Chris.
Jackson expelled a breath.
Mitch did, too. "Where the devil is Chris?" He moved to the driver's side and got in. He turned the key in the ignition and it started right up. The gas tank was full.
Mitch checked the glove box. Nothing out of the ordinary. He looked under the seats. Nothing.
"I've got a couple more men headed your way, Dieteck and Abley. When they get here, we can start searching the woods."
"Doesn't make any sense," Jackson said.
"No, it doesn't." Chris did have a history of heart trouble, so it was possible he could have run into trouble, and that a motorist had helped him. "Radio Mabel and have her check the area hospitals."
Just then, another patrol car pulled up and Dieteck and Abley got out. They only had a couple of hours of daylight left, but Mitch decided they needed to make the best of it. After radioing Mabel, the four men fanned out and started checking the woods.
It was four o'clock in the afternoon when Kelsey's front doorbell rang. She'd spent the better part of the day working her way through the downstairs hallway, throwing out piles of newspapers, decade-old piles of junk mail and all the other clutter she could find in the front hallway. The process was painstaking. Though she'd have loved to chuck all the junk, she felt as if she needed to check each and every bit, fearing if she didn't she'd miss a clue about her mother.
Kelsey opened the door and standing on the front porch were two teenaged boys. Tall, slim with dark hair, they shared Mitch's deep blue eyes and square jaw. In many ways, they reminded her of the Mitch she'd known ten years ago.
"Hey," she said, recovering.
The boys stared at her for a moment, neither speaking as they took in the sight of her cutoffs, cropped white T-shirt streaked with newspaper print and her blond hair tied back with a bandana.
The older of the two was the first to recover. "Uncle Mitch sent us," he said. "My name is Rick and this is my younger brother Jeff. Mitch said you might need some bags hauled away."
She'd forgotten Mitch had said he'd send over his nephews. "Hi, I'm Kelsey."
Jeff grinned. "We'd have been here sooner, but school isn't out yet for the summer. Nine days to go until freedom." He looked as if he'd recently tried to shave his face. By the looks of it, he'd only managed to nick up his smooth skin. "We are here to help."
She couldn't help but smile. At Jeff's age, the last school days before summer vacation had flown by. She liked school and hated being home with Ruth all day. "You sure you want to spend a spring afternoon hauling dusty papers?"
Rick nodded. "Mitch said whatever you needed hauled away, we were to do it."
Mitch had remembered her and she was touched. "You guys are in for some work."
Rick looked past her into the hallway. "Does the whole house look like this?"
"Oh, yeah. You should see the upstairs." She stepped aside to let them in. Being alone in the house all day had taken its toll. Too many unwanted memories had flooded her brain and, in truth, she was feeling a little squirrelly. She was actually grateful now for the company.
Jeff, who looked to be about fourteen years old, pulled off his ball cap. "Man, I always knew the old lady was a little creepy, but I never figured on this."
Rick jabbed his brother in the ribs. "Jeez, Jeff, shut up."
Jeff shrugged. "What? Mrs. Warren
was
creepy. She got after me just a month ago because she saw me tossing out old newspapers. Guess she had a thing for newspapers."
Rick looked at Kelsey, his eyes filled with apology. "Sorry. Most people thought
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