by Aaron Lazar
“Open that box on the floor, por favor.”
He lifted it to the seat between them and opened the first folder. Inside, he flipped through printouts of all the news clippings relating to the kidnapped babies and their homecoming to Vermont.
“The Hawkes’ and Lamonts’ addresses are printed on the top of that paper. See?”
He whistled. “Oh.”
“Unroll that map.”
Carefully, he unrolled the antique document. “This is really brittle.” He smoothed it out, and then reached for his reading glasses in his front pocket. “The Green Mountains, huh?”
“Yes. And look at what’s circled.”
“I see a mine or something circled in red here. ‘Devil’s Spring?’”
“That’s it. I think that’s where she’s going to camp out.” Rosita nodded. “And then look just west of it. Down in the valley.”
“The Hollow? Looks like two locations are circled here.”
“That’s the Hawkes’ dairy farm and Bittersweet Hollow Morgan Horse Farm, owned by the Lamonts.”
“These are the families of the children Lollie and her husband adopted?”
“Yes. The parents were Boone and Portia Hawke, and Anderson and Grace Rockwell.”
Rocco rolled the map back up. “We’d better study this hard at the next rest stop.”
“Si,” Rosita said, relieved that he’d quickly seen the importance of their mission.
“She’s as nuts as I thought. She was really good at faking recovery, wasn’t she?”
Rosita nodded. “I’m afraid so, mi amigo.” She pointed to the sign showing they’d entered Vermont. “And we’re almost there. Another hour, maybe.”
Rocco glanced up at the rifle hanging behind his head. “You got ammo for this thing?”
Rosita nodded. “Of course. And I can shoot a rabbit at three hundred yards away. But I’m hoping I won’t need it. Miss Lollie listens to me. I will convince her to come home.” She smiled sideways at him. “You are just here for insurance.”
“Damn.” Rocco leaned back and ran his fingers through his black hair. “You are one helluva woman, Rosita.”
“I know.” She pulled into the passing lane again and shot him a grim smile. “But right now, we have to stop her.”
“Right. So step on it.”
She pressed down on the gas and roared down the highway.
Chapter 52
Grace opened the door. “Hello?” The woman on the doorstep looked familiar, and with a start, she realized it was Lollie Belvedere, the woman who’d been duped into adopting Joey and Caroline. “Oh my goodness. Mrs. Belvedere?”
Lollie lowered her eyes. “I hope I’m not intruding, Mrs. Rockwell. I was just passing through, and I couldn’t help but wonder how the little darlings were doing.”
“Oh my goodness, of course you’re not intruding. Come in, come in. And call me Grace.”
With a grateful smile, Lollie accepted her invitation, following her into the kitchen. “And you can call me Lollie, of course,” she whispered. Her eyes lit up when she heard the voices of the children coming from the living room.
“Would you like to see the children?” Grace offered. “They’re playing right in the other room.”
As if offered a visit to Heaven, Lollie’s eyes lit up. “Oh, my. I would simply adore that. I’ve missed them terribly.”
Joey crawled through a wide fabric tunnel that resembled a neon-colored caterpillar. He popped his head out of the circle “window” and laughed. “See me?”
Caroline watched him, clapping her hands with delight.
Lollie dropped to the floor beside them. Her cheeks flushed with pleasure, but in an instant, her hands flew to her face and she began to sob.
“Oh, Lollie.” Grace felt her heart break. This woman really had fallen in love with the children for the few weeks she’d mothered them. “Are you okay?” She crouched beside her and patted her shoulders. “Can I get you something?”
Tears spilled down Lollie’s cheeks, but she smiled beneath them. “I’m sorry. It’s just—” She accepted a box of tissues that Grace handed to her and mopped at her face. “I didn’t expect to have such an emotional reaction. I guess I missed them even more than I realized.”
“Why don’t I brew us some tea?” she said. “And you can play with the children while the I put the kettle on.”
Lollie’s eyes gleamed with gratitude. “Oh, thank you. That would be lovely.”
Grace bustled into the kitchen, feeling sorry for the poor woman. How awful it must’ve been, to receive these beautiful babies into your life, to think they were yours to raise forever, and to be shocked with the news that they were kidnapped.
Lollie had sent some amazing gifts to them over the past few weeks. She’d been so generous, that Grace had almost felt funny accepting them. But she realized it probably was therapeutic for the poor woman to shop for and send these gifts to the children.
And then, of course, there was that terrible accident where her husband had died just before they’d found the babies. She’d endured a great deal, the poor thing.
She cast a sympathetic glance into the living room, wondering how she’d deal with such a blow. Losing the children and Anderson? That would be the last straw.
She found a tray her mother kept in the bottom cupboard to carry the tea, sugar, and cream. She didn’t dare use her good china. With her luck, she’d break a family heirloom or something. So she picked chunky mugs instead. She cut up a lemon, too, because she really wasn’t sure how to do this. Matter of fact, she’d never served tea to a guest in her life.
Should she add cookies? Didn’t people always serve “tea and biscuits?” That’s what they called cookies in England, right?
Her mind prattled on in happy confusion while she found an unopened pack of Lorna Doones in the cabinet. She set them on a tray and carefully picked it up, balancing it so the tea wouldn’t slop over the edges of the mugs.
“Here we go,” she said, slowly entering the room. She decided to place the tray on the sideboard, and not on the coffee table where little hands could reach it. “Would you like cream, sugar, or lemon?”
Lollie rose and joined her, but still kept her eyes on the children. “I’d love sugar and lemon. Thanks.”
They talked about the children while they fixed their tea, then both settled back onto the couch.
“So, you said you were passing through? Where are you heading, Lollie?”
Lollie took a sip before answering. “I needed a vacation. Something new and different. I thought I’d see Niagara Falls, and take the scenic northern route. I’ve been wandering around various villages for the past few days, staying in little B&Bs. It’s been good for me.”
Grace sat back and smiled. “I’m glad you decided to get out and see the country. There are so many nice folks out there. It really can help when you’re…um…having difficulties.”
Lollie nodded her head sagely. “Yes. I’m still grieving, of course, for poor Colby. And it’s been quite lonely in that big old mansion with just me and Rosita.”
Grace brightened. “I love Rosita. She is a treasure.”
“Me, too.” Lollie said. “I’ll miss her.” A faraway look crossed her face.
“You won’t be gone for too long, though, will you? I mean, you’ll see her again soon?”
Lollie shook her head, seeming to bring herself back to the moment. “Oh. Of course I will. I’m just used to seeing her every day.” She took another sip of her tea. “So, where is everyone? I thought you lived here with your husband’s parents? And don’t your sister and her husband live here, too?”
Surprised that Lollie knew so much about their living arrangements, she cocked her head in her direction. “Yes. They’re scattered in all directions today. But how did you know that?”
Lollie blanched. “I believe Portia told Rosita when you came for the children. She told me.”
“Oh. Okay.” Grace relaxed. She had to stop this paranoid behavio
r. “Well, Dirk and Daisy are in New York City. Portia’s at work. Boone had to leave suddenly to see his father. Looks like another heart attack.”
“Oh no,” Lollie said, seeming appalled. “That’s terrible news.”
Grace checked her phone. “Matter of fact, I’m waiting for a call from Portia. She should have heard some news by now.”
“I’m probably in your way, then.” Lollie rose and walked toward the fireplace, placing her mug gently on the mantle. She turned and watched the children crawling through the tunnel. “They are so precious.”
“No, it’s been nice having company. Please don’t think I’m rushing you out.”
“It’s okay. I do have plans, and I should be getting a move on. May I use your facilities before I go?”
Grace stood, motioning toward the hallway. “Sure. It’s in the back, down that hall, last room on your right.”
Lollie thanked her and disappeared down the hall.
Chapter 53
“Grace!” Lollie’s urgent call came from down the hall.
Grace picked herself up off the floor and hurried toward the cries. “What is it, Lollie? Are you okay?”
“Oh my goodness! I’m so sorry, I don’t know what happened. But that thingamabob must have come loose when I flushed and it’s flooding all over the place.”
Grace felt the water rush over her bare feet and ran into the bathroom, squeezing around Lollie. “I’ll shut off the water. Will you please keep an eye on the kids?”
“Of course I will.” Lollie nodded, still apologizing as she hurried back down the hall to the living room.
Grace studied the flooding mess and tried to figure out which lever to move. Normally when the toilet kept gushing after she flushed, she found the rubber stopper either blocked by a bleaching tablet or sometimes she’d find the chain off the stopper. But today those were all intact and the water seemed to be coming from beneath the toilet this time. It looked as if the metal tube bringing the water up to the tank had broken loose. Water spurted from it, spraying all over her.
“Oh my God.” She dropped down into the big puddle that crept into the hallway, wishing Anderson or Boone was home. Even Daisy would know what to do, she was sure of it.
“Come on, come on. Think.” She grabbed some towels to kneel on, but they quickly became soaked. Ignoring the cold water chilling her legs and feet, she leaned down to try to figure it out. There. She found a knurled knob at the very bottom that she was pretty sure Anderson called a shut-off valve. She twisted it counterclockwise. Once. Twice. Three times. She tried clockwise. It spun freely but did nothing to the flow.
Nothing.
The darn valve was shot.
“What now?” She reached for her iPhone in her back pocket, stepping back a few paces to be sure she didn’t get it wet in the spray. Carefully, she dried her fingers and then swiped Anderson’s name. “Come on. Come on. Pick up.”
“Grace? I’m in a class, honey. Can you call back in fifteen minutes?”
“Anderson, wait! I’ve got a flood in the bathroom and don’t know how to stop it.”
She heard his controlled sigh. “Turn off the valve near the floor, honey.”
“I tried!” She almost sobbed into the phone. “It’s not working.”
“Turn it clockwise.”
“I did!” Desperate now, she screamed into the phone. “What next?”
“Okay. Calm down. It’s not hard. You’ll just have to go down cellar and shut off the main water. Do you know how to do that?”
She gulped. “I think I remember how to from when we used to have well problems when I was a teenager. Let me try, but stay on the phone with me, okay?”
“Okay.”
Swiveling around, she ran ten feet down the hall then yanked open the cellar door, calling to Lollie. “I’ll have this fixed in a jiffy. Back in a few minutes!”
She didn’t hear Lollie’s answer, but the pounding of her feet on the stairs was too loud, anyway. She flipped on the light switch at the top of the stairs, and then when she reached the bottom step, where the light faded, she minced forward on the moist dirt floor and reached up for the pull string. “There. I got the light. Anderson, you still there?”
“I’m here, baby. Now find the main circuit breaker box.”
“Okay. That gray metal box on the wall, right?”
“Right.”
“How do I know which thingie to flip over?”
“Each circuit breaker should be labeled, especially knowing how your father works. Check it out.”
She squinted in the dim light, trying to focus on the small print. “I can’t see it.”
“Is there another light closer to you?”
Grace looked up, sucked in her breath, and answered. “Oh! Yes. There’s one just over my head. Hold on.” She pulled the string and waited for her eyes to adjust to the light. “Okay. I can see it now.” She leaned forward and ran her finger down the left side of the panel. “Kitchen. Upstairs bath. Porch. Living room. Dryer. Furnace. Nothing on this side.”
“Try the other side. It’s gotta be there.”
“Okay. I see it. It says ‘well pump.’”
“That’s gotta be it. Can you flip it off?”
With her thumb, she flipped the switch to the other side. “Okay. Got it.”
“Has the pump stopped running?”
It was quiet in the cellar now, no grinding of gears from the pump. “Yes. I think I’ve got it, hon.”
“Okay. I’m going back to class, but I’ll come home afterwards to fix that pipe in the bathroom, okay?”
“Thanks. We will need the toilet. And without water, we can’t flush.”
“I know, Grace. Just hang tight. I’ll be home in about forty-five minutes.”
“Thanks, honey.” Grace left the lights on so that when he fixed the bathroom she wouldn’t have to struggle in the dark again to put the breaker back on. “See you soon.”
She trudged back up the stairs, her bare feet gritty with the mud from the cellar floor. “Ugh. I’m a wreck,” she said. When she pushed on the door, it wouldn’t open.
“Jammed,” she said, shoving on the door. “Crap.” She kicked it, and then hollered to Lollie.
“Lollie! The door’s stuck. Can you help me?”
She can’t hear me. The television’s too loud. The music from Peppa Pig rang through the walls.
She rammed her shoulder against the door three times.
Nothing.
“Okay, this is nuts. Maybe she locked it after I went down to keep the kids safe.” She crept back down the stairs and grabbed a big flat head screwdriver from her father’s workbench. At the top of the stairs, she slid it into the crack and pushed up in the area where the hook and eye lock was. It popped open.
“Holy cow. Did you lock the cellar door?” She hit the hallway landing and turned toward the living room. “And can you watch them for five more minutes while I change?”
She rounded the corner, but Lollie didn’t answer. “Lollie? Where’d you guys go?”
Frowning, she checked the kitchen. No kids. No Lollie.
“Lollie?” She raced up the stairs. Maybe she had to change a diaper and didn’t know that Portia kept a stash in the cabinet downstairs. “We’ve got diapers downstairs. You didn’t need to—” Joey’s nursery was empty.
“What the hell?”
She raced into the other two bedrooms and then looked out the window. The little Ford disappeared around the corner of the far pasture, heading for the mountain.
Chapter 54
“Shush, now.” Lollie turned around to speak to the children huddled on the floorboards behind her seat. “We’re almost there.”
She hadn’t installed the car seats in case anyone arrived at the farm while she was “visiting” Grace. Car seats would have looked really suspicious and might have blown her whole operation. She knew the children would be okay for the short ride. There were no other cars and she was a good driver. So she relaxed and focused on drivi
ng.
Once she got to the RV, she could buckle the kids up in their car seats. They were all set up in the RV, belted in nice and tight like the instructions told her to do. She’d used the same seats she and Colby had bought just before they’d adopted the children.
Well, at least Colby had been good for something.
Besides his money.
She sighed, irritated with the whining coming from the back seat. “I’ll get you a bottle, Scarlett, when we reach our home base. It’s not far. Just stop, now.”
She glanced in the rearview mirror. Since she’d turned onto the logging trail that led to the Devil’s Spring abandoned mining cavern, she hadn’t seen anyone at all. Grace was probably still locked in the cellar, so she couldn’t have seen which way she drove. Who in their right mind would head into the mountains after stealing back the children? They’d never expect it. They’d think she headed for the Interstate.
Since the coast was clear, she’d stick to her plan and wait until dark to move the RV out to the back roads paralleling the highway. She had to steer clear of the highways, and had already mapped out every little route and gas station on the way.
It was really working out beautifully. She and her family were on their way to a beautiful new life in Wyoming.
∞∞∞
Rocco braced himself when Rosita made a hard turn onto the road to Bittersweet Hollow. Dust clouds billowed behind them as the old truck barreled along the dirt lane. The claptrap vehicle rattled and shook, but it roared steadily toward their destination.
“Five more minutes,” she said, gritting her teeth when a mother deer and two fawns bounded out in front of her. The truck skidded to the side, nearly landing in a deep ditch. She pulled it back onto the dirt road and hit the gas. “Dios mio, that was close.”
“Nice driving,” Rocco said, sliding his phone out of his pocket. “You drive as good as a man.”
She snorted a laugh. “Si? As good as a man?”
He tapped on his keyboard. “Yeah. It’s a compliment.” He finished up his text. “Just contacting my family,” he said. “Before things get too crazy.”
