by Tate, Harley
The Hoeflers had been more than generous. Giving them food for the animals, water, and all the batteries they could find. It didn’t seem fair, but Rebecca and Darren insisted. Lainey had hoped they would connect with Midge as soon as they left Denver, but thanks to a storm system that tracked their drive across the middle of the country, they’d been stuck beneath solid cloud cover and unable to connect.
Now that the skies were clear, Owen finally had a chance. All Lainey could think about was her family. Until she heard from Midge, she couldn’t think about the future.
Owen fiddled with the phone, swapping out the batteries and waiting for it to boot up.
“Can’t this go any faster?”
“Do you want me to break it?” Owen raised an eyebrow in Lainey’s general direction.
She shook her head.
“There we go. It’s coming online.” Owen fiddled some more before finally smiling in triumph. “We’re in.” He handed Lainey his tablet and she immediately navigated to her email.
A single unread message. Sender unknown. Her heart thudded as she clicked it open.
Chapter Twenty
LAINEY
Walmart Parking Lot
Lincoln, Nebraska
Thursday, 10:00 a.m. CST
Lainey clicked to open the email and began to read.
Hey Sis,
I’m writing this from this funky little internet cafe in Canada. Did you know they put gravy and cheese on French fries up here? :shudder: I don’t know how to say what I need to, so I’m just spitting it out.
I found Mom. She didn’t make it.
I guess she left too late and she got stuck in traffic and maybe the stress was too much or she had a stroke or a heart attack and there was no one to help. A friend I met on the airplane to Chicago helped me bury her. I picked a spot in the wild grasses well off the road. She’ll have birds and bunnies and all the animals she liked so much near her in the summer.
It’s all my fault and I’m so sorry. I should have told more people than just you. I should have hacked into news networks and put the information out there. I should have told Mom the truth and demanded she leave. I should have gotten to her sooner. There’s a million things I did wrong and I won’t forgive myself for them.
You have to make it here. We’ve got full online access and my friends are willing to help. We’re all going to work around the clock to figure out who did this and why. To tell everyone who will listen the truth about the attacks. I saw your reporting. The piece outside the British Consul General. Your latest from Vegas. The time you hacked into KTLA. That was next-level.
If the time stamp on the file is right, then you were in Las Vegas only a few days ago. Please come here. We need you to be the face of our efforts. No one will believe a handful of hackers who don’t exactly work within the law. The border is crowded. There are other ways, but maybe you can get yourself through? You’re a bit of a celebrity if you didn’t already know.
But more than that, we’re the only family we have left. I know I’ve been a brat and haven’t called much, but I want that to change. I want us to stick together. I need you, Sis.
Email me back when you get this. I’ll keep it active until I hear from you.
Midge
She stared at the words in disbelief, tears turning Owen’s tablet screen into a blurry sea of black on white. She shoved the door open to the SUV and stepped out into the parking lot. It couldn’t be real. Her mother couldn’t be dead. Deep down, she’d known it was more than likely, but Lainey had pushed every doubt away. She’d kept herself positive and upbeat and determined.
But it was all a lie. Her mother died alone on the side of the road with no one to comfort her. Just like her father, only a bullet didn’t end her mother’s life. A terrorist attack did. Lainey wiped at her cheeks, hot anger rising to the surface and displacing the grief.
Midge was right. They needed to punish whoever did this. They needed to expose the truth and tell the whole world about the cowards who killed millions of Americans and turned their world upside down.
“Are you okay?” Keith’s voice was small and quiet.
Lainey didn’t trust herself to look up. “My mother’s dead.”
Keith stood a few steps away, holding Bear by the leash. “Oh, Lainey, I’m so sorry.”
“But my sister’s alive.” She wiped at her face again. The fact that Midge made it gave her enough courage to face him. She lifted her head. “She’s in Canada and wants us to get there as soon as possible.”
“Did she say how she made it across?”
Lainey shook her head. “No. But knowing Midge, it was probably illegal. She says she has friends there who are willing to help us break the story. They’re not exactly the most law-abiding, but at this point I don’t think I care.”
“Are you sure?”
Lainey thought about it. All the times over the past two weeks that she’d hesitated because whatever she was doing was against the law. All the times she let someone else do the dirty work because she was afraid. Rick was dead. Her mother was dead. Millions more Americans were, too. Wasn’t it time she sucked it up and did whatever it took to be the reporter she always wanted to be?
Wasn’t this what she was meant to do?
Lainey wiped her face again. “I’m sure. We change course now. Head straight up to Canada. If the border guards won’t let us in, then we find another way across.”
Lainey walked back to the vehicle. Owen and Jerry both stood outside, trying not to pry. Jerry leaned against the side, eyes closed as the sun hit his face. Owen kicked at the broken asphalt as Pound Cat meowed from the passenger seat, his little paws pressed against the window in complaint.
She handed the tablet to Owen. “Can you check and see if we’ve had any hits? We need a way into Canada.”
“What area?”
“My sister is in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan. Whatever gets us there fastest.”
Owen wiped off the tablet with his sleeve and typed in a few words. A moment later, he nodded. “We can head straight north from here. Take I-29 all the way to the border. Winnipeg is about fifty miles north. I’ll look for a TV station there that will help us.”
Lainey nodded and stepped away to let Owen work his magic. Almost immediately, the soft fluff of Bear’s fur rubbed against her leg. She half-laughed, half-cried as he headbutted her thigh.
“I couldn’t hold him back any longer. He knows you’re upset.”
Lainey turned. Keith still stood a few feet away, a sad smile of comfort on his face. She blinked back another wave of tears. “He always did know when I was upset.”
“Still does.” Keith glanced at the dog. “He’s never quite gotten over you leaving.”
A headache threatened to form behind Lainey’s eyes as she swallowed. “Thank you for everything. Coming with me, keeping me alive, risking your life.” She couldn’t hold back the tears and two tracked down her cheeks. “I never should have asked you to shoulder this burden.”
Keith closed the gap between them and took her by the shoulders. “Stop that. I came with you because I wanted to. Not because you forced me. Everything I’ve done has been by my own choice. Don’t heap my injuries on your shoulders.”
“I feel like a failure.”
“You’re anything but.” Keith bent to catch her eye. “You’re smart, funny, courageous. A damn fine reporter, Lainey. Don’t doubt yourself now.”
“Guys?” Owen’s voice called out. “I don’t think we’ll have a problem finding a TV station to sponsor us.”
Lainey glanced up. “Why not?”
He turned the tablet around and Lainey’s face filled the screen. “Because you’re everywhere.”
Lainey hurried over. Owen was right. Her piece on Napper was the top headline on every major news site. Everywhere from Canada to Mexico to England and beyond had linked to the video and all the others.
“You’re a celebrity.”
Lainey didn’t know if that was good or bad. �
��What’s the closest TV station to the border if we stay on I-29?”
“CTV News Winnipeg. I’ve already put out feelers.” His tablet dinged. “And I’ve got a response.” Owen clicked open his email with eager fingers. “Yes!” He fist pumped as he grinned. “They want you to do a live interview ASAP. They’ll reach out to border patrol and get the paperwork started to get us across.”
Relief flooded Lainey’s body and she closed her eyes. With any luck, they could drive straight through and find her sister within the next few days. “How long of a drive?”
“To Winnipeg? About the same as Vegas to Denver. Seven hundred miles or so.”
“And to Meadow Lake?”
Owen tapped on the screen. He whistled. “Double it. It’s a whole province over and way farther north.”
Lainey scowled. “My sister needs me now. If we go to Winnipeg, we’ll get caught up in the news cycle and a million interviews and I’ll never make it to Meadow Lake.”
“Then tell your sister to meet you there.”
Lainey shook her head. “You don’t understand. She sneaked into Canada. She’s not legal. If she gets on the highway and drives to a major city, she’ll be found out for sure. Probably thrown in one of those tents we saw on the news.”
“If you tell the authorities who she is—”
“I don’t know if it will matter.” Lainey turned to Keith. “Should we risk it? Try to sneak across?”
“I don’t know, Lainey.” Keith glanced at the SUV. “It’s not like we’re traveling light here.”
“There has to be a way.”
Jerry cleared his throat. “I’ve got a relative who lives in North Dakota.”
Everyone turned to him. “What?”
Jerry made a face. “Didn’t mention it because I didn’t want to sway your decision-making. But now that we know about your mom—” He cut off.
“Go ahead.” Lainey encouraged him.
“She lives in a little town north of Fargo called Argusville. It’s maybe a hundred and fifty miles from the border.” Jerry hedged. “It’s been a long time since we’ve spoken. When my brother died, I—” He paused again. “Let’s just say I didn’t handle it as well as I should have. I was a real SOB to his widow.”
Lainey stared in disbelief. All this time Jerry had a relative that close to Canada and he hadn’t said anything. “How long has it been?”
He winced. “Five years.”
Ouch. Lainey refused to let something like that happen between her and Midge. As soon as she could, she would find her sister and hug her and tell her none of this was her fault. “Are you sure she still lives there?”
“As far as I know. She lives in a little farmhouse on the edge of town. After Ronnie died, she rented the land out to some neighbors. Too old to do the work herself.”
Lainey swallowed. They could stop, regroup, and figure out a way to make it across the border. It was exactly the break they needed. She stepped up to Jerry and took him by the arm. “Thank you.”
He nodded and focused on the ground. Coming face-to-face with his sister-in-law would be hard, but the fact that he was willing to go through it for them spoke volumes. She squeezed his arm before stepping back. “I say we go straight to this little farm town.”
Keith and Owen agreed. They were running low on food suitable for themselves and the animals, and they were almost out of water.
“Let me email Midge and tell her what we’re facing. Then at least she’ll be aware.”
Owen handed the tablet back to Lainey and she sent off a quick email explaining where they were and where they planned to stop. Maybe before they left for the border, Midge would come up with an idea no one had considered. If not, they might have to brave the border crossing even if it was crowded and dangerous.
Lainey was determined to cross the border and at least make it to the same country as her sister. It wouldn’t ensure they were reunited, but it would be a start.
Chapter Twenty-One
KEITH
I-29 North
Outside of Argusville, ND
Friday, 10:00 a.m. CST
Flat farmland stretched as far as the eye could see as Keith took the exit. Rolls of hay stacked one after the other hugged the edge of the closest farm, and he slowed as he neared the single road leading into town. Keith turned down a side street, trading asphalt for gravel as he drove past tidy little houses and manicured lawns.
“Are you sure this is the place?”
Jerry nodded. “Turn right at the second street. My brother’s house is the last one on the right. Should be nothing but farmland all around it.
Keith did as instructed. As he turned the corner, the only two-story building in town stood boarded up, with plywood in every window. “What was that?” Keith leaned forward in the driver seat as they passed.
“I think it used to be a school.”
They drove past the building and a baseball field and basketball court came into view.
“Why did it close?”
“Everyone’s leaving the small towns and heading into the city. Kids don’t want to be farmers.” Jerry stretched out his legs in the passenger seat. “They want to go to college and work behind a computer screen. That’s part of the reason Irma and I had such a falling out. She refused to sell the farm and I told her she had to. Living all alone out here in the middle of nowhere with no hospital or doctor’s office for miles. The woman hasn’t driven a car since 1996.”
“She refused?”
“Told me I’d have to pry the deed out of her cold, dead hands. Claimed I was trying to steal Ronnie’s legacy.” Jerry exhaled. “I just didn’t want to see her waste away. If I’d known then what would happen…” He trailed off.
Keith shook his head. It was small towns like this that would survive and rebuild with people who knew how to work the land and live off what they grew. The ones who left wouldn’t be faring as well in whatever city they moved to. But Keith understood why Jerry had been so angry. He’d been rational at the time.
The road ended almost as soon as it began. A small white farmhouse with a wraparound porch sat at the end of a dirt drive. Jerry motioned for Keith to pull in. “This is it. My brother’s place.”
Past the farmhouse, plowed fields opened up, spreading until they blended with the horizon. Lainey leaned forward from the back. “It’s beautiful.” They were the first words she’d spoken that morning.
“That it is.” As the SUV came to a stop, Jerry got out. “Let me go up first. See if I can convince Irma I’m sorry.”
Keith shut off the engine to conserve gas and waited as Jerry climbed the steps. A cat weaved its way through the railing to butt its head against Jerry’s leg as he knocked on the door.
No answer. Jerry knocked louder and waited. Still nothing. He stepped down from the porch with his brows knit and approached the vehicle. “She must be at a friend’s house.”
“Should we wait?”
“Let’s drive around and check out the town. I don’t want to look like I’m assuming anything by hanging around.”
Keith understood and waited until Jerry was back inside to start the engine. He backed out of the driveway and headed down a street they hadn’t used. More little houses greeted them, all quiet and still. He had hoped a small town like this would have a working gas station or a farmer willing to sell a few gallons. But apart from the boarded-up school and a set of train tracks running north and south, they hadn’t found a single business.
“Where is everyone? I haven’t seen a soul since we got here.” Jerry turned as they passed a church, staring into the empty parking lot.
Keith turned the corner and slowed. “Looks like we found them.” He pointed at a white and green painted warehouse with an American flag flying out front. A hand-lettered sign read Argusville Community Center. Twenty cars filled the gravel parking lot. Had they driven by that many houses? He turned to Jerry. “Town meeting?”
“Must be.” He stared out at the vehicles. “Got to be mos
t of the town parked outside.”
“We should go in.” Owen’s voice carried from the back. “If we bring the camera, Lainey could do some interviews with the residents, show that not every American is rioting in the streets. It would be a nice bit of optimism for News Winnipeg to air.”
“I don’t know.” Keith shook his head.
Lainey had only learned about her mother the day before. Since then, she’d been quiet, staring out the rear window as they drove north out of Nebraska and into South Dakota. Even when they lucked into finding an old gas station with a manual override to the pumps, she hadn’t said more than a handful of words.
“It’ll give us a chance to learn what it’s been like for them the past two weeks. Get a feel for this part of the country.” Owen kept pressing the issue, growing more animated the more he spoke. “It’ll only help our chances of crossing the border.”
Jerry scratched his head. “I don’t know if that’s how I want Irma finding out I’m back in town, to be honest.”
“You can stay out here,” Owen offered.
“I’ll do it.” Lainey spoke up for only the second time.
Keith stared at her in the rearview. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “Owen’s right. It’ll help with access.”
Keith shook his head, but he didn’t argue as he pulled the luxury SUV into the parking lot and squeezed into a space between an F-150 and a beat-up minivan. Between the sticker price of the Infiniti and the Nevada plates, they stuck out like a sore thumb. He turned off the engine.
Everyone climbed out of the vehicle and Lainey smoothed down the front of her T-shirt before reaching for the blazer Napper’s people had given her. She didn’t seem to care about the lack of a shower and the puffy circles beneath her eyes.
Keith grabbed the small handheld camera and checked the battery. Still good. He gave Bear a pat on the head before shutting him inside the SUV. With any luck they would be headed to Irma’s place soon and Bear could stretch his legs and run.
