“Neither can I,” I said. “Especially since I have no idea where ‘here’ is. Care to clue me in?”
If she heard the question, she didn’t show it. “I can’t believe it!” she repeated instead. “What was he thinking?”
“Who?”
She shot a nervous glance over her shoulder at the door. “Never mind,” she said, lowering her voice. “What’s done is done, I guess. I’m sure he has his reasons.”
“Who does? Who’s in charge of this place?”
“I probably shouldn’t tell you.” She tossed another nervous look at the door. “I mean, you’ll find out soon enough anyway. But don’t worry, okay?”
“Don’t worry?” It was all I could do not to roll my eyes. “That’s a little tough, given the circumstances.”
She smiled briefly. “Yeah, I guess I can see that. But you’ve got to trust me, okay?”
“Trust you? What do you mean? What are you doing here, anyway?”
“I can’t tell you that. Not yet,” she said. “But please don’t worry, Frank. You won’t be hurt here. Nobody’s hurt here.” She hesitated. “Not on purpose, anyway.”
Okay, that didn’t sound too reassuring. My mind jumped immediately to that little girl whose bones had been found in the bear cave. Was that who Chloe was thinking about too? That everyone was safe here except the ones who happened to get accidentally fed to wild animals?
“What do you mean?” I asked again.
“The Big Boss means well, I promise,” she said.
“The Big Boss? Who’s that?”
“He only wants to help people. That’s the whole reason for this place!”
“What’s the whole reason?” I said. “What is this place? Where are we? Are we still in Misty Falls?”
She shrugged. “I’m sure he’ll tell you all that if he thinks you need to know. But it doesn’t matter. The important thing is, you’re safe here.”
Frustration bubbled up inside me. But I tamped it down. Chloe seemed to know all about this place. All I had to do was convince her to share.
“So this boss guy wants to help people, huh?” I said. “Okay. But how’s he going to help me by keeping me here against my will?”
“I don’t know.” Uncertainly crept into her voice and eyes once again. “I’m sure he has his reasons, though. He always does.”
“But why me? I’m just an innocent college kid writing a paper, remember?” I said, hoping she’d bought into my cover story. “And my brother will be super worried about me.”
“I know. That’s why I was so surprised to see you here.” She bit her lip and gazed at me uncertainly. “I wonder if—”
DING!
A bell chimed urgently out of the speaker on the ceiling. A second later there was a crackle of feedback.
“Chloe,” an expressionless computer-generated voice said. “Please report to the Caring Room. Chloe, please report to the Caring Room at once. Thank you.”
The speaker clicked off. Chloe let out a squeak of terror.
“Chloe, wait!” I jumped to my feet.
But I was too late. She dashed for the door and slipped out, slamming it shut behind her.
More Mysteries
“Whoa!” I yelled as Filbert careened up the steep trail.
Hank heard me and glanced back. His eyes widened.
I braced myself, sure that Filbert was about to crash right into the other horse. But he didn’t. He skidded to a halt with a few feet to spare.
Oof! I was flung forward by the sudden stop, and the saddle horn caught me right in the gut. But I stayed on.
“Joe!” Hank exclaimed. “Are you okay?”
There was a moment of commotion. We all stopped at the edge of the canyon. Now that it was over, my whole body was shaking.
Rina swung down from her horse and hurried toward me. She looked annoyed.
“What’s going on?” she demanded. “Did you do something to make Filbert run? That’s very dangerous on trails like these!”
“No kidding,” I said breathlessly. I was still sort of collapsed over the saddle horn trying to recover. Filbert ducked his head to nibble on some tufts of dried-out grass.
The other volunteers were muttering to one another. Rina put her hands on her hips and glared.
“I had my doubts about you, young man,” she snapped. “But I never expected this. Let’s just hope Filbert didn’t hurt himself, or it’ll be a long walk back for you.”
“But I didn’t do anything!” I protested. “I was just sitting there, and he kind of jumped in the air and then took off like a shot!”
“Good old Filbert?” One of the other volunteers barked out a laugh. “Yeah, right. That horse wouldn’t spook and bolt if his tail was on fire!”
Rina was already looking over the horse. She checked Filbert’s bridle, then started running her hands up and down his legs, one at a time. Filbert himself seemed pretty unconcerned. He took a step forward, searching for more grass.
“He seems okay,” Rina said at last, straightening up and giving the horse a pat on the rump. “Lucky for you. But from now on, you’d better—hang on, what’s this?”
“What’s what?” Jacob asked. He glanced at his watch, looking impatient.
Donna steered her horse, an alert-looking Appaloosa, to the front of the pack. “Let’s get moving, shall we?” she said in a voice that expected to be obeyed. “We’ve got a lot of ground to cover if we want to have any hope of finding Justin out here.”
Rina ignored them both. She was peering at the back of my saddle.
“What is it, Rina?” one of the other locals asked.
“BBs,” Rina said, sounding surprised. “There are a couple of BBs embedded here in the cantle of Filbert’s saddle. Someone must have taken a shot at you!” She turned to stare at me.
“That makes sense,” I said. “I heard something before Filbert took off. Could’ve been a BB shot.”
Several of the other riders looked uneasy. “A BB gun?” one man said. “Who’d be way out here shooting at horses?”
Rina had turned to look over Filbert’s hindquarters and side. “I don’t see anything here,” she said, sounding relieved. “And the BBs didn’t go very far into the leather. I’m guessing the shooter was far enough away not to break skin.”
“At least not a horse’s skin,” I said, glancing down at my own bare arms.
Rina rubbed her face and glanced at me. “Looks like I owe you an apology, Joe,” she said. “This certainly explains why Filbert spooked. Any horse would if it got shot in the rump! Nothing to do with you. I’m glad you held on and weren’t hurt. Sorry for jumping to conclusions.”
“That’s okay, no hard feelings,” I said.
I scanned the walls of the canyon and the wooded areas on either side. There were plenty of places out here for a shooter to hide. And little chance we’d ever find him.
“So now what?” Hank sounded nervous. He probably wasn’t used to being shot at back in suburban Boise. By BB guns or otherwise.
“Maybe we should head in,” one volunteer said.
“Are you kidding?” Jacob sounded annoyed. “If someone’s shooting at us, it must mean we’re getting closer.”
Donna nodded. “Maybe it’s even Justin himself!” she said. “He might not realize it’s us coming to help him.”
On the one hand, I knew how they felt. My brother was out here too. If there was any chance of finding him, I wanted to press on.
On the other hand, we’d just been shot at. Ambushed. By person or persons unknown.
Not a good situation to be in. Especially miles from civilization.
Okay, maybe it could be local kids playing a prank. But that seemed pretty unlikely. All my ATAC instincts told me those BB shots had to be a warning. What would happen if we didn’t heed it? Would our attacker try again—and maybe not with a BB gun this time?
I glanced at Rina. She was staring up at the sky off in one direction. When I followed her gaze, I saw what she was looking a
t.
Storm clouds. Big, dark, angry-looking ones gathering on the horizon.
“Looks like some weather’s rolling in,” she said.
Right on cue, thunder rumbled in the distance. Everyone turned to look at the clouds.
“Looks like a bad one,” someone said.
“That settles it,” said one of the other volunteers. “We’re heading in.”
“What?” cried Jacob.
Rina was already turning her horse back the way we’d come. “We’d better hurry if we want to beat the rain back to the trailers.”
Jacob and Donna kept protesting. But the locals all ignored them, following Rina.
I glanced at Hank. He stared back at me and shrugged. He actually looked sort of relieved.
I knew how he felt. The park was beautiful. But also a little intimidating. Riding through it like this had given me a better idea of how vast it was. How untamed. The idea of finding someone out here just by riding along on horseback seemed crazy.
I mean, maybe that kind of thing worked for lost hikers and such. At least sometimes. But those people wanted to be found.
In any case, we didn’t have much choice. Rina and the others were already heading down the trail back into the canyon. I tugged at my reins, turning Filbert so he’d follow them. This time, I hoped we’d make it through without getting shot at.
We retraced our steps, moving faster than we had the first time. Filbert even broke into a bouncy trot several times.
Even so, it was starting to spit rain by the time we reached the parking lot. Rina and the others worked fast, yanking off saddles and rushing the horses into the trailers.
Jacob and Donna didn’t stick around to watch. They rushed off to their rental car and took off without a backward glance.
Hank and I stayed until the horses were loaded. Hank politely thanked the volunteers for their efforts, then turned to me.
“Need a lift back to town?” he asked.
“Yeah. Thanks.”
It was raining hard by the time Hank dropped me off at the B and B. I raced for the door, but ended up drenched anyway.
There was nobody in the parlor that served as a lobby. Good thing. They probably wouldn’t like me dripping all over their oriental rugs.
Pulling out my phone, I called Rich. He already knew about the aborted SAR mission. Jacob and Donna had stopped by the station on their way back to the park. They were staying at the lodge there.
“That fancy PI of theirs is due any minute,” Rich told me. I could almost hear him rolling his eyes over the phone. “Guess they’re planning to wait for him and show him around or what have you.”
“Any other news?” I asked.
“’Fraid not. Justin’s still missing. Edie’s still upset.”
“What about that kid from the hospital?”
“Stanley?” The detective sighed. “No change there, either. He’s sitting in jail and still won’t say who he is or why he wanted to talk to Justin.”
I sighed, feeling frustrated. And worried. The investigation seemed to be going from bad to worse. With each passing minute, the chances of finding Frank seemed to fade.
“Okay,” I said into the phone, trying not to sound as freaked out as I felt. “Keep me posted.”
“Will do.”
After I hung up, I just stood there dripping for a minute. Then I checked my watch. Almost two o’clock. That explained my grumbling stomach.
I decided to change into dry clothes, then grab lunch. Maybe a little nourishment would help my brain kick into gear and come up with a new plan.
Heading for my room, I fiddled with the key. But the door swung open as soon as I touched it.
Weird. Had I forgotten to lock up when I left that morning?
It was possible. I’d had a lot on my mind. But I was on alert as I stepped inside.
All was quiet in there. I scanned the room, looking for anything odd or out of place.
Then I saw it. A sheet of paper lying on the bed.
Hurrying forward, I grabbed it. It was a note made out of letters clipped from a newspaper. My eyes widened as I read it.
WE HAVE YOUR BROTHER. IF YOU DROP YOUR INVESTIGATION OF THE MISTY FALLS LOST, WE WILL GIVE HIM BACK.
IF NOT, YOU WILL NEVER SEE HIM AGAIN.
Food for Thought
CLANG!
I looked up from my spot on the cot. The cell door swung open. First I saw a tray of food pushed through the opening. Then the person carrying the tray.
“Chloe,” I said.
“Hi, Frank.” She smiled at me as she slipped inside. “I talked Jackson into letting me deliver your lunch today. We got interrupted earlier, and I wanted to explain.”
“Explain what?” I sat up straighter. “Why I’m being held here against my will? And nobody will even tell me what’s going on?”
She sighed and set the tray down on the cot. “You’re mad,” she said. “I guess I don’t blame you.”
“You guess?”
Joe always says I’m no good at talking to pretty girls. Maybe he’s right. But at the moment, I wasn’t even aware of Chloe’s appearance. Her silky dark hair. Or her soft brown eyes and dimpled cheeks. The way she smelled—like flowers in a meadow.
Okay, Frank, focus. I wasn’t Joe, who gets distracted by any female who passes by. Besides, I had much more important things on my mind.
“So talk,” I told her. “Explain away.”
She perched on the cot. The tray was between us. She pushed it toward me.
“Go ahead and eat while we’re talking,” she urged. “I don’t mind. And the guys will be back to pick up the tray in half an hour.”
“I’m not hungry.”
That was a lie. I was ravenous. How long had it been since I’d eaten anything? The food smelled delicious. This time it was a turkey sandwich. Lettuce, tomato, plenty of mayo. Plus a couple of chocolate chip cookies and another plastic cup of water.
But I didn’t dare touch any of it. Not unless I wanted to risk passing out again. Losing more chunks of time. And maybe more of my memory.
I swallowed hard. My throat felt scratchy and dry. Very dry.
That was when I realized I could hold out for a while without food and be fine. But I probably couldn’t go much longer without drinking. I’d have to risk the water. Picking it up, I took a few cautious sips.
It tasted fine. But who knew what could be hiding in it?
Chloe watched me drink. A worried little furrow creased her brow.
“I can’t tell you everything,” she said. “Not yet. But I can promise you that everything will be all right.”
That seemed unlikely. At least as long as I was stuck in here. But I kept quiet, taking another sip of the water. It was helping clear my head a little already. Guess I hadn’t even realized how thirsty I was.
“The Boss will explain it all to you soon,” Chloe said earnestly. “Then you’ll see that this place is really very special and good.”
I set down the almost empty plastic cup. Then I glanced around at the bare walls.
“Yeah, this place is special all right,” I said. “Kind of like prison is special.”
She glanced around as well. “I know the Intro Cells are kind of grim,” she admitted. “But I’m sure you’ll be transferred to a regular room soon. I’ll see what I can do to hurry that along, okay?”
“Regular room?” I said. “Is that where all those missing kids live? The ones who disappeared from the park?”
She shrugged and looked down at my tray. “Aren’t you going to eat anything?” she wheedled. “Come on—just a few bites, for me? The cookies are really good here.”
A few days ago, the way she was looking at me would have made me blush and stammer. Not now. If this was some twisted way to convince me to eat drugged food, I wasn’t falling for it.
“Maybe in a few minutes,” I said. “After you tell me what’s really going on in this place.”
“I told you, I wish I could.” She tilted her head to
one side, smiling uncertainly. “Please don’t look at me like that—I’d tell you everything if I could. I swear.”
You could tell me right now if you really wanted to, I thought.
But I didn’t say it. It was obvious this interrogation wasn’t getting me anywhere. Time to take a different tack.
“I know, Chloe,” I said with a big, weary sigh. “Sorry for hounding you.”
She brightened instantly. “That’s okay,” she assured me. “I know you’re confused. Everyone is at first.”
I nodded, biting back the urge to ask more questions. “Thanks for coming to talk to me,” I said, pasting a big, earnest smile on my face. Joe calls it my Straight-A-Eagle-Scout look.
In the meantime, I was sneaking a peek toward the door. It was still standing slightly ajar. But Chloe was sitting between me and it. How was I going to get around her? She didn’t look that tough or strong. But what if she had a taser hidden on her?
“Are you sure you don’t want to eat something?” she said. “You should keep your strength up.”
“Um, maybe you’re right.” I shot a look at the tray. “The trouble is, I’m allergic to tomatoes. I get a rash if I even touch one. Can you take them out of that sandwich for me?”
“Of course!” She bent over to pick up the sandwich.
That was all the break I needed. Pushing myself off the cot, I sprang toward the door. My legs felt a little wobbly after sitting around for hours, but I ignored that.
“Hey!” Chloe cried as I pushed past her. “Stop!”
I didn’t stop. Dashing through the door, I turned and slammed it shut behind me.
A second later I heard Chloe pounding on the other side. “Let me out!” she yelled. “Frank, please! We’ll both get in trouble!”
I wasn’t too worried about that. As far as I could tell, I was in trouble already. Big trouble. But now maybe I could find my way out of it.
Ignoring the continued pounding and yelling, I headed down the hall. All my senses were on alert. I definitely didn’t want to run into Scar Guy again. Or Baby Doc and his taser. Or anyone else, for that matter. Not until I figured out what was going on.
This time I went a different way than I had the first time. I found myself in a different featureless hallway. With different rooms opening off of it.
The Lost Brother Page 6
