by Kathi Daley
“Sure. I can do that. Is something up?” I opened the door to my Jeep and Tilly jumped inside. I tossed my empty mailbag on the back seat.
“There’s a man coming by at seven thirty to look at three of our dogs. He adopts dogs from shelters around the country and trains them for FEMA. He’s in our area and heard about our shelter. He was impressed with our personalized training program and asked if I thought we had any dogs with potential. I want to show him Gracie, Bosley, and Sammy. I hoped you could be here to help me with the demonstration.”
“I’m happy to help out. What a great opportunity.” Gracie was a golden lab, Bosley a German shepherd, and Sammy a Border collie mix. All had received basic training and were young and healthy. I considered them to have real potential for specialized training as search-and-rescue dogs.
“Great. I’ll see you in the morning. And bring Tilly. She has a calming effect on the shelter dogs.”
By the time I dropped off my empty mailbag and chatted with my coworker for a few minutes at the post office, it was a good thirty minutes past the time Tony had told me he’d be by. I’d given him a key to my cabin and knew he’d let himself in, but I’d hoped to be home early enough not to keep him waiting. Our lives had certainly changed since we’d admitted our love for each other. I felt like the world around me was somehow brighter, richer, and happier. I’m not sure why I hadn’t realized sooner that Tony was the guy for me, but now that I’d opened my eyes, I planned to never let him go.
Tony’s truck was in the drive when I pulled up. He’d turned on the white twinkle lights he’d strung all around my property, making it look like a magical fairyland. My heart smiled as I climbed out of my Jeep and let Tilly out behind me. “Titan’s here,” I said to Tilly, referring to Tony’s dog.
Tilly must have figured that out on her own because she ran toward the front door the minute I let her out of the Jeep. Tilly loved Titan, and it was obvious the feeling was mutual.
Tony opened the door and stepped out onto the front deck. I walked into his arms and sighed with happiness when they closed around me. Tony had been working hard to finish up a project he’d contracted for and wanted to have completed before we left for our trip, so I hadn’t seen him since the previous Monday morning, when he’d brought me back to my cabin after we’d spent the weekend at his place.
“I’ve missed you,” Tony said into my ear.
“And I’ve missed you. Did you finish your project?”
“I did. And I don’t have anything else until after the first of the year, so from this point forward, I’m all yours.”
“That sounds pretty darn good to me.”
Tony took a step back and we turned toward the front door. “I was about to start dinner,” he informed me.
“It can wait. I need to change out of my uniform and I thought maybe you could help me.”
Tony grinned. “You know I like to be helpful.”
******
A long time later, Tony started dinner, while I logged onto my computer to check my emails. I didn’t normally get a lot, but I didn’t have time to check them at all during the day, so I’d settled into the routine of checking all my messages when I got home each evening. I supposed missing an evening wouldn’t be the end of the world, but ever since Tony and I had begun searching for my father, I felt compelled to check to see if I’d received anything that might be connected to it in some way. Not that I ever had. The only email we’d received that was even remotely connected to it was one Tony had received about my mother. Still, although the clues leading to my dad’s disappearance were slim, a girl could dream.
I thought about the information we’d been able to uncover as I waited for the computer to boot up. The whole thing had started shortly after my dad died, or I should say supposedly died, fourteen years ago. I was fourteen when I was told my dad had died in a fiery truck accident while driving the cross-country route he’d been working most of my life. A year later, I was nosing around in the attic of the house Mike and I lived in with our mother and found a letter hidden in a book that I believed at the time to be encrypted. Believing it could somehow provide an answer to the questions I’d been having since my father’s death, I’d decided to try to break the code. After dozens of failed attempts, I had no choice but to enlist Tony’s help. As it turned out, the letter hadn’t been encrypted at all, but that search had led us to uncover some anomalies in my father’s death, which was what I’d suspected all along. We decided to keep our search to ourselves as we continued to dig. We’d come up totally empty until this past December, when Tony found a photo of my dad standing in front of a building that had been constructed three years after his supposed death. Two months after that, Tony found a photo of my dad in a minimart. At the time, the photo had been only two years old.
Since then, we’d gotten other hits that suggested my dad was not only alive but something of a world traveler. We hadn’t been able to find mention of a Grant Thomas since his death, so we were working under the assumption that he’d changed his name. The most recent clue was a photo sent to Tony just three weeks ago. That photo of my dad looked as if it had been taken in Eastern Europe and appeared to come to him in real time, meaning that unless it was a trick of some sort, my dad was alive as of three weeks ago. Of course, Tony had warned me the photo could be a fake, and we should consider any evidence we dug up suspect until proven otherwise.
The other interesting thing Tony had uncovered was that Grant Walton Thomas didn’t seem to exist before 1981. As far as I knew, he was born on April 12, 1957, in St. Louis, Missouri, but according to Tony, he didn’t have a paper trail of any sort until shortly before he married my mother.
In addition to the photos of my dad that Tony had dug up along the way, someone had sent him a photo of my mom standing on a bridge in Norway. I later learned that was taken while she was on vacation in Europe before she ever met my father. The really odd thing was, in the photo she’s standing on the same bridge as the man we thought could have been my father at an earlier age. I spoke to Mom about it, and she assured me that, while they did look alike, Jared Collins, the man on the bridge, and my father weren’t the same man.
The more we learned about my father’s past and disappearance, the more confused I became. I wondered who had sent Tony the photo of my mom and why. It wasn’t as if we were doing a facial recognition search on her image, so why had the photo turned up in his in-box?
“Because I’ve barely spoken to you in a week, I wanted to ask if you had any new hits on my dad,” I said after I’d checked my handful of emails—mostly ads—and logged off.
Tony paused from chopping garlic. “I haven’t had any additional hits with the facial recognition program, but I’ve done some digging to see if I can turn up anything connected to your dad’s time at Timberland Lake. When you told me that your mom wanted us to spend the week at the place your dad took his annual fishing trip, I decided to look for any references I might be able to uncover.”
“Makes sense.”
“Did your mom happen to say why she wanted to visit that particular lake?”
I shook my head. “I thought it odd that she wanted to go there after all these years when she first brought it up, but I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it so I didn’t say anything.”
“Do you think it might have something to do with your asking her about her trip to Europe last month?”
I frowned. “Maybe. I guess that would explain why she’s suddenly interested in visiting a place my dad spent so much time during their marriage. Bree wondered if Mom missed Dad and was looking to make a connection of some sort by visiting a place he seemed to love so much.”
“Do you think she’s right? Do you think she’s missing your dad?”
“I don’t think so. That doesn’t feel right to me. She loved my dad, but it wasn’t the stuff of fairy tales. They actually didn’t spend a lot of time together. He was on the road most of the time, and even when he wasn’t working, he would go fishing
or hunting. And yes, she was sad when he died, but I don’t remember her falling into a deep depression. In fact, it seemed to me that she grieved quickly and then got on with her life in a fairly efficient manner. To suggest she’d be missing him all these years later would be odd. I suspect she might just want to do something different this year. Aunt Ruthie is going to be out of town with her son and new granddaughter. Mom might just have been feeling at loose ends.”
Tony tossed the garlic he’d chopped into a pan with diced onions and olive oil, then began to stir. “I guess that might be all there is going on. Still, it seems like a good opportunity for us to dig up a new clue. I don’t think we should be obvious about it, but I do think we should plan to do a little sleuthing while we’re at the lake. If your dad went up there every year, I’d be willing to bet there are people who live in the area who might remember him.”
I popped a piece of the bread Tony had buttered in preparation for broiling into my mouth. “That’s a good idea. The fact that he returned to the same lake every year with such faithfulness almost makes me think he was meeting someone there.”
“Did he ever mention seeing anyone?” Tony asked.
“No. He just said he needed time to think,” I answered. “That never made sense to me because he spent most of his time driving back and forth across the country alone. Seems like he had plenty of time to think then. But my mom seemed fine with it, so who was I to question his motives?”
“My research turned up the fact that the man who owns and rents the cabins on the lake has been doing it for over thirty years. He must have known your dad. And if he was meeting someone there, he should know that as well. As soon as we get settled, we’ll head over to the rental office and have a chat with the guy.”
I frowned as a thought occurred to me. “If my dad is still alive, which we seem to have good reason to suspect he is, do you think he continued to go up to the lake even after he supposedly died?”
Tony tossed some shrimp into the sauté. “I wouldn’t think he would have. I mean, he was supposed to be dead. It seems like he’d go out of his way to avoid any place where he was known in his old life.”
“Yeah. I guess you’re right. But how funny would it be to run into him by the lake or at the local pub?”
Chapter 2
Sunday, November 18
“The man who adopts dogs to train for FEMA ended up taking all three of the dogs we showed him yesterday,” I said to Tony as we drove toward the cabin on the lake where we would spend the next week.
“That’s wonderful. And I love the idea that he uses rescue dogs for his program.”
I turned to look at Tilly and Titan, who were riding comfortably in the cargo area of the new SUV Tony had bought after we’d discussed the fact that carting two dogs and two cats up to the lake in a truck was going to be tricky. “Rescue dogs are the best. The three we showed him had undergone quite a bit of training already, so I was really optimistic things would work out.”
“I think it’s wonderful that you and Brady put so much time into training the dogs in your care.”
“Most dogs who end up in the shelter are brought to us in the first place because they have bad habits the owners can’t tolerate. Brady and I know that well-behaved dogs are more likely to be well-loved dogs, so we’re willing to go the extra mile. Our goal is to place our animals in forever homes, not just more temporary ones. So far, I think we’ve had really good luck.”
“Well, I certainly adore Titan. I never even knew I wanted a dog until you brought him to me. Now I can’t imagine life without him.” Tony turned to me. “Or without you.”
I smiled.
“How are the cats doing?” he asked.
My cats, Tang and Tinder, were in crates on the back seat, with the luggage tied onto the roof rack. “They don’t seem to be loving the long ride, but they’re hanging in okay. How much farther do you think it is?”
“At least another hour.”
I turned back around and glanced at the truck in front of us. As we’d discussed, Mike and Bree had taken Mom and her luggage, and all the food and supplies she’d brought. We’d discussed cutting a tree for Bree while at the lake, but I wasn’t sure we’d have the space to bring it home. Of course, by the time we made the return trip, the boxes of food would be gone, which would free up some room.
“It really is beautiful up here,” I said as we wound our way up the mountain. “And so peaceful. I guess I can see why Dad wanted to come up here every year.”
“My research indicated the cabins as well as the campgrounds are packed in the summer, but the campground is closed from mid-September through mid-May, so there shouldn’t be a lot of activity at this time of the year.”
“Once we arrive, we’ll get the cats settled, then take the dogs for a walk,” I said. “I’m sure they’ll need to stretch their legs.”
“I could use a walk as well,” Tony agreed.
“I’m curious to see how populated the place actually is. I’ve been picturing a little town perched on the edge of a lake with cabins scattered around, but the map Mom has makes it look really isolated.”
“I have the feeling it’s pretty isolated. In fact, there didn’t seem to be a town of any sort in the vicinity of the lake, but there’s a little one about ten miles away. If I had to guess, that serves as a place to eat and shop for the folks staying in the cabins and campground at the lake.”
“Mom said she thought the lake had a small café and store.”
“Makes sense. I think the road we need to turn on to is coming up within the next few miles. We should start to watch for it.”
I narrowed my gaze to focus on the road ahead. I pointed to an intersection in the distance. “I think that might be it just ahead.”
Mike slowed and made the turn, and Tony followed him.
“It looks like Mike is pulling over,” I said after we’d both left the interstate and merged onto the lake road.
Tony pulled over behind him.
Mike made a complete stop and got out of the truck. Tony and I followed suit.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Mike pointed toward a grove of aspens. “When we made the turn, there was a pup in the road. I didn’t hit him, but I did scare him. He took off toward those trees.”
I looked around. There didn’t seem to be a house in sight. “We should try to get him. We can take him with us. I’m sure someone at the lake will know who he belongs to.”
“I’ll get him,” Mike said.
Tony and I waited to see if he was successful. If he wasn’t, I’d get Tilly out of Tony’s SUV to see if the pup would come to her. We didn’t have to wait long until Mike came back out of the trees with a tan and white bundle of fur who was wagging his tail and licking Mike’s face.
“It seems he likes you,” I said.
“Apparently,” Mike grumbled. “Let’s put him in the cargo area of your vehicle with Tilly and Titan. I don’t think Mom is going to want to share the back seat with him.”
“You’re probably right.” I opened the cargo area and Mike slipped the pup inside. He seemed to be thrilled to join Tilly and Titan, so we closed the back door, and Mike returned to his truck.
“The pup can’t be more than a few months old,” Tony commented as we resumed the drive.
I frowned. “Yeah. He’s much too young to be out on his own. I wonder where he came from.”
“He’s pretty darn cute and friendly. I’d say he was a stray, but he seems as if he’s used to people. Maybe he wandered away from one of the cabins.”
“Maybe. I’m glad Mike saw him. He shouldn’t be out here on his own.” I turned and looked at the pup, who was resting his paws on the back seat. His tongue hung out to the side and his entire body was wiggling with excitement as he spotted the cats. “You need to stay in the back,” I warned the pup. “I don’t think the cats are happy to have you drooling on them.”
The pup ignored me, but he didn’t continue over the seat either. W
e had to be close to the lake by now, so I decided to just keep an eye on him rather than stopping to secure him.
“There’s more snow up here than I was expecting,” Tony commented as we continued to climb toward the lake. “If I’d known, I would have brought my cross-country skis.”
I glanced at the dark sky. “It looks like we might be in for some additional snow while we’re here. Skiing would have been fun, but it will also be fun to snuggle up by the fire and watch it snow.”
Tony grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. “Suddenly, I’m wishing we had our own cabin.”
I squeezed Tony’s hand in return. “That would be romantic, but I think for Mom, this weekend is about family, and that should be nice too. She’s planning to cook up a storm, which will be wonderful. And she brought cards, puzzles, and board games.”
Tony slowed the SUV. “It looks like Mike is getting ready to make a turn.”
I watched as both vehicles left the little mountain road and turned onto a narrow lane that seemed to be more of a service road. It wasn’t long before the lake came into view. My breath caught in my throat as I took in the natural beauty of the area. “Wow,” I said aloud.
“Wow is right,” Tony said. “It’s gorgeous.”
The large lake was surrounded by dense forest. Cabins, both large and small, were scattered along the shoreline. It appeared as if there was a one-lane road that circled the lake, providing access to the cabins. At the south end was a larger complex that included, as Mom had suggested, a large cabin, I assume belonging to the owner, a one-pump gas station, a camp store, a laundry, and a small café, which was closed. I wasn’t sure if that was because it was Sunday or if it was closed for the season. Not that it mattered. Mom had brought plenty of supplies to cook up several feasts.
Mike pulled up in front of the camp store and parked, and we followed. Mike, Bree, and Mom all climbed out of the truck, and so did we.
