As houses along the shoreline grew smaller, I could see why they would appeal to burglars. It looked as though the people living there had tons of money. Most of the houses were newer and bigger than ours. I thought ours was perfect—partly because my dad designed it and had it built. We inherited the land from his parents; it’s been in the family for a hundred years. Dad says there’s no way we could afford to buy land around the lake these days.
The houses stopped at the edge of a new development right where Amelia Truesdale’s Lakeside Farm began.
Max poked my shoulder. “There’s Amelia.” She waved at the woman standing on the dock. Amelia waved back and lifted up a mess of trout.
“I didn’t know she fished.”
Max laughed. “I think she does everything.”
Cooper pulled the oar up and laid it across his lap, dripping water on my arm. The cold water felt good. I almost wished I’d packed a swimsuit, but the water’s too cold for swimming unless you’re close to shore. As the canoe drifted, Cooper told us his news and I understood why he’d been so upset. “Enrique’s missing.”
CHAPTER
THREE
TThe news about Enrique Sanchez didn’t surprise me too much, but it did make me feel incredibly sad. Enrique was our age and went to school with us. He was one of the quiet kid, and I didn’t know him very well. He didn’t mix much with the other kids, but I knew he and Cooper were good friends. I hadn’t seen him much since school let out for the summer. In fact, the last time had been at his dad’s funeral.
Carlos Sanchez had worked for Amelia Truesdale. When Carlos went missing, everyone thought he had run away because he was an illegal immigrant. It turned out to be more than that. Carlos had been murdered. I won’t go into the details, but he left Enrique and his two little girls behind. At the funeral I wondered what would happen to them. I knew they were staying with their aunt, but only until the authorities could locate relatives in Mexico. Their mother had died about four years ago when they were still living in Mexico. An accident, I think.
Cooper had lost his mom a few years ago too—to breast cancer. I had a feeling that was one of the things that drew Cooper and Enrique together.
Max and I waited for Cooper to give us details.
“All I know is that he didn’t want to go back to Mexico.” Cooper sighed. “I talked to him a couple of days ago, and he was really worried. I guess they have a grandmother there, and the authorities are going to deport him and his sisters. Their Aunt Leah is a citizen and she’s been trying to keep them with her, but the immigration people say the kids have to go back.”
“That’s not fair.” Max glanced at the mainland. “Can’t we do something? Maybe Amelia can—she knows everybody.”
Cooper shook his head. “My dad says the government isn’t going to budge. There are too many illegal aliens in the country as it is, and they’re not about to figure out a way for the kids to stay.”
“Do you know where Enrique went?” I slipped my hand into the icy water, lifted up a handful, and let it waterfall off.
“No. All I know is what was on the news last night. Enrique and his sisters disappeared. Their aunt said they’d gone to bed the night before, and in the morning they were gone. She says they ran away to keep from being deported. They don’t want to leave their friends.”
“He took his sisters with him?” That worried me. The girls were younger—Callista was nine and Maela, five.
Max rolled her eyes. “He couldn’t just leave them, Jess. The immigration jerks would have taken them. Think about it. If you were in Enrique’s place, would you leave Sam?”
“No, but they’re so young.” I sighed. “What can we do?”
“That’s why I wanted to talk to you guys,” Cooper said. “See, I’m thinking you and Max have done some pretty cool detective work lately. Face it—without you, the cops would still be looking for those bad guys you caught. Between the three of us, we should be able to figure out where Enrique is, and maybe we can bring them food and stuff they need. The only thing is, you have to promise not to tell the police.”
Max and Cooper both looked at me. “Or your parents,” they said in unison.
I flinched. They were both referring to the time I told my mother that Max was being abused when she wanted me to keep quiet. “But they can’t stay in hiding forever. Callista and Maela are too little to be on their own.”
“Jessie.” Cooper leaned forward and acted like he was talking to a little kid. “It won’t be forever. Just until his aunt can figure out a way to keep them here.”
I’m not good at keeping secrets from my parents. Maybe because we’re so close and I’ve always felt like I could go to them for everything. I trust them to do the right thing, and they usually do. I wondered what they would say if I told them about Enrique and his sisters. Would they be on our side, or would they agree with the immigration authorities?
“Okay,” I heard myself saying. “I won’t say anything for now, but if something bad happens, I’m telling my folks.”
“Deal.” Max leaned back. “Anyway, it’s too soon to worry about that. We haven’t found them yet.” She seemed pretty sure that we would. I wish I could have been that confident.
“Right,” Cooper said. “We can’t say anything about looking for them though. We need to be careful what we say and who we talk to. The police already questioned me. I’ll bet they talk to all the kids who went to school with us.”
“What did you tell them?” I asked.
“The truth. Enrique didn’t tell me anything.”
“So where should we start?” Max’s tone had risen a couple of levels while we’d been talking, and I could tell she was getting excited. My own heart was beating a little faster, but I didn’t know if it was from excitement or fear. Working against the authorities wasn’t exactly on my list of good things to do. On the other hand, we’d be helping three desperate and scared kids.
“I’m thinking we should start by talking to the aunt.” Cooper started rowing again, dipping the paddle into the water on one side, then the other.
“Perfect.” Max smiled at me. “Relax, Jess. We’re doing the right thing.”
I wasn’t so sure about that, but I nodded anyway.
You’re probably thinking I’m a big chicken, but I’m just cautious. Or at least I try to be. I suppose it comes from being sick so much and having to be careful about everything I do. Max just jumps into things, like diving into the lake. I have to go more slowly—like testing the water first. “Do you know where Enrique’s aunt lives?” I asked.
Cooper nodded. “Enrique lived there before his dad was killed. I guess they moved in with her when they came here from Mexico. She’s Carlos’s sister.”
“I never met her. Carlos used to come to our church and bring his family. That’s where he met Mrs. Truesdale. I didn’t know about their aunt until the funeral.”
We headed back to our dock and got there just as Dad and Sam were coming in.
I can’t tell you how embarrassed I was when we got back to my place. My mother insisted on feeding us lunch, which was fine. But she also insisted that I take a nap. “Mom,” I said through gritted teeth, “we have plans. I can rest later this afternoon.” I’m not a baby, I wanted to add, but didn’t.
“It’s okay, Jess,” Max said. “Your mom’s right. You should rest.”
“Yeah. We’ll wait for you.” Cooper didn’t seem to mind. “We need to go back to the farm to get our bikes anyway. We’ll come back and get you before we …”
“Go into town,” Max finished.
What could I do? I hate being ganged up on, but to tell the truth, I felt supertired—especially since I hadn’t slept much last night. I picked up my pillow and quilt from the big basket by the patio door and walked outside with Max and Cooper. While they ran down the bank to the boat dock, I stretched out on the swing. Part of me wanted to run after them, but the more reasonable part of me knew that my mother was right. I did need to rest. I just hoped
they wouldn’t go to visit Carlos’s sister without me. I fell asleep trying to put myself in Enrique’s place. Where would I go if the authorities were after me? Where would I find a safe place to hide with two little girls?
CHAPTER
FOUR
II woke up when I heard the patio door open.
“Hey, sleeping beauty,” Max greeted. “It’s already two o’clock. You’ve slacked off long enough. It’s time to ride.”
“Ride … ?” I mumbled. “Where to?”
Of course, the answer came to me before the question completely left my lips. To see Enrique’s aunt.
“Leah Estrada,” Max said. At my questioning look, she added, “Cooper and I did a little detective work. We have her address and even called her to make sure she was home.”
“Wow. I’m impressed.” I folded my quilt and stuffed it and my pillow into the basket just inside the door. After making a trip to the bathroom, I met Max and Cooper in the driveway. Cooper already had the buggy hooked up to his bike. The buggy wasn’t exactly the ride I’d had in mind.
“It’s a ways,” Cooper said when I started to object. “North of Lakeside. You might as well save your energy for later.”
“Besides,” Max said as though she’d read my mind, “we don’t want you to have to call your parents to come pick you up.”
“Okay.” I reluctantly climbed inside. Just so you know, I don’t like being ferried around in a bike buggy. I would rather have taken my own bike. Unfortunately, I can’t ride very far. More than once I’ve had to call my parents to come get me because I didn’t have enough strength to make it back home. What Cooper and Max had planned made more sense, so I leaned back in the seat and watched Cooper do all the work.
It took us twenty minutes to reach Leah Estrada’s house. It was in an older neighborhood in Lakeside. Some of the houses were run-down, but most of them had been kept up. Unlike some of the newer places, there were some gargantuan trees and shrubs. Several rhododendrons near the house almost obliterated the windows. We rode up the narrow sidewalk and stopped.
Leah came outside before Max and Cooper had even gotten off their bikes. “Cooper, I am glad to see you.” Leah had long black hair pulled back in a large barrette. She looked my mom’s age.
Cooper introduced Max and me, and we followed Leah inside. The house had seemed small from the outside, but inside it was comfortable and neat. On one wall was a kind of shrine. A small table held a fake stone archway that stood about two feet tall and a foot wide. Tucked inside were a crucifix and a statue of Mary. The rest of the house was bright and cheery. Leah had used a lot of red, yellow, green, and blue decorations to accent her beige furniture.
“Would you like something to drink?” Leah asked. “I have iced tea, sodas, or milk.”
Max and Cooper asked for Cokes, but I just wanted water. We sat down in the living room and waited. Looking around, I thought how crowded it would have been with five people living there.
A few minutes later, she came back carrying a tray of cookies and drinks. Sitting down with an iced tea for herself, she asked, “You told me on the phone you wanted to talk to me about Enrique. Have you seen him? Do you know anything?” She spoke with a slight Spanish accent.
“You speak good English,” Max said. “Better than Carlos.”
Leah smiled. “I was born here. My parents immigrated to this country thirty-five years ago. My accent comes from always speaking Spanish to my family.”
Cooper cleared his throat. “We haven’t seen or heard from Enrique. We were hoping you could tell us something. We’d like to look for him and his sisters.”
“There is so little to tell. Like I told the police, I woke up yesterday morning and they were gone.”
“What did they take with them?” I asked, hoping that would give us a clue. I already had an idea, but didn’t want to say anything yet.
“Their backpacks for school are gone and some books. Crayons and coloring books. I think Callista took things for little Maela to do.”
“What about food?” Max’s gaze swept the room.
“Some snacks are missing and some fruit. There is only enough food to last two, maybe three days.” She looked hopeful. “Maybe Enrique will come back here for more.”
“I doubt that,” Cooper said. “The police will be watching the place.”
Max frowned. “So the cops know we’re here now? What if they followed us? They might think we know where they are.”
“Which we don’t.” I glanced out the front window. “I didn’t see any police on the way here, and I don’t think they have enough officers to have someone watch the house all the time.”
“You’re probably right.” Max picked up a couple of cookies.
Leah set her tea down on a coaster. “She is right, Max. The police are looking for them, but I don’t think they are making the children a priority. They are more worried about the robberies being committed against those rich people in the big houses on the lake. The immigration authorities are only interested in finding the children so they can deport them.”
“I don’t understand. Isn’t there an Amber alert?”
“Yes, and I am sure the police are trying to find them, but we are Hispanic.”
“Prejudice.” Max pursed her lips.
“That is partly true,” Leah said. “There are many bad feelings about immigrants. Some people are more than happy to be rid of those who are not like them. Not everyone feels that way. The newspaper reporter who came to interview me about the children seemed sympathetic. He said he would make sure the information got out to the television stations in Seattle and in Oregon.”
“We had a debate about the immigration issues at school.” Cooper leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “About half the kids think there shouldn’t be any sanctions and that illegals should just be sent back where they came from.”
“I remember.” Sunny was one of them. She thought the police should round up all the illegal immigrants in the country and deport them. I wasn’t about to tell Leah that. “I’m not sure how I feel about it,” I added. “I want people like Enrique and his sisters to become citizens and not be deported. Some of the laws don’t seem fair, but …”
“We have laws to protect our country.” Leah nodded. “It’s a very complicated issue, and unfortunately, we are not going to solve the problem today.” She smiled and looked at her watch. “I need to go to work. One of my homemakers didn’t show up.”
“We’ll look for Enrique and the girls.” Max stood. “How can we get hold of you if we find them?”
She handed Max a card that read Leah’s Homemaking Services on it in dark letters. “My cell phone is there.”
“My mom has used your company,” I said. “Sometimes, when I’m really sick, she brings people in to clean and cook. I don’t remember ever seeing you.”
“I have ten homemakers working for me.” She sighed. “In fact, the police want to question all of my employees and me about the robberies. We do a lot of our business in those expensive neighborhoods. Since my homemakers are given keys and security codes, we are all suspect.”
“Even you?” Cooper opened the door, and we stepped outside.
She hesitated and gave us a wry smile. “I’m afraid so.”
“I have one more question,” I said. “If the authorities deport Enrique and his sisters, where will they go?”
“Their mother’s parents live in Mexico City. The grandparents love them very much, but they are old and poor and barely able to take care of themselves. It would not be a good situation. Carlos was hoping to become a citizen, but he was killed before he could make it happen.” She shrugged. “Enrique said he would not go back.” Tears filled her eyes. “He said he would die first, and I’m afraid that could happen.”
We left Leah’s house, but I didn’t know where we were headed. I had climbed into the buggy without asking Max and Cooper, and they hadn’t told me. Maybe they didn’t know either. All I knew was that I felt heavy in
side, like I’d swallowed a ton of lead. I was worried about Enrique, Callista, and Maela. I felt angry that the police weren’t doing more to find them. Angry that our government would send three children, who had friends and family and a home here in the United States, to a place they didn’t want to go. I prayed that they would stay safe and that we would be able to find them. Then I worried about what we would do if we did find them. Who could we tell? How would we be able to help them?
CHAPTER
FIVE
WWe stopped at the Alpine Tea and Candy Shoppe for something to drink. They have my absolutely favorite dessert there, chocolate-dipped strawberries. They also had cool air. The outside temperature had climbed to 85. I felt sure the sunscreen I’d put on this morning had dripped into my shoes. I took my hat off and wiped the sweat off my forehead with my arm.
Ivy was working and seemed glad to see us. I was still finding it hard to accept her friendship. She whispered something to her mother, who smiled and nodded. The three of us, Max, Cooper, and I, sat down at one of the round tables. Ivy came right over. “You guys look hot. Must be pretty warm out there.”
“Very,” Cooper said. “I’ll have a blackberry Italian soda. Use sugar-free syrup. No cream.”
“Good choice.” Ivy grinned, her cheeks pinker than when we’d come in. Though she hadn’t said anything to Max or me, I was pretty sure she had a crush on Cooper. By schooltime next year I imagined a lot of girls would feel the same way. Cooper didn’t seem to notice.
Looking at me, Ivy said, “Let me guess: chocolate strawberries.”
I grinned. “I’m too predictable. Bring six and we’ll share them.”
“Nice.” Max chuckled. “I want raspberry Italian cream soda.”
I ordered lemonade. When Ivy brought our order, which had two extra strawberries, she went back for a plate of shortbread cookies and lemonade for herself, then sat down with us. “I hope you don’t mind if I hang here with you. I need a break.”
“Sure,” Cooper said. I think Max minded, but she didn’t say anything.
Max & Me Mysteries Set Page 21
