Kade groaned and threw his arm over his eyes. That dratted puppy of Lauri’s had cried all night. He’d lost count of how many times he’d climbed out of bed and reheated the water in the water bottle. Even the ticking of the alarm clock failed to soothe Zorro, and the pup clearly wanted others to share his pain.
Kade’s eyes felt gritty. What really sounded good was pulling the shades and going back to sleep, but he’d be late for church if he didn’t get moving. Skipping altogether seemed an attractive option, but he knew he couldn’t do that. He was the morning’s worship leader, plus he’d promised to take over Mike Farrell’s Sunday school class while Mike visited family in Boston. He had to get up.
He tossed back the covers and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Zorro heard him stirring and promptly began to whine and cry in his box by the outside door. Kade sighed and shuffled out of his bedroom to check on the puppy. Why was he doing this? Lauri had promised to care for the puppy herself, yet last night she’d wheedled him into taking over that job yet again while she went to a slumber party at a friend’s house.
When she came home today, Kade intended to remind her that Zorro was her dog. No more shirking of her motherly duties. If she didn’t want to care for the puppy herself, he would take the dog back to the pound, though the thought pained him. Still, he had to be firm. Lauri needed to grow up and face her responsibilities. He’d give it a few more days.
Kade picked up Zorro and grimaced at the mess in the box. He started to clean it up then stopped. No, this was a job Lauri needed to do. He took the puppy outside and tried to get him to potty, but Zorro hadn’t figured out what to do yet. He attached a long rope to the puppy’s collar and left him outside. There was no snow forecast for today, though the air was nippy. Still, the pup’s coat was thick, and he’d be fine.
Kade’s fatigue dropped away once he was among his church family. He kept watching for Lauri—she was supposed to bring her friend to church today—but by the time service was over, she still hadn’t shown up. His initial anger escalated when he got home; she wasn’t there either.
He fed the puppy then stalked to his truck and took off toward town. Lauri’s friend Tracie Mitchell lived in a house on the outskirts of Rock Harbor. Kade pulled up in front. He stared at the house but saw no movement. The siding used to be red, but the color had worn away in most places. Most of the shutters had blown off, and the ones still attached tilted at an angle as they clung to the sides of the windows with only one screw. An assortment of tricycles and toys littered the porch, which was missing a few boards.
He got out of the truck and strode to the steps. Careful to avoid the missing tread, he went to the front door and knocked. There was no answer, so he pounded harder.
“I’m coming. I’m coming. Keep your pants on.” The irritated voice coming through the door sounded female.
The door swung open, and Kade faced a woman with wispy blond hair scraped back from her forehead into a clip at the back of her head. She shuffled the baby on her hip and stared at him.
Her pale blue eyes regarded him with suspicion. “Mrs. Mitchell? I’m Lauri’s brother, Kade. I wonder if I might have a word with my sister?”
“She ain’t here. I ain’t seen her since Tracie moved in with her dad in Marquette a month ago.”
Kade digested the news in silence. His anger grew, but he managed to keep his voice calm. “I need to find my sister. Do you have any idea where I could look?” Whatever Lauri had been up to, it wasn’t good.
Mrs. Mitchell gnawed on her bottom lip. “I ’spect you could check their hangout by the river. You go past Wilson’s barn and turn at that dirt track that leads back to Rock River. Park at the river and take the path to the right. Go ’bout a mile, and you’ll come to a fork in the path. Turn left, and it will take you to a lean-to by the river the kids all use.” A child behind her began to whine, and she slammed the door in Kade’s face.
He stood on the porch for a moment then gave a heavy sigh and went to his truck. He made a mental note to call the pastor’s wife and suggest that some women call on Mrs. Mitchell and offer the church’s help with the house. Then he started the truck and pulled away. It would be like Lauri to assume Kade would wait for her to show up. But Lauri was in for a big surprise. He was done giving her the benefit of the doubt. He should have cracked down harder, sooner. His stomach churned at the thought of what she’d been doing all night. And with whom.
He drove through town to the other side, past Wilson’s barn. He almost missed the dirt track. No wonder he’d never noticed it before; it was nearly overgrown with brambles. Kade heard the thorns screech over the paint on his truck as he squeezed down the lane.
After a short time the track widened a bit, though heavy vegetation and tall trees nearly blotted out the sun. Potholes made the going slow, and once he almost hit a tree stump poking up through the fallen leaves. Rounding a curve, he nearly hit a woman in a heavy navy sweater. She wore an old leather fedora on her head and looked vaguely familiar. Kade had a feeling he should know her, but he couldn’t make the connection. He assumed he’d seen her around town a time or two.
Her eyes startled and went wide. For a moment she looked as though she might run, then she straightened her shoulders and watched him pass before turning toward town again. He wondered briefly what she was doing back here. He’d seen no houses or anything that hinted of permanent residences.
He finally reached the river and parked. The river was barely more than a stream after the dry summer they’d just had, though he knew in the spring it would boast some beautiful waterfalls. He got out of the truck and took the path Mrs. Mitchell had told him about. Walking along the narrow dirt walkway, he found plenty of evidence that teenagers frequented this area: gum wrappers, soda cans, the remains of a Snickers candy bar, and the ubiquitous cigarette butts. Looking closely, he noticed some of those butts had been hand-rolled.
His lips tightened. Lauri had better not be dabbling in drugs. He’d send her away to military school or something if he had to. He walked as quickly as he dared along the uneven path and finally came to the fork Tracie’s mother had mentioned. He turned left and minutes later heard the sound of young voices.
The scent of wood smoke drifted to his nostrils, and he quickened his steps. Pushing his way through a brier patch, he saw a group of four teenagers seated around an open fire. His gaze went to his sister. She sat on a blanket on the ground, leaning back against the legs of a boy who was sitting on a log. She was smoking like the rest, but he was relieved to see it wasn’t marijuana.
“Hey, what time is it?” The red-headed girl tossed another log on the fire as she asked. Kade recognized her as Mindy Sturgeon, the high-school principal’s daughter.
“Two o’clock,” the boy behind Lauri said.
“Holy cow,” Lauri said. “I’d better get going. I’ve missed church, and Kade will be spitting bullets.” She started to her feet, but the boy grabbed her by the ponytail and pulled her back against him.
“Relax. He’ll get over it. We’ve got all day yet.”
Kade stepped out from the trees. “Wrong,” he said. “Party’s over.”
Lauri screeched and jumped to her feet. The rest of the kids stood hastily and tossed away their cigarettes. Shock rippled over his sister’s face, but Kade could see the anger underneath the way he could see a rock at the bottom of a riverbed.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded.
“I might ask the same question of you,” he said dryly. “I understood you to be at Tracie Mitchell’s, but her mother tells me she hasn’t seen you in weeks. Weeks, Lauri.” He pressed his lips together. The rest could wait until they were at home. “Get your things.”
“Hey, man, we weren’t doing anything wrong—” the boy began.
“Stow it,” Kade said. Obviously ill at ease, the rest of the kids stood with their hands thrust in their pockets. “Do your parents know where you are?” he asked.
The boy glared at him defiantly while the other two looked at the ground. This kid was bad news waiting to make the front page. “I didn’t think so,” Kade said. “What are your names? And don’t try to lie your way out of this.”
“Chip Elliott,” one of the boys said. His brown hair was tousled, and he wouldn’t meet Kade’s gaze.
Mindy opened her mouth, but Kade cut her off. “I recognized you, Mindy.” He turned his glare to the boy. “Who’s Mr. Smartmouth?”
The boy’s defiance was only a veneer. Kade saw panic flicker in his eyes. The teenager mumbled something.
“What was that? Speak up,” Kade said sharply.
“Brian Parker,” the boy said a little louder.
Brian Parker. Kade’s gaze narrowed. “You Max Parker’s boy?” Max would have a coronary. The town doctor was proud of his social standing and kept his family in order.
Brian’s brave front dissolved. “You’re not going to tell my dad, are you?”
“I haven’t decided yet,” Kade said. He didn’t like meddling in other people’s business, and it wasn’t his job to police Rock Harbor’s teenage population. Maybe he’d better stick to his own responsibilities. But he’d let the kids sweat it out a bit. Maybe next time they’d think twice about being so foolish.
He saw Lauri hadn’t moved. “Get your things,” he told her. “Unless you want your friends to hear what I have to say.”
Lauri dropped her gaze. He waited while she went to the lean-to. The silence was long and uncomfortable for the kids, who shuffled their feet and looked everywhere except at Kade.
When she reappeared with a backpack over her shoulder, he addressed the group. “I suggest you all head for home as well. It might be good to confess before I find time to talk to your parents myself.”
The kids scattered, and Kade took Lauri’s stiff arm. Lauri jerked out of his grasp. “I don’t need your help,” she snarled. They walked back to the truck in tense silence. He knew she wouldn’t hold her anger for long.
Lauri threw herself into the seat and slammed the door. His mouth tight, Kade slid beneath the steering wheel and jabbed the key into the ignition. The engine roared when he floored the accelerator, and it felt almost as satisfying as if he had been able to let loose the roar of rage building in his own chest.
The tires spun in the soft dirt, then the truck moved away from the river. Kade eased his foot off the pedal. The sandy track was too treacherous to go fast, much as he might want to expel his frustration by driving recklessly. He glanced at his sister. She stared out the window, her jaw tight. Then rage burst from her in a flood of bitterness.
“You’ve ruined my life; I hope you know that!” The gaze she turned on him would have burned him if his own anger hadn’t been just as hot.
“Let’s not discuss this until we get home,” he said tightly.
“Everything always has to be your way, doesn’t it? Well, not today. Let me out of this truck.” She struggled with the truck door and managed to open it.
Kade hit the brakes as Lauri hurled herself out of the truck. He threw the transmission into park and jumped out, leaving his door open. Lauri had landed in a patch of raspberry brambles. The harder she tried to extricate herself, the more deeply the thorns pierced her.
“Oh, ow!” She began to cry. Blood marred her forehead, and droplets appeared on her arms.
“Stop thrashing. Let me help you.” Kade took out his pocketknife to cut her loose. Laurie kept still, her only movement coming from her chest as she sobbed.
“You don’t care about me,” she wailed. “I’m just a nuisance to you and everyone else. I wish I’d died with Mom. I hate my life. I hate this town, and I hate you!” Freed from the briers, she sat up and buried her face in her hands.
Her words stung. Could she really hate him? Kade knelt beside her. “That’s not true, Lauri. You’re the most important thing in my life. You’re the reason I’m here in Rock Harbor. I want to do what’s best for you.” He swallowed and dabbed at the blood on her forehead. She stood.
“You don’t even know me anymore, so how can you know what’s best?” Spent from her rampage, she let her hands fall to her sides. “Just leave me alone.” She brushed past him and got back in the truck.
Kade wished he knew the magic words to reach his sister. She was getting sucked away from him in a whirlpool of rebellion that would ruin her life. He couldn’t let that happen. Somehow, there had to be a way to reach her.