Daisy double-checked to make sure the back door of the diner was locked. Today was her day to close and lock up, and then she’d head home. They closed early on Sunday afternoons, and she was more than ready to relax and put her feet up.
Her brow furrowed when she realized she hadn’t heard from Derrick if Ian had gone to the Big House for the afternoon. This missing girl case had everybody on edge, and she knew search parties were out in several areas of Shiloh Springs. Ms. Patti had called her earlier, asking if she’d provide food tomorrow in case they needed to do official organized searches. She’d gladly volunteered. Being a part of the community, pitching in when there was a need, made her feel like she belonged.
Turning off the lights, and locking the front door, she took a deep breath, standing for a moment in front of the big picture window of her diner. Her diner, her sanctuary from the past. She’d made a lot of mistakes before coming to Shiloh Springs. Things that most people in town didn’t know and she hoped they never found out.
Climbing behind the wheel of her car, she drove toward home almost on autopilot. Turning onto her street, she jumped when her phone rang, and she slid her hand into the pocket of her purse where she always kept it.
“Hello.”
“Daisy. Thank goodness you answered.”
The panic in Miss Edna’s voice had her hands tightening on the steering wheel. Something was wrong and it had her elderly neighbor in a tizzy.
“Miss Edna, are you okay? What’s wrong?”
“It’s not me. It’s Ian.”
Ian?
“What about him?”
“He’s missing. I’ve looked everywhere and I can’t find him.”
“I’m almost there. Hang on for another couple of minutes. We’ll find him.”
“Bless you. I’m scared to death. I don’t know where he might be.”
“I’m sure he’s around. Don’t worry. I’m pulling up in front right now. I’ll be right in.”
She disconnected the call, slammed the car into park, and yanked the keys from the ignition. Racing inside, she found Miss Edna standing in the middle of the B&B’s lobby, wringing her hands and looking around frantically, like she was lost and didn’t know which way to turn.
“I’m here. Let’s sit down and you can tell me what’s going on.”
“We don’t have time to sit, child. Ian’s missing.”
Taking Miss Enda gently by the arm, she led her over to the overstuffed chair in the lobby and eased her into it. “Taking two minutes to sort things out won’t hurt anything, and it’ll give me a better idea of where to look. Take a deep breath and tell me what happened.”
“I was supposed to watch him. I told his father everything was fine. But it’s not. I fixed lunch, then went about doing the chores. It took me a little longer because I didn’t sleep well and was moving a little slow. I…I didn’t even notice Ian hadn’t eaten his lunch until a while ago. Daisy, I’ve looked everywhere. I even climbed up to the attic, thinking maybe he’d gone exploring. He isn’t here.”
Daisy’s mind was racing, going over all the places a young boy might disappear to at the B&B. The old Victorian was huge, with several bedrooms. Lots of places a curious kid could find himself lost in.
“Alright, Miss Edna. Here’s what we’re going to do. I want you to stay right here in the lobby, while I do a quick look for Ian.” When she started to protest, Daisy continued, “You can see almost all of the first floor from here. You can shout if you see him. I’ll be right back.”
Before Miss Edna could say another word, Daisy sprinted up the steps leading to the second floor. She called out his name as she went, exploring all the nooks and crannies, and opening each door. Nothing. Ian wasn’t hiding out. He hadn’t fallen asleep somewhere or lost track of the time.
Ian wasn’t anywhere in the B&B.
Climbing down the stairs, she moved into the kitchen, seeing the plate of food on the table. It hadn’t been touched. Opening the door to the pantry, she glanced inside, knowing before she did it was fruitless, but she had to check anyway.
Looking through the opening between the kitchen and the sunroom, she noted the big black clouds covering most of the sky. It had drizzled and sprinkled on and off for the last couple of hours, but she knew it wouldn’t be long before the rain burst free in earnest.
Walking into the sunroom, she moved to the big windows and looked through, hoping to spot him playing outside. Most boys didn’t like to be cooped up indoors, and she figured Ian was no exception. Taking a chance, she opened the door and stepped outside, walking slowly around the perimeter of the Victorian, with no sign of Ian. With a sigh, she came back through the sunroom door and paused when her eyes lit on something on the chair.
It was Ian’s phone.
She’d never seen him without his phone, most of the time glued to the gaming screen. The only time she’d seen him put the thing down was while they’d been watching movies the night before. The worry that had started with Miss Edna’s phone call accelerated a gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something was wrong.
She turned at Miss Edna’s approach. The older woman’s pallor worried her almost as much as Ian being missing. But she needed to ask the burning question now front and center in her brain.
“Miss Edna, Ian’s phone is here. When’s the last time you saw him?”
“About an hour before lunchtime. So, about one o’clock. He’d been sitting in here, playing his game. I’d put on a load of towels in the washer and headed upstairs. You don’t think…” Her words trailed off and she raised a hand to her mouth.
“I’m sure he’s fine. I’m going outside and see if he wandered too far into the woods. You stay here and call me if he comes back.”
“I feel so guilty. Mr. Williamson called, and I assured him Ian was fine. I didn’t bother to check on him, because I’d seen him a little while before. This is all my fault.”
“It’s nobody’s fault, Miss Edna. I’ll find him, I promise.”
Miss Edna reached out and grasped Daisy’s forearm. “Be careful.”
“I will.”
Without a backward glance, Daisy headed for the woods, praying she’d find Ian and bring him home again safe.
Ian shuffled along, although most of the way he stomped his feet, hoping the pounding act would scare away any more snakes. He’d picked up a branch, one that was about as big around as his wrist and as long as his arm, ready to use it as a weapon if he had to. The rain hadn’t started yet, though a couple of times it had sprinkled. The trees blocked most of it, but he was scared. If it started raining, it might take forever before he found his way back to the B&B or somebody found him.
That’s what he really wished for, somebody to realize he wasn’t where he was supposed to be and come looking for him. Even if it meant he got into trouble, it’d be worth it, because at least he’d be safe from snakes. And cougars. And bears. He wasn’t sure what else might be this deep into the woods, but he’d bet it would be dangerous.
A loud crack sounded followed by the sky brightening when lightning flashed overhead, accompanied by a loud clap of thunder. Dropping his stick, he slammed his hands against his ears, trying to block the noise. His heart began beating faster, and he felt like he was going to throw up.
“I want to go home,” he whispered, trying not to start crying again. A scream broke from his throat when the bushes ahead rustled wildly, and he stumbled backward when something burst through, making a loud snuffling sound. It looked like a giant pig with horns growing out of its mouth. No, not horns. Tusks. It was dark brown or black, it was hard to tell without much light. Another rumble of thunder rolled, and the pig made a grunting sound, its enormous head swinging around, its eyes crazed. Until they landed on him.
Uh oh. He took a tentative step back, and the animal snorted, its beady eyes zeroed in on Ian. Panic racked him, and he frantically searched the ground for his stick, but it had rolled a few feet away. He was defenseless. If he ran, the pig would chase him. He couldn’t outrun it, he knew. He wasn’t athletic; heck, he barely passed his physical education classes.
What am I going to do? I don’t want to die. Please, please, Dad, come and find me. I’ll never run off again, I promise.
Another step back had the pig darting toward him, and Ian turned and ran, faster than he’d ever run. He darted between the tree trunks. With every step, he heard the creature gaining on him. Branches struck his shoulders and scraped his face as he raced past, adrenaline coursing through his body, giving him a burst of speed.
There! He knew he’d seen a tree that had boards fastened to it like steps. He hoped they held because it was his only chance. Sprinting for his life, he lunged for the first board, and wrapped his hand around it, pulling himself up and slammed his feet against the bottom one. He pulled himself up as fast as he could, using the slats of wood like a ladder, going hand over hand, desperation fueling his every move.
Below him on the ground, the hog stomped the ground and made the most excruciating sounds he’d ever heard. Another flash of lightning slashed across the sky, and he huddled against the trunk, sitting on an extended branch. His arms were wrapped tightly around the tree, his lungs burning as he struggled to slow his breathing.
“Take that, you big pig! I beat you!”
The beast circled the base of the tree, and Ian found himself wondering if pigs could climb trees. He was in a heck of a lot of trouble if they could.
Without warning, the skies opened, and the rain let loose, coming so fast he could barely see a foot in front of his face. Wrapping his arms and legs around the tree as tight as he could, he kept watching the pig circle around beneath him, shaking its head, snot flying from his nose. The tusks protruding from it looked long and sharp.
The rain continued pelting him and within seconds, he was soaked to the skin. Closing his eyes, he wondered how he would ever get home. He was well and truly stuck up the tree with no way down. The pig had plopped onto the ground at the tree’s base and didn’t look like he was going anyway any time soon.
Unable to think of anything else he could do, Ian tried the one option he had left. He started praying.