Jennie grabbed his arm. “Was Nick with him?”
“I just saw the dog. He was probably chasing a car or something.”
“Are you sure?”
“Look, I’m sorry about your brother,” Doug said. “But that’s all I know. And just to show you I don’t hold any grudges, maybe I could, you know, help look for him.”
His concern seemed genuine, and though she didn’t completely trust him, Jennie welcomed his company in the search. “Thanks. I’d like to check out the park next. Nick loves it there. Mom won’t let him go there alone, but he might have figured that if Bernie went with him it would be okay. And if the dog you saw was Bernie, Nick would have been following him. I’ll need to let Mom know. Can I use your phone?”
“Um … sure. I don’t have a cell right now, but you can use the landline.” Doug let her in and pointed toward the back part of the house. “It’s on the kitchen counter,” he explained, then went back outside to talk to B.J. The living room looked like it hadn’t seen the business end of a vacuum cleaner in a month. Newspapers littered the floor. Dirty dishes cluttered the countertop and sink. No wonder Doug’s mom had asked her to send him home to do his chores. Don’t be so critical, McGrady. So they’re messy. That’s no reason to be judgmental. If it weren’t for Mom, you might be messy too.
Jennie retrieved the phone from under a soiled dishtowel and punched out the number. “Any sign of him?” she asked when Kate answered.
“Not yet, sweetie.”
After letting Kate know where she was going, Jennie hung up. Before joining Doug and B.J. on the front porch, she offered up another plea. “Please, God, please let us find him. Keep Nick safe.”
Jennie swallowed back the growing anxiety. They should have found him by now. Why hadn’t they? She’d hung tightly to the idea that Nick had just wandered off and that she’d find him playing with Bernie in the park. Jennie tipped her head back and took a deep breath, willing herself not to cry, then joined Doug and B.J.
“They haven’t found him yet, have they?” B.J. asked.
“No. I’m going to the park now. You don’t have to come.”
“I know. I want to.” B.J. turned back to Doug. “You coming?”
“Sure. Count me in.” Doug started down the walk, then turned back. “I’d better tell my mom.”
Jennie watched him go inside.
“You still don’t trust him, do you?” B.J. asked, hands on her hips as though she were expecting a fight.
Jennie shrugged. “Not completely.”
“You’re wrong about Doug. He’s a neat guy and deserves a chance.”
“Everyone deserves a chance, but be careful, B.J. We don’t know him all that well.”
Before B.J. could answer, Doug appeared in the doorway. “I can’t go. I’ll explain later.” He closed the door.
B.J. and Jennie looked at each other. “Weird,” B.J. said. “I wonder what that was all about.”
Jennie shrugged. “Maybe his mother needed him for something.” Like cleaning the house. “Let’s go. I want to search the park before it gets dark.”
The eighty-acre park was only a few blocks from Jennie’s house, and by the time she and B.J. arrived, Lisa, Allison, Uncle Kevin, Michael, Kurt, and six other people had come to help them search. They spread out, looking in and around the trees and bushes, the bathrooms and other outbuildings. By 8:45, the search party had dwindled to police, family, and a few friends. After searching for two more hours and finding nothing, Michael suggested they go back to the house. Jennie watched his Adam’s apple rise and fall, and followed his gaze to the large pond that covered much of the park’s acreage. “You don’t think he’s in there …”
“Let’s hope not.” Michael led her away from the water. “I’m still hoping he’s off chasing Bernie somewhere, or that your neighbor has taken him shopping. I’m going to round up the others. We need to regroup and decide what to do next.”
When he’d gone, Jennie sat on a bench near the park entrance, trying to put her chaotic thoughts in order. With so many people around and so many scenarios about Nick’s disappearance, that wasn’t an easy task. Had Nick gone somewhere with Anne and Hannah Stuart? Jennie doubted it, but let herself believe it anyway. She glanced at her watch. If Anne had taken Nick and Hannah shopping, she’d be home by now. Jennie imagined herself and the others trudging home, only to find Nick asleep in his bed.
Before Jennie could take her imaginings any further, Lisa, Allison, and B.J. appeared on one of the paths leading out of the park. “We gotta go, Jen.” B.J. hunkered down beside her.
“But we’ll come back in the morning,” Allison assured. “That is if you need us. Hopefully he’ll be home by then.”
“You ready to go,” Lisa asked when they’d gone, “or do you plan on camping out here all night?”
Visions of Nick being home spurred her on. “Let’s run.”
Lisa groaned an objection, but followed her anyway.
Jennie slowed as she approached the Stuart house. It still stood dark and empty and so far Anne hadn’t answered when Mom called her cell phone.
“Jennie, are you coming?” Lisa asked.
“Be there in a minute.” Where had the Stuarts gone? Was Nick with them? You know what happened, don’t you? she directed her silent questions at the house. Its windows gazed out at her like eyes, taunting her, refusing to reveal its secrets. Oh great, McGrady, now you’re talking to houses. You are one big certified nut case. Jennie turned from it and hurried into the warm glow emanating from the windows of her own house.
Aunt Kate brought a tray of sandwiches into the living room where they’d all gathered to watch the news.
“Thanks, hon,” Kevin said, taking a bite of his sandwich. “We’ll get some rest and go out again tomorrow.”
“Come on,” Kate coaxed when neither Lisa or Jennie moved toward the food. “You girls need to eat.”
Their voices seemed far away. Kate was right. They did need to eat—to keep up their strength. Maybe that would clear her mind. But she wouldn’t be able to sleep. She’d sneak out and keep looking. Maybe they’d overlooked something.
But what? Not even the blood hounds from the search and rescue team had picked up a scent. The flyers had gone out and local news stations would begin broadcasting the story. Jennie forced herself to eat the roast beef sandwich, washing it down with a glass of milk someone handed her.
At eleven they watched as the news anchor introduced the story. “On a tragic note tonight,” the somber-faced newscaster said in a voice that sounded as if she really cared, “Police and dozens of volunteers are searching for five-year-old Nicholas McGrady, who disappeared around six this evening. Authorities fear the child may have wandered away from his home in the Crystal Lake area late this afternoon.” A recent picture of Nick flashed on the scene. Nick’s bright eyes and mischievous smile belied the seriousness of the situation. “Nick was last seen wearing a black Mickey Mouse T-shirt. His bike and a St. Bernard puppy named Bernie are also missing. Anyone with information on the boy or the dog is urged to contact the police immediately.”
Jennie tuned out the rest of the news. None of it mattered. Nothing mattered except finding Nick. Though police had already covered the roads he might have taken to the church and Michael’s house, Jennie intended to try them again. Even if Nick hadn’t talked about Michael today, he could have decided to go see him.
Jennie made it as far as the front door before Mom, Aunt Kate, and Lisa stopped her. “I can’t let you go out again,” Mom said. “I know what you’re feeling. I don’t want to stop looking either, but—”
Jennie stared at her mother. “How can you say that? We can’t give up.”
“We’re not giving up. We have to be sensible.” Mom’s eyes looked tired and red rimmed from crying. Jennie should have hugged her instead of arguing.
“Your mother is right,” Aunt Kate interrupted. “We’re all bushed. We’ll be more help to Nick if we pace ourselves.”
“But we can’t let him stay out all night. He’ll be scared and cold.”
“He has Bernie to keep him warm. And it’s summer.” Kate reached out and drew Jennie into her arms. “I don’t like it any more than you do.”
“Come on, Jen,” Lisa insisted, “we’ll rest awhile, then I’ll go back out with you.” Too exhausted to fight them and knowing deep down they were right, she followed Lisa upstairs and went to bed.
Sometime later, Jennie awoke with a start, her heart hammering as though she’d just run a marathon. Nick. She had to find Nick. Jennie rolled over to her side and looked at the luminous red numbers on her alarm clock. 3:00. She’d been asleep for over three hours. You have to get back out there, McGrady. Her mind raced, but her body felt like lead.
Jennie sat up and swung her legs off the bed. Carefully stepping over Lisa, she made her way to the window seat. The three-quarter moon lit up most of the yard, casting long shadows across the lawn. Nick was out there somewhere. She sat on the cushions and leaned her head against the window, willing her mind to connect with his. “Where are you Nick? What’s happened? Tell me how to find you? Did you leave us a clue?”
Jennie caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. A shadow stretched over the grass as someone dressed in dark clothes emerged from the side of the house, crossed the street, then disappeared behind a hedge. Jennie hurried back to her nightstand, picked up the phone and dialed 9-1-1.