Chapter 10

Maddy hopped into Owen’s car. He had the canoe strapped to the top of it.

Maddy’s eyes were narrow and focused. She could feel the space between her eyebrows wrinkle just like her mom’s. She didn’t say anything when she got in.

“So do you mind telling me your plan?” asked Owen. “Last I read, we were to stay away from Pike’s Cave.”

“Plans change, Owen,” Maddy said. “We’re just going to check out the river. See if we come across anything suspicious. I just want to scope it out. I promise I won’t do anything stupid; I just want to see what the cave looks like. From the outside, of course.”

“We only have about two hours of daylight. We don’t want to get stuck on the river when it gets dark.”

They drove to Minnehaha Falls. Then they hiked a little downstream. Owen found a clearing. They carefully slid the canoe into the river.

As they paddled, Maddy noticed how quiet the evening was. Usually there were frogs, birds, even the occasional muskrat. But this evening . . . nothing. The current had even slowed down. The wind held its breath. The only sound was a distant thumping noise. It got louder as they paddled on. It didn’t sound as though it came from nature. More metallic. Like metal hitting rock.

Maddy’s heart raced. Her palms were sweaty. She could feel a darkness getting closer and closer. It was made up of a deep loneliness and a deeper fear.

“You want to turn back?” asked Owen. He was nervous. The current sped up. Large boulders stuck out of the water. Owen barely steered the canoe around one of them. The river narrowed. The thumping became a loud clanging.

“Maddy! I’m turning back.”

“No! Let’s make it around this curve. We can turn back then.” Maddy could feel something pulling her further down the river.

As they came around the curve, there was something large bobbing in the water. It was shiny and white. Maddy pointed to the object. Owen steered the canoe toward what looked like a sunken boat. They were almost on top of it. It wasn’t a boat at all. It was a squad car. Floating in the river. It had been caught on a boulder. Maddy leaned over, almost tipping the canoe.

“Oh, my God! It’s my mom’s squad. She is number 719.”

Owen could hardly keep her in the canoe while he called the police from his cell. When she managed to jump into the river, she didn’t even notice the freezing water. The ice had melted off only a few weeks ago. She clung to the white metal of her mom’s squad car, trying desperately to look inside. She clumsily swam around to each window and peered in. Nothing. No one. No sign her mom was ever there. Maddy felt relief. She swam to the front of the car, resisting the strong river current. She climbed on top of the hood of the car, thinking she could lie there for a brief rest.

When she reached the glass, she saw the words “Save Me” scratched into the windshield. The letters were written backwards because they had been written from the inside of the car. Maddy went limp. Her body slid down the hood of the floating car and into the cold river water.

“Maddy! Maddy!” Owen pushed the paddle as fast as he could through the water. He caught up to her. The canoe was too tippy to pull her on board. He jumped out of the canoe, flipping it over, and pushed Maddy on top of the upside-down boat. He swam them to the shore.

On shore he pulled Maddy close to him to keep her warm. She was alive but limp. Her lips were blue. She shook uncontrollably. The sun was down by this time. Owen heard footsteps getting closer. Flashlights darted around until one of the beams of light landed on Owen’s face. A police officer was holding the flashlight, and Owen could make out several other officers in the dark, also holding flashlights. Maddy was breathing, but her color was gray. Owen lifted her.

“She needs help,” Owen shouted.

He carried her to the safety of a dry, waiting squad car. An officer wrapped her in a wool blanket and drove her and Owen back to the station. By the time they arrived, the color had returned to Maddy’s face. She was sitting up, watching out the window. She still didn’t talk.

The police officer looked in the rearview mirror and said, “The sergeant wants to have a few words with you.”