Love To The Rescue (17 page)

“Okay. Good. I need to be doing something.” Amy walked the perimeter of the yard searching for a loose board in the fence but came up empty.

Sally Wilson met her back at the foot of the back stairs. “Find anything?”

“No. That fence could contain anything on four feet. I didn’t see any place where the ground was disturbed either. Rover’s not a digger. Sarah’s sweater is lying in the hammock, but there’s no sign of anything else.” Amy shook her head. “Did you have any luck?”

“Nothing on or under the deck, nothing in the grass.” Sally Wilson stood hands on hips, her eyes scanning the yard as if willing a clue to pop into view.

Just then Kevin and two other cops strode into the back yard. “We’re issuing an Amber alert if nothing shows up in the next fifteen minutes,” said one of the officers.

“And then we’ll widen the grid for the ground search.” Kevin rubbed his temples.

Amy reached for his hand. “Hang in there. They’ll find her, Kevin. They have to.”

“I know. It’s frustrating enough when you’re looking for somebody else’s kid. But when it’s your own daughter…” Kevin’s voice cracked with emotion.

Amy couldn’t even imagine what he was feeling. He couldn’t hurt anymore than she did. He would never trust her with Sarah again. And rightly so. Especially if something... The possibilities were just too horrible to even consider. And this was exactly what she’d feared most. Losing someone she loved, again. She just couldn’t go there.

Garrett Gardner walked up to Kevin. “How are you doing, partner?”

“Garrett, I thought you had the day off?” Kevin shook his co-worker and best friend’s hand.

“Yeah, I did. But Sally called me and I raced over here.” Garrett shrugged his shoulders. “You would have done the same if one of my boys was missing.”

“You’re right. Thanks a lot.” Kevin met his partner’s eyes, nodded. Amy suspected her big tough guy was fighting back tears of gratitude.

“So, this is your Amy?” asked Garrett.

“Yes, Amy, this is my partner Garrett Gardner. Garrett, Amy MacArthur.” Kevin shifted from one foot to the other, dragged his hand through his hair.

Dave Williams returned, puffing. “I didn’t see her, Kevin. And I just checked through Amy’s garage and mine. Nothing.”

“Amy, has anyone checked your shed? Is it locked?” asked Garrett.

“I don’t think so, but it’s not locked,” answered Amy.

“What shed?” asked another officer, glancing around the yard.

“There’s a garden shed behind the garage inside the fence,” answered Sally Wilson. “I remember it from the day we attended the B and E.”

“I noticed it when I was interviewing your neighbors. You can’t see it unless you’re on the neighbor’s front steps.” Garrett pointed to the far side of the yard.

Amy added, “Hiding the shed from view was Allan’s idea. It’s behind that far flower bed with the ornamental crab and lilac bushes. I keep my lawnmower, gardening tools, and other yard stuff in there.” Amy met Kevin’s eyes. “Sarah probably knows it’s there, and Rover has poked his head in when I was potting some flowers. When I was checking the perimeter of the fence, it never even occurred to me to check in it.”

“Why wouldn’t you keep that shed locked? You’re just asking for trouble. Anyone could have been hidden in the shed or the bushes and grabbed Sarah when no one was looking. You don’t have a clue. I must have been nuts leaving Sarah here with you!” shouted Kevin.

Amy gasped and felt her eyes overflow with tears. “I’m...I’m so sorry. I just never thought.”

Garrett met Amy’s eyes. “Is it possible they…”

Kevin nodded. “The chances they’re in there are slim. But we should check it out anyway.”

“Maybe one of Rover’s balls bounced over there and they opened the door and went inside to investigate and the door closed on them?” suggested Sally, patting Amy’s hand in a sympathetic gesture.

“Anything is possible.” Kevin headed across the lawn, and everyone followed.

Sally leaned over and whispered, “Amy, you know he didn’t mean that. It’s just fear making him blurt out those hurtful things.”

“But he’s right, Sally. I didn’t watch Sarah close enough. I shouldn’t have let her out of my sight. You can open the shed from the inside, however. She wouldn’t have been trapped.” Amy forced back a sob. “I’d make a terrible mother. Before I adopted Rover, I questioned if I was responsible enough to raise a dog. What made me agree to taking care of a child?”

“You’re doing a wonderful job with Sarah. I haven’t seen her so happy since her mother up and left town without a backward glance.” Sally patted her arm. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to both of them.”

“Thanks for your vote of confidence. I just wish…” Amy left the thought hanging. Some wishes were just too much to hope for. Too much to expect in life. When you’ve already had one happily ever after, no matter how brief, you couldn’t expect to be granted a second one.

The ten foot square wooden garden shed was painted a dark green color and totally blended in with the landscaping. Garrett reached the shed ahead of everyone and grabbed the door handle. “Let me look inside first.”

“Yeah, right. We’ll look together,” Kevin stepped up beside him.

Garrett lifted the latch and the door swung open silently on well-oiled metal hinges, and then Garrett and Kevin peeked inside the interior of the shed.

“Do you see them?” asked Amy from where she stood a few feet away. She visualized the collection of gardening tools, clippers, and hoses that hung from pegs on the wall to the left. A gas mower sat on the wood floor just inside the door. Shelving covered the far wall and the wall to the right. One square window above the potting table by the front wall was the only source of illumination in the day’s fading light.

“I don’t see anything, do you?” asked Garrett.

Amy waited while their eyes adjusted to the dark interior.

“Nothing.” Kevin replied, sounding totally dejected.

His expression conveyed his disappointment and Amy’s heart broke for him. Garrett stepped aside and Amy poked her head inside the shed, having to see for herself that it was empty. And then she heard a whimper. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” asked Garrett.

A familiar woof rang out from the far corner of the shed, reverberating in the small confines.

“Rover! Is that you?” Kevin shuffled Amy aside and stepped farther into the shed.

A scraping sound was followed by scratching on the wooden floor.

“Look under that blanket I cover flowers with when the weatherman forecasts frost,” ordered Amy.

Just as Kevin reached for the worn, faded cloth, a couple of heads, one red and furry and the other one blonde, popped into view.

“Hi, Daddy.” Sarah smiled and then yawned loudly. Kevin bent down and his daughter threw her arms around his neck. “We found this playhouse and I pretended I was Snow White. I fell asleep under the blanket so Rover could kiss my cheek and wake me up just like the prince.”

“Yes, Rover is a prince, sweetheart. He stayed with you and made sure you were okay.” Kevin glanced at Amy, attempted to disguise his emotions. Six foot four inch cops don’t cry in public, not even happy tears.

“Didn’t you hear people calling you?” asked Garrett, ruffling her blonde curls.

“Garrett, this girl could sleep though anything. Trust me,” said Kevin, beaming.

“I can attest to that. I vacuumed the entire upstairs in my house one night while she was sleeping.” Amy shook her head.

“I’ll let everyone know Sarah’s been found,” said Garrett, as he exited the shed. He paused and touched Kevin’s shoulder. The gesture said it all. And then he headed across the lawn.

Kevin stood, lifting his daughter into his arms. “Let’s get you out of here, Sarah. This isn’t exactly a playhouse.”

“A playhouse should have toys, Daddy. Bonnie has toys in her playhouse, and a doll house, and Barbie dolls, and a little table and chairs for tea parties…”

“We’ll get you a proper playhouse, sweetheart.” Kevin hugged her tightly. “Just promise me you won’t crawl into any sheds and fall asleep until I can buy you a playhouse, okay? Promise?”

“I promise, Daddy.” Sarah hugged his neck and kissed his cheek.

“Weren’t you afraid of the dark?” asked Sally Wilson, smiling.

“No,” whispered Sarah. “Rover snuggled with me. I could see a little bit, so I wasn’t scared, Daddy. Can my playhouse have more windows and pretty curtains?”

“We’ll get a playhouse with lots of windows.” Kevin set her down, patted her head and suddenly noticed Amy standing at his elbow.

“Sarah, I’m so happy we found you.” Amy bent down and hugged the sweet girl who’d come to mean so much to her. Not until this moment, had she realized she couldn’t love her more if she were her own. “I was so frightened when we realized you were lost.”

“I wasn’t lost, Amy. I was in here, sleeping like Snow White.” Sarah met her eyes, with a confused expression on her face.

“Amy, I’m sorry. It’s just…” Kevin’s pained expression conveyed how much he regretted his words.

“I know.” Amy met his eyes and smiled. “If you’d lost Rover, I would have chewed you out, too.”

“Still, I should have known you felt bad enough already.” Kevin reached for her hand and squeezed it. He whispered in her ear. “You love Sarah more than her own mother ever loved her.”

Amy turned her attention back to Sarah. “I bet you’re hungry. Let’s get you some milk and a cookie, okay? And then you’re getting a bath. Look how dirty your pretty dress is.”

Kevin brushed her ear with a kiss. “Spoken like a true mother. I wouldn’t have thought of that, but you’re right. She’s probably dehydrated from sleeping in that hot shed, and the dog needs water.”

“Rover needs milk and cookies, too.” Sarah glanced up at Amy with twinkling eyes.

“Good try, Sweet Pea. Rover gets water and a doggie treat.” Amy smiled, and Rover’s ears perked up when he heard ‘treat’.

“I’ll take care of them. Come on you two. Let’s get you a drink.” Sally Wilson took Sarah’s hand and led her toward the house with Rover prancing along beside his pint-sized friend.

Amy looked heavenward. “Thank you, God, for helping find them. All sorts of horrible thoughts and scary scenarios raced through my mind the entire time they were missing. I never want to relive something like this again.”

“Amen to that. I think I’ve aged ten years in the past couple of hours.” Kevin dragged his hand through his hair and sighed. “I really need that steak now. I haven’t got the energy to even stand upright much longer.”

“Let’s get you some food.” Amy slipped her arms around his waist and he wrapped his arm around hers. Together they strolled toward the house.

As Kevin and Amy neared, they observed Sarah and Rover sitting together on the deck’s top step. Both of them were enjoying a treat and a drink while listening intently to Sally Wilson lecture them on the importance of staying in sight of your parents and not going investigating strange buildings on their own.

Chapter 13

Sarah had returned to school three weeks ago.

Days were shorter, nights cooler, autumn leaves covered the ground, and snow lurked around the corner. Amy’s relationship with Kevin had turned decidedly serious, in every way, and she couldn’t be happier.

Her days hadn’t been filled with so many activities in years, and she often questioned whether she’d survive it all. She stood in her slate-tiled two-person shower, eyes closed in bliss, while a stream of steaming water pummeled her aching body.

“Am I up to the challenge?” She’d lost count of the number of times she’d asked herself this question.

Amy struggled to keep up with one seven-year-old on a part-time basis. Many mothers had three or four children to chauffeur around, to supervise and care for, and to assist with homework. They had houses to clean, meals to cook, some even worked full or part-time. How on earth did they manage it all?

“Because that’s what mothers do,” she answered her own question. Amy recalled how her mother had kept her, an only child, organized while serving as a Girl Guide leader, coaching soccer, organizing bottle drives, and contributing to more bake sales than she could count. Whether a woman worked out of the house or not, was raising one child or a half dozen, motherhood was a full-time job.

She climbed out of the shower and smiled as she toweled off. She couldn’t recall ever having so much fun, filling her days with so many commitments. And being so busy and pressed for time helped keep her focused during writing sessions. Every hour counted and procrastination had become a thing of the past. She’d never been so organized in her life. And it was all due to an adorable little girl whom she’d come to love as her own.

Every day she spent five hours in her office writing, editing, or working on social media and promotion. Then she met Sarah after school at Kevin’s home and worked with her, practicing her printing and listening to her read.

Her little pupil had progressed rapidly; Amy had witnessed remarkable improvement since she started working with Sarah this summer. Mrs. Harris set a place for Amy at the dinner table without being asked. She was quickly becoming part of the furniture at Kevin’s townhouse. Even Mrs. Harris had praised her for helping Sarah so much.

Monday night was Girl Guides night. One of the leaders expected to give birth in three weeks. All the forms were completed and Amy had been approved to replace the soon-to-be new mother as a leader on a temporary basis. Every week, Amy stayed to help with the girls’ projects and she loved every minute of it, especially seeing Sarah so happy. Rover slept in the car until the meetings were over.

She’d brought him in one night and did a program on caring for a pet. All of the girls fell in love with the big friendly dog, and some admitted they were jealous of Sarah having him for a playmate every day. Sarah beamed with pleasure at being Rover’s special friend.

After drying off and applying scented lotion to every inch of her body, Amy donned silk pajamas and crawled between satin sheets. The bedside clock only read ten o’clock, and she attempted to enjoy the newest book released by a local fellow author. When her eyes refused to stay open a few minutes later, she set her ereader aside, turned out the light, and fell asleep in a minute.