Page 35 of Emi's Hero

“That’s good to know,” Kyla said. “We’re still combing through satellite images, hoping to find anything that looks like a bunker set into the side of a hill.”

“I know this isn’t going to help us find the little girl,” Swede said, “but I thought Ms. Sands might be interested in what happened after she disappeared. I dug into the news reports and the police records. I also looked up her family, figuring she’d want to contact them eventually.” Swede’s gaze swung to Emi. “First, you should know your mother, father and brother are safe and well. It’s just that some of the news reports can be disturbing. Do you want to see what I found?”

Emi reached for George’s hand beneath the table.

He took it and held it firmly. “You don’t have to,” he said softly.

“It’s okay.” Emi swallowed hard and nodded toward Swede. “Show me.”

CHAPTER 9

Emi bracedherself but still wasn’t ready for the impact of seeing all the newsreels following her sudden disappearance.

Swede fed the information to her sequentially.

The first newsreel was a plain news report about a missing college student with a copy of the photo taken at the beach the day before she’d been taken. She’d worn a lacy coverup over her favorite teal bikini. She’d smiled and posed in the sand with a palm tree and the beach in the background. It would have been a great advertisement for Hawaii if it hadn’t been announcing the disappearance of a young girl.

The next reel showed a reporter speaking to her college friends—Jen, Kris and Annette—whom she’d traveled with to Hawaii.

Emi’s fingers tightened around George’s.

Her friend’s faces were streaked with tears. Annette was so distraught she couldn’t talk to the female reporter. Emi’s heart ached for the girls. She could only imagine how horrible she’d have felt if it had been one of them and she hadn’t walked back to the hotel with her, especially knowing what she’d gone through during the past eight years.

At the end of that reel, the reporter asked for anyone with information about the missing woman to contact the Honolulu Police.

Her parents’ faces appeared in the next video.

Emi nearly doubled over at the tears streaming down her mother’s cheeks. Her father stood with an arm around her shoulders, his own eyes red-rimmed, his face haggard. When the reporter asked them if they wanted to say anything, her father said, “Please, bring our daughter back to us.”

Her mother wiped the tears from her cheeks and choked out, “Emi, if you hear this, know that we love you so very much, and we’ll do everything in our power to bring you home.” She broke down into sobs and turned her face into Emi’s father’s chest.

Tears slid down Emi’s cheeks. The only thing keeping her grounded was the strength of George’s grip on her hand.

A few more clips showed her parents still in Hawaii, offering a reward for Emi’s safe return and another for any information that would lead to their daughter’s safe return.

The next news report was from her hometown newspaper, showing her high school senior picture with the news that she had gone missing on vacation in Hawaii. The Honolulu Police had no leads and no body.

Another news article showed Emi’s mother speaking at a fundraiser for an organization that helped missing persons and their families.

Emi’s heart bled when she saw the name of the organization.

Emi’s Heroes.

George scooted his chair closer and slipped an arm around Emi’s shoulders. She leaned into him, her heart breaking for her family and the families of other missing persons.

So many of those missing persons came home in a body bag, or their bodies were never found.

Emi had been alive all those years her family had suffered.

Hawk appeared beside her with a box of tissues. “You don’t have to continue if you don’t want to.”

“Is there more?” George asked.

Swede’s face appeared briefly. “Only a little more. I promise.”

“Keep going,” Emi said, choking back a sob.

Her brother’s image appeared along with an article about his graduation from high school and how he planned to join the Navy. The final article was a short clip from her hometown news, congratulating Colin Sands on successfully completing the Navy’s Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training course to become a US Navy SEAL.

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