Page 52 of 40 and (So Over) Fixing It
Erin nodded. “I’ll grab my shoes and join you.”
The adults checked all the obvious spots once more. When no little boy appeared, and no evidence that he’d gone up or down the hill, Carter began to truly worry. “Thad!”
“Thad!” JD echoed at the other end of the yard, then Linc out front.
Lily rushed through one of the back doors, her face frantic. “Carter!”
He hurried over. “Yeah?”
She gestured him inside. “Come see this.”
His heart was still racing with the realization that his son could be anywhere on this mountain. It sped up even more at Lily’s words. He followed her inside, vaguely aware of the others doing the same. In a small alcove under the stairs, a hidden door stood open. Inside Carter could see what looked like the security system and a video screen.
“I checked the security cameras,” Lily said. Carter let out a hard breath. “I rewound to when Thad went outside. Look.”
Carter looked. The camera was on a spot to the right of the French doors, the images running in fast-forward. On-screen, the door opened and Thad entered the yard. For a few minutes all was normal—Thad jumping around, climbing the tree at one corner of the patio, picking up sticks and stacking them together in different shapes for his own amusement. It wasn’t until about ten minutes passed that anything unusual happened. Thad was playing some made-up game involving the sticks at different intervals and running around them in a pattern only he understood; then suddenly he glanced toward the woods and came to an abrupt stop.
Lily slowed the replay. Carter broke out in a sweat. God, not the woods. “Is it a bear?”
From behind him, Erin’s hands settled on his biceps and squeezed.
“I don’t…” JD leaned closer. “I don’t know.”
They must have all seen it at one time, because a collective gasp arose. There, just at the edge of the woods and barely discernible on the fuzzy black-and-white screen, was the vague outline of a deer.
Carter sagged in relief. Not a bear.
As they watched, Thad stared at the animal as if fascinated. Carter would have been too, still would be now if terror wasn’t gripping him as Thad eased closer to the animal.
“No, son. Don’t.”
But Thad did. He followed the animal as it eyed him warily and retreated into the woods.
Into. The. Woods.
“I’m calling Papa,” Lily said. Carter was vaguely aware of a phone call commencing as he watched Thad advance into the woods, farther and farther, until his navy-blue coat became a blur among the trees and brush and then was gone.
Thad.Carter realized he was hunched over almost as if he’d taken a punch to the gut. He straightened. “I’ve got to go find him.”
“We’re not gonna have all of us lost in the woods,” JD said firmly. “Henry knows what he’s doing. Let Lily talk to him while we get ready to go.”
Carter looked down, realizing he had on shoes with no socks, a long-sleeve shirt with no coat. He knew he needed more, but the what wouldn’t come to him.
Erin tugged at his arm. “Come on. We’ll gear up, and by then we should know what to do.”
He and Erin put on socks and boots, warm coats and gloves. In the sun it was merely cool, but the woods were all shade and much chillier. Thank God Thad was wearing his coat.
Back downstairs, Lily had two backpacks filled with whatever Henry had told her to prepare. She handed a thick pocketknife to JD. “Erin, you have yours, right?”
Erin patted her cargo pants pocket. “Always.”
“Mark a tree every few feet with a distinct gash on the trunk, or break a branch on a bush if no trees are nearby. That way you can track your path back out.” Lily pointed. “Water, snacks inside. I don’t have space blankets or whistles, but I included a throw in each pack in case you find him. Claire and I will stay here. Papa is calling the sheriff, and they’ll be here soon.” She looked Carter in the eye. “I figured you wouldn’t wait.”
“No way in hell.”
She held his gaze firmly. “You have one hour to come back. Beyond that, we have to get the professionals, understand?”
He nodded. And so they set out. Erin and Carter entered the woods where Thad had and tried to take as straight a path as possible. Lincoln and JD headed downhill. Carter noticed Erin setting a timer on her watch, and then she drew that sharp pocketknife out and flicked it open. While she marked, he called for his son. For a few minutes he could hear his friends doing the same, but gradually their voices faded as the woods absorbed the sound. The realization had his heartbeat stumbling over itself.
