Page 85 of To Belong Together
She sealed the questions in. She didn’t have the capacity to tackle a delicate subject, and they had work to do. She smoothed her hand over the powder blue lace. “I need to change in case we end up on foot.”
John’s line of sight dipped to the fabric. He gave a nod as he put the car in gear. “Then?”
“We’ve searched town. I didn’t go out to his fishing spots because they’re scattered all over the place, and the police said he’d stay close.” The theory had seemed trustworthy, given how Dad had struggled with the drive to Hirsh Auto. Could he have navigated to a far-off old haunt? Unlikely, but he might be somewhere along the way. “He fished for decades. Maybe habit drew him farther than expected, and that’s why we haven’t found him yet.”
“Then we’ll check the fishing spots.”
They’d searchedinto the night when John parked in the two-stall dirt lot. The headlights cast garish light over the trees that stood between the vehicle and the stream GPS indicated waited a few yards off in the darkness.
An hour before, after they’d checked all the closer options, Erin had set his phone’s navigation to direct them here, the last fishing spot. The drive wouldn’t have taken so long, but he’d steered slowly, and they’d scanned the roadside for a disabled vehicle.
Not long into the trip, Erin had fallen asleep. He’d been forced to slow even more, now responsible for monitoring both sides of the highway as night inked the countryside.
Not that he’d minded.
Driving didn’t stir anxiety at lower speeds, and it wasn’t like he ought to speed when remnants of the concussion haunted him in the form of a headache and vision that wouldn’t quite come to a crisp focus.
Still, he saw clearly enough to keep the tires in his lane, read signs, and determine that, once again, they’d failed to find Robert.
How? With everything they’d done?
The helicopter, the extra searchers, the media coverage. Erin’s father should’ve turned up by now.
Erin’s breath rose and fell, barely audible, even in the silence.
Not a snorer. Good to know.
He resisted brushing her smooth, pale cheek with the back of his finger. When he woke her, she would have to face a grim reality.
With his headache mounting and his vision strained, he couldn’t carry on the search. She shouldn’t either. The sleep she’d accumulated throughout the day could only amount to two or three hours. She needed a bed, a night to rest, and a meal they hadn’t scrounged from the meager offerings of a run-down gas station.
Convincing her of that would test their tenuous relationship.
They’d spent hours together in this car today. The search had led her to tell stories about her dad, and he’d shared a couple about his own childhood. From there, they’d discussed jobs they’d each worked—her list, all car-related and much shorter than his because of all the odd jobs he’d pieced together to make ends meet in California before the band took off. They’d swapped testimonies, which had led to Erin asking questions about how he practiced his faith in his line of work. Questions he’d appreciated, because they proved that, though she knew about Awestruck, she understood the life had its drawbacks.
So, they’d grown closer, but she hadn’t explained why she’d left the reception without talking to him. He’d thought to ask, but why press for an explanation, potentially causing more pain, when he knew the most likely reasons—Kate’s lies and Erin’s missing father.
What mattered now was that she’d called him for help.
If only he’d been able to make a difference.
He rested his head against the seat and closed his eyes to pray. He would let her sleep a couple of minutes more before he broke her heart by insisting they turn in, try again tomorrow.
A buzzing melody pierced the quiet. Erin exhaled a soft grunt and stirred. In the light of her phone screen, he watched her blink and squint at the display before she answered on speaker. “Hello?”
“Come have dinner with your mom.” The caller must have been Susanna, the friend who’d stayed with Erin’s mom since Robert had disappeared. “She could use your company, and you can’t help anyone if you don’t take care of yourself.”
Erin passed the heel of her palm over her eyes. “Dad needs me.”
“The band found enough volunteers for ’round-the-clock shifts of searchers, but your mom only has one daughter. I’m having the hardest time getting her to eat.”
That had to be true if she’d invited Erin to dinner after eight in the evening. But then, he and Erin hadn’t eaten much that day either.
She sat stone still for a few seconds, seemingly focused toward the dash, though he doubted she saw anything. She was still half-asleep.
It was better this way, for her to pick up details one at a time rather than be crushed by a sudden onslaught.
“Erin?” Susanna asked.
