to the surface so fast, my eyes filled. I blinked rapidly while turning to the road so no one would see. “I’m gonna go now. Keep me posted if you find him or learn anything.”
“I will.” Windsor’s steady hand clamped my shoulder and gave a squeeze. “We’ll find him,” he said.
I was not reassured.
The county road leading to town was quiet. It never saw a lot of traffic on a good day. That was both good and bad. I walked ahead of Lachlan, calling Percy’s name into the night as I checked the ditch on the side of the road and used the flashlight I’d grabbed to scan the terrain beyond.
“Percy!” I listened for a response, but apart from my echo, there was nothing.
“Percy,” Lachlan called behind me. He held his own flashlight and made scans on the other side of the road.
We didn’t talk. I couldn’t. My throat was clogged, and outside of calling Percy’s name, I couldn’t form words.
My gut told me something had happened. Percy might have been small and young, but he was smart. He knew where to find me and never hesitated.
Anger surged when I thought of all those times Windsor had reported Mervin’s neglect to the proper authorities. It was their fault. How could they have let it go on for this long without doing something? If something happened to Percy…
I shuddered and tripped on my feet, going down hard on a knee. My chest tightened and stomach turned. Bile climbed my gorge, and I coughed as my muscles pulled tighter and tighter.
“Hey.” Lachlan touched the middle of my back. I tensed. “We’ll find him.”
“He’s so little. Where is he?”
Lachlan squatted beside me and removed my hat, brushing sweaty hair off my forehead. “Look at me.”
I found Lachlan’s face, the color of his eyes impossible to make out in the dark. They were filled with concern. “You need to pull yourself together. He needs you whole. You can’t fall apart.”
“I’m not.” I was. The what-ifs were eating me alive.
Lachlan helped me to my feet and set my hat back in place, wiping the tears from my cheeks.
“I feel sick,” I admitted.
“I know. But standing still isn’t doing any good.”
I nodded, and we kept going.
Another ten minutes passed before Windsor’s officer pulled up beside us. Constable Harriet Mercer rolled down her window.
“Any luck? Did you hear from Windsor yet?” I asked, panic filling my voice. “Did they find him?”
“Nothing yet, but the RCMP is sending their Missing Persons Unit immediately.”
I knew in my head that was a good thing, but I could barely manage to smile and thank the constable.
She continued down the road the way we’d come. Lachlan and I kept going toward town.
When we hit Jasper, we did a circuit and headed back toward the stables, calling Percy’s name as defeat sank into my bones.
We made it back to the farm after one in the morning. Windsor had touched base a few times, but there was no news. The RCMP wouldn’t arrive until closer to dawn, but I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t rest, knowing Percy was out there somewhere at night and alone.
I leaned for a long time on a wooden fence surrounding an empty pasture. It was only then I remembered about Bella and Jelly Bean, but a quick scan told me someone had taken care of them in my frantic flight to find the kid. They’d been brought into the stables and bedded down for the night. Probably Dad. That knowledge shot guilt into the mix of emotions. Those types of chores were tough on the old man these days, and I hated that I’d left him with that responsibility.
The house was dark, so I assumed he’d gone to bed, despite the emergency. He was slowing down in his old age and not keeping up like he used to. He cared for Percy, but he also knew there was a team of people looking for him.
I stared off into the distance, leaning on the fence for support since I could barely keep myself from collapsing. Lachlan came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my middle, resting his chin on my shoulder. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. I threaded my fingers with his and took the support he offered.
I was numb and not because the temperature had dropped off with sundown.
After another hour of silence, I jerked away from the fence, sending Lachlan stumbling backward. Frantic, I scanned the house and yard. “Logan!”
I whistled and squinted into