to complicate her young life. One more year of high school—and then she would be off to college.
“Where’d you go, Buck?” Titus Jackson said. “You seem miles away.”
Buck lowered his gaze and peered over the top of his glasses at the retired history professor who reminded him of Sidney Poitier. “Sorry, Titus. I was thinkin’ about Abby. Seems like yesterday she wore her hair in pigtails and I carried her on my shoulders down to our favorite fishin’ hole.” He chuckled. “And I’d hate to guess how many times I put the arms and legs back on that baby doll she just wouldn’t part with.”
Titus took a sip of coffee. “And now she’s lost interest in the doll and the fishing?”
Buck smiled. “At least she’s not boy crazy. That’s one headache we don’t have yet. She hangs out with Jay Rogers, a real nice kid from school, but they’re just friends.”
“I imagine it’s hard on Kate, raising Abby, Hawk, and Jesse without the love and support of a husband.”
“It helps havin’ her dad livin’ with her,” Buck said. “I do what I can. But it’s hard on those kids growin’ up without a dad. I’d give anything to see Micah walk through that door with Riley Jo and put an end to this nightmare. In case you didn’t know, it was five years ago today that they disappeared.”
Titus ran his finger around the rim of his cup. “I didn’t know y’all when they went missing, but it’s easy to see the painful effects of it. Mind if I ask you a personal question?”
“Go ahead.”
“Did the sheriff ever have a lead in the case?”
Buck shook his head. “Micah and Riley Jo just seemed to vanish. Micah’s truck was still parked in the driveway. Kate was the only family member around that afternoon. I’d taken Jesse to a movie, and Hawk was workin’ at the lumber company. Abby’d spent the night with a friend but called to check in that morning. I was sittin’ in the kitchen at the time. Micah answered, and they had a right cute exchange. Before they hung up, Micah said he’d see her at dinner. Sure sounded to me like he planned to be home.”
“So Kate was the last person to see Micah and Riley Jo?”
“As far as we know. Micah came into the office and told Kate he was takin’ Riley Jo fishin’. Kate was busy and didn’t see them leave. None of the guests did either, which I found kinda odd. Sheriff’s deputies searched the path to the lake and combed the woods around it. Never found any sign of them.”
“Has anyone else disappeared?”
“Nope. I suppose you’ve heard the rumors.”
Titus shrugged. “I’ve heard a few oddballs say Bigfoot got them—or aliens. And I’ve heard others say Micah ran off with another woman and took Riley Jo with him. I’d rather know what you think.”
“Thanks for that. Speculation’s been hurtful. Truth is, Kate and Micah had been fussin’ at each other for a couple weeks over a business issue they disagreed on. The sheriff had to consider the possibility that Micah left her. Never rang true with me. But you never really know what’s goin’ on inside a person either.”
“Any idea why he’d take his youngest daughter with him?”
Buck wrapped his hands around his coffee cup. “All I can figure is Riley Jo was the only one of his kids young enough to forget the past. She’d be able to adapt to his new life. But even if he wanted out of the marriage, I can’t see Micah bein’ cruel enough to take Kate’s baby girl away from her.”
“So this is what the rumor mill’s been feeding off of all this time?”
“No. Kate and me and the sheriff are the only ones who know they were havin’ a squabble.” Buck stroked his mustache. “Gossip started flyin’ after a couple town busybodies thought they might’ve spotted Micah and Riley Jo at the corner of Main and Cleveland, gettin’ into a car with some blonde woman. Of course, neither of them can describe the car or the woman. And, at the busiest intersection in town, no one else saw them. But as time went on, the story got enhanced. I’m sure some folks believe it.”
Chapter 2
Kate went out the front entrance of Angel View Lodge, the morning sun high and the fog now dissipated. She walked across the road and spotted her son Jesse on the porch of their two-story log house, his red wagon parked at the