Page 6 of Natalie's Nighthawk

“Not today,” she replied quietly, forcing her body to suppress the shiver his touch generated. Even after twelve years, he still had a magnetic power over her. She was trapped in his gaze, unable to look away even if the room were to erupt around her. He was the same but different. His dark blonde hair was cut short and brushed to the left, his eyes still an intense icy blue. He was fit and tan, with a smooth square jawline that made her fingers itch for a touch. Her heart stuttered as the corners of his lips quirked up into that sexy grin that was all his.Damn that grin.

“Too bad.” He held her gaze a moment longer before he blinked, breaking the spell that ensnared her, and stepped back away from her. What was that she had seen in his eyes?

Clearing his throat, he asked, “What’s going on? Why are you here?”

“Right,” Natalie silently berated herself for getting distracted. “Two of my students from Lake Haven elementary - Lucy and Colin, brother and sister - have been missing since Friday morning when they never showed up for school.” It was now Sunday morning. Two days. Two whole days and not a sign of them. And she should know since she and most of the rest of the town had spent those two days searching for them.

At a gesture from Graham, David sat down behind a computer terminal situated in the corner of the room. On the wall in front of her, a satellite image projection appeared of Lake Haven, a small town on the southeast shores of Lake Michigan.

“Tell me everything you know. And if you can, indicate on the map the relevant areas.”

Natalie studied the overview of the town, trying to step inside the map to orient herself. She pointed at a small cluster of houses. “Lucy and Colin O’Donnoll, ages five and ten, live here. They walk to school, which is here.” With a few clicks of the keyboard, two circles appeared around the areas she indicated. “Somewhere in between the two, they disappeared.” Graham placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as her voice caught on the last word.

“What areas have been searched already?” Graham asked, studying the map.

Natalie pointed to an area to the right of the O’Donnoll house, and a blue X appeared over the section. “Most everyone has been focused here since it’s so close to their house.”

“But you don’t think that’s the right spot?”

“No.” She pointed to a larger area on the left on the map, across the street from the house and closer to the school. “This is mostly forest and pretty dense. There are a few trails through it, but if you don’t stick to the trails, it’s easy to get turned around and lost.” A green circle appeared around the forest area.

“Why do you think they are there?”

There was a very good reason she thought they were in those woods, but the Sheriff hadn’t believed her when she went to him with her theory. She hesitated, afraid Graham would dismiss her notion as well.

“Natalie overheard some of the kids talking,” Maddie supplied when Natalie faltered. “Apparently, there is a bully.”

Natalie nodded before finding her voice. “Donnie has been giving Colin a hard time for a few weeks now. According to the other kids, Donnie and his ‘gang’ wait here,” she pointed to the map at a spot just south of the school at the edge of the forest. “They like to tease Colin because he walks his sister to school every day. I think Colin got fed up and attempted to take a shortcut through the forest to the school. It was incredibly foggy on Friday morning and I have no problem believing that they got lost in the fog; it was so thick. But I can’t imagine why they weren’t able to find their way out after the fog lifted. Something must have happened.” Her breath hitched again. Her students were her “kids”, she loved each and every one of them as if they were her own. To think that something may have happened to two of them was heart-wrenching. Losing Lucy would be especially devastating, that little girl held a very special place in Natalie’s heart. Even at five years old, Lucy had more artistic talent than most of the fully-grown artists Natalie knew.

“So why aren’t they searching there,” David wondered.

Maddie snorted. “The sheriff didn’t believe Natalie when she told him.” Maddie was still angry at Sheriff Dodd and his stubbornness. She couldn’t fathom how a tip like the one Natalie had given would be ignored. He hadn’t sent any of his deputies out to the area. “Ass,” she hissed, her anger still bubbling on the surface.

“Okay,” Graham started all business now. “David, send the relevant maps to my phone.”

“On it,” David confirmed with a thumbs up.

“I’m going with Natalie to Lake Haven. I need to grab some supplies.” He was moving quickly, and Natalie was impressed by his efficiency. “I’m gonna need the truck if you could follow as soon as you tie up things here.”

“How about you and Natalie go in your truck, and I’ll drive David up in Natalie’s car,” suggested Maddie.

“Yeah. Okay, good.” Natalie watched him, wondering if he was running through scenarios and the difficulties he might face. He studied the map closely, and with the click of a device Natalie didn’t know he was holding, he zoomed in on the area on the map where she believed the kids had gone. Scanning it inch by inch, he concentrated on a small section where there were fewer trees. With a few more clicks, he magnified it, seeing what appeared to be the remains of a long-forgotten house.

“Any idea what this is?” he asked.

Natalie studied the spot. “At one time, Lake Haven was a mining town. I think there are still some remnants of people’s claims from those days.” Nearly two hundred years ago, people had flocked to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for the large deposits of copper found there. Some intrepid explorers had headed farther south, hoping other areas of Michigan would be just as plentiful. They were unsuccessful.

“That could explain why they haven’t been able to find their own way out yet. Maybe they fell into an old mine shaft.”

Maddie gasped. “That would be terrifying!”

“I’d like to talk to the bullies,” Graham went on. “They might have seen where the kids entered the forest. Think you can arrange that, Natalie?”

“I’ll call Donnie’s mom on our way and have them meet us … is at the school a good place?” He nodded.

“I need to grab a few things, and then we can get going. David, can you print out a topo of that area?

“On it,” he said with another thumbs up.

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