Page 86 of Fear of Flames
If she asked Fletch, he’d tell her that they lied to protect her. And in his mind, they were heroes. Michelle reminded herself that her father was the reason Timothy Wells was home with his family.
Sleep came on and off. The slumber was fractured and filled with unwanted dreams. During times of wakefulness, Fletch’s information would come back. Sarah was six when she went missing.
Six.
Suddenly, Michelle had the need to learn more.
Quietly getting out of bed and not disturbing Fletch, Michelle made her way to his office. Her computer on the table didn’t have the ability to search undetected the way his did. Sitting back in the chair she’d left hours ago, Michelle brought the computer to life and entered the name of her sister.
There was more than one Sarah Holdcraft.
She narrowed the search to Indiana.
The birth announcement appeared. Sarah Louise Holdcraft.
Michelle’s heart seized. She hadn’t even known her sister’s middle name.
Born at Saint Francis Hospital in Beech Grove, Indiana. She’d been born at the same hospital. However, by the time Sarah was born, the hospital was in Indianapolis. They’d built a new modern facility.
Fletch was right about the date, four years before Michelle was born.
Next, Michelle accessed the community school system’s database. Michelle attended Eastwood Elementary. If Sarah was six, wouldn’t she have attended the same school?
The only Holdcraft was Michelle.
There were a couple of private schools in the area, one Christian and the other Catholic. Michelle discovered Sarah Holdcraft attended Holy Mary’s. She was enrolled in kindergarten and first grade. There was no further record of her attendance.
She stared at the screen.
Michelle had always considered her parents loving. What kind of parent loses a child after loving them for six years and forgets them—erases them as if they never existed. She racked her brain for any memories of Sarah. For the life of her, Michelle couldn’t recall as much as a picture.
Sarah’s name didn’t come up in relation to a missing person.
She went to IMPD. If the agency was as good as they claimed, they should be able to access police records. Surely, her parents reported Sarah missing. There was a file. It was sealed.
Was that her father’s doing?
Michelle knew police officers didn’t have that power. In her father’s position, he would know people who could.
Olivia was right. One answer led to ten questions. Michelle had another idea. She went to the Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis’s newspaper, and entered Sarah’s name. Her birth announcement came up first. The next hit was a prayer service at Holy Mary’s for missing Sarah Holdcraft. Tears filled Michelle’s eyes at the black and white photo of a little girl. It was as if she were seeing herself at six years old. They could have been twins, born four years apart.
The girl in the locket.
The counseling session from years ago at Purdue came back to her. She’d told the counselor her bedroom contained two beds. Had they shared a room? Michelle was two years old when Sarah disappeared. Wouldn’t Michelle be in a crib? There wouldn’t have been two twin beds.
Was Sarah her imaginary friend, or did young Michelle remember having an older sister?
“What are you doing?”
His voice made her jump. Michelle looked up, seeing Fletch. He filled the doorframe, wearing only his boxer briefs. “I’m doing what everyone wants me to do for the agency. I’m researching.”
“Denny’s files?”
She shook her head, her focus back on the screen. “I’m looking at a picture of Sarah.” She looked back up. “Sarah Louise. I never knew her middle name.”
Fletch padded toward her on bare feet. His large hands came to her shoulders, gently massaging as he looked at the photo. “She looks like a young you.”
“I thought the same thing.” She craned her neck and looked up at Fletch. “I know they were also heroes, but all I can think is that my parents lied to me my entire life. I don’t know what to believe or what’s real.”
