Page 39 of Ten Years Later
Florida became Georgia. Tennessee transitioned to Missouri. Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, then Oregon.
Dana stopped here and there along the way for food and gas and to nap. She even bought fresh clothes for herself and the little girl at a truck stop.
Strangely enough, the little girl didn’t cry or ask for her mommy or daddy until somewhere in the middle of Tennessee.
Dana handled her fear like she did with Emily. She sang. She played fun songs. She talked in a soothing voice. She reached back and touched the little girl’s leg, gently rubbing it.
Eventually, the little girl cried herself to sleep.
Dana talked herself in and out of the decision over the days it took to get home. But by the time they arrived back in Oregon, Dana was calling the little girl Emily.
25 /CURRENT DAY
Keaton drovehis truck with Emily riding passenger. “I’ll have the DNA results later today. Until then, we need to keep out of sight.”
“We can’t just drive around all day.”
“I know.”
The sun rose over the ocean as Keaton turned down a sandy road that wove through an RV park filled with vacationers and locals. He drove to a thirty-foot Airstream at the end of a long line of recreational vehicles.
“I went to high school with the woman who lives here. She’s out of town, but I have her key.”
“She won’t mind?” Emily asked.
“No, not at all. I promise.” Keaton gave the surrounding RVs a quick once-over, finding only one person out walking a dog. Busy scrolling his phone, the person paid Keaton no mind as he grabbed Emily’s crossbody bag and ushered her into the Airstream.
The air felt stagnant and smelled like a combination of bacon and wet dog. But it appeared clean.
“Ick.” Emily scrunched up her nose.
“Agreed.” Keaton put her pack down on the paisley fabric couch. He walked straight to the wall mounted air unit and turned it several degrees cooler.
He opened the mini refrigerator finding Jell-O cups and orange juice. In the cabinet above the sink, he located a bag of chips and a can of chili. “She’s not the best shopper. But if you get hungry, feel free.”
In the back, a burgundy quilt covered a full sized bed. Just before that, a door sat propped open, giving a view of a tiny bathroom. Keaton pointed at it. “You’re welcome to use that if you want.”
He found the remote and turned on the small flat-screen TV mounted on the wall opposite the couch. He handed the remote to Emily who still stood inside the door, watching him.
“Wait a minute,” she said. “Are youleavingme here?”
“I am. You’ll be fine.”
“B-but, you can’t just do that.”
Gently, he grasped her shoulders. “I have to go to work. If I don’t, it’ll set off Zane’s radar. I’m supposed to hear back from the investigator this afternoon with the DNA results. As soon as I get those, we’ll go to the cops.”
“The cops?” She swallowed. “Is…Is Mia in trouble?”
Yes!came to the tip of his tongue but from his daughter’s expression, he took a second to calm his tone. “I’m not sure of all the ins and outs yet. But what I am sure of is that you are my daughter. We only need the test to prove it.”
“What if your friend comes home?”
“She won’t. She’s several states away visiting family.” He pressed a kiss to Emily’s forehead. “I’ll be back by three. I promise.”
26 /NINE YEARS AGO
Dana quit her job,packed her apartment, and moved to Washington State. She found a position where she could work from home and simultaneously watch Emily Two.
