Page 79 of Forbidden Secrets
When it finished, she stared blankly at the screen.What.The.Heck.Donna had fielded a report of a stray mama dog with a litter of half-grown pups abandoned at the old Lockwood sawmill.
I’m at the mill now and…and I got myself into trouble.I need your help.Can you come?I found this one spot where there’s cell service but it’s iffy.Please hurry.I’ll hold on until you can get here.
Melanie couldn’t put her finger on the problem but something about the message struck her as off.Immediately, she called Donna’s number, frowning when it went straight to message.Rubbing her thumb between her eyebrows, she thought through her options.
The urgency in Donna’s voice couldn’t be doubted, but why hadn’t she explained what the trouble was?Was she having difficulty rounding up the dogs?Melanie shook her head.It had to be more than that.Her stomach twisted at the thought maybe Donna was hurt.
Mel opened her map app and entered “Lockwood Mill.”She studied the screen as the results loaded.The old mill was in a neighboring valley, reachable by Route 22, a winding mountain road.It was isolated with no homes or businesses in the area.Estimated drive time was thirty-three minutes.
Dammit.She was supposed to meet Chase at Three Sisters Bakery for a late lunch and that was already giving her anxiety.Delaney and Emery had promised to hang out there while she and Chase talked.
Why hadn’t Donna taken one of the other volunteers to pick up the dogs?Or called animal services?Paul was in Sacramento for the day, so not close enough to help.
Before she could close her laptop, an email notification popped up with the domain used by prison inmates.Her breath hitched in her throat.Neil Grafton had responded to her query.She opened the email and scanned the contents.
Sitting back, she stared out the window trying to process what she’d read.The ramifications had her mind spinning.But she couldn’t deal with this now.She needed to help her mom, then she’d figure out what it all meant.
Melanie dialed Gage’s number, whisperingplease, please, pleaseas it rang.She’d feel a lot more confident driving into the mountains to take care of whatever was going on with Donna if he was with her.Strong, competent, capable—he made her feel safe.A hiss of frustration escaped her lips when his recorded voice gruffly told her to leave a message.Hanging up, she settled for texting her destination so at least he’d know where she was going.
Calling Donna again netted no better results.
Niggling worry had her moving quickly through the house.Grabbing a small backpack, she threw in her wallet, protein bars, a water bottle, and a raincoat.Weather in the mountains could change in the blink of an eye.At the last minute, she added the bag of treats she’d picked up for Pancake.Those might be useful.
Backing out of her driveway, she debated knocking on Gage’s door.Since he parked in the garage, she couldn’t tell if he was home, and no lights shined from his windows.Glancing at the clock on the dash, she shook her head.She needed to hurry if she was going to help her mom and make it back for her meeting with Chase where she hoped to get some answers.
Tapping the screen on her dash, she followed the map directions out of town.
Even on an unplanned and unwelcome errand, the scenery gave her a boost.Thick stands of aspens dotted the narrow, winding road, their golden leaves swirling around her car.Tumbling creeks formed an occasional waterfall and spectacular clouds billowed into the sky.A lot of spectacular clouds.She might need that raincoat.
The map was still getting data, though she was confident she could find the mill without it.Her stepdad had stuffed paper maps of the area into her glove box for exactly that reason.
Clouds thickened as she drove deeper into the mountains.There wasn’t much this far out, only a few lakes and an occasional cabin.Dark pine forests climbed steep slopes to the timberline, the jagged peaks of the Sierras jutting skyward like defiant fists.
She tried calling Donna again.And Gage.No luck.
A message flashed on the display: GPS signal lost.Damn.
The temperature dropped as she climbed in elevation and the first drops of rain hit.She cranked up the heater.The mama dog and her pups didn’t deserve to be out in this weather.
The last instructions had put the turnoff for the mill less than two miles ahead.Even watching for it, she nearly missed the faded wooden sign.
The road to the mill was rough, winding and potholed, narrowed in areas by rockslides and erosion that had chewed away the shoulder.Who’d even been out here to spot the dogs?Hikers possibly, or hunters.
She crawled along at barely fifteen miles an hour.A mile and a half later, she rounded a bend and exhaled in relief at the sight of her mom’s van.The mill buildings looked derelict with faded paint, broken windows, and rusted corrugated roofs that looked ready to cave in.
Rain spit against her windshield as she pulled up beside the van.She slipped on her raincoat, zipping her phone inside a pocket.
Delaney was right, she needed winter boots.Her old canvas sneakers wouldn’t hold up to mountain weather.
Leaving the car, Melanie checked out Donna’s van.Finding nothing concerning, she scanned her surroundings.“Mom?”Her voice was snatched by the wind.She called again, the only reply the groan of trees and the creak of swaying limbs.
The last thing she wanted was to go poking around in a crumbling mill, but if she were a mama dog with pups, she’d head straight for shelter.Rounding her car, she opened the passenger door, grabbed a flashlight from her glovebox, and tugged on a knit beanie she found.
She circled the perimeter of the mill, looking for gaps where an animal might slip through.Rusted scrap metal and forgotten debris littered the ground, forcing her to watch her step.
“Mom?”she called again, her voice muffled by the rising wind.
She pulled the hood of her raincoat over her beanie for extra protection.Icy rain stung her face.
