Little Lost Things Read online

  “I was happy to help. I don’t live in Richmond. I came into town for Thanksgiving. Are you all right? Ty said you sounded upset on the phone.”

  There was no way Johnny could explain to this stranger, so he mumbled something about getting in a fight with his parents and looked out the window. He was relieved that she didn’t press him for more.

  They rode in silence for a few more blocks, but when Mara passed the turn to Ty’s house, he said, “It’s that way. You missed the street.”

  “We’re going to our cousin’s house in the country. They invited us to dinner. Ty said you wouldn’t mind.”

  Johnny wondered why Ty hadn’t told him about the cousin on the phone, but he liked the idea of getting as far away from his parents as possible. Thinking of home made him feel sick. He was afraid he’d puke all over the car.

  Mara glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. “You sure you’re okay?” He wasn’t okay, far from it, but he didn’t answer. Mara took out bottled water from the pocket in her door and held it out to Johnny.

  “Drink this. It’ll help. I’m a nurse.”

  Johnny took the water and downed it in five gulps. Mara was right. It did help for a minute until his head got a strange heavy feeling. His vision blurred, and the last sight he remembered before everything went black was Mara staring at him with an eerie grin.

  * * *

  Mara was relieved that Johnny went out so quickly. He was such a big boy, her boy, that she hadn’t been sure of the correct dose to put in his water. She worried it would be too much and he’d overdose or not enough so it wouldn’t do the job. His health problems meant she had to be extra cautious.

  She alternated between watching Johnny sleep and watching the road. Her plan had worked so smoothly that she wanted to shout for joy. It was just like the first time she’d taken him as her son when he was born. If it hadn’t been for that damned hurricane all those years earlier, she would have been the one to raise Johnny. He never would have gotten hurt, and she wouldn’t have had to give him up to that perfect little Grace Walker.

  All of that was behind her. Her next task was convincing Johnny that he belonged to her. Since he’d seen Alec’s book and knew the truth, she’d had to concoct an ironclad story. It had taken time, but she was ready to answer his questions when he woke up and discovered he wasn’t at Ty’s cousin’s house.

  Johnny’s text alert buzzed three or four times. It must have been Ty wondering where Johnny had disappeared to, or Grace begging her baby to come home. A minute later, the phone rang. Johnny stirred but didn’t open his eyes. Mara gingerly took the phone from his hand and looked at the caller ID. It was Ty. She wasn’t worried about him. Even if he told Grace that Johnny had asked for a ride but wasn’t there when he showed up, they’d just assume he’d gone with another friend. By the time they realized he was gone, Mara would have him safely settled in his real home.

  She lowered the window and threw Johnny’s phone into the snow pile on the far side of the road. By the time anyone got around to tracing it, the battery would be wet and ruined. She congratulated herself for being clever enough to think of every detail. She had a new phone waiting for him that no one could trace.

  She did a U-turn at the next intersection and headed for the city. She was glad she wouldn’t have to plot and plan and stalk anymore. After more than fourteen years of agonized waiting, she was ready to begin the life she deserved as Johnny’s mother.

  Chapter Seven

  Grace drew a deep breath through the paper bag and held it for a moment before exhaling. She’d resisted when Ryan first thrust the bag at her but breathing into it helped. She took another breath and scanned the room with her eyes. The architecture and furnishings felt foreign even though this had been her home and safe haven for years. The house had become nothing more than an empty shell without Johnny.

  She lowered the bag and said, “This has turned out worse than my nightmares.”

  Ryan stopped his pacing. “Breathe,” he said and motioned for her to put the bag back to her lips.

  Grace threw the bag on the floor and stood to face him with her hands on her hips. “Why did you take that infernal book downstairs? Why couldn’t you have left it alone? You ruined all our plans. You and Alec. Why’d she write that damned thing in the first place?”

  “Drop the melodrama, Grace. I’m not in the mood, and I told you I didn’t bring that book down here.”

  “Then how did it get here?”

  He exhaled and shook his head. “How should I know? Maybe Johnny found it upstairs and brought it down here. Who cares? This isn’t my fault or Alec’s. If you’d told him the truth years ago, we could have avoided this. I’ve hated lying to him. So have Alec, Adam and my kids. You forced us all into this horrible situation, but what matters now is that we’ve got to pull together and do damage control. Call Tony in the morning to see if he’ll help. Johnny respects him, and Tony doesn’t know anything about Johnny’s past. He’s the only person who hasn’t been lying to him.”

  Grace dropped her hands to her sides and looked toward the window as if she expected to see Johnny in the darkness beyond. “Don’t keep saying we lied. It wasn’t lying. It was protecting him. We just didn’t tell him the whole story.”

  “Rationalize all you want, but telling half-truths is lying. You as much as looked him in the eye and told him his birth parents were dead.”

  She slumped onto the sofa and covered her face with her hands. As much as she hated to admit it, Ryan was right. They were all at fault, her most of all. She had used the excuse of trying to protect Johnny by not telling him his history, but she was only protecting herself. He’d deserved to know. Now, it was too late. She’d never get the chance to convince him they’d been on the verge of telling him before he saw the book.

  “Where do you think he is?” she asked softly. “How long has he been gone?”

  “Three hours. I’m sure he’s at Ty’s or Darnell’s.”

  “I wonder why their parents haven’t called. They must be dying to know what happened. Should we call them?”

  Ryan sat next to her and shook his head. “Let’s give him his space. It’ll take time to recover from this emotional earthquake. Call Jayda and Ashley tomorrow if we haven’t heard from Johnny by then.”

  Grace’s phone buzzed in her pocket and made her jump. She tore it out as fast as she could get her hands to work. She looked at the screen and frowned when she saw it was Alec. She let it go to voicemail and tossed her phone on the ottoman.

  Ryan peeked at the screen before it went dark. “Why’d you do that?”

  “I have nothing to say to Alec. How could she write that book knowing what it would do to me, how it would affect me? Do my feelings mean nothing to her after all these years?”

  “She’ll just keep calling until you answer. Her reasons for writing the book are the opposite of what you said. She wrote it because of how much she admires and respects you. The book is good. I hope once we’re through this crisis, you’ll read it. I think it will surprise you.”

  Her phone rang again, but she ignored it. She couldn’t believe what Ryan was saying. Did he truly understand her so little after their years together? She’d spent her adult life burying the horrors of her past. Now, all he and Alec wanted to do was dig them up and expose them to the world. Once again, her past was threatening to destroy the life she’d worked so hard to build. How could they not understand?

  “Did you forget that I’m intimately acquainted with that story? I know it better than Alec. Why in God’s name would I read it? How would you feel if someone wrote a book about the months Marie suffered through her cancer before she died and then asked you to read it?” The pained look in Ryan’s eyes was her answer. “Now, you understand.”

  “This situation is completely different, but I wouldn’t mind if the story could lighten even one person’s burden.” Ryan rubbed his face. “I’m too exhausted to talk about this now. I’m going to bed. You coming?”


  Ryan stood and held his hand out to her, but she didn’t take it. “I won’t be sleeping tonight. I already texted Brad and told him what happened and that I wouldn’t be in tomorrow. Maybe I’ll scrub the kitchen floor.”

  “That’s ridiculous. Staying awake for days won’t bring Johnny home or turn back the clock. Come to bed, take a sleeping pill and watch a movie with me until you fall asleep.”

  Grace scowled at him. “You know I can’t stand taking those things. Scrubbing the floor works better than any sleeping pill and without the side effects.”

  Ryan knelt in front of her and cupped her chin in his hand. “Look at me.” When Grace raised her eyes, he said, “I’m not your enemy. If we’re going to reunite this family, we need to support each other. I’d give anything to undo this, but I can’t. Neither can you. I love you. Don’t push me away.”

  She looked into his eyes and remembered all he had done for her. He’d stood by her and Johnny through their worst trials and greatest triumphs. More than that, she owed him her life.

  She kissed him tenderly and wrapped her arms around her neck. “I’ll never understand why you stay with me. Forgive me for acting like the old Grace. I feel like I’m in a scene from a TV movie.” She held his hand and let him help her up. “I’ll come to bed and even let you pick what to watch.”

  “I stay because there’s nowhere I’d rather be. Stop worrying, Grace. I’m not going anywhere.”

  * * *

  Grace woke in a fog. Damned sleeping pills. She pushed herself to a sitting position and squinted at the clock. Nine-thirty! Ryan’s side of the bed was empty and the house was quiet. He probably thought he’d done her a favor by letting her sleep, but she’d wanted to get up early and find Johnny before he left for school. She grabbed her phone, but there were no messages or texts. At least the hospital hadn’t called. Too much stress could cause Johnny to have seizures. What he’d gone through the day before was the worst shock he’d ever had.

  She climbed out of bed and headed for the bathroom, but she stopped when her phone rang. She went back to the bed and checked the caller ID. It was Johnny’s school.

  When she answered, the attendance secretary said, “I’m calling to find out why Johnny’s absent since you didn’t notify us that he wouldn’t be here. Is he ill, or did he have an appointment this morning?”

  “He’s not there? You’re sure?” Grace asked, trying to steady the tremor in her voice.

  “His homeroom teacher marked him absent. I can check with her, but he’s kind of hard to miss.”

  Grace didn’t want to get into their problems with the school secretary, so she said, “I just checked my phone and remembered that Johnny did have an appointment this morning. His father took him. He should be back after lunch. I’ll call if his appointment runs long.”

  “No need. Just let us know if he’ll be absent tomorrow. Thank you,” she said and hung up.

  Grace didn’t know who to call first. Ryan would have told her if he’d talked to Johnny, so she dialed Jayda. She hated to bother her at work, but it was an emergency.

  When she picked up, Grace said, “Did Johnny stay at your house last night? The school just called, and he’s not there. Do you know where he is?”

  Grace heard Jayda’s hesitation. “You don’t know where Johnny was last night?”

  “He found out about the kidnapping and Craig. He knows everything. It’s a long story. Was he at your house?”

  “No, Grace. I’m sorry. I haven’t seen Johnny since before Thanksgiving. Do you want me to help you find him?”

  “No, you’re the first person I called, and you’re at work. I’m sure he spent the night with Ty. I’ll try Ashley.”

  “Please text me as soon as you find him. Good luck.”

  “Thanks, I will.”

  Grace hung up and called Ashley as fast as she could. Once she explained what was happening, Ashley said, “I haven’t seen Johnny, but the boys were playing video games in the basement pretty late last night. Maybe they sneaked Johnny in.” There was a paused while Grace heard Ashley walking down the stairs. “He’s not here. Let me check Ty’s room. Johnny shouldn’t have been here last night. Besides the fact that it was a school night, Ty’s still grounded from that stunt they pulled over the weekend. If Johnny was here, Ty’s going to get it.”

  Grace gave a fake laugh. She couldn’t have cared less about Ty’s punishment. She just needed to find her son.

  “He’s not here. I’ll text Ty to see if he knows what’s going on, but his phone is supposed to be turned off when he’s in class. He may not get back to me until lunch. Please, let me know if you find him before then.”

  “I will and call as soon as you hear from Ty,” Grace said.

  She ran her hand through her hair and started pacing the room. She called Ryan next. He needed to know Johnny was missing. She ran through the places he could be while she waited for Ryan to answer. If Ty and Darnell hadn’t seen him, it was worse than she thought. Her last hope was that he really was with Ryan and he hadn’t wanted to call and wake her.

  “You’re up,” Ryan said and chucked. “You were dead to the world when I left. I thought you’d sleep…”

  “Johnny’s missing,” Grace said. She told him what was going on in a rush. “Is he with you? Have you heard from him?”

  “No, Grace. Oh my God! Where do you think he is? I’m coming home now.”

  “Call your kids and see if he contacted them. I’m going to try Alec and Adam. I know that’s a long shot since he’s probably mad at them, too. I’ll call Kyle and Damien’s parents after that.”

  “Call the instant you know anything.”

  “You do the same.”

  She was calmer after talking to Ryan and working with him to find Johnny made her feel less alone.

  She dialed Alec next, and she picked up after the first ring.

  “It’s about time,” Alec said. “I knew you wouldn’t hide from me forever. Does this mean you’ve forgiven me for writing the book?”

  “That’s not why I’m calling. Johnny’s missing. Did he call you last night?”

  “What do you mean Johnny’s missing?”

  Grace told her about the blow up the night before and her role in it, but she didn’t care about blame. If Alec was in the dark, it meant she hadn’t heard from Johnny.

  “I’m sick about this, Grace. Johnny hasn’t contacted us. I’m coming over, and we’re going to find him. You shouldn’t be out looking alone.”

  “Don’t come over. Ryan’s on his way home. We have more people to call. Maybe he’s at Steph’s. If we don’t find him soon, I’m calling the police.”

  She hung up before Alec could protest, and dialed Kyle’s mom, but got the same response, and with Damien’s mom, too. The last person she could think of was Tony. She felt like she was going to burst out of her skin waiting for the PT receptionist.

  When she asked for Tony, the receptionist said, “I’m sorry, but Tony’s out with the flu. We don’t expect him back until Thursday.”

  Johnny had Tony’s cell number, but Grace didn’t, and she knew the receptionist would never give it to her. “I know Tony’s sick, but it’s extremely urgent that I talk to him. Could you please call him and ask him to call me as soon as he can?”

  The receptionist hesitated. “Can one of the other physical therapists help? I hate to bother him.”

  “No, I need to speak to Tony. I’ll take full responsibility for bothering him.”

  “Fine, Mrs. Walker. I’ll give him your message.”

  “Thank you. I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t an emergency.”

  She hung up and took the phone into the bathroom so she’d hear it while she showered and dressed. Half an hour passed with no calls or texts.

  She called Ryan as soon as she toweled off and threw on some clothes. “Where are you? Please, tell me you found him.”

  “I guess that means you haven’t had any luck either. None of my kids know where he is. Steph is freaking out. She�
��s on her way to the house. I’ll be right behind her”

  “My last hope is that Tony will call and tell me he knows where he is. He’s out sick with the flu so Johnny could be with him.”

  "He would have let us know. If Johnny is missing, Tony would know the anguish we’re going through.”

  Call waiting beeped. “There’s Tony. I’ll put it on conference call.”

  She told their story one more time, desperate to hear good news.

  “I’m sorry to say I have no idea where Johnny is. Call the police immediately. And please keep me posted. I’m sure he’s fine. Probably hiding out somewhere you haven’t thought of yet. Check and see if he’s been on social media.”

  “We will, Tony. Get better.”

  After Tony hung up, Ryan said, “I know I probably don’t need to ask but have you called Johnny’s phone?”

  “Ten times. It rang the first few times, but now it's going straight to voicemail.”

  “It’s time to call 911.”

  “I’m calling Agent Michaels. He knows Johnny’s history, and I don’t want to waste time with the local police.”

  “He wasn’t kidnapped. He ran away. Local cops will know where to look for a runaway.”

  “I’m calling Scott Michaels.”

  “Do you think he’s still at the Richmond office after twelve years?”

  “Why are you arguing with me? If I’m wrong, they’ll point me to the police.”

  “Do what you think is best. See you in twenty.”

  * * *

  Grace dug through the pile of business cards she kept in her bedside table until she found Agent Michael’s number. He’d been the agent to handle the search for Johnny’s biological parents when he was a baby, and he knew about the kidnapping. Even if he’d left the Richmond office, she hoped whoever answered could tell her how to find Johnny.

  “Michaels,” Scott said when he answered. “Who is this? How did you get this number?”