Lost And Found

Prologue

Prologue

“Hey, you two look great.” Richard McCafferty propped his axe against the woodshed and strode away from the large stack of chopped firewood, wiping beads of sweat from his forehead with the back of his heavy work glove.

Marcie shivered underneath her purple down vest, her fingers linked with those of Sam, the love of her life. She leaned against him, into him, and couldn’t erase the smile she’d swear was now etched permanently into her face. She couldn’t explain the joyful sense of lightness that filled every part of her. Maybe that was why she needed to touch Sam and be with him, near him.

Richard gripped Sam’s hand the way good friends do. He winked at Marcie as if he could read her every secret. She dropped her eyes; after all, when had she ever been successful at keeping something from Richard?

“Your cast is gone, Marcie; you’re all tanned and healed. Those beaches down in Mexico look like they agreed with you. So when did you guys get back?”

Sam wrapped his arm around Marcie’s shoulders and rested his chin on the crown of her head. “Last night. Rented a car in Seattle and drove around the peninsula. Thought we’d stop in, check on you and Maggie before heading over to Marcie’s granny’s place.”

The screen door squeaked.

“Hey, you two! Didn’t know you were back.” Maggie dashed down the stairs, yanking on a thick green sweater. She skidded around the pile of leaves, nearly tripping over a garden rake before she hugged Marcie and then kissed Sam on the cheek. “You’ve got quite the glow happening there, Marcie.” Maggie shoved in between the couple. “The way you two are glued together, you’d think you hadn’t seen each other in, like, forever.”

Sam smiled broadly and leaned against the black SUV he’d rented. His blue eyes, brighter than before he had left for Mexico, watching Marcie in a way that let her know how much he loved her. His look would have told her even if he hadn’t said the words a few hours ago and every day since she’d told him the big news. Maggie was watching Marcie, and her toffee-colored eyes lit up as if she’d guessed her secret.

“Should we tell them, Sam?” Marcie said. She was teasing, and Richard stared first at Sam and then her.

“Okay, guys, what gives?” he asked.

Sam blurted out, “Marcie’s pregnant.”

Richard grinned and high-fived Sam. “Congrats, guys.”

Maggie squealed and hugged Marcie, patting her still flat stomach. “So, how far along?” Maggie was almost bouncing with excitement as she tucked her shoulder-length, dark curly hair behind her ears. Her pale cheeks glowed a natural rosy pink from the chill in the late fall air.

“Not far, just a few weeks.” Marcie could swear her joy shimmered in the air between her friends.

“Mom!” Ryley called from the door.

“Oops. Come on in, guys,” Maggie said, hurrying to the steps. Ryley burst out the door, his sneakers undone, wearing only a dark long-sleeved T-shirt hanging outside jeans with patched-up knees. “Put your coat on, young man,” Maggie said with a laugh, “and go finish raking those leaves before I kill myself. And this time, put the rake away when you’re done.”

“Hey, Ryley. No school today?” Sam bent down and retrieved the rake while Ryley pulled on his red jacket.

“Nah, it’s a conference day, and Mom won’t let me play on the computer. She’s making me work,” Ryley said, skulking down the steps. Marcie couldn’t hear what Sam said when Ryley took the rake, but he laughed so hard he wiped what she assumed were tears from his eyes.

“Sam looks pretty happy, Marcie,” said Richard. “He wants kids. See how he is with Ryley?”

Marcie looked up. Richard was so tall, and his dark hair was a little on the shaggy side. “Yes, he does.” Marcie swallowed. Her head felt a little thick this morning, but she’d heard that was normal.

“How are you feeling? Maggie was sick the first few months with Ryley. With Lily, she was just tired all the time,” Richard said. The lines around his eyes made him appear older, wiser and damn handsome. He knew darn well he still had every woman taking a second look when he entered a room.

“Tired. Feeling like I’m coming down with something. But it’s good.”

He shook his head; a grim line stretched taut across his lips. “You know, Marcie, I’m glad you and Sam had time to get away. Does Sam regret leaving the DEA?”

“He hasn’t said. But being with him in Mexico, just us and nothing hanging over our heads … I’ve got to tell you, Richard, I didn’t want to come back. It was magical, as if I was inserted into my fairytale ending where everything was perfect and nothing could touch us. I worried coming back on the plane if maybe there would be some repercussions when setting foot back here. I can’t say this to Sam, but I can’t shake this feeling there’s something brewing in the wind with Dan and his crew. You know … payback.”

Richard pulled off his work gloves and stuffed them into his back pocket. He stared up at the house for a moment before turning and looking at her in a meaningful way. She was sure he knew more than he was telling. “Marcie, this game, this business … even the people who aren’t involved but know about what Dan, Lance and that whole underworld do, they don’t talk.”

“Richard, are we in danger?” Marcie shivered as a light breeze swirled her hair. She swept her fingers through the strands, distracted for a minute by how silky, wavy, and long her hair had recently become.

“You need to know something—and I haven’t told Maggie this. I found out one of the disabled kids Sandra Carter had at her home the night you and Maggie delivered all the m*******a … well, he died last week. Whoever his full-time aide was had a way of communicating with the boy, and she said the kid was scared of Sandra. Before he died, he told her … Sandra hurt him.”

“Are you sure? I thought those kids couldn’t talk. Why does Sandra still have a contract to care for them?”

Richard just shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know everything, just what Diane told me. But they’ve suspended Sandra’s contract pending an internal review.”

“Well, how did the kid die, and how’s Sandra responsible?”

“I don’t know that, either, except they’re presuming a mix-up in his meds. Both kids were on so many. Look, Marcie, the reason I’m telling you this is that Sandra’s out for blood. She’s made drunken threats to some friends against Maggie, and you too. Both of you broke the cardinal rule and ratted them out, her and Dan, and that’s her quote. But you understand that world. You knew this was going to happen—we all did when we set them up. This underworld has a way of looking after things in its own way. We all need to be careful. Lance Silver is one dangerous and powerful bastard, and Sandra and her family are unscrupulous. Remember, Dan won’t cross Sandra. Not once during that whole mess did he ever point the finger at her.”

Marcie glanced over just as Sam dumped a handful of leaves over Ryley’s head and then tossed him on the pile. “Why would he protect her, Richard?”

“You still don’t get him. He and Sandra go way back. He’s cagey, and he knows who he can screw over and who he can’t. She encouraged his behavior, and he controls her to a point. If he crosses her, he knows he’ll be dead. Have no doubt he’ll protect Sandra, because that will protect him, too.

“He casts illusions, even with me, keeping me off guard. He was scared I’d kill him for involving Maggie. What goes through his mind after he screws people is … what he can say to keep from getting the s**t pounded out of him. Lance Silver, Sandra, that whole underworld Dan slithered his way into, it’s … let’s just say that Dan doesn’t play by their rules. He’s not part of them; he’s an outsider who slithered in. Sandra’s a part of that world because she grew up in it. I still can’t figure out Lance and Dan’s connection, or why’s Dan's still walking around. I know he’s screwed one too many of them.”

Marcie frowned, looking back at him, and tried to read past the sudden hardness encasing Richard. “How do you know this, Richard?”

He didn’t look at her; instead, he watched his son. “Marcie, you’re a big girl. If you’re going to live out here, you need to be aware of what’s going on around you. There’s some ugly stuff, and the people involved lead outwardly picture-perfect lives. You and my wife got dragged into something.…” Richard yanked his gloves from his back pocket and swatted the leather across his jean-clad thigh. He lowered his voice and said, “What you see and what is real are two different things.”

Marcie looked away, toward the bare towering willow that would shade the front lawn nicely all summer. “Have you spoken with Dan?”

“Nope. I’m just saying you need to constantly watch your back. Retribution doesn’t always come in ways we expect.”

“Richard, Sam said he took care of everything so we’d be safe.…”

His jaw stiffened, and he scratched his head as he watched Sam and Ryley turn a big pile of leaves into a spread-out mess as Ryley dove in over and over. “There comes a time when you need to look after home first. Sam did that for you. He did what he needed to. For me, that’s Maggie and the kids. But make no mistake, whatever Sam and I do, anything can still come out of left field. We all need to be aware and not just trust that we’re safe, because that’s when mistakes happen … and someone gets hurt.” He continued to watch Ryley.

Marcie hadn’t noticed before, but tinges of gray now threaded through the strands of hair by his ear. It was thicker than before. Richard turned and smiled at her, but the light didn’t reach those steely blue eyes. “Come on, O Pregnant One. Let’s go on in and have some coffee.”

“Tea for me, please,” Marcie said.

This time, Richard laughed, and it wasn’t so forced.

Marcie leaned against Sam in the warm, cluttered kitchen. Richard shoved a log into the wood stove while Maggie picked up the spoon Lily had tossed under the table—for the second time since they’d walked in. Five-year-old Lily, severely autistic, swayed in her booster seat at the table, lining up Cheerios instead of eating.

“Maggie, leave her. I’ll take over,” Richard offered.

Maggie handed Richard a clean spoon. “Good luck. She’s driving me nuts this morning; she’s already dumped her first bowl on the floor.”

Richard gently squeezed Maggie’s shoulder and then moved to the messy table, kissing the top of Lily’s curly dark bed hair. “Come on, my girl. What’s this about giving your mama a hard time?”

Marcie would swear Lily smiled in amusement. She was definitely a daddy’s girl. Marcie needed to speak with Maggie about adding some natural remedies to aid in Lily’s therapy. Focused on diet and vitamins, the holistic approach was controversial, with no track record or data, but it was an approach Marcie was convinced would help Lily be more responsive. Maybe before they left today, she’d broach the subject.

Richard spoon-fed Lily, who leaned in for her daddy and took each bite.

“You know, Marcie,” Maggie said, “I remember the first few months with Ryley, just the smell of coffee would send me racing to the nearest bathroom.”

Marcie clutched her warm mug of green tea. She could feel how relaxed Sam was behind her. He hadn’t worried, like she had, about coming home. Marcie had asked him twice what he meant by “taking care of things” so they would be protected from Lance and Dan, but he wouldn’t elaborate. And, try as she might, she couldn’t figure out what he’d done.

“Thanks for the coffee, Maggie.” Sam’s southern charm whispered like honey when he spoke. Marcie would never tire of listening to him talk, because he meant what he said, and he spoke from his heart—always. She knew by the way Maggie smiled at him that her friend, too, loved listening to his smooth southern accent.

“All done, my girl.” Richard helped Lily down from her chair. She still wore her fuzzy pink pajamas and fluffy elephant slippers, and she bolted straight for the screen door and pushed it open. Richard grabbed her before she went any farther.

She screamed “Sa, sa!” and reached for the door.

“Let’s put your coat on. It’s cold outside, silly girl,” Richard said. He had just zipped up her purple down jacket when she dashed out the door that he held open. Ryley was raking leaves as Lily dashed past him. “Ryley! Watch your sister. Take her over to the swing and keep an eye on her. I’m going to grab a coffee, and I’ll be right out.”

“Aw, Dad, why do I have to watch her again? You wanted me to rake the leaves. Why do I have to do both?” he whined, like any young boy tired of being responsible for his sister.

“Go … now,” Richard said. His voice was direct while he pointed toward Lily, now running in circles on the grass. Ryley dropped the rake and stomped after her.

“Richard, did you put her shoes on, or is she still in her slippers?” Maggie asked.

Richard leaned past her and poured himself a coffee. “She’s fine, Maggie. Stop fussing so much about what she’s wearing. At least she’s got something on her feet.”

Bile suddenly, burned the back of Marcie’s throat and rose up like a sharp wind. She grabbed Sam’s arm and nearly dropped her tea as she was flooded by a wave of dizziness. A harsh chill rushed through her. “Oh no,” she mumbled.

“Marcie, are you okay, babe?” Sam grabbed her mug and set it on the counter.

Marcie pulled away from Sam just as she heard Ryley’s irritated yell: “Lily, come back. Lily, stop!” Richard and Maggie pushed past Marcie and bolted out the door, and Sam and Marcie followed.

“Marcie, what’s going on?” Sam asked.

“Something’s wrong, Sam.”

“You’re scaring me. Is something wrong with the baby?”

“No. I don’t know … something …” She stared off toward the road as Sam’s hands fell away from her shoulders.

Time slowed. Sam started running and raced past Maggie, yelling something that stretched out long and loud, waving frantically at Lily, who stood in the middle of the desolate gravel road. Ryley stood only a few feet from her. Marcie blinked through the blur as a black car sped around the bend and hit Lily. A sleek sports car with dark tinted windows, it skidded on the gravel but didn’t stop or even slow, speeding away.

Marcie’s head ached, and she struggled to breathe, feeling as if her chest had been ripped open by a sorrow she couldn’t put into words. Screaming pierced her dreamlike state. A sharp wind rustled the trees as Sam, Richard, and Maggie huddled around Lily, and Marcie moved down the steps, across the grass, and reached Ryley, who hovered frozen behind Sam.

“Marcie, call 911. Now, Marcie, now!” Sam shouted as he crouched over Lily.

Marcie grabbed Ryley’s arm and ran. Her ankle, not quite healed from her recent break, throbbed. Ryley said nothing as she all but dragged him back to the house. She grabbed the kitchen phone and dialed. Ryley leaned against the wall, his face white, his big eyes nothing but empty pools. She knew he couldn’t grasp what had just happened.

“Oh, God. Please let her be all right,” she begged as she closed her eyes.

“Nine one one. What’s your emergency?”

“Lily’s been hit by a car,” Marcie said. “She’s five years old. She’s lying on the road.”

“Is she still breathing?”

“I—I don’t know. Her parents are with her. She’s covered in blood.”

“We’ve got paramedics and police on their way. I need you to stay on the line with me.”

Marcie gripped the cordless phone and glanced back at Ryley, who didn’t move. “Ryley, I need you to stay here.”

He didn’t move—he didn’t even look at her. She dashed out the door and could see Maggie on her knees, sobbing. Sam appeared to be giving Lily CPR. Richard was beside him. Marcie relayed everything to the 911 operator until she heard sirens wailing in the distance. She hung up when she saw the first red flashing lights.

She hurried back to the road, limping as she held the disconnected phone. Emergency vehicles arrived—an ambulance, the sheriff, and volunteers from the Gardiner and Sequim fire departments blocked the narrow gravel road. Two paramedics raced over and dropped down beside Sam and Richard as emergency personnel crowded around, leaning in. Lily was still alive, but barely. Marcie pressed her hand against her chest. “Hurry,” she whispered.

“We need a medevac here now!” one of the men shouted.

“They’re en route. They have to land at the fire hall. Let’s move it!” another replied.

Richard pushed past Maggie, ignoring her as if she were of no importance. “Is she going to make it?” he cried desperately.

Sam glanced at the female paramedic, who shook her head. Sam stepped in front of Richard as Lily was loaded on the stretcher.

“I’m going with her!” Maggie screamed.

“There’s no room!” someone yelled as three paramedics climbed into the ambulance beside Lily. She appeared so tiny, hooked up to an IV, with splints and a neck collar, strapped to the gurney. A state trooper grabbed Maggie by the waist and held her back when she tried to jump in the ambulance. Richard stalked over to the sheriff and state troopers, who leaned against their cars at the side of the road, lights still flashing.

“What the hell are you still doing here? Get your asses out there and find that murdering coward who hit my little girl!” he yelled.

Sam stepped in and took Maggie from the trooper. She collapsed in his arms, clutching his shirt. “Marcie,” Sam yelled, “come here!”

So many people hurried around as the ambulance sped away, lights flashing and siren blaring, just as an SUV raced in and slammed its brakes, sending dust flying. Whoever was driving, Marcie couldn’t see, but an angry deputy stormed toward the person who jumped out.

“Sam, Richard!” Diane called, flashing her badge. She pushed past the deputy. Marcie took a step—but then stopped, as Richard abruptly punched one of the deputies before being tackled by the sheriff and another officer. One pinned his knee in

Richard’s back, laying him face down on the car’s trunk as the other cuffed him.

Marcie touched her head. She didn’t know what to do as Diane and Sam hurried over. Everyone was yelling, but the sheriff didn’t care. He shook his head and stuffed Richard in the back of his car.

Marcie watched Maggie standing alone, sobbing. The spot she stared at was coated in blood. One fuzzy slipper lay there—alone. She needed to go to her but was stopped when a hand touched her sleeve.

“Ma’am, you need to sit down. Are you family?” It was one of the local firemen, his kind hazel eyes appearing through a film of her tears.

“Ryley. I left Ryley at the house,” Marcie said.

“Who’s Ryley?”

Her vision blurred even more when she looked up at him, unable to make out any of his features. Her nose was plugged, and she swiped her hands over her eyes and wiped her nose with a sleeve.

“He’s their son, Lily’s older brother. He watched this. He saw Lily get hit. Oh, God.” She couldn’t hear him reply as he led her over to the fire truck and helped her sit on the back bumper.

“We asked him his name, but he won’t talk. One of the volunteers found him on the road, over there, watching the ambulance leave.”

Marcie nodded. “Please keep him away. How bad is it?” she asked. She knew by the way he grimaced that he didn’t want to say. “You … you don’t think…”

The volunteer had an honest face. “Miss? You’d best be getting the parents to the hospital. Prepare them for the worst.”

“What hospital?”

“She’s being airlifted to Seattle.”

Marcie didn’t know how she did it, but she stood up and hurried to Maggie, pulling her into her arms as crime scene technicians arrived and taped off the area. “Maggie, we need to go.”

Maggie pushed her away and swept her trembling hands through her hair as tears fell. “Where are they taking her? Is she all right? She was still breathing, Marcie.”

“Marcie!” Sam approached at a jog. The lines around his eyes had deepened, and his face was pale. Marcie wanted to fall into his arms, but Maggie was there first, her arms around Sam. He stared at Marcie and rubbed Maggie’s back. “They’re airlifting her from the fire hall to Harborview Trauma. She’s still alive, but it’s touch and go. Diane arranged for another chopper, waiting for us in Sequim.” Sam hurried Maggie along, and Marcie fell in step beside them but stopped after a few strides.

“Ryley. I forgot about Ryley. We can’t leave him,” she said. “And Richard, where is he?”

As the sheriff pulled away with Richard in the back, Diane jogged over. The sheriff could be a hard-ass and didn’t take kindly to his officers being hit—even by a distraught parent.

“Diane, please bring Marcie and Ryley with you,” Sam said as he hustled Maggie to his SUV and helped her in. Marcie stood at the side of the road, alone, and watched as Sam drove away while Diane hurried off to find Ryley.