"Where was he?" Perhaps at the observatory? He could still be there.
"He didn't say. But I saw that he had his tent with him." She reaches for a sunflower and gently strokes its petals. "He was probably on a multi-day hike."
A hike?
Great.
I'll never find him if he's still in the mountains.
Desperately, I swallow my tears. "What do you think? Where could he be?"
Once again, I only receive a helpless shrug. "I'm sorry. I really wish I could help, but I don't know how."
So that's it? The only option left is the observatory. And if he's not there either, do I have to go back to Noah's house and wait there until he returns? That could take days!
No, I can't bear that.
There must be another solution.
"You can stay here with me if you want." Hanna places her hand on my forearm.
Lost in thought, I shake my head.
"Then I'll at least get you something to drink. Wait here." With these words, she gives me an encouraging pat on the upper arm and turns to walk away.
I’m left alone amid sunflowers, daisies, and those tiny pink flowers that cover the ground.
To think more clearly, I focus on the blades of grass under my sneakers. "Where are you, Noah?" I ask softly, then clear my throat.
My mind has accomplished a lot. It can solve any puzzle, so it must decipher this one too.
"Imagine you were him," I tell myself, taking a step to the side. "You're injured and feel betrayed." Maybe.Of course, I don't know for sure, but it would at least be logical. "You no longer know who you can trust. Then you read this letter."
I nibble on my lower lip. What could my words have triggered in Noah?
"You're shocked. Not sure what to make of what's written there." Yes, that's entirely possible. "So what do you do?"
By now, my head throbs from all the pondering. But my intuition tells me that I should know the answer to this question.
How does someone react when they receive information they're not sure they can believe?
"He would try to find out the truth."
Yes. That's it.
It has to be!
In my letter to Noah, I stated that I am convinced of his innocence. Not because I suspect it but because I know it. And it also says that he himself could come to the same realization if he confronts his trauma.
For a moment, my heartbeat stops. And with it, my breath. The hiking boots were missing from Noah's doorstep!
"He's in the Semmtal Gorge," I exclaim, clasping my hands over my mouth.
My God. What if that's the truth? What if he's really there, facing his past?
I can hardly gather a coherent thought. I only know one thing: I have to go to him.
I set the heavy backpack on the bench, as it will only slow me down unnecessarily. Then I sprint off. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Hanna coming out of the house with a tray and glasses.
