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One in particular caused Sage to let out a gasp. The black-and-white photo of Nate and Willa North was heartbreaking. Nate had his arm around a sobbing Willa. Even though he was clearly trying to comfort her, they both looked completely shattered. In other photos they appeared shell-shocked, as if they hadn’t eaten or slept in days. Another photo caused a groundswell of emotion to rise up in her. It was a photo of a five-year-old Connor holding baby Lily in his arms and smiling at the camera. Sage found herself fighting back tears. What would her life have been like if she hadn’t been taken away from Owl Creek? Would she and Connor have been best friends growing up? Sadly, she would never know.
She scrolled by an article detailing the efforts of local law enforcement who were committed to solving the kidnapping. A picture of Sheriff Tug Crawford—who was the spitting image of Hank—jumped out at her. Sage took out her cell phone and began snapping pictures. Later on when she was in her room back at the inn she could study the pictures further at her leisure. There were so many headlines and images on the screen it felt a bit like information overload. The kidnapping had been splashed all over the newspapers.
After two hours of searching through the files, Sage decided she’d culled as much information as she c
ould from the archives. The newspaper articles revealed the many layers of the tragedy—the pain and angst and turmoil that had reverberated throughout Owl Creek. It hadn’t been only the Norths who had been affected. The entire town had been caught up in the tumultuous events. She cringed reading the article about a newcomer to town, Jack Miller, who’d had the finger of suspicion pointed at him before being completely exonerated.
Miller? Was it possible he’d been Piper’s father and Trudy’s husband? If so, Sage felt truly heartbroken that so many people had been hurt.
She had to be honest with herself. She’d really been looking for something in the files to tie her mother to Owl Creek and the kidnapping. It had been a long shot, but she’d hoped to see her in some of the archived photos so she would know for sure. It still seemed so strange to her to imagine her mother in Owl Creek. For what reason would her mother have trekked to Alaska in the first place?
On her way out of the library, Sage made a point to say goodbye to Zoey, who was just as pleasant as she’d been earlier. She recommended some shops in town for Sage to visit—a boutique, a pottery shop and a small bookstore. Sage decided to stop by all three stores in the pursuit of a keepsake for her father. He’d called her every day since she’d arrived in Alaska and been very supportive about her mission here in town even though it could cost him big-time if he was ever implicated in the kidnapping. She hit pay dirt when she found a beautiful knitted Irish sweater for him. She’d also purchased a pair of Lovely Boots for herself.
Even though she wasn’t terribly hungry, Sage walked over to the diner after shopping.
She really liked Piper and she didn’t get many opportunities to see her at the inn due to her work schedule. Maybe she would sit down for a nice cup of cocoa and some French fries.
Once she walked through the doors of the diner, she made a beeline toward Piper, who was manning the counter and conversing with a customer. She had her head thrown back in laughter, her curls whirling around her shoulders. Hank’s sister truly was a beautiful woman who radiated from within.
“Sage! It’s great to see you here!” Piper exclaimed, her voice sounding animated.
Sage held up her bags. “I’ve been doing some shopping and getting acquainted with Owl Creek. I know you’re busy, but I wanted to pop in and say hello.”
“I’m so glad you did.” Piper wrinkled her nose. “I love the place, but it’s running me ragged. I’m putting in so many hours and not exactly bringing home the bacon if you know what I mean. I’m hoping things will turn around soon.”
“Just stick with it. This is a great business, Piper. The food is fantastic and the vibe is relaxed and comforting. If your mother wasn’t such a great cook, I’d eat all my meals here.”
“Thanks for the words of encouragement. I’ve been trying to get Mom to come and work with me, but she loves running the inn. My dad was the original owner here. I’ve been running the place ever since he passed away. I left everything pretty much the same except for a few little things here and there.” A poignant expression was etched on Piper’s face. It didn’t take a genius to figure out she was thinking about the loss of her father.
Sage reached out and squeezed her hand. “I imagine he’d be mighty proud of you for carrying on his legacy.”
“I sure hope so,” the other woman said wistfully.
Sage looked behind Piper at the framed photos on the wall. “I love all the photos.”
Piper grinned. “My dad put those up. He thought it lent a heartwarming vibe to hang these photos depicting slices of life from right here in town. He took all of them himself.”
Sage squinted at one of the black-and-white pictures behind the counter. The photo showed a large group of people standing in front of a church. They were all wearing identical shirts with a colorful logo etched on the front. Suddenly a familiar face leaped out at her. Although she looked incredibly different, Sage knew instinctively it was her mother in the photo. She couldn’t have been more than twenty-five or so. Her dark hair was cut in a short bob and she was grinning happily for the photo. She suspected Jane might have been one of the group leaders. Goose bumps popped up on Sage’s arms.
Although she had begun to believe she was Lily North, seeing her mother’s face staring back at her from a framed photo served as a shock to the system. This was proof positive that her mother had been in Owl Creek at the time of her kidnapping. All this time she had been holding out hope that this had all been one of her mother’s delusions. A fantasy of sorts. It hadn’t felt entirely real, but with the revelation about the owl-themed baby blanket and this photo of her mother, she had to accept the truth. She was Lily North. Her mother had come to Owl Creek as part of a youth group and had stolen her from her birth parents, Willa and Nate North.
How in the world was she supposed to process this information? And why had the smiling young lady in the photo resorted to stealing another woman’s child? Clearly, she had never known Jane Duncan at all.
A feeling of dizziness gripped her. Her head was spinning like a wheel. She felt her knees giving out on her. Just as she sensed herself falling, strong arms enveloped her. Sage held on for dear life so she didn’t wind up on the diner’s parquet floor. When she looked up at her rescuer, she found herself gazing into Hank’s concerned blue eyes.
Chapter Seven
Hank held Sage tightly against his chest with his arms encircling her. The moment he’d seen her body swaying, his protective instincts had kicked into high gear. Thankfully, he’d been heading over to the counter to say hello to her and Piper, which put him within striking distance to catch her fall.
“Are you all right?” he asked, his heart thundering in his chest. Although Sage looked as pretty as ever, her color was a bit off and she seemed to be breathing heavily.
“I’m fine if you don’t count my embarrassment. I don’t know what happened. All of a sudden I felt so light-headed.” She moved away from Hank so that he was no longer holding her. He felt strangely bereft. He watched as she sat down on one of the stools at the counter.
“Here’s some ice water,” Piper said, holding out a glass for her. “You might be dehydrated.”
Sage reached for it with a trembling hand. Hank intervened, reaching for the glass and raising it toward her lips. She was shaking so badly he wasn’t sure the glass wouldn’t slip from her hand. She took a few sips, then pushed it away. “Thanks. I’m good.”
“Did you eat today?” he asked with a frown.
