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“Hey, hey,” I say, patting her back and wrapping my arms around her. “Hey, c’mon, Nell, it’s okay. Everything’s gonna be fine. Why are you in our shed, sweetie? Did you run away from home?”
“I-I wanna gohooome,” she howls, sobbing against my shoulder. “I-I want my Uncle Grant!”
What.
I freeze.
Her uncle...who?
No.
No flipping way.
* * *
Guess what?
Way.
It’s almost comical how some things never change in Redhaven.
Like the elder Faircrosses still having the same phone number, despite the fact that they don’t live there anymore. It wasn’t hard to get the relay going when I called to find them already frantic and on the hunt for Nell, only to loop Grant in with a gruff promise he’d be by in a few minutes to pick her up.
I’m so lost.
No idea what’s going on.
But by the time Grant’s patrol car skids into my driveway, I have Nell calmed down at the dining table, sitting with a cup of warm milk and honey.
She’s in her pajamas, her bare feet dirty. I’m just wiping them off with a wet towel when a heavy knock comes at the door.
“That’s Grant, all right.” Standing, I rest my hand on top of the little girl’s head with a smile.
“Oh, no.” She stares down into her milk miserably. “He’s gonna be so mad at me.”
“You think? I bet he’s going to be crazy happy to know you’re safe. Don’t worry, Nell.” I wink at her, tweaking one of her curls. “I’ve been wrangling that big old bear since we were kids. I won’t let him yell at you.”
“You knew Uncle Grant when he was little?”
“I did,” I say. “We used to be best friends.”
Well... that’s fudging the truth a little.
But I do remember those days fondly before Ethan’s disappearance tore our hearts out, back when we were the Three Musketeers.
I’d better let Grant in before he breaks down my door, though.
So I pull away from Nell and pad over to open it.
Grant looks more haggard than I’ve ever seen him.
He’s in his pajama pants with a plain grey t-shirt stretched across his broad chest, his feet bare, his wild waves of dark-brown hair disheveled. Even his silver-shot beard is a mess.
The last time I saw a hint of emotion on that cranky face was when we realized Ethan was missing and not coming back.
That night I’d seen him go through the wringer.
Despair. Grief.
