Viator (The Viator Chronicles Book 1) (10 page)

“Good, you got the meat pies from Hannah,” Matt said. He grabbed one and took a big bite.

They all sat down at the table and ate their lunch.

When they were ready for the cake, Erin lit the birthday candles, and they all sang “Happy Birthday” to Matt. He was able to blow out all the candles before the breeze did.

“What did you wish for, Matt?” Gwen asked.

“Can’t tell,” he said. “Then it wouldn’t come true.”

Everyone ate a big slice of the chocolate cake, and they spent some time tossing stones into the lake. The park had filled to overflowing by that time with families playing and picnicking.

“I’ve been thinking,” Matt said, “we could drive to the top of Mt. Constitution, and me, Jacob and Gary could ride our bikes down the hill. You and Gwen could drive back down in the car and ride around here until we get back.”

“That doesn’t sound like fun to me,” Gwen said.

“It’s my birthday. And Mom told me I could do whatever I want today,” Matt said.

Erin stood still, looking at Matt. “That’s such a long, steep hill. I really don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“But Mom, you said anything I want.”

Gary put his arm around Erin’s shoulders and kissed the top of her head. “I’d be with them,” he said. “They’d be fine. It sounds like a lot of fun.”

Erin looked at Gary’s impish grin, and then at Matt’s pleading eyes.

“Oh, all right,” she said. “But you guys be careful. Remember to keep your gears low and your hands on your brakes.”

“Yeah, we will. Thanks!” Matt said, beaming. He and Jacob did a high five. Then he did a high five with Gary. Erin shook her head.

They loaded their gear back into the SUV, and Erin said, “Let’s go.”

Chapter 13

Rays of afternoon sunshine splashed through the forest, sparkling on the ferns and huckleberries that lined the road. They wound their way slowly to the top of the mountain again and passed several groups of people coasting their bikes down the hill. When they reached the top, Erin parked the car in the shade, and they all climbed out. They got the bikes down and retrieved their helmets from the back of the car.

Erin handed out water bottles and gave Matthew a quick hug. “We’ll meet you at the picnic area, okay? Watch out for cars—don’t expect them to see you. Stay on the side of the road. And don’t go fast. Got it?”

“Yeah, Mom. We’ll be fine,” said Matt.

“We’ll be careful,” said Jacob.

Gary kissed the top of Erin’s head and whispered, “You’re sexy when you’re giving orders.”

She pulled back a little and smiled as a thrill ran up her spine. “Stop that,” she said. Gary grinned.

The boys and Gary hopped on their bikes and headed down the hill. Erin and Gwen got back into the car, drove slowly out of the parking area and waved as they passed.

“Why can’t I ever do what I want?” Gwen asked.

“Today’s Matt’s birthday. When it’s your birthday you’ll get to pick what to do.”

Gwen stared out the window, a pout on her face.

When they finally reached the bottom, Erin turned toward the picnic area.

“Do you want to ride your bike around here, honey?” Erin asked when they arrived at the park. “There’s some kids swinging and climbing on the bars. We can go over there if you want.”

Gwen looked around. “I want to swing, Mommy.”

“Sure, let’s go.”

They walked over to the playground. As Gwen climbed onto a swing, Erin found a patch of soft green grass nearby and sat down cross-legged to watch. The park was crowded and noisy, but the warm sunshine made her feel drowsy. Lying down, she watched the white clouds in the sky. She was glad Matt was having a good birthday and that Gary’s offer to ride with the boys seemed to be easing Matt’s concerns, but she hoped Gwen wouldn’t hold it against him. She wondered how the rest of the day would turn out. After a while she closed her eyes and relaxed into the soft grass.

She felt light and a little dizzy, as if she were going to float away. Like the clouds?

The sunshine grew brighter, and Erin sat up and looked around. The air was luminous. She sat on pure white sand beside a wide lazy river, and across the river in the distance nestled a small pastel village—buildings of soft blue, yellow, green, and pink. The intense light made the air glimmer, and on her side of the river people crowded the beach, all dressed in bright summer clothes. Erin looked down at herself. She alone was dressed in black—black pants, boots, and a tight black shirt. A sword at her side. Her brown hair was tied back in a ponytail. The clothes felt right for her, and she knew that she had worn them before. She looked across the river at the town again, and a sudden longing filled her to explore those pastel cobblestone streets and speak with anyone who might be there.

“Mrs. Holley?” said a distant voice. “Mrs. Holley?” It was insistent. Erin opened her eyes and saw the green grass and trees of Orcas Island.

“Jacob?” She sat up. “What are you doing here?”

“You’ve got to come. There was an accident. Matt got hit by a car.” Jacob stood next to her astride his bike, sweating and pale.

Erin jumped to her feet. She couldn’t breathe and her stomach lurched. She took a gulp of air and called out, “Let’s go, Gwen. We’ve got to go!”

She stopped Gwen’s swing, and they rushed back to the car while Jacob followed, pushing his bike.

“What happened?” she asked him.

“We made it down the hill and were on the road to the park, and Matt was hit from behind. We weren’t going too fast, and we stayed on the side, just like you said. It was on a curve. He got thrown in the woods.”

Erin felt every muscle clench. “Is he all right?”

“Mommy, what happened?” Gwen asked. “Is Matt okay?”

“Is he?” Erin asked Jacob, and she held her breath. She was afraid her legs were going to give out from under her. A car hit her son.

“He was talking—I think he’s all right,” Jacob said. “Gary told me to get you.”

She let out her breath and ran. They jumped into the car and raced down the road as fast as Erin dared.

“How far?”

“Not sure,” Jacob said.

Erin looked at him; tears ran down his dusty cheeks leaving streaks of dark brown. “He’ll be all right,” she said, and she glanced at Gwen in the back seat. Her pale face was staring out the window, and she held one hand tightly over her mouth.

“Gwen, he’ll be all right,” Erin said again, hoping it was true. A tear trickled down Gwen’s cheek.

It took only minutes to reach the spot. A sheriff’s car, a pickup, and a maroon car were pulled over to the side of the road as far as they could go, and several people huddled nearby. Gary was off the road sitting beside Matt, who was stretched out on his back among the trees and shrubs. Another man was kneeling there, too, talking to him. Erin pulled in behind the cars and dashed across the road.

Gary rushed to meet her, putting an arm around her shoulders. “He’s okay. Maybe a broken arm, some cuts and bruises, but he’s really okay.”

“Thank God,” she said. Her knees suddenly bent under her, and Gary caught her. She stood again and ran. She reached Matt and knelt beside him. He was pale, scratched, and dirty. A bandage covered part of his head.

“Matt, are you all right?”

“Mom,” Matt said, and his eyes filled with tears. “My arm hurts and my head hurts, too.”

Jacob and Gwen had climbed out of the car and stood across the street. Jacob walked over to join them.

The man kneeling beside Matt asked Erin, “Are you Mom? I’m Joe, EMT. I was nearby when I got the call. Your son will be fine. He banged his head pretty hard but doesn’t have a concussion. He landed on his arm, but it doesn’t look like it’s broken. I’d have it X-rayed, though, just to be sure. How long are you staying on the island?”

“Just for the day.”

“Where are you from?”

“Anacortes.”

“Good. You should head back home and stop at the emergency room in Anacortes for an X-ray. Other than that and some cuts and bruises, your son should be all right. He’ll probably be pretty sore tomorrow, though.”

“Thank you.” As relief began to replace the fear, Erin closed her eyes, and a few tears ran down her cheeks. She smiled at Matt.

“Hey, you. Tell me what happened.”

Joe stood up and patted Erin’s shoulder. He walked over to where the sheriff was talking to a man and woman. Gary joined them. Erin glanced at them: the man, in his late forties, dressed in jeans and a brown suede jacket, spoke urgently, and the woman listened and nodded her head. The sheriff stood still, his face stern.

“We were all just riding down the hill, Gary first, then Jacob, then me last,” Matt said. “I was all the way over to the side of the road, but when we went around that curve up there, that car came up from behind and hit my bike. I went flying over my handlebars and landed here. I think I must have hit my head on something, because it sure hurts even though I was wearing my helmet.”

“We were all on the side of the road as far as we could go, and Gary was making us go pretty slow,” Jacob added. “I think the car was going too fast, and the guy couldn’t see around the curve until it was too late. Or else he just wasn’t paying attention.”

Erin nodded. “Did you talk to the sheriff yet?”

“No,” Matt said. “Gary did for a few minutes, but I haven’t yet.”

“Thank God you’re all right.” Another tear slid down her face and dripped onto her hand. “I’m going to talk to the sheriff.”

As she approached the group, Erin heard Gary say, “You must not have been watching where you were going then—we were single file at the edge of the road.”

“Yeah I was,” the man said. “The kid just rode out right in front of me. There was nothing I could do.”

The sheriff interrupted. “I’ve taken your statement. I’m going to talk to the boy now. Stay here.” He walked toward Matt, and Erin followed.

“Well, son, how are you feeling?” the sheriff asked.

“Been better.”

“Can you tell me what happened?”

Matthew told him what he’d told Erin, and the sheriff jotted it down. “Thanks. You’re sure you didn’t ride out into the middle of the road for a minute?”

“No, sir. I was being real careful. We all were. We weren’t even talking. We were just riding, and there was no reason for me to go to the middle. I was on the side.”

“Thanks. I hope you feel better soon.”

The sheriff walked back to the couple and Gary. Erin joined them. After handing the man a ticket, the sheriff said, “I have to give you this, sir. If you want to contest it, follow the instructions on the back.”

Joe and the sheriff got into their vehicles and drove away. The man who’d hit Matthew looked at Erin. “I didn’t see him until it was too late. I’m sorry. Here’s my card in case you need to get in touch with me.”

“Thanks,” Erin said.

The couple climbed into the maroon car and left.

“Let’s get out of here,” Gary said. He helped Matt to his feet and supported him as they walked over to the SUV.

Erin walked into the woods to get Matt’s bike, and she almost cried when she saw how bent it was. She brought it back and put it into the back of the SUV, while Gary and Jacob loaded the other bikes. She looked around.

“Where’s Gwen?”

They all stopped and looked around. “Where’s Gwen?” Erin said again, louder. Blackness clouded her vision and she grabbed Gary’s sleeve. “I only took my eyes away from her for a few minutes. Where could she go?”

He shook his head, mouth open.

“She was right by the car after we got here,” Jacob said.

Erin closed her eyes for a second, then looked at Gary. “Okay. You go down the road in that direction, and I’ll go this way. Surely one of us will find her. Just go for fifteen minutes, then come back. Matt, you and Jacob stay here in the car, and if she shows up, keep her here—we’ll be back in a half hour.”

The shadows of the trees stretched across the road as they headed out. Erin went in the direction of the park, thinking Gwen would most likely go back there, although she couldn’t imagine Gwen leaving them at all.
Why had she left? Did someone take her?
Erin shook her head. She didn’t want to think about that until all other possibilities were done away with. She looked beside the road in both directions and watched for a small girl’s footprints in the dirt. Sweat dripped off her face and dampened her shirt as she approached the park. She called out, “Gwen!” several times and stopped to listen but heard no answer.

Noisy and crowded, the park was full of children laughing and playing. Erin looked at her watch; nearly fifteen minutes had passed, but this was the most likely place to find Gwen, and she wanted to search. She took the beach area first, peering into the face of every child there. She asked some older children if they’d seen her, describing her clothes, her size, her hair color, but no one had. When she reached the end of the park, she looked at her watch again—more than twenty minutes had gone by. She turned around and searched the picnic area as she wound her way back to the road. No success.

Each step back to the car became more difficult. She searched the trees beside the road for any clue. The car was a short distance ahead, and the boys must have been watching for her, because Jacob flung open the door and ran to where she was.

“Any sign of her?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No. Isn’t Gary back yet?”

“We haven’t seen him.”

She looked down the road and glanced at her watch; she was so late getting back herself. When they got back to the car, she reached into the open window and squeezed Matt’s hand. His face was pale, his eyes red.

“When Gary gets back, we’ll drive to the police station,” Erin said. She walked a short distance down the road and scanned the direction Gary had gone. She still couldn’t see him.

She walked back to the car, and Jacob rushed past her down the road. Matt flung open the door of the car and stood watching. Erin turned to look after Jacob.

Far down the road Gary was walking toward them, carrying Gwen. A sob escaped Erin’s throat and she raced down the road toward them.

“Gwen,” she called as she got closer. “Are you all right?”

“She turned her ankle and couldn’t walk back,” Gary said.