Hidden(36)

As soon as I hang up with Mr. Hansen, my phone lights up with my dad’s number. I’ve been trying to call him for weeks now to let him know about what happened with Amy.

“Dad? Everything okay? I’ve been trying to call you.”

“I know. I’m sorry. You know me and this phone. I was expecting to come back last week, but got caught up in work and I’ve had a hard time breaking away to call you back. I had to attend a funeral out here unexpectedly last week, so it pushed my book promotions out a week. Everything okay out there?”

“Yeah, listen. I was trying to get in touch with you because something happened a few weeks ago. Remember that girl I was telling you about that lives in the fenced property?”

“Yeah.”

“Dad, something bad happened over there. She showed up here a mess. Her mom is mentally ill and tried to commit suicide and tried to take the girl along for the ride. She says she was hidden away on that property all this time and that a man would come to the house and abuse her mother. The police are investigating. I think they questioned your friend that owns that property.”

“Alex? He had a stroke. He was the one that passed unexpectedly. I can’t believe he had anything to do with this Dillon. He’s a big shot lawyer. He probably rented that property out. I’m sure he had no idea what was happening.”

“Who does the land belong to now?”

“I don’t know. His son took over the law firm, but his wife Ellen may have been his beneficiary for everything else. I don’t know. I saw them at the funeral but really didn’t have a chance to talk. Listen Dillon, I want you stay out of this. Let the police do their job. Don’t get involved.”

“She’s staying here dad. She has nowhere to go. She was living on that property as a prisoner her whole life with only her mother. Now her mother’s gone and it sounds like some guy might come after her. Do you think it could be Alex’s son?”

“I can assure you, neither Alex nor his son is dangerous. I’ve watched that boy grow up. I’m sure there’s a misunderstanding or information that you’re missing. Dillon? Let the police do their job. I don’t mind the girl staying there but, don’t try to be a hero.”

“I hear ya.”

“I’ll head home next week. Stay out of trouble.”

“I will.”

I have a very bad feeling about all of this. Amy is doing so much better and I don’t want anything to get in the way of her progress of getting healthy, mentally and physically. I hope the police are able to find this guy and put an end to her fear and her nightmares. Just as I’m walking out of the house to find Amy, she’s walking back from the barn.

“Hey, did you get some work done?”

“Yeah. Actually I got a call from a potential client. He’s coming out on Sunday to check the place out. May purchase a horse and board here. It would really help out. My dad finally called me back too. He’ll be back next week.”

“That’s good. I’m almost done with the office too. Maybe a little paint and some last minute touches and we’ll be good to go. Did you tell your dad about me being here?” she asks with worry in her eyes.

“Yes. Don’t worry. He’s going to love you.” He grabs onto my shoulders and gives them a gentle shake. “So listen, I was thinking we could take a break. Get out on those ATVs and go to the lake to cool off. I’ll teach you how to drive.”

“That sounds fun!”

Seeing her smile and get excited about the simplest things warms my heart. Candice would never get on an ATV, she never liked to ride the horses or even just gaze at the stars with me. I always did it alone.

We head out to the barn and I show her how the ATVs work. We take it slow at first and head towards the trail. Once we’re on the trail, I make sure she is ahead of me to let her control the speed. She’s a natural. She takes off on the trail and I follow behind her splashing through mud puddles and bouncing over fallen tree branches. Her hair is blowing all around and her laughter is echoing through the trees. By the time we reach the clearing and stop in front of the lake, we are both covered in mud.

“Oh my God! That was so much fun!” she screams as she jumps from her seat and runs towards me. I scoop her up into my arms with one arm around her back and the other under her knees. Then I run to the lake. Her legs are kicking and she’s shrieking, holding onto my neck. I run into the cold water with her holding onto me and let her go when we’re fully submerged. Our bodies bounce back up to the surface and we are immediately gasping for air with our lips quivering and our teeth chattering. The water is so cold. Amy wraps her arms around herself in an attempt to try and stop shivering.