“And?” Bree raised her eyebrows.
“Let’s just say we probably shouldn’t deliver any more food to the Copper Club.” Naomi tilted her head toward Emily.
Really? Did they think she didn’t notice? She was fourteen, after all, not some little kid who couldn’t understand things.
Before anyone could comment further, Bree’s cell phone rang. She yanked it from her pocket. “Hello?”
Timmy and Dave returned, being loud and just, well, boys. Kade shushed them as he scooped Hannah and Hunter up into his arms. The twins giggled as he jostled them and made silly faces.
“I see.” Bree wore a frown, which usually meant only one thing . . .
A search and rescue.
“It’s okay. Naomi’s here with me. We’ll meet you there.” Bree slipped the phone into her back pocket.
“Somebody missing?” Naomi stiffened.
“Just a search. Mason found some fabric of what appears to be a fleece jacket that was caught in the hallway’s main door. He believes it might be from the person who broke into the school. He asked the dogs to come see what they can sniff out.”
“Let me drop the kids off with Donovan, and I’ll grab Charley and meet you at the school.” Naomi turned to Timmy. “Let’s go, buddy.”
Timmy opened the front door, gave Dave a knuckle bump, then jumped to the ground, skipping the steps. Naomi followed.
Emily’s muscles tensed. “Can I come?”
Naomi glanced back over her shoulder. “Honey, this isn’t a search and rescue. This is looking for a clue. It’s not nearly as exciting as you might think.”
“I want to come—even if it’s boring. It would be great training for Sherlock.” She held her breath as Naomi looked at Bree.
“Why not?” Bree shrugged. “We can always use another set of eyes and hands.”
Emily forced herself not to jump up and down.
Naomi grinned. “Well, come on. We’ll get the dogs and meet you there, Bree.”
Bounding down the stairs, Emily pressed her lips together to stop from shouting out. She climbed into the SUV and latched her seat belt, excitement exploding inside her chest. This would be a great search. Especially since no one was lost or hurt. They’d just be hunting down clues.
Speaking of hunting down clues, Emily sent a quick text to Inetta, asking the reporter to meet her and Olivia after school tomorrow. They’d share a panukakkua or pulla and tell Inetta about Olivia being adopted and about what Emily found on the Internet. She’d be able to help. And there could always be an e-mail response waiting already.
Inetta replied immediately that she’d see them at the Suomi Café tomorrow afternoon.
Emily shoved her phone into her jacket pocket. Maybe she’d have even more to share with Inetta tomorrow. After all, she was on her way to a real search to solve a serious crime!
The sharp scent of smoke still hung in the air of the school yard and choked Emily’s throat. She kept a tight hold on the leashes as she followed Bree and Naomi toward the front entrance of the school. The crowd was gone, but the turf was trampled from all the feet.
The sheriff’s stocky form filled the doorway as he stepped out to meet them. His face was somber and streaked with soot. Something about the whole scene made Emily jumpy. It was starting to get dark, and she imagined she saw shadows moving inside the school. Probably deputies and firemen, but it was still pretty creepy. She bent down and scratched Charley’s ears and immediately felt a little better. Nothing could happen to her with the dogs here.
Bree stopped in front of him. “You found something, Mason?”
He handed her a paper bag. “I used gloves to put it in here. This scrap of fabric was caught on the latch of the door. Someone was in a hurry coming out and got caught. It’s navy fleece. Might have come from a jacket or a sweatshirt.”
“Show me where it was found,” Bree said. “I want to see if there’s anything else.”
Emily straightened Sherlock’s leash and grabbed the ready-kit backpack, fully outfitted with a first-aid kit, small plastic tarp, energy bars, flashlight, flares, bug repellant, towelettes, compass, Swiss Army knife, radio, topographic map of the area, canteen, sunglasses, sunscreen, and every other item anyone could need on a search. They probably wouldn’t need any of that searching around the school, but the first rule of search and rescue was to always be prepared.
The sheriff’s bushy brows rose when he glanced at her, then he locked stares with Naomi. “You’re letting her search with you? I’m not so sure she needs to see inside. It might be traumatic for a kid.”
Emily drew herself up. “I’m old enough to help. Sherlock has a good nose, and I’ve helped with Charley too. You know the dogs do a good job together.” She took courage from her own words. There was nothing to fear inside the school.
He glanced at Bree, who nodded. “I want to keep it cordoned off until my detectives are through. Just see what you can do with this fabric.”
“All right.” Bree knelt by the dogs, then opened the bag. She let Samson sniff first, then thrust the open bag under Charley’s nose. Sherlock was the last to sniff. Emily unsnapped the leashes.
“Search, Samson!” Bree gave the order.
Samson’s curly tail wagged. He ran out to the opening by the flagpole. His nose in the air, he darted across the grass, then back the other way. Charley followed him, and so did Sherlock. Emily watched her puppy closely as he sniffed the grass, then lifted his leg at the flagpole. Samson and Charley ignored him, crisscrossing the area with their noses in the air.
“No, Sherlock!” Emily’s face burned, and she started toward him.
“Let him alone. He’ll figure it out,” Bree said.
Naomi grabbed Emily’s arm. “They all have to learn. He’s just a puppy, remember. Give him time.”
The puppy nosed along a row of mums, then barked excitedly and chased a rabbit from the plants. Emily sighed. He didn’t seem to understand he was supposed to be working.
Naomi’s grip on Emily’s arm tightened. “Samson has a scent!”
Samson’s tail went up, and he barked. He raced around the corner of the school with Charley on his heels. Sherlock yipped and ran after them, but it was clear the puppy didn’t want to be left out of whatever new adventure his friends had found. Emily stuffed the leashes in the pockets of her jacket as she chased the dogs. Samson veered to go around to the back of the school, and Charley followed. Sherlock, on the other hand, went in the opposite direction.
Emily’s lungs burned as she put on an extra burst of speed to grab her puppy, then follow Bree and Naomi, who had followed the big dogs. At the back of the building, Samson had leaped up against the door and barked. Charley had his feet planted and barked ferociously as well. Emily set Sherlock on the ground, and he promptly went to nose the dirt under the window.
Bree reached the door and grabbed Samson’s collar. “Easy, boy.”
When Emily reached the door, she bent over and dragged in a few deep breaths before she could speak. “Why would they come back here when the front door was open? I think the dogs got derailed.”
Bree shook her head. “Look at Samson and Charley. They still have the scent.”
“Part of being a good SAR team is to know your dog’s behavior. That means observing them.” Naomi tugged on the door. “Locked. Where does this lead?”
“To the football locker room, I think,” Emily said. Not that she’d ever been inside it. Sweaty boys . . . gross.
The sheriff reached them. The big man was huffing. “I have a key.” He dug in his pocket and pulled out a key. After an initial fumble, he got it unlocked.
The acrid stench of smoke rushed out, and Emily took an involuntary step back. The sheriff waved his hand in the air. Even this far from the actual fire, it stunk.
Bree didn’t seem to mind the smell. She released Samson’s collar, and the dog darted into the dark hall. Bree and Naomi followed.
Emily hung back. “Got a flashlight? It’s dark in there.
I don’t want Sherlock to get cut.”
The sheriff grinned and reached inside to flip the switch. “We have power.”
The light helped Emily step inside. There was water everywhere. And leaves dragged in by the water hoses covered the floor. The walls were marred too. “I guess they brought the hoses in everywhere they could.”
She couldn’t see Bree or Naomi, but around the corner, Samson began to bark. Charley nearly tripped her up as he ran after Samson.
“I think he’s found something.” Emily let Sherlock go ahead as she followed the noise.
She found Naomi and Bree standing in the boys’ locker room. It felt weird to be where girls weren’t supposed to be. Lockers lined the walls, and there was a heap of shoulder pads on the bench at the back wall. Emily wrinkled her nose at the smell under the scent of smoke. It smelled like old shoes. She forced her attention back to Bree.
“Found it.” Bree pointed to a fleece jacket on the floor. “I haven’t touched it.”
The sheriff pulled a pair of gloves from his pocket and slipped them on. Kneeling by the jacket, he lifted one sleeve, then the other. When he found nothing, he flipped the jacket over. “Ah, this is the one. There’s a piece missing at the waist. I’ll run it through forensics and see if we can find anything.”
Emily stared hard at the jacket. Where had she seen it before?
FIVE
“Charley’s acting funny,” Timmy announced as he plopped into his chair at the kitchen table. He grabbed Emily’s glass of chocolate milk.
“Hey, that’s mine.” Emily took her glass back. “Get your own.” But she passed him the chocolate mix before putting her empty plate in the dishwasher and opening the back door to let Sherlock out into the fenced yard.
Sunlight pushed through the trees heavy with red and yellow leaves, casting shadows on the ground. Sherlock chased the blowing leaves, growling and barking. Emily grinned at her puppy as she made sure he and Charley had water in their outside bowls. “Hey, are we having school today?”
“According to the news, yes. Principal Sturgeon said some of the high school classes would be held in the junior high wings, but that he would hold an assembly first thing this morning.” Dad took another sip of his coffee.
“Charley’s acting funny?” Naomi turned from the stove, still holding the spatula tipped with pancake batter. “How?”
Timmy dumped two large tablespoons of chocolate mix into his glass of milk. “He was twitching around and wouldn’t come downstairs with me.”
“Emily, will you watch this pancake for me, please?” Naomi flipped the pancake, handed Emily the spatula, and rushed up the stairs.
“What do you mean by ‘twitching around’?” Emily asked Timmy.
“I dunno.” Timmy shrugged. “Like his feet sometimes do when he’s sleeping and dreaming of chasing a squirrel, only it was kinda his whole body and he wasn’t asleep.”
Her mouth went dry as she locked stares with her father. That did not sound good.
“I’m sure he’s fine, honey.” But Dad looked worried himself as he took a sip of coffee. “Don’t let the pancake burn.”
Emily scooped it up and slid it onto a plate that she handed to Timmy. She made sure to turn off the stove and move the griddle to the back burner.
“Donovan!” The fear in Naomi’s voice carried down the stairs.
Dad kicked back his chair, nearly knocking it over, and rushed out of the room. Emily’s heart pounded. “Stay here with Matthew,” she told Timmy before running to the stairs.
In the hallway, Dad had his cell to his ear as he kept a hand on Naomi’s shoulder. Naomi knelt alongside Charley just outside Timmy’s room. Charley wasn’t shaking or anything as Emily approached, so that had to be good. Right? The smell indicated he’d peed on the floor. And he was drooling as Naomi used a tissue to wipe around his eyes, which when he stared up at Emily, looked so sad.
“What’s wrong with him?”
“I don’t know. Dad’s talking to Dr. Meeks right now.” Naomi stroked his head. He leaned against her.
“But he’s going to be all fine, right?” Emily couldn’t imagine something being bad wrong with him.
Naomi’s eyes were shiny with tears as she shrugged. “We’ll have to wait to hear what Dr. Meeks says, but we should pray.”
Emily nodded. Dear God, please don’t let anything really bad be wrong with Charley. We all love him so much. She couldn’t imagine how she’d feel if it were Sherlock, and Naomi had owned Charley long before she married Dad.
Dad put his cell in his pocket. “Dr. Meeks said to bring Charley in now. He’ll meet you there.”
Naomi pressed her lips together until white ringed them, and she nodded, but she kept petting Charley’s head.
“I’ll get him in the SUV. Don’t worry about the kids. We’ll get everyone where they’re supposed to be, right, Em?” Dad turned to her and gave her big eyes, clearly urging her to reassure Naomi.
“Right. I’ll get the boys ready and make sure they have their backpacks and lunches.”
Naomi stood, and Dad gently lifted Charley in his arms. They went down the stairs together, Emily following.
Timmy met them in the foyer with Matthew right behind him. “What’s wrong with Charley?” His voice cracked. “Is he gonna be okay?”
Emily wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him in for a sideways hug. “He’s going to see Dr. Meeks. You know what great care Dr. Meeks takes of Charley.”
“So he’ll be okay?” Timmy’s eyes looked as sad as Charley’s had.
“I’m praying he’ll be just fine.”
“I’ll pray too.”
Naomi turned and kissed all three of them, grabbed her purse from the table in the entry, and then followed Dad outside.
Lord, please keep watch over Charley. Let him be okay. Please.
She let out a heavy sigh and let go of Timmy. “Come on, let’s get ready for school. Dad’s going to take us.”
“Think he’ll let us listen to sports talk on the way to school?” Timmy headed to the stairs without waiting for an answer.
“Take Matthew with you. Make sure he brushes his teeth.” Emily smiled at her baby brother, who seemed more than happy to trail Timmy. He followed his brother everywhere, trying to copy everything Timmy did or said.
“Hey, Timmy,” Emily called up the stairs after them. “Charley had an accident in the hallway. Please stay away from it until I can get it cleaned up. And keep Matthew out of it too, please.”
“Okay.”
Emily put all the dirty dishes into the dishwasher and had just finished pushing the chairs up to the table when Dad came back. She leaned against the counter. “I turned off the coffeepot. I figured you were done with it. The boys are upstairs brushing their teeth.”
“Thanks, sweetheart.”
She reached into the supply cabinet and pulled out the pine cleaner.
“What are you doing with that?”
“Charley’s accident upstairs. I don’t think Naomi had time to disinfect the area.”
“You don’t have to do that, honey. I’ll get it.” Dad reached for the cleaning bottle.
Emily took a step back. “No, it’s fine. I just want to get it done so Naomi doesn’t have to do it when she gets back.”
“Well, thank you. It’s very considerate.”
She turned to head to the stairs, then paused. “Dad, is Charley going to be okay?”
“Dr. Meeks said he’d probably have to run some tests to find out what’s wrong, then he’ll be able to figure out a treatment plan.”
“But he’ll be okay?”
Dad paused, and Emily’s heart hiccuped. “I don’t know, honey. I hope so. I’m praying so. But I honestly don’t know yet.”
She nodded and headed up the stairs. On one hand, it was great her dad trusted her enough to tell her the truth, but on the other, it was rough because it meant she knew the situation with Charley was serious—serious enough that Naomi and Dad were worried.
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And that meant she was worried too.
“You don’t know any more than that?” Olivia stared at Emily.
Emily shook her head. As more students filled the bleachers in the gym, she leaned closer to Olivia so others couldn’t hear their conversation. “We packed up the dogs and left right after that, so I have no idea what the sheriff did with the jacket, but I know I’ve seen it somewhere before. I just can’t remember who I saw wearing it.” She shivered. “And then for Charley to be so sick this morning . . . well, I don’t even know what to think.”
“That’s a little freaky. I—”
“Everybody take a seat and quiet down.” Principal Sturgeon’s voice boomed over the speakers in the school’s gym.
All the high school and junior high students went still and silent. The bleachers were filled, kids squished together. Emily could make out Caycie and Trevor two rows in front of her.
“Thank you.” The principal pulled the microphone from the holder and began to pace. “As I’m sure you’re all aware, we’ll be moving some of the classes that had rooms damaged by last night’s fire. Any classrooms in the east wing of the science lab will be moved. A full listing of new class locations will be handed out by Ms. Bridges as you leave the assembly.”
Whispers grew louder from the bleachers, as did individual voices. Caycie turned around and caught Emily’s eye. Have you heard anything? she mouthed.
Emily shook her head.
Caycie turned back around.
“Excuse me.” Principal Sturgeon waited until everyone had quieted down again. “Sheriff Kaleva and Fire Chief Dix have taped off areas with yellow caution tape. No one, and I mean no one, is to cross into those areas. Anyone who does will receive immediate suspension.”
Mumblings came from the upper row of bleachers where the seniors sat.
“This is not up for discussion, students. Do I make myself clear?”
A chorus of “yes” and “okay” and a couple of “yes, sirs” filled the air. Principal Sturgeon nodded. “If you’ll give your attention to Sheriff Kaleva, he has an announcement.”