Two of a Kind (Fool's Gold #11)

“He ran away,” Felicia said, still trying to believe the words. “He ran away because I did something wrong.”


“While it would be easy for you to blame yourself, I doubt either of you are at fault,” the mayor told her. “Let’s think about this from Carter’s point of view. He’s a thirteen-year-old boy who’s had his life turned upside down. A year ago he lost his mother. Three months ago, his living situation dissolved and he knew he was going to be thrust into the foster care system. He had to find his father, make his way to Fool’s Gold, all on his own, and start over. A lot for anyone, but for a young man of his age?”

Felicia nodded. “You’re right. But he did it. All of it.” She looked at Gideon. “He’s so strong. I think he gets that from you.”

Gideon raised his hands and took a step back. “Do we have to talk about that now?”

“No. You’re right. We have to find Carter.”

“Did he take his bike?” Mayor Marsha asked.

Gideon shook his head. “It’s still in the garage with the other two.”

“Well, then, he’s traveling on foot.” The older woman smiled and released Felicia’s hand. “He can’t have gotten far.”

“Unless he got in a car with someone.” Felicia pressed her hand to her mouth. “What if he’s been abducted?”

“He left a note saying he ran away,” Gideon reminded her. “He wasn’t abducted.”

“I agree.” The older woman drew in a breath. “Boys do love to explore. There are so many trails in the mountains. Caves and old shacks. We have a lot of ground to cover. I’ve already put a call in to Max Thurman. Two of his older service dogs used to work for the DEA. They’re trained to find items based on scent. I wonder if they could help locate Carter.” She sighed. “We really need an organized Search and Rescue operation in this town. I’ll have to put that on the budget agenda for next year. But first things first. Let’s find your boy.”

The front door opened and Justice, Angel and Ford walked in. They were dressed in black and carrying backpacks. Felicia raced to Justice, who pulled her close.

“We’ll find him,” he said. “I promise.”

“I want to believe you,” she admitted. “I’ve never looked for a child. I’m not sure where to start first.”

Patience stepped into the house and hurried to Felicia. “We start by calling his friends and talking to their parents.”

“I’ve done that,” Felicia said, relieved she hadn’t wasted time with a useless task. “I spoke to all of them except for Kent. He didn’t answer his cell. I left a message for him, and none of the other parents have seen Carter.” She bit her lower lip. “Why would he do this?”

“That’s for later,” Patience said firmly, leading her back to the dining room. “First we have to find him.”

Felicia nodded, even as she fought tears.

More police officers arrived, along with a few state troopers. They started to divide everyone up into teams. Police Chief Barns pointed at Felicia. “You’ll be staying here.”

“No way,” Gideon said, before Felicia could say anything. “She’s coming with me. She’s as capable as anyone here, and she knows Carter the best.”

“Thank you,” she told him.

He put his arm around her shoulders. “I know you’re scared. I’m scared, too. When we find him, I’m locking him in a shed until he’s eighteen.”

She managed a slight smile. “I wish we could.”

Gideon’s jaw clenched. “Damn kid. Fine. I’ll admit the shed is a little extreme, but he’s going to be grounded or something. This is irresponsible.”

“I know. That’s what confuses me. He’s mature most of the time. I wish I understood what was going on.”

The front door flew open, and Kent Hendrix stormed in. “Where is he? Where’s my son?”

Felicia’s stomach churned harder and faster. “He’s not at home?”

“He left me a note that he was staying here tonight. Reese’s been over here a couple of times, so I didn’t think anything of it. Until I got your message.”

Ford crossed to his brother. “Reese is missing, too?”

Police Chief Barns groaned. “All right, people,” she said to her team. “We’re looking for two boys and they could be anywhere.”

* * *

“THEY’RE ON THE move,” Carter said, watching the screen on his laptop. It had taken him some doing, but he’d managed to tap into the GPS on Felicia’s cell phone a few days before and could now track her.

They were stretched out in sleeping bags in the caves on the Castle Ranch. They had lanterns, a cooler, an extra battery for the laptop and a portable Wi-Fi hot spot. The challenge was staying close enough to the front of the caves to get a signal, but far enough back so they weren’t detected.