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When Blake parked in Evan’s drive on Saturday morning, Paradise sat motionless in his truck and stared at the brick home.

The dormers had been painted black to match the shutters. The cut grass undulated in a green carpet toward the front door,

but she couldn’t make herself get out. The nightmare she’d had last night lingered in her fatigue and dry eyes, and she feared

when the door opened, she’d see her mother’s dead face like she had in her dream.

Blake touched her hand. “Paradise? We don’t have to go in if you’re not ready.”

She licked her dry lips and shook her head. “I need to do this. Just give me a minute.” She was still new at this prayer thing,

but she sent up a silent request for courage. Inhaling, she reached for the door handle. “I’m ready.”

Blake opened his door and climbed out. She waited until he came to her side of the truck before she took a step toward the

house. Her legs were wooden pegs under her, and Blake took her arm.

“I’ve got you,” he whispered. “Breathe. Nothing bad will happen. I think you’ll like Honey.”

His strong fingers holding her steady sent strength coursing into her legs, and she lifted her head and moved to the front door. It had been painted yellow and was a pleasing contrast to the black shutters. She pressed the doorbell and heard the sound of children playing inside. Moments later the door swung open, and the little girl she’d seen the day she arrived back in town peered out with curious blue eyes.

She smoothed the frilly pink princess gown she wore. “Hi, I’m Princess Polly. Are you here to see the king?”

Paradise bowed. “Yes, my lady. Is King Evan at home?”

“I think he’s taking visitors. This way, please.”

Paradise bit the inside of her lip to keep from laughing, and they followed the little girl. Polly led them to the living

room where Evan, Nintendo Switch controller in hand, sat playing Mario with a little boy who appeared to be about five.

Evan turned and touched his daughter’s head. “Thank you, Princess Polly. You want to finish the game with your brother?”

“No thank you, King Evan. My maid wishes to dress my hair in my bedroom.” She curtsied to Paradise and Blake, then swished

from the room.

Evan’s grin widened. “Kids are so much fun.” He touched the little boy’s blond hair. “This is Kyle.”

Kyle glanced over at the mention of his name. “Did you bring Isaac?”

“I should have, but I didn’t bring him today. Next time.”

“Okay.” He turned back to his game. “I’ll play for you, Daddy.”

“Don’t make me lose on purpose.” He ruffled Kyle’s hair.

Paradise took a moment to glance around the room painted a soothing taupe. The hardwood floors were stained a gorgeous light oak color, and the brown upholstered furniture was new. The home had changed so much that it had retained no trace of memories for her.

“Want to wander around?” Evan asked. “Honey is getting groceries, but she’ll be back any minute. Walk around and take it all

in. Every surface has been touched in here. Not much left of the way it used to be.”

Paradise nodded and walked through the small dining room to the kitchen with its white cabinets and white-and-gray-granite

counters. The sweet scent of maple syrup lingered in the air. The floors were wood in here too. The bathrooms were fresh and

new as well, and she peeked into Polly’s open bedroom door into a fairy princess room of bubble-gum-pink walls and a matching

comforter. A book absorbed Polly’s attention, and she didn’t seem to notice Paradise in the doorway.

The closet door stood open, and the hanging dresses, jeans, and tops were close to the same size hers had been when she lived

here. Her lungs compressed, and she stared into the dark shadows of the closet. That corner was where her cousin had found

her cowering and crying silently. She pressed her hand to her head. If only she could remember.

She backed away before she disturbed Polly and peeked into the other bedrooms. Nothing held a trace of her family, so she

retraced her steps to find Evan and Blake in the living room.

Evan stopped midsentence in a discussion of a football play. “Done already?”

“Yes, thanks. Your home is lovely. You’ve done a wonderful job with the remodel.”

“Thanks. Honey has great ideas, and I follow directions well.” He rose and picked up a tub by the door she’d missed. “Here’s

the box I told you about.” He shifted it to Blake.

“Heavy,” Blake said.

“Papers and stuff weigh a lot. If you want to go through it now, you can use the dining room table.”

“I think I’ll take it home where I can take my time. Thanks for your hospitality, Evan.”

“My pleasure.” He hesitated, and his brown eyes searched her face. “I lived across the street.”

“I remember.” She kept condemnation from her voice. “You used to mow the yard. Did you ever notice Sheriff Davis coming to

visit?”

Understanding settled in his expression. “It was always when your dad was gone.”

So it was true. She nodded. “So I’ve heard. Did you hear anything that day? Screams, arguments, anything?”

Evan crossed his arms over his chest. “I saw the sheriff’s car there, but that was all. I’m sorry, Paradise. It had to be

hard to come here.”

“It wasn’t as hard as I expected. You made it easy.” She turned toward Blake. “We’d better get back. I’ve got a grizzly to

check out, and you’ll have some safari tours. Thanks again, Evan.”

“My pleasure.” He walked them to the door.

Paradise followed Blake out of the house and to the truck. She said nothing until he’d stowed the tub and was behind the wheel.

“At least I saw it all. There’s nothing left of my family inside.”

He reached over and took her hand. “Are you convinced it was the sheriff?”

“I think so. I’m closer to closure at least.” She squeezed his fingers. “Let’s go home.”

***

Visitors wandered the high deck by the giraffes with leaves they’d purchased from the keeper. Angel, the park’s oldest giraffe,

meandered over to take a bite of a little boy’s offering of vegetation. Blake grinned at the boy’s obvious delight. This group

was his last safari of the day, and they’d been fun and interested in his jokes and animal stories.

He rounded them up for the final excursion back to the gift shop and counted heads on the bus to make sure he hadn’t left

anyone. One short. Just great when he was already late. Mom had asked him to take the boys when he was done here so she could

have an employee meeting about security changes with the keys.

He held up his hand at the front of the bus to ask for quiet. “Who’s missing? Anyone know?”

An older man, bald on top and with his lower hair in a ponytail, held up his hand. “That girl with the green hair. I don’t

see her now, but she was sitting along the back.”

Blake remembered her. She’d asked a lot of questions at the lemur encounter and had been interested in volunteering. What

was her name—Nancy? No, it was Nicole. Nicole Grant. “Did anyone see where she wandered off to?”

A kid about ten pointed toward the far fence. “She went that way with some leaves. I thought maybe she was going to try to

feed Angel one last time.”

His mother waved her hand. “We need to return as soon as possible. I forgot some medicine for my son in the car, and it’s

already past time for him to take it.”

Blake spotted the giraffe keeper, Zach Kelly, leaving with his cash box and stepped down outside the bus to beckon to him.

“Zach, could you take this group back while I search for a lagging guest?”

Zach nodded and boarded the vehicle. The forty-year-old had been the source of a lot of advice after they took over. He’d worked here when the Steerforths owned it.

The African delta exhibit was the farthest enclosure from the gift shop, and they’d have to hoof it back, but sometimes that

happened. He’d probably find Nicole sitting somewhere watching the giraffes and zebras. He waved to the guests and took off

in the direction where she’d last been seen. He walked the length of the fence, clear to the back of the enclosure. Beyond

that final fence was still preserve property, but they hadn’t built anything on it yet. The dream was to put up some yurts

and glamping tents, but funds had been too tight for that just yet.

She wouldn’t have gone out onto bare land, would she? He turned and gazed out across the Africa area. He spotted water buffalo,

giraffe, antelope, and zebra, but no green-haired girl. He did a complete circle and tried to catch a glimpse of anything

out of the ordinary, but nothing stood out to him as problematic. The first sense of unease rippled down his back.

He pulled out his phone and texted Paradise. You done for the day? I have a missing visitor I can’t find.

Where are you? I can come right now.

Back of the African enclosure, east side. I’m on foot. Grab my Gator. Keys are in it.

Be right there.

He pocketed his phone and tried to decide where to search first. They couldn’t go into the enclosure on the Gator. Though the animals were friendly, sometimes they were a little too friendly and rubbed up against the vehicles out of curiosity. The water buffalo could tip over the Gator, and the zebras liked to kick and bite. He and Paradise could ride around the back of the enclosure, though, and check out the bare land behind it as well as drive to the other side and see if anything was awry there.

He checked the cameras he’d placed around the property. All seemed calm. Visitors, their arms full of stuffed animals from

the gift shop, had begun to make their way to the parking lot. He closed the camera app when he heard the Gator’s engine.

The wheels plumed red dust behind them on the dirt trail, and his spirit took a buoyant jump at the sight of Paradise’s curly

mane of hair blowing in the wind.

She stopped the utility vehicle and smiled. “Need a lift, stranger?”

“My mother has always taught me never to accept rides from strangers, but she never warned me about a beautiful woman with

twigs in her hair.” He reached over and plucked a sprig of pine entangled in her light brown strands.

He tossed it to the ground, but he couldn’t resist touching those soft curls again. “You’ve got the most amazing hair. One

of these days I’m going to bury my face in it and not come up for air for days.”

Pink rushed to her cheeks. “It’s always a mess. Living with frizzy hair is one of the biggest trials of my life. And you’re

spouting off compliments when we’re supposed to find a wandering guest.”

“Good point.” He grinned and went around to climb into the passenger seat. “This happens all the time, so I’m not really worried.

I suspect she wandered back to the gift shop on her own. I see no evidence she’s out here, but we at least need to do a cursory

search.”

He pointed to the back pasture. “Let’s take a drive out there in case she got lost. If we don’t find her in fifteen minutes,

I’ll check with the staff. Maybe they’ve seen her. We aren’t babysitters, and we like guests to be able to wander at their

leisure.”

She nodded and drove that direction. When they rounded a copse of trees, he spotted Nicole’s bright green hair. Her backpack lay on the ground, and she bent over ten feet from it with a small shovel.

She was so absorbed in her actions she didn’t notice the Gator.

Blake motioned for Paradise to stop the vehicle, and he got out and approached Nicole. He paused at her backpack and noticed

a collection of pieces of coal. A hole exposed more coal under the dirt in the area.

Her face turned their way, and a stricken expression settled over her features. She hastily put the shovel behind her back,

but not before he realized what she was doing. Looking for natural gas or oil deposits. The area she had targeted consisted

of dying vegetation as well as black coal deposits sticking up here and there through the dirt. Why had he never noticed there

might be something valuable underground here? Why would she care if the land had oil or gas deposits?