Page 85 of On the Way to You

“I have to get to him.”

“I know you do, but promise me you’ll be safe. I have your location, I’m going to arrange a rental car for you to pick upin the morning. Okay? I’ll text you with the details.”

I sighed, nodding in agreement even though my heart was set on leaving the second I figured out where he was going. I only prayed Nora would know. “Okay. Thank you, Tammy.”

“I love you. It’ll be okay,” she promised, but I didn’t believe her. Nothing would be okay until I saw him again, until I held him, until I made him see.

But would I get the chance?

It turned out my trip had to wait until morning, anyway, because Nora didn’t answer my call. I left her a voicemail, begging her to call me as soon as she woke up, no matter what time. Sleep didn’t come that night, but I laid in bed, tossing and turning and torturing myself with all thewhat ifs.

My phone rang at four-thirty in the morning, and I woke from the half-sleep stupor I’d fallen into, hands scrambling for my cell.

“Nora.”

“Hi, sweetie. Where are you?”

“Portland,” I answered, throat raw as I moved to sit up in bed. Kalo stirred beside me, her little eyes heavy. She always picked up on my emotions, and I knew I’d drowned her in anxiety that night.

“Oh my, it’s so early there. I was going to wait until after we’d had coffee but your voicemail sounded urgent.”

“It was, I’m glad you called. Is Glen there, too? Can you put me on speakerphone?”

There was a shuffling noise, their voices faint in the background as they tried to figure out how to turn it to speaker. I would have giggled if I wasn’t so sick.

“Okay, you’re on with both of us. Is everything okay?”

“No.” My voice broke again, the weight of the situation heavy on my shoulders again. Time was running out. “Emery is gone. It’s a long story, one I don’t really have the time to tell right now, but I need your help.”

“What can we do?” Glen asked, his voice gruff.

“The night we camped out in Colorado Springs, when we made our lists… do you remember anything Emery said about Washington? Did he mention where he was going, or anything about his grandmother?” I shook my head. “I know it sounds strange, but… he’s in trouble… he’s going to hurt himself, I think…” I shook with another roll of nausea. “I have to find him, but I don’t know where he’s going. You’re my last hope.”

There was a pause on the other end, my cracked voice hanging in the space between us.

“Oh sweetie,” Nora said softly. “I’m trying to think… I don’t recall him saying anything about a place in Washington that night.”

My heart sank, the world falling down to the floor with it before bouncing back in a new, morphed reality. I heard my heartbeat loud in my ears, felt it kicking under my chest.

I couldn’t find him.

It wasn’t fair. It was cruel and sick and no matter how desperate I was, no matter how hard I tried to think, it was useless. He was gone, I didn’t know where he’d gone, and all connection to him had disappeared right along with his taillights.

I covered my mouth with one hand, eyes squeezing shut.

He’s gone.

“Okay, thank you,” I whispered. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you, too.”

“Palouse Falls.”

Glen’s voice was weary on the other end, his voice quiet, almost as if he wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to say.

“When Emery and I hiked together the morning you two left, he asked me if I’d ever been to Palouse Falls. He never said that’s where he was going, but… maybe that’s the place. I don’t want to get your hopes up, I can’t say for sure, but he mentioned it.”

“No,” I said, swallowing down the panic that had risen moments before. “No, it’s better than nothing. It’s a clue, it’s a start. It’ssomething.”

“I just don’t want to break your heart even more if you go and he isn’t there,” Glen said. “I know it hurts, but you need to be ready to let him go, Cooper. If you make this drive, if you go to find him and he’s not there, you need to be ready.”