Page 1 of Small Town Hero
Prologue
Chicago, Illinois
S usannah Holiday pressed her smartphone to her ear and her gray and black tabby cat, Nico, to her side as she listened to the caller’s voice.
Distinctly female, the sound seemed to fade in and out, as though it were crackling its way from a distant galaxy, bouncing from one planet to another, rather than some satellite orbiting the Earth.
“Your sister, Rebecca Bennet—psychiatric ward—child in temporary care of a friend—”
Hot tears scalded Susannah’s eyes, and she blinked them back. Sucked in a steadying breath, and loosened her grip on Nico.
He leapt, with a low and indignant meow, to the kitchen floor and, tail bristling, sashayed his way out of the room.
Susannah leaned against the counter and shoved a hand through her dark shoulder-length hair. The pain reminded her that she was wearing a ponytail that morning.
“Yes,” she managed, after a small inner struggle. “Yes, I’m Becky’s—Rebecca’s—sister, actually. Her only living relative, besides little Ellie.”
Ellie. Susannah’s heart ached for the child. She’d been abandoned by her no-account father several years before, and Becky, though she loved her daughter fiercely, was fragile emotionally.
Three years older than Susannah, Becky had struggled with mental health since middle school. She’d suffered some trauma back then, one she refused to discuss, even with her therapists, evidently.
A stab of guilt knifed through Susannah.
I should have done more.
But what?
Becky hadn’t been willing to confide in her; no matter how much she’d pleaded, cajoled, and finally nagged, that one mysterious area of Becky’s life had remained inaccessible.
She’d helped Becky and Ellie in other ways, especially financially, for a long time, pitching in for rent or groceries now and then, and even paid for Becky’s intermittent counseling sessions, but that obviously hadn’t been enough.
Susannah supposed she should have joined her sister and her niece in the small town of Copper Ridge, Arizona, long ago, but she’d loved living in the busy buzz of Chicago; she had friends here, a business creating websites, and a thriving side-hustle, flipping houses.
“We’ve placed Ellie with a local couple, Jack and Harper O’Ballivan, for the time being,” the female voice droned on, professional, smooth, without inflection.
“Mrs. O’Ballivan works as a counselor in the school Ellie attends, so they’re acquainted.
The O’Ballivans are reputable people and they are willing to serve as foster parents to her if needed.
That said, we usually prefer to place a child with a responsible family member, if at all possible, which is why we are contacting you. ”
“Of course.” Susannah was shivering, even though that day in early June was sunny and warm, verging on hot.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can make arrangements.
” She stiffened her spine, turned to grab a glass from the cupboard, filled it from the tap.
Drank thirstily. “Could you tell me again how Becky is doing? Which hospital she’s in?
I’m afraid I missed some of what you said at first. I was in shock, I think. ”
“Certainly, Ms. Holiday.” The woman waited politely, having guessed, it seemed, that Susannah was scrabbling in a drawer for a notepad and pen.
“I’m ready,” Susannah said, when she was.
As the social worker spoke, Susannah scribbled down the details.
The conversation ended, and Susannah’s first call was to her preferred airline.
She booked a flight for midafternoon.
Her second was to a company that specialized in transporting vehicles and other belongings from one place to another. She would need her practical SUV when she reached Arizona, though she planned to use a rental car until it arrived, and she couldn’t leave her desktop behind, either.
Practically her entire life was on that computer.
In the interim, she could use her laptop to keep up with her current design projects and the duplex she was renovating in one of the city’s leafy suburbs.
The last call, before she hauled out her suitcases and Nico’s much-despised cat-carrier, was to Harper O’Ballivan, the woman looking after Ellie. She introduced herself and asked if this was a good time to speak to her niece.
There was a warm smile in Harper’s voice. “Absolutely,” she replied. “She’s right here. School’s out, as of yesterday, and Ellie and I have been baking cookies this morning. We’ll be taking some to her mom, after lunch.”
Susannah’s throat knotted with emotion. “Thank you,” she said, with an effort.
“No problem,” Harper answered.
And then Ellie was on the line. “Auntie Susannah?” she asked tentatively.
Ellie was twelve, as of her last birthday, but she sounded much younger.
“None other,” Susannah confirmed, forcing a positive note. “I’m on my way, sweetheart. I know this is a scary situation, but we’ll handle this together—you, me and your mom. Everything will be all right, I promise.”
While she awaited her niece’s response, Susannah offered a silent but fervent prayer that she’d be able to keep her word.
There was sweet relief in Ellie’s sigh. “Okay,” she said.
“You’re safe there, where you are? With the O’Ballivans? You can use our secret word if you’re not. Do you remember it?”
“Yes,” Ellie answered, sounding stronger. “But we don’t need it. Mr. and Mrs. O’Ballivan are really nice. They’re doing lots of stuff to help Mom, and me, too. And Gideon is teaching me to ride ponies. He’s their son.”
Susannah’s weighted heart lifted a little. “Good. I’ll see you soon, honey.”
“Are you bringing Nico?” The question was cautiously hopeful. Nico and Ellie had established a friendly relationship during her and Becky’s last visit to Chicago, six months before.
“Yes,” she answered, without hesitation. Nico could be a first-class furry butthead, but Susannah loved him without reservation. She’d rescued him, as a mewling, half-starved kitten, when she’d seen him tossed from a car parked along a roadside and then left behind.
A mental checklist was forming in her mind.
Of course she’d have to pack some clothes, cosmetics and toiletry items, devices and chargers, etc.
And stop off at the vet’s office for a last-minute health check and a sedative for Nico, so—hopefully—the feisty feline wouldn’t yowl pitifully throughout the flight to Flagstaff and drive the passengers and crew around the bend.
For the moment, though, Nico’s potential disruptive behavior was the least of Susannah’s worries.
She needed to get to her sister and her niece.
Fast.