Cody's Come Home

A great clap of thunder startled her awake. Darkness shrouded the land. Nothing stirred. How long had she slept? It felt like the middle of the night.

The heavens opened. It started to rain hard and fast.

* * *

PERSISTENT KNOCKING ROUSED Cody Jordan from a troubled sleep. He rolled over and stared at the ceiling. Home, but not home.

Where was he?

Oh, yeah. Back in Accord, in his childhood bedroom, not in his big house in LA. At thirty, he was back where he’d started. Talk about eating humble pie.

Thoughts of yesterday’s and last night’s marathon sixteen hours on the road from LA to Colorado—a brutal drive—swirled in. Loneliest drive of my life.

Mile after endless mile through the darkness had echoed the bankrupt emptiness of his life.

Someone pounded on the front door downstairs. Ah. That’s what had awakened him.

He reached for the jeans he’d dropped on the floor last night and hauled his sorry bag of bones out of bed. A full-body stretch worked out some of the kinks.

Swift footsteps alerted him to his parents rushing down the stairs.

He stumbled to his old desk, took a moment to touch the small blue urn and said a brief prayer. He turned away before he broke down.

In the bathroom he splashed cold water onto his face. Too bad he couldn’t wash away the past. Strong coffee and a hot shower might help.

Heading downstairs to find out what was going on, he noticed Mom and Dad were already at the door letting someone in.

Hearing him on the stairs behind them, they turned and glanced up.

“Cody!” his mom exclaimed, rushing to him with a rib-crushing hug. “You came home. I’m so glad.”

He suffered the hug stiffly. He no longer took affection. He no longer gave it.

His mom released him by increments. He disliked how her eyes probed, how she needed to see into his soul. No. That was open to no one but him. Even then, most days it was closed off. Better that way.

“When did you get in?” she asked, her expression sober and loving.

“About two this morning.” His tone forbade further questioning. Gently, he extracted himself from her hands on his arms and avoided her penetrating gaze. He knew what she saw when she studied him, a son too old and worn-out for his years.

“What’s up?” He directed the question to Salem Pearce, who stood in the foyer.

Salem lived in Accord. He and Dad were good friends. Dad had given Salem his first job as a teenager, probably thirty years ago.

Where was the time going? He glanced at his parents. Laura Cameron and Nick Jordan were institutions in the town of Accord, and well respected. Mom was in her early seventies. Had Dad turned seventy, too? Cody couldn’t remember.

He directed his attention to Salem and the open door. Outside, the rain he’d driven through last night had abated, but a gray curtain of cloud absorbed light. He glanced at the clock on the mantel in the living room. Six thirty and it still looked like nighttime.

“What are you doing out here this far from town at the crack of dawn?” Cody’s voice came out morning rough.

The frown and the anxiety on Salem’s face set Cody’s alarms into overdrive. Salem was normally as serene as an empty pond, but Cody knew still waters could roil beneath the surface with this guy. Once Salem got upset, it ran deep and strong, slow to heat up but even slower to cool down.

“It’s Aiyana.”

Salem’s eldest daughter. Cody hadn’t heard that name in a long time.

Images flashed of hair as dark as a raven’s wing and clear, tanned skin taut over high cheekbones. Even now, his fingers had an imprint of desire, an itchiness to run through hair that had hung straight and thick to her waist.

He had never acted on his desire. She’d been too young. But they had meant something to each other once upon a time. A lifetime ago.

“She’s missing,” Salem said.

Cody had been leaning against the newel post with his arms folded across his chest, flushes of memories warming his raw soul, but straightened away at Salem’s words, his hands falling to his sides.

“Missing?”

Don’t worry, he told himself to defuse his burgeoning fear, she’s no longer a vulnerable teenager. She’s a grown woman who can take care of herself. Yeah? Tell that to her dad who looked like he hadn’t slept all night.

“What do you mean, missing? Since when?”

Salem rubbed the back of his neck. “Since yesterday. She went hiking in Paintbrush State Park, but didn’t come home last night.”

Cody stilled. His first instinct, in the heat of panic, was to run out the door to find her. A cooler head had to prevail. They needed to organize and be smart.

Even so, a witchy dread whispered through him.

Cody’s mom directed them toward the kitchen. She turned on the coffeepot.

“Sit,” Cody’s dad ordered Salem.

“Thanks, Nick.” Salem fell into a chair he edged away from the kitchen table.

“You’ll have something warm before you go back out there,” Nick said. “I’m assuming you’ve already been.”

Salem’s limp hands hung between his spread knees. “Yeah. When she didn’t return last night we went to the park after dark.”

Laura turned on the pendant lamp hanging over the table, highlighting how haggard Salem looked. A handsome man with warm Native American skin, at the moment he looked like death warmed over.

Parched, Cody poured himself a glass of water straight from the tap and gulped it down. It tasted pure and clear.

In LA, he’d filtered his water twice, once from the faucet and again with a Brita. Here, even without filtering, the water tasted fine. Better than fine.

He’d missed the simple pleasure of purity, of clean air and uncomplicated food.

LA appealed to all kinds of people, but it had never been Cody’s kind of town. God knew he’d tried to like living there.

He drank another glass of water while ignoring his mother’s intent gaze. He sat down at the table, so damned relieved to have someone else’s problems to worry about.

The fact that Salem was so full of worry for his daughter’s safety that he’d forgotten about Cody’s recent tragedy and didn’t look at him as though he thought he might shatter was a relief.

“We found Aiyana’s car in the parking lot,” Salem’s dull voice intoned. “Park personnel wouldn’t let us mount a search in the dark.” He slammed his hand on the table. Spoons danced. “She’s been out there all night, but they were afraid one of us would get lost.”

“Fair enough,” Nick said.

“No, it isn’t,” Salem shouted. He covered his eyes with one hand. “I’m sorry, Nick. I’m so sorry.”

“Believe me, I understand.” Nick squeezed Salem’s shoulder. “It would be unnatural if you weren’t upset.”

Salem dropped his hand. His eyes brimmed with tears. “My little girl’s out there alone in the dark. She won’t like that.”

No, Aiyana wouldn’t like that at all. Cody knew that much about her, remembering how upset she had been that summer before she turned sixteen. Urgency built inside him to find her and bring her home safely.

“So you want us to come with you now.” It wasn’t a question on Cody’s part. He would go. They all would.

Laura put mugs of coffee on the table.

They doctored them while the bacon she’d put on to fry sizzled in a couple of pans. She took a dozen eggs out of the fridge.

“Don’t cook—” Salem started.

“You’ll eat, Salem,” she said, in a no-nonsense tone they knew well.

Nick’s raised eyebrow intimated, Don’t even bother trying to resist. “You’re going to need your strength. We all will.”

While Laura cooked, Cody retrieved a notepad and pen from a drawer then sat back down.

“Right. So we have to gather at least a dozen volunteers for a park that size. At least. We’ll need supplies. Maybe the park authorities can get us maps. Salem, do you know where she went within the park?”

No one answered. He glanced up from his furious scribbling. They were staring at him, mouths open.

“What?”

“You’re taking control,” Salem said.

Disgusted with himself, Cody threw the pen onto the table. “Yeah, I’ve been accused of that a lot lately.” He sounded bitter. He was. “Sorry. Bad habit.”

“No. It’s good.” Salem rubbed his chest as though a bad case of heartburn had settled in. “I’m not myself. I’m panicking too much to be useful. What’ve you written so far?”

“Supplies we’ll need. I’ll raid Pearl’s closet for dry clothes.” His sister had to have something that would fit Aiyana. “Pearl’s petite, though.”

“Nothing from my closet will fit Aiyana.” They all turned at the voice. Pearl stood in the doorway, rubbing her eyes. “I gather she’s lost in the woods and you’re putting together a search party? I’m in.”

Even freshly out of bed and rumpled, with creases on her cheek, Cody’s sister was supernaturally beautiful. Angelic.

She poured herself a coffee and put on a couple of eggs to boil. Pearl didn’t do bacon.

While her eggs boiled, she stood behind him and rubbed his shoulders. No questions. No concerns expressed. She dug her sharp thumbs into his neck, where he carried tension.

When he was a teenager, she used to do the same, especially after his football games.

“You’re still the world’s best massage therapist,” he said, making a joke to keep his emotions tamped down.

“I’ll give you some of my clothing,” his mom said. “It’ll be too big, but still warm and dry.”

“You should consider bringing clothes from home, too, Salem.”

“Good call, Cody. It’s only the end of October, but I’ll pack winter clothes.”

They got into the nitty-gritty of how this was going to run and who was going to help look for Aiyana. They would call on another half-dozen families.

Salem pulled a list from his pocket. “Emily’s phoning everyone now. The Colantonios, for sure. Aiyana’s been hanging out with Sophie since she came home. And her friend Alyx’s family. Also the Walkers.”

“How is Iris doing?” Cody asked quietly. Iris Walker had had a tough adolescence.

“She’s good. Aiyana has helped her through a lot.”

“Then she’ll come out for sure. How many people can you get altogether?”

“I’m guessing fifteen or twenty.”

Laura put heaping plates of food in front of them and then sat down with one of her own.

They ate in silence, Cody all but shoveling the food into his mouth. He needed to get out there.

When he was done, he rinsed his plate, put it into the dishwasher and sat back down to finish the list. “I’ll call Noah and get him to open the surplus store early for me. I’ll pick up plenty of protein bars for the searchers. Flashlights, too. Don’t know how late we’ll be.”

At Salem’s expression, Cody rushed on, “I’m sure we’ll find her soon. This is just in case. We need to prepare for every eventuality. What else will we want?”

“First-aid kits,” Nick said.

“First aid?” Salem paled.

“Just in case,” Cody said quietly.

“How about a couple of thermal blankets?” Nick took everyone else’s plates. “Laura, we’ll clean up later. We need to get out there.”

“What will we need blankets for?” Salem stood. “As soon as we find her, I’m taking her home.”

“She’ll be chilled, Salem,” Nick said. “We’ll need them to warm her quickly. It rained last night. She’ll be wet.”

“Will she have hypothermia?” Salem’s voice rose.

“No,” Cody answered. “It wasn’t that cold. Only cool.” Salem knew all of this, but as the man had said, he was too distraught to think straight.

“Where’s Annie?” Laura asked.

“Annie?” Cody glanced at everyone. “Who’s Annie?”

As one, they stared at him. By the way Salem stiffened beside him, Cody could tell he’d just remembered Cody’s loss.

“She’s—” Salem swallowed.

“She’s Aiyana’s daughter,” Pearl said, cutting through the tension.

“Daughter?” he said faintly. “Aiyana has a daughter?”

Beside him, Salem nodded. “Yes. She was married for five years. They had a little girl. Named her after her natural mother. Ai is divorced now.”

Cody had been so mired in his own troubles for so long, he hadn’t kept up with old friends.

He jumped to his feet, sending his chair skidding across the floor. “I’ll shower and dress.” Aiyana had a child. A living child. “I’ll take my own car into town and meet everyone at the park.” He rushed from the kitchen. On his way up the stairs, he heard Salem’s quiet voice.

“Mika is at home with Annie while we search. Annie loves her aunt Mika.”

Annie. Aiyana had a child named Annie. A living child.

The blackness in Cody’s heart twisted until he couldn’t breathe.

He couldn’t go out searching for her like this, not as an emotional wreck. He jumped into the shower and let the water run as hot as he could bear until he gave in to his secret shame. He cried in the shower every day. How else could he go on?

When done, he cleaned himself and got dressed.

With a Herculean effort, he set aside his troubles and grabbed his cell from the bedside table, calling Noah Cameron, his mom’s brother, at home. A sleepy voice answered.

Forcing his own voice to sound normal, Cody explained the problem.

“I can be at the store in twenty minutes.” Good old Noah.

“See you there.”

Cody pulled up in front of the Army Surplus on Main Street in Accord at the same time as his uncle. The other shops were still closed and the town was quiet. Noah got out of his ancient Toyota, ponytail damp from his shower. Gray hair threaded through the red, and his rugged face showed a few more wrinkles than the last time Cody had seen him, but he still looked strong and lean.

“Hey, Unc, thanks for coming out so early.”

Noah waved away his thanks and unlocked the front door. Cody followed him inside.

“What do you need?”

Cody handed him a list. Noah scanned it and started filling a basket.

“How many first-aid kits?”

“Eight, I guess. I imagine we’ll go out in pairs.”

“It says here bottled water. Man, I don’t do plastic. I sell reusable bottles—glass or stainless steel.”

“Okay, give me a dozen of whichever is cheaper. Some people will likely bring their own water. Can I fill the bottles here?”

“Sure. It’ll take me a while to filter it, though. I have only one Brita in the back.”

“No time. I’ll use tap water.”

Noah grimaced, but didn’t complain.

Because Cody had arrived home in the middle of the night and was buying for so many volunteers, he didn’t have cash on him. He used his credit card, hoping against hope it wouldn’t bring him over the limit.

When the transaction went through, a breath burst out of him.

“Thanks for opening, Noah. I appreciate it. Everyone else will, too, once I start handing this stuff out.”

“No problem, Cody. You know that. Hope you find her quickly. If you need anything else, I’m a phone call away. The store’s closed today, but I can put together more supplies and be up there in no time.”

Cody was about to step out of the shop when Noah stopped him with one more question. “Do you have a Swiss Army knife? Those things are handy in the woods.”

“I have a Leatherman. Dad bought it for my twelfth birthday.”

“That’s right! I sold it to him. You have it on you?”

“You bet.”

Cody arrived at the park while the air was still early-morning chilly and the shadows long.

A gorgeous piece of protected land, the park was a pristine, untouched gem. Except for trails cut out of the woods for hiking, the rest had been left in its natural glory.

Everywhere Cody looked, pines towered over the parking lot, some with their dark green spires hidden in swirling fog.

He stepped out of his SUV right into a huge puddle.

Thank God he’d picked up thermal blankets.

He zipped up his jacket against a cool breeze and noted the unmistakable scent of rain on the wind. The air smelled piney and fresh. Not a whiff of smog polluted the atmosphere.

Aiyana must be chilled through to the bone. They had to find her soon.

He remembered her as a sweet girl, timid but starting to grow into her character. Why hadn’t she come home last night?

Cody used to be an optimist at heart. Not so anymore. He stared at the dark woods and worried about what nature and the elements could do to someone like Aiyana.

CHAPTER TWO

CODY STUDIED THE map lying open on the hood of a forest ranger’s vehicle. He tried to think like Aiyana, but it had been too long since he’d known her—since she’d shared her young ambitions, thoughts and dreams.

They’d spent one summer together, an innocent couple of months. Aiyana had only just turned sixteen and he’d been nineteen and heading to college in September. That was more than a dozen years ago. He’d seen her only sporadically since, but he remembered her well.

That summer, she’d been a gentle, thoughtful girl. He’d found her quiet intelligence attractive.

Who was she now?

People changed. He certainly had.

What would she do? Where would she go?

“What have you set up so far?” Cody asked Salem.

Aiyana’s father pointed out the trails people were searching. Most had already paired up and been assigned.

Salem handed out the supplies to the volunteers before they set off. Cody had snagged a couple of thermal blankets and tarps along with a first-aid kit for himself. His backpack was full of bars and water.

Sensing that he didn’t have all of the information, he asked, “Does Aiyana often hike late in the evening?”

“No!” The response burst from Salem. “That’s why we got so worried. She always comes home in time for dinner.”

“If she was injured, why didn’t anyone notice her and help her? It was Saturday. The place would’ve been busy. What was the weather like?”

“Cool but clear.”

“How adventurous is she?” The girl he remembered hadn’t been very.

“More than she used to be, but not extremely. Not in the woods.”

“So she wasn’t likely to do anything dangerous.”

“Definitely not. She would have stayed on well-traveled paths. Aiyana is a cautious woman.”

Still didn’t make sense. If she’d been on one of the popular trails, someone would have seen her if she’d been in trouble.

“Why was she out here alone?” Cody asked. “Why not hike with a friend?”

“Because she stops every five seconds to take photos.” Although Salem’s voice was filled with frustration, within it lingered a warm thread of love. “That’s why she comes out here. She’s a photographer. Makes her living at it. Has a website, a—what do you call it?—an image bank. None of us have the patience to go out with her. We want to walk. She wants to commune with nature and record it.”

Cody mulled that over then beckoned the ranger closer. “Where are the most picturesque views in the park?”

The man pointed to the map. “Here, here and here.”

Cody rested his finger on one of the spots. “That one is away from the more popular trails.”

“Yes. It overlooks a ravine and the views are spectacular.”

“If the views are so great, why isn’t it more popular?”

“It’s a serious hike in.”

“Dangerous?”

“Not really.” The man frowned. “Maybe. The path’s narrow. In a couple spots, it butts right up against the side of a steep hill. Most people who come out here are social and want to take well-traveled trails.”

“Okay, I’ll take that one,” Cody decided.

“Who are you going with?” the ranger asked. “We don’t want anyone out there alone.”

Cody glanced around. Only Mom and Dad were left. He didn’t want either of them out on that trail for that long of a hike at their ages. “I’m fine on my own.”

“You sure?” The ranger didn’t look happy.

“Yep. I have my cell. Battery’s fully charged. Can I get service out here?”

“We’ve got most of the perimeter covered.” He pointed to a cell tower across the lot. “Unless you go deep into the middle of the park where there’s no service, you’ll be fine, but she wouldn’t have been able to do that in an afternoon’s hike.”

The ranger gave him a quick once-over. Cody knew he looked strong and reliable. He worked out regularly. During the past year, his weight workouts and pounding on the heavy bag had kept him sane. They had also made him stronger. He’d always been athletic. Lately he’d kicked it up a notch. There wasn’t much he wouldn’t be able to handle on a hike.

“Okay,” the ranger said. “Go on alone. My phone will be on. Here’s my number. Call if you find her, or if you need anything.”

“Will do.” Cody programmed the number into his phone along with his dad’s cell and Salem’s. He studied the sky. “Looks like we’ve got weather coming in.”

“Yeah, that’s why we’re out here early urging everyone to get out and back quickly.” The ranger peered into the distance. “It’s a ways off yet.”

Cody hoisted his knapsack onto his back then felt someone fiddle with it. “Who is it and what are you doing?”

“Food,” his mom said from behind him. “I stopped at the bakery on the way here. I got some day-old baked goods.”

Good old Mom. “Any cinnamon buns?” Mom’s bakery-cum-café was famous for them.

“God, no, Cody. We never have any of those left and today’s weren’t out of the ovens yet.” He heard a smile in her voice. “The Colantonios also brought crusty rolls, salami and cheeses from their store. The salami is cured. With the weather this cool, the cheese won’t go bad in your bag.”

Tonio’s, the organic Italian market on Main, had the best food around. His lunch was going to be pretty spectacular for an impromptu meal.

When she finished, Laura walked around to face him. “It’s good to have you home, but—” she took his face between her hands and kissed both of his cheeks “—when this is over, we’re having a serious talk, you and I.”

When she used that parent tone, he knew she meant business. She walked away.

He wished he could avoid their talk. Parents were great at protecting children while they grew up, but there came a time in a man’s life when the child wanted to protect the parent.

“Okay, I’m headed out,” he called to the few people left. “I’ll phone if I find her.”

An hour later, thunder rumbled in the distance. He could smell rain. Electricity shimmered on the cooling air.

He called the ranger for an update. No one had reported finding Aiyana. She was still out here somewhere. He studied the sky. Dark clouds fomented above.

The storm was heading in faster than predicted. “Great. Just great.” Cody retrieved a poncho from his backpack and covered himself just in time. Heavy rain pelted him. Visibility diminished. An enormous crack of thunder shook the air at almost the same moment a streak of lightning snapped. Too close. Cody figured it might have hit the parking lot.

He debated calling back to make sure everyone was okay, but he needed to use his time to find Aiyana. He could only hope everyone was safe.

This storm was a bad one.

Where was Aiyana? Was she sheltered? Protected? He examined every side shoot of the trail. Would she go off trail? The trail was halfway up the side of a low mountain. If she wanted to shoot scenery, wouldn’t she opt for views of the valley below?

He couldn’t chance not checking out everything. Maybe she decided to take one of these paths to shoot nature up close.

A couple of hours later, frustration ate away at him because he hadn’t covered as much ground as he would have liked, even though he’d done a fair bit of running instead of walking.

He took out his cell to call the ranger. Nada. Not even a dial tone. What the heck? He wasn’t that far into the park.

Oh, crap. That huge crack of thunder probably hit the tower. Cody had no way of knowing whether Aiyana had been found and no way of calling for help if he found her.

He wouldn’t stop looking. He had to go at least as far as the ranger said she would have been able to get in one afternoon.