The Disappearance of Emily: Destiny Falls Mystery & Magic Series Book 2 by Elizabeth Pantley (best books under 200 pages .txt) 📗

Han in hiking accident.

Just got him to the hospital.

My father’s face drained of color and registered the shock and panic that I was feeling. He received the same message. I grabbed my purse and keys, locked the door, and we drove to the hospital.

We arrived at the hospital to find Eleanor, Phillip, and Axel in the waiting area. Axel was pacing the room anxiously.

I reached out and gently touched Axel’s arm. “How’s Han doing? What happened?”

“He went hiking up to Twin Falls Lake early this morning. He always leaves his hiking itinerary with one of his sisters. When he didn’t return on time, she gave Jaxson a call. Han is experienced. He’s quick and responsible. When he didn’t text or call, we knew something wasn’t right.”

“Jax and I booked it up to the lake. We found him unconscious at the base of a cliff. Jax called in the park’s rescue helicopter, and they brought us in. Han is still unconscious, but stable.”

“Can we see him?” I asked.

“Family only right now. His sisters are in there with him. We were just waiting for an update from the doctors.”

Tears filled my eyes, and I felt my throat tighten. I could barely swallow, and I couldn’t speak. I hoped with everything in me that Han would be okay.

22

My first thought upon waking was of Han. It hit me hard. I put my hand to my stomach and waited for the nausea to pass and my breathing to return to normal. The soft, warm feeling of the cat huddle lying close to my back was soothing. I willed my body to relax.

When we’d left the hospital last night, Han had still been unconscious. The doctor told us it was normal to lose consciousness for six hours or more after a traumatic head injury, so I hoped there was good news this morning. Was it too early to text Axel for an update? I hoped not, but I needed to know. I reached over the sleeping cat heap and snatched my phone.

Good morning Axel. I hope

I didn’t wake you. Any

news about Han?

Morning Sis! No worries. I was up.

Han regained consciousness in the

middle of the night. He’s woozy and

can’t recall what happened. But

doctor says he looks good.

Oh! Thank God! I’ve been

so worried.

Me, too. I’m going to stop by

and see him later. Want to come?

Yes, please!

Leaving at 10:00. Afterwards

meeting up with Jax for lunch

at Vessie’s. Sound good?

Sounds wonderful! See you

at 10.

I slipped out of bed and got dressed, then peeked into the yoga room mirror. The depressing reflection was of the yoga room. The disappointment left a heaviness in my heart. I sent Luna a brief text.

Hey, friend. I hope you’re okay.

I know you were pretty shocked.

It’s a weird situation. Text or

email when you can. Would

love to explain what you saw.

I held my breath and stared at the screen, hoping the satellite would allow it to pass. The text was sent! Now I hoped Luna would read it and reply. I sat down on a yoga mat and waited, but there was no immediate response. I’d let her settle with this for a while, and if she didn’t answer, I’d try her again tomorrow.

I opened my photos and tapped on the folder connected to my Observer camera. I got a lump in my throat looking at the pictures of the owl that Han helped me with. I enjoyed that time with him so much. It was spooky to think that the next time he went hiking there he would have a terrible fall. It would be good to see him today with my own eyes.

I scrolled back in the photos and came across the ones I had taken on my first day with the camera. The day that the mail carrier had been assaulted. I barely remembered snapping these pictures. I’d been so upset seeing him lying on the ground.

I looked more closely at the photos now. In one picture I noticed a spot of bright red in the middle of all the landscaping. The flowers that day were in shades of blue, yellow, and white. There were no red flowers anywhere else in the picture. Just that one bright red spot.

I enlarged the photo. The red was not flowers. It was hair! It was the head of a short, heavy person, and he was walking around to the side of the house. Actually, since he was slightly blurry compared to the rest of the picture, it was more like he was running. I enlarged further and saw the backside of a second person in the photo, just in front of him. And that person was very tall, extremely large, and appeared to be wearing a greasy-looking ferry uniform.

I pressed my fingers over my mouth to cover my gasp and tried to control my panic. This meant that Kerbie and one of the mechanics were at Caldwell Crest that day. From the back they looked the same, so I couldn’t tell who this was. Or was the other mechanic there also, out of camera range? What reason would they have to be there? Did they attack the mail carrier and dig through the mail? Were they looking for the box that arrived later that day?

I had been keeping it secret because of the captain’s warning of danger to me and my family. Were these men the danger? I dropped my phone on the mat and tried hard to corral my wild thoughts. Now what? I couldn’t keep hiding these secrets, could I? Should I? Perhaps this was evidence of the attackers from that day. Were they also the ones responsible for the captain’s death?

Now I was just working myself up into a frenzy. I needed to focus my thoughts and make the right decisions.

The box. Perhaps it held more clues to what was