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“Grace,” Archie half-whispered and swallowed, then passed over a piece of lined paper with a carefully written list of facts.
Grace Miller. Dad Ezekiel Miller. Age Six. Birthday 3September. Hair, blonde, eyes, blue. Plays with dolls and clay and reads books with no words.
Why didn’t I know Archie had a sister? Where was she? Was this an amber alert situation?
“Zeke isn’t my dad,” Archie said. “He was my mom’s boyfriend, but he left when she was drinking badly and took Grace.”
“So, Zeke is Grace’s dad and not your dad?”
“Right.”
“But your mom is also Grace’s mom?”
“No. Grace and me? We’re not even related, but … she was important. She was like my sister, and I looked after her, and I wanna know she’s okay.”
I knew Archie’s biological father was long dead. I knew enough about LouAnne, Archie’s mom, to know she’d signed legal documents to say that Micah and Daniel were his legal guardians, but nowhere did I recall a potential stepdad.Way to drop the ball. Micah and Daniel had to know. The stepdad wouldn’t have a legal hold over Archie. Right?
“You gonna do it?” Laurie demanded, and I reached over and took two five-dollar bills from the pile, pocketing one and sliding all the coins and the watch back.
“This is enough, and yes,” I said because Laurie and Archie asked, and I loved the kids and the Lennox family. If a final adoption was approved and someone out there could throw a wrench in the works, I’d fix it.
“What about the rest of the money and the watch? We know you ain’t cheap.”
“Aren’t,” I corrected a suspicious Laurie. “This is calleda retainer. That means when I find her, you owe me more money.”
The boys exchanged worried glances.
“How much more?” Archie asked.
“I’d want at least another five dollars in coins.”
Archie’s eyes widened, and then he smiled. “We got that,” he announced.
I held out a hand, and Archie shook it, followed by Laurie.
The door to the diner flew open, and a frowning man entered—Daniel.
“I told you to wait by the car,” he began.
“My bad,” I interjected before the kids got into trouble. “Noah and I called them in for a drink and cookie.
“Outside,” Daniel said fondly. As soon as they were back out of the cafe, I stopped Daniel following them with a hand on his arm. “We need to talk.”
He stiffened and then stared out where the kids were crouched by a puddle on the sidewalk. “What’s wrong?”
“Archie wants me to find a little girl called Grace. His mother’s boyfriend’s daughter,” I waited for his reaction, and it was telling that Daniel relaxed.
“Yeah, he asked us, and we’ve tried to track down Ezekiel. He’s a bull rider, and we always seem to get to where he is just after he’s left. He’s not returning our calls. Archie used to look after Grace when her dad was away and when LouAnne was … ill. Poor Archie wants to know Grace is happy.”
“Are you okay with me doing some research?”
“It would help, thank you.”
I pressed the ten dollars the kids gave me into Daniel’shand. “This is what they paid me. Can you keep hold of it for them?”
“We can pay you.”
I shook my head. “I don’t need money from family.”
