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planning for a mission in a year to carry on the work of Mom and Dad.”
    “I wondered why you didn’t pursue the driver who caused that accident. Mother was so horrified losing her sister. She and Aunt Faith were very close in spite of their different life styles. I know she was hoping you would pursue some court action.”
    As I spoke, I saw Celeste looking behind me. I turned to see Lincoln standing in the doorway. He frowned at us.
    “I’m sorry, Lincoln, were we keeping you up?” I asked.
    “Please, don’t come breezing into our home, filling Celeste’s head with all your lawyer talk. It was God’s will that took her parents. The courts are an ugly place. I don’t want my wife upset. Nothing she can do will bring them back. Celeste, shouldn’t you be coming to bed? It’s late, and I know Mary will want to get an early start.” Lincoln stared at me.
    “Of course, I’ll be leaving early tomorrow,” I assured Lincoln. I hugged Celeste and Sam and I headed for the tiny guest room behind the kitchen.
    How could my cousin stand to be bullied by Lincoln?. One more reason I was glad I wasn’t married. You can erase an errant boyfriend by letter, but getting rid of the wrong choice in spouses might take a lifetime.

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    CHAPTER
    TWELVE
    The drive to South Carolina had taken nine hours and I did not have a restful night thinking about Celeste and Lincoln and the death of Aunt Faith,
    I had no set agenda for the second day. I decided to make some stops in Virginia and Pennsylvania to see some of the Civil War monuments. By the time I reached Gettysburg, the day was nearly gone. Sam and I found a dog-friendly motel. After checking in and examining our clean but Spartan room, I decided to haul Sam’s crate into the room, although I was sure he’d opt for sleeping on the bed. I gave him a heaping bowl of his favorite chow and then we took a leisurely walk along the street filled with fast food joints, and tourist shops with tee shirts touting “See Historic Gettysburg” and pictures of Honest Abe.
    I took Sam back to our motel room and secured him in his crate. After a quick face wash and a clean shirt, I prepared to get some people chow for me. I rummaged in the overnight bag for a sweater. As we drove north, the weather had begun to change. We left the heat and humidity behind. It was early October but Pennsylvania was swept with the cool breeze that ushers in autumn and hints at winter. It felt amazingly refreshing, like it was blowing away all my problems.
    I left the TV blaring in case Sam decided to howl over being left behind. Sam was a good traveling companion. He hadn’t complained about the accommodations at Celeste’s. He didn’t offer any negative opinions about my choice of motel. Well, who needed a spouse when a girl has a great German Shepherd for company?
    Walking back down the tourist street, I spotted the Chamber of Commerce office and ventured in for advice about what to see in the morning. I found maps and brochures for self-guided tours of the battlefield and directions to a Gettysburg museum. Armed with my reading material and directions to an honest-to-goodness diner, I was feeling relaxed for the first time in a long time.
    Two hours later, I returned to the motel food logged from pot roast and real apple pie, made by an Amish farmer’s wife in the area. I expected to hear howls of welcome from Sam. Instead I found the door to my room ajar and a broken door hanging abruptly to the side of Sam’s crate. What I didn’t find was Sam.

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    CHAPTER
    THIRTEEN
    Panic enveloped me. I felt like I was having a nightmare but I was wide awake. My first instinct was to call Carlos and ask what he thought I should do. I had gotten into the habit of relying too much on him whenever bad events came my way. Now I realized that I would be relying on myself. The feeling of loss enveloped me. There was no more Carlos in my life and now I’d lost Sam.
    I walked completely around the motel, yelling “Sam,