deep breath to fortify myself, I say, âThe thing is I still have some stuff to do here.â
Silence.
And then, âWhat kind of stuff?â
This is where things get tricky. If I donât explain my plans to meet Arlo in just the right way, my mother is going to go straight up and turn left. Actually, thereâs a good chance sheâll do that anyway.
âBesides the property and truck, Sam left me some personal things. Not much, but one of ââ
âWhat things?â
âIâll show you when I get home.â
âDani!â
I am amazed at how my name spoken in that authoritative, matriarchal tone can wield so much clout. Even half a province away, my mother still has the power.
âOkay,â I concede. âHe left his wallet, a letter from one of his foster families, a picture of himself as a little boy, and half a silver heart. Do you know anything about that?â
âA silver heart? No. At least not that I remember.â
âSo you donât have the other half of the heart?â
âNo.â
âI didnât think so,â I mumble, âbut I thought Iâd ask.â
Mom isnât easy to sidetrack. âSo what do these things have to do with not coming home?â
âWell, Sam also left an address book. Most of the entries were business numbers, but there was also one for an Arlo Jones. So I called it and ââ
âYou did what!â
âI called the number. Donât have a hissy fit, Mother. I thought this guy might be able to tell me about Sam. Arlo was his friend, and heâs agreed to talk to me. So tomorrow Iâm going to Barriere to meet him.â
âHave you lost your mind? This man is a total stranger.â
That sets me back on my heels a bit. Yes, literally speaking, I suppose sheâs right. Arlo is a stranger, but because he was in Samâs address book, I just assumed he was an okay guy. Maybe I should have been more cautious, but there is no way Iâm admitting that to my mom. âWeâre meeting in a public restaurant, Mother,â I bluster as if she were being ridiculously protective. âNothing is going to happen.â
âForget it, Dani. Youâre not going. I forbid it.â
I know I shouldnât, but I burst out laughing. I canât help myself. I mean, thereâs no way she can stop me. She knows it too, and because it must hurt her to realize she canât make my decisions for me anymore, I say more kindly, âMom, Iâm not a little kid, and I donât do dumb things â well, not too often anyway. I need to know about Sam. Arlo can help me.â
âDani, please be reasonable. Sam was abandoned on a doorstep when he was a baby. There are no records. What do you think this Arlo can possibly tell you?â
âI donât know, but itâs a place to start.â
âAre you telling me you plan to turn this into a full-blown manhunt?â
Until she said that, I hadnât even considered the idea. All I wanted was to talk to Arlo. But if he told me something that opened another door, of course I would want to follow that lead.
And because I donât want to have this discussion again if that happens, I say, âI only had six weeks with Sam, Mom. For my whole life thatâs it. I wish it had been longer, but it wasnât. Iâm trying not to blame you or Sam, but sometimes I canât help it. I feel so cheated. I loved him, Mom, but I know almost nothing about him. He was my father. Half of who I am came from him. How can I know who I am if I donât know who he was? Iâll wonder my whole life. Canât you see that? I may come up empty, but I have to at least try, and since I donât have school until September, now is the perfect time to see what I can find out. Please donât try to stop me.â
Chapter Six
I donât want to be late for my meeting with Arlo, so I give myself plenty of time to