Chapter Twenty-Five
The theater is a weapon, and it is the people who should wield it.
—Augusto Boal
Mallory unlocked her front door, tired from the night’s festivities but also worried. She checked her phone again—still no response from Hollis. It wasn’t like him to go silent, especially when he’d promised to be at the event.
She kicked off her shoes and left them beside the door. Then she pulled up Savannah’s contact and paced the living room as the phone rang in her ear.
“Hey, Mal,” Savannah finally answered. “I just heard what happened. How’s Hollis?”
Mallory pulled the ponytail tie from her hair, letting her locks fall free along her shoulders.
“What do you mean? I haven’t heard from him all night.
He was supposed to be at the Memory Oaks event but never showed.
Is he okay?” It was amazing how many worst-case scenarios could fill her mind in the time it took to ask the question and wait on Savannah’s answer.
“You didn’t know? Evan just spoke to Dr. Lynch. That’s the only way he knew.”
“Dr. Lynch,” Mallory repeated, pausing her pacing to stand still and try to process this information. “The veterinarian?”
“Yeah. Hollis rushed Duke to the emergency vet tonight. She said Hollis was upset, and she called Evan to check on him. She told Evan that Hollis was going to be searching for Buster.”
Mallory combed her fingers through the front of her hair. “Why? Is Buster missing?”
“You know as much as me now,” Savannah said. “Evan tried to call Hollis too, but he’s not responding.”
Mallory’s heart sank. “Duke means everything to Hollis.”
“I know,” Savannah said softly.
Mallory glanced at the clock—nearly midnight.
As much as she wanted to rush to Hollis’s side, she doubted she’d be able to find him anyway.
She knew from experience that when a person wanted to be alone, they’d find a way to disappear, just like she’d done in Eleanor’s Little Free Library. “Thanks for filling me in.”
“I kind of just assumed you already knew,” Savannah said. “Worrisome that he’s not answering you or Evan.”
Yeah. Mallory was even more worried, now that she knew it wasn’t just her that Hollis was avoiding. “I’ll drive by his house and check on him first thing tomorrow before my hospital shift.”
“I’m glad you’re being sensible and not trying to go over there now. There’s the most responsible friend I know,” Savannah teased.
Responsible. That was her.
After disconnecting, Mallory sat on her couch and debated throwing responsibility out the window and going out in the dark woods to look for Buster herself.
It was a recipe for disaster though. The North Carolina woods had black bears and coyotes, and she had no clue where Buster’s last known location was to even decide where to begin looking.
Feeling helpless, she fired off one more text:
Mallory: Just heard about Duke. I’m here if you need anything.
As she prepared for bed, Mallory set her alarm earlier than usual.
Whatever news the morning brought, she was determined to be there for Hollis, just like he’d been there for her this past month.
His loyalty had been unwavering, and she’d done something she rarely allowed herself to do—she’d leaned in when someone offered their support.
Now she wanted to return the favor.
Mallory’s alarm yanked her from a fitful sleep. Fumbling for her phone, her heart sank when she saw that there were no new messages from Hollis.
She got it. He was upset. Probably devastated.
This past month, he had become her fiercest protector, and she imagined he didn’t want to burden her with the things that were going on in his life right now.
That’s probably why he hasn’t called or texted.
He was wrong though. She wanted to be there for him. She just had to find him.
Worry gnawed at her as she hurriedly dressed and grabbed her keys, determined to do just that before her hospital shift.
As she drove, her mind picked through all the possibilities of what might be going on in Hollis’s head. She didn’t have much information to go on. Just that Duke was in bad shape and Buster was missing.
Poor Hollis.
When she finally pulled onto the dirt road that led past Popadine’s Tree Farm to the little house where Hollis was staying, her stomach dropped. His truck was gone, and the house sat dark and silent.
She parked anyway and got out, approaching the front door to see if she could find a clue to where he’d gone. As she poked around, another vehicle pulled in behind hers, and Sandy stepped out.
“Mallory? What are you doing here so early?” Sandy asked, heading in her direction.
“I was worried about Hollis. He missed last night’s event at Memory Oaks, and he’s not answering my texts. Have you heard from him?”
Sandy’s face scrunched with concern as she nodded. “He texted early to ask if I could help you with the Christmas play tonight. He said he wouldn’t be able to fulfill his commitments.”
Mallory felt like she’d been doused with ice water. “What? But… but he can’t just not show up for the play. He has two major roles. He was the one who insisted that I didn’t give up when others dropped out. He volunteered for those parts, and I only agreed to keep going because I trusted him.”
Sandy wrung her hands in front of her. “He told me to let you know that Evan would take his place. He’s already made the arrangements. He said that Evan would be a better Santa than him.”
“What? No.” Mallory pressed a hand to her chest as panic swept over her. “This is opening night!” she said, her voice strained as she struggled to breathe.
Sandy reached out and placed a gentle hand on Mallory’s arm. “I’m sorry, dear. I don’t know why Matt spoke to him the way he did.”
Mallory narrowed her eyes. “Matt? Did something happen at dinner yesterday?” She knew that Hollis was supposed to eat with Matt and Sandy before the Memory Oaks event.
“I thought you knew.”
“I only knew about Duke and Buster.”
Now Sandy looked confused. Apparently, there was so much more to what was going on with Hollis than Mallory even knew.
“All I know is that Hollis rushed Duke to the emergency vet last night, and Buster is missing.”
Sandy drew both hands up to cover her mouth. “I had no idea. Poor Hollis.”
Mallory’s anger deflated slightly.
“I hope he’s not gone-gone,” Sandy said quietly, glancing around the front porch.
Mallory didn’t like the sound of that. “What does that mean?”
Sandy’s expression seemed to wilt. “When Hollis first came to live with us, he’d sometimes, I don’t know… he’d run away when things got too overwhelming. He hasn’t done it in years, of course. He’s a grown man. But…”
“Sandy, what did you mean about something happening with Matt last night?” Mallory asked, concern mounting.
Sandy sighed. “Matt can be so irrational when he’s angry.
It was awful,” she said, voice tight. “He came in with a raised voice, pointing his finger at Hollis as if he’d done something horrible.
Accusing Hollis of trying to steal the farm.
” She pressed a hand to her chest. “I know Hollis would never steal from us, but whatever Pop told Matt, well, it got him fired up. Hollis just shut down and left. And now with Duke being sick…” She looked at Mallory with pain reflecting in her eyes. “I’m afraid it may have been too much.”
Mallory’s mind whirled as she tried to process everything. “So Hollis is just… gone? And he’s abandoning the play? Abandoning…” Me, she thought but couldn’t bring herself to say it. How could she be angry when Hollis had had a day like that one?
Sandy grimaced subtly. “Christmas has always been a little shaky for Hollis. Shaky for a lot of people, to be honest… I think he just needs some time.”
“Time?” Mallory didn’t have time to offer.
The show must go on! That was the rule. Set your personal issues aside, just like Nan had.
Nan had continued after the loss of a child and through a pregnancy with another.
She’d continued when Mallory’s mom had run away and then when Daisy had returned with a newborn baby.
Mallory leaned against Hollis’s porch railing, suddenly feeling exhausted. “I wish he would let me help instead of freezing me out. All month he’s preached to me about leaning on others and accepting help. Now he’s doing exactly what he told me not to.”
Sandy reached up and gave Mallory’s shoulder a squeeze.
“Oh, honey. You know Hollis as well as I do. He’s first to offer a helping hand, but sometimes he’ll dig himself in a bigger hole rather than reach up and allow someone to pull him up.
He’s always struggled with feeling worthy of the good things in his life.
And, I hate to say it, but Matt may have set Hollis back with any progress he’s ever made toward self-worth.
Believe you me, I gave my husband a piece of my mind after he ran Hollis off.
” She breathed a heavy sigh. “Mallory, you’re one of the best things that’s happened to him in a long time. ”
“If that’s true, he wouldn’t be ghosting me,” she muttered, knowing she had no right to take this personally. She knew it in her mind, but her heart felt broken. She thought that she and Hollis were close. She’d begun to lean on him. Why couldn’t he do the same and trust her as well?
“I think maybe you’re looking at it from the wrong perspective. I suspect Hollis has himself convinced that he’s protecting you by pulling away.”
“That I’d be better off without him,” Mallory whispered, realizing that what Sandy was saying was right. That sounded exactly like something Hollis might do.
Mallory nodded slowly, the pieces of the puzzle slowly falling into place. “What do we do now?”
“You know the answer to that. As your grandmother would say…” Sandy said, trailing off.
Mallory nodded, understanding completely. “Okay. Let’s figure out how to have the play without our leading man.” And she’d just have to hope that Hollis was okay, wherever he was.
The Compass Ornament