Prologue
May 2004
Crystal Rock, Wisconsin
Carrying his tackle box with his fishing pole propped over his shoulder, thirteen-year-old Zander Atkinson raced through the woods, heading towards the bike he’d left locked up near the road. Mom was going to be mad because he was running late again.
Especially since she would be taking off and going on tour beginning tomorrow, and they wouldn’t be seeing too much of her during the rest of the summer. There was a small farewell party going on tonight at the house so some of Mom and Dad’s closest friends would be arriving soon for a barbeque.
But the fishing was great near the wounded warrior home, and since there were no instructors currently in residence for the rehab program, Zander just couldn’t resist throwing in a line from a dock belonging to one of the cabins overlooking the lakefront. Fishing was great at dusk at this time of year. In fact, he’d caught and released a couple of small-mouth bass along with several bluegill.
Reaching his bike and unlocking the chain that he’d wrapped around the trunk of a sturdy oak, he stuffed the lock and chain into the empty satchel behind the seat, clipping his tackle box beneath it. With a running start, he hoisted his leg over the bar and sprang onto his seat, still managing to keep his pole balanced over his shoulder.
Pedaling hard, he sped along the narrow road, passing by the newly erected wounded warrior training facility before crossing the bridge that towered over the Crystal Rock River.
It would be quicker to take the short cut behind Dad’s veterinary clinic, he decided, so turning left into the parking lot, Zander continued past the clinic entrance until he was behind, picking up the pace as he zipped along the dog-walk path that ran beside the river.
A large stand of woods remained between the clinic and their home, which was located on several acres near Crystal Rock Lake. Mom, who was a Grammy winning vocalist, hosted a music camp for up-and-coming young musicians during the summer months, but this year, she’d decided to rely on her administrators to handle the daily sessions, assisted by Zander’s oldest sister Rose, who was a talented vocalist as well. Mom would be able to return for several of the weekly concerts to make sure that all ran smoothly.
Reaching the edge of the woods, he stepped off his bike and began walking along the path that ran through the woods. Since the trail was covered by wood chips, he couldn’t ride his bike, but he might be lucky enough to be able to sneak into the back door of their house since the path ended there.
Another five minutes later, Zander stilled, peering into the darkness of the woods. He could swear he heard something or someone crying.
After a moment, he shook his head, glancing around before starting to slowly walk along the path again. He must have been imagining things. It did tend to get a little creepy along the path here in the woods when the sun started going down.
But sure enough, mewling noises began echoing through the air once again. Should he investigate? Dad had warned him not to jump into situations that might involve danger from a wounded animal. There was an abundant population of bobcats in the area, although black bears had recently been making a comeback. Hopefully, what he was hearing was coming from an injured stray cat, a creature that he might have the ability to help.
His dad would more than likely kill him if he ended up injured or bitten, but Zander couldn’t let it go. He had to stop and see if there was something he could do.
Resting his bike against one of the trees that was lining the path, he propped his fishing pole up against it and opened his tackle box, reaching for the flashlight inside.
Inhaling a deep breath, Zander made his way through dense woods, the beam of his flashlight angling back and forth as he studied the ground beneath him.
Much to his surprise, it had definitely been crying that he heard, and when the flashlight beam picked up on something large and colorful, Zander realized that what he was looking at appeared to be a fleece blanket.
He went closer, bending down, still expecting to find some kind of animal when he gently touched the blanket on the ground, gripping the corner with the tips of his fingers.
Startled, Zander jumped back when whatever was under the blanket moved.
He blinked, his jaw dropping open when he saw what was beneath the blanket.
Or, rather, who. The crying stopped immediately.
“Hi,” Zander said gently. “I’m Zander. What’s your name?”
“Lise,” she huffed out softly. She was such a tiny little thing, with eyes that appeared too large for her face.
When she scrunched her nose, obviously ready to start bawling again, Zander dropped onto the ground beside her.
“Are you here with anyone?” he asked gently.
“ Mommy, ” she muttered. “Where’s Mommy?”
“I’m not sure,” he replied softly. “I didn’t see anyone when I was walking by.”
This time he didn’t try to stop her when she started to cry.
He needed to get her out of here. Who knows what kind of shape she was in or how long she’d been here, not to mention how much time had elapsed since she’d eaten or had a drink. Even though he had his cell phone in his pocket, he decided it would be better to just scoop her up and carry her home. He could come back for his bike and fishing stuff later tonight or tomorrow morning.
But then again, someone might want to return and check out the place where Zander had found her. He’d stomp down a path in the woods as he made his way back to the trail, he decided.
“Lise?” he said, reaching over to grab the blanket. “I’m going to get you wrapped up in your blanket again and carry you back to my house.”
“Mommy said to wait ,” she muttered, sticking out her lip.
Zander studied her closely, trying to estimate her age. She was a little smaller than his youngest sister, so best guess was that she was maybe three or four.
But it looked like she could barely keep her eyes open.
“Your mommy wouldn’t want anything to happen to you, would she? Something must have held her up. I’m sure she’ll come to our house instead to find you. It’s not that far away.” He sighed, moving a little closer and wrapping the entire blanket around her.
That’s when he noticed that there was a small bag resting beside her. So, quickly scooping it up, he hoisted her into his arms, letting her chin rest over his shoulder. She was incredibly light.
“I need Boo,” she said in a teary voice.
That must have been the stuffed animal that had fallen from inside the blanket to the ground. Zander was able to bend over and scoop it up quickly, tucking the little owl into her hand under the blanket.
“Ready?”
She nodded her head on his shoulder.
Zander talked nonstop as he headed back to the path. He thought she’d fallen asleep after a few minutes, but her ears perked up when he told her about all the animals that they owned and cared for.
“ Puppies? Can I see?”
“Sure. We’re having some company tonight, so all the dogs are going to be out in the garage for a little while to keep them out of trouble. Don’t worry, they have plenty of toys and beds out there to sleep on.”
By the time he finished telling her the names of each dog, Zander reached the end of the path, pausing before he headed to the back door of the house.
Zander grimaced, noticing that Rose was already setting up chairs on the screened in porch, while Dad was outside, starting up the grill.
“Zander?” Mom growled, rushing through the kitchen and meeting him at the back door. “Where have you been? Your dad’s been waiting for you to get back so the two of you could make a quick run to town for a few more things that we need for tonight.”
And that’s when she finally noticed the little girl he was carrying over his shoulder. Sucking on her thumb, Lise had her head snuggled up under Zander’s chin.
“Mom? I’m not sure who you need to call, but this little girl is named Lise,” Zander said, grimacing. “I think. When I was walking home, I found her all by herself, crying in the woods.”
Mom blinked, staring at the little girl in obvious shock.
“Here. Maybe you should take her,” he said, attempting to unwrap her arms from around his neck.
“Zan.” Lise hugged Zander harder as he unsuccessfully attempted handing her over to Mom.
“This is my mommy, Lise. You don’t need to be scared,” Zander said reassuringly.
But Lise just buried her head more firmly under his chin.
“Oh, Zander. She’s such a pretty little girl,” Mom finally said, a worried frown on her face as she gently stroked a hand over Lise’s head. “Luckily, everyone that we need to call will be arriving shortly for the party.”
“I don’t think she’s going to let go of me.” Zander cleared his throat, surprisingly touched. “Where should I take her, Mom?”
“Well, first things first. She might be hungry or thirsty, so let’s get her some water to start. But how about the guest room since it’s here on the main floor? She looks like she needs a bath. I know that if she’s missing, someone’s probably going to want to look her over, so we probably shouldn’t bathe her, but I refuse to let this poor little girl go through any more than she already has.”
“She has this blanket, and a bag that looks like it was filled with water and snacks, so someone probably meant to leave her there,” Zander observed. “What about all the things I’m supposed to be doing with Dad?”
“I’ll go tell him what’s going on. After giving her a few sips of water, why don’t you see if she feels comfortable taking a bath right away? I’ll send Rose in to help and maybe I’ll just go along with your Dad myself. We can make a few calls on our drive into town and let everyone know what’s going on. Jake and Danielle will know how to handle this, since they’re active coordinators in the community foster program.”
“I’m sorry for all of this, Mom,” Zander said.
“Zander, what in the world do you have to be sorry about?” Mom heaved a sigh. “I’m proud of you. Think about what would have happened to her if you hadn’t been walking through the woods and found her. Her clothes are badly soiled so it looks like she might have been out there for quite a while.”
Zander closed his eyes, squeezing the little girl gently. “No one really uses that path at this time of year. I decided to take a short cut so I wouldn’t be home late.”
“Let’s not dwell on that for now. She needs our help.” Mom kissed him gently on the cheek. “I’ll go get Rose and have her grab some bottled water and then see if I can find some clothes for Lise to wear while the two of you try to get her into the tub. I’ll find some storage bags to pack her dirty clothes so we can give them to whoever ends up investigating the matter.”
“Alright,” Zander answered, hoisting Lise higher into his arms before walking through the kitchen and heading into the hallway that led directly to the guest room.
“How are you going to feel about taking a bath, Lise?” he asked gently, walking into the bathroom.
Her eyes went wide as he rested her gently on the vanity bench. Apparently, she was too overwhelmed by her surroundings to realize that she was no longer in his arms.
She looked strangely curious as he ran the water for the tub. Mom was right. She was sure a pretty little girl with her big blue eyes, and white-blond curls.
She acted like she’d never seen a bathtub before. But how could that be?
At that moment, Rose appeared, and once she smiled at Lise, Lise was smiling right back.
Rose bent down to the ground, handing over a half-filled open bottle of water as she stared into her eyes. “My name is Rose. Mom said that your name is Lise. Is that right?”
Looking uncertain, Lise nodded quickly. She was definitely familiar with bottled water because she held it to her mouth while Rose assisted Lise as she drank.
Zander didn’t know anyone who didn’t like Rose. Plus, when she sang, everyone said she had the voice of an angel. It was hard to believe that she’d just turned eighteen. She’d attended junior college this past year, but she’d finally given in to her calling and would be going away to study music this fall.
After drinking a large amount of water, Lise stuck her thumb in her mouth, appearing shy once again.
“Would you mind if we took your dirty clothes off so you can take a bath?” Rose asked, pointing at the large plastic bottle that she’d brought into the bathroom. “We have bubbles.”
Lise cocked her head, echoing hoarsely, “Bub-bles?”
Most obviously surprised, Rose’s eyes met Zander’s as she teased in a sing song voice, “Could it be that Lise has never had a bubble bath? We definitely need to fix that.”
Rose gently pulled away the blanket before slipping the dirty t-shirt over Lise’s head.
Although she was painstakingly thin, Zander noticed no obvious signs of abuse. Turning his attention to the water temperature while Rose removed the rest of Lise’s clothes, Zander adjusted the tub nozzle before reaching for the bottle of bubbles, adding a few capfuls.
Rose lifted Lise into the tub, propping her back gently against the slanted wall. She seemed so fragile, and even though she was most likely around three or four, it was hard to say for sure since she seemed malnourished.
“What do you think?” he asked under his breath, glancing at Rose. “She doesn’t look abused, does she?”
Rose nodded her agreement. “I don’t think so. But I’m pretty sure that she’s not getting nearly enough to eat. But there could be several reasons for that.”
All of a sudden, Zander heard a giggle, and he had to grin at the huge smile that Lise had on her face as she watched the bubbles fly in the air while she swatted at them with both hands.
“Wow,” Rose said. “Isn’t she sweet?”
Zander grinned. “It’s kind of a relief.”
“I’ll say,” Rose exclaimed.
Mom walked through the door and halted, her eyes on the little girl in the tub. Turning to Zander, she smiled widely. “What a transformation. That’s a good sign. Did she seem to be alright, Rose? No signs of…”
“No worries. She’s just way too thin, Mom,” Rose said quickly.
Mom nodded, resting some of his little sister Sophia’s clothes on the vanity seat.
“Mom? There’s something about Lise that seems kind of strange,” Zander observed. “I don’t think she’s ever been in a bathtub before by the way she was staring when we were filling it with water. Plus, she’s never seen bubbles.”
Mom pursed her lips. “That does have me a little concerned. She does seem to speak English well, though.”
When Mom left the room, Rose’s eyes met Zander’s. “I wonder what she meant by that?”
He shrugged, frowning. “I’m not sure. But there are always a lot of strange things going on around Crystal Rock. She must know something that we don’t.”
Rose nodded her obvious agreement before returning her attention to Lise.
* * *
After Lise was out of the tub and dressed, Zander decided he needed to shower and change clothes, since he smelled a little like fish.
There was only one problem with that. Lise wouldn’t let him out of his sight.
Rose laughed as Lise clung to his leg when he tried to leave the guest room.
“Zan,” Lise muttered fiercely, refusing to let go.
“What am I going to do?” Zander asked, panicking. Although he agreed with Rose. It was strange how Lise had become so attached to him in such a short period of time.
Rose continued laughing. “Lise. Zander will come right back after he changes clothes. How about waiting in here with me? Or we could go into the kitchen and get you something to eat.”
Lise shook her head firmly, gripping his leg even tighter, grunting determinedly, “Zan.”
Rose grimaced. “You’re right. I don’t think she wants to let you out of her sight. I have an idea. Why don’t I set up that old portable playpen that Mom used to use for the twins? If she stays with us, it might be easier to have her sleep where we can keep an eye on her anyway. It’s still in Sophia’s closet. Lise should be content if we give her something to play with, and we can wait in your room while you’re showering in the bathroom. Maybe we can play some music.”
“Okay. Whatever you think is best,” Zander agreed, feeling a little overwhelmed.
Hoisting Lise back into his arms, Zander reached for her owl, while Rose gathered Lise’s dirty clothes along with the bag and blanket.
After climbing the staircase ahead of Zander and Lise, Rose left Lise’s belongings on the floor near his door before heading through the hallway to Sophia’s room to fetch the playpen.
After depositing Lise in his bedroom on the center of the bed, Zander quickly grabbed a pair of clean jeans and a t-shirt from the closet before gathering socks and underwear from a dresser drawer.
Switching on his iPad, rock music echoed through the air.
Much to his surprise, Lise started laughing, bouncing on the bed.
Zander snorted.
“ Sweet ,” Rose mouthed softly, walking into the room with the playpen. “I don’t think you’ll need this now, but if she ends up staying the night, you probably will.”
Zander blinked, echoing, “ I probably will?”
“Sorry, bro, but apparently, you’re the only one she really trusts right now. So, I imagine you’re going to be stuck with her tonight. I guess I could grab a blow-up mattress from the garage if I have to and join her on your floor.”
Zander groaned.