Rae’s eyebrows knitted together. “Why would she be mad?”
“Because she gets mad about everything it seems.” Gerrit sighed. “And because I built that barn for her. It was meant to be our special place. But now . . .”
“Now it’s a shrine to some guy named Luke.”
Gerrit closed his eyes. “Luke was my brother.”
“Oh.” One of the chairs from the kitchen table had been pulled up next to Gerrit, and she sat down on it. That must be why he’d always been so defensive about the barn. Maybe his behavior Saturday night had more to do with Evi and Luke than with her. “Did she see me?”
“Yes.”
The tone of his voice told her everything.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry, too. I don’t want you to stop coming.”
Rae picked at a nail. She hadn’t expected this. “When you and Morgan didn’t show up today, I—”
Gerrit’s eyes flew open. “Morgan wasn’t there?”
She shook her head.
He slammed the arm of his chair with a fist and grumbled something to himself.
Her heart sank. “Have you seen him?”
“He showed up early to the party, and there was a . . . misunderstanding.”
A memory pinged in Rae’s brain. Gerrit had asked her to get a message to Morgan, but she’d been so upset she completely forgot. “I never told him about your moving the party to four o’clock.”
Gerrit groaned. “He heard me say something to Evi and Noah that made it seem like . . . well, let’s just say I blew it big time with both you kids. He ran out of here.”
“It’s my fault. I forgot all about the message.”
“No.” He waved her words away and told her what he had been trying to say Monday afternoon. What Morgan had heard. “I wish I could go to Community Hope and talk to him. Explain. But I’m not supposed to leave this chair.”
“Don’t even think about it,” Hannie called from the kitchen.
He gave Rae a conspiratorial wink. “Yeah, yeah.”
“If you’re stuck here, maybe I can find Morgan and ask him to come see you.”
He looked at her long and hard. “You don’t owe me anything.”
“I’m worried about him.” If Morgan thought Gerrit didn’t really care about him—thought he didn’t matter? Something inside told her Morgan might have done something foolish.
“Me too. When he left . . .” His head sank back against the chair again, his exhaustion evident.
“I better go.” Rae stood. “I’ll stop by his house and see if he’s there. I’ll let you know what I find out as soon as I can.”
Gerrit nodded.
Rae said good-bye and thanked Hannie on her way out the door, all the while thinking about the time she ran into Morgan at his house. How he’d been afraid. How that man had yelled horrible things. She remembered exactly where the house was, but she was uneasy about going there by herself. What if Boss was there?
She hurried along the shortcut back to her house, weaving through trees as she pulled out her phone to text David.
What r u doing? Can u meet me at the entrance to Evergreen?
His answer came quickly.
I’m on my way.
RAE LOOKED AT the house, then over at David. It wasn’t dark yet, but the sun was getting low.
David’s smile lacked conviction. “You’re sure this is the place?”
She nodded. “Thanks for coming.”
He climbed out of the car, and she did the same. “Of course.”
He hadn’t hesitated to offer help when she’d explained the situation, even though she knew he was unsure about her relationship with Morgan. As they walked up to the dark house, she was beyond grateful for his presence.
Neither of them was eager to knock on the door.
She looked over her shoulder, glad to see several cars on the road. “It doesn’t look like anyone’s here.”
“Only one way to find out.” David banged his fist against the door and stepped back. “Here goes nothing.”
Thudding sounds came from inside. They waited. A light turned on. David raised a fist to knock again but hesitated when they heard a shout.
“Who’s there?”
Rae exchanged a panicked look with David. Boss. Maybe they should go.
The door flew open.
“I said who’s there?”
Her eyes grew wide, and she inched away from the man peering out at them with bloodshot eyes. She looked at David, her legs ready to run.
“We’re looking for Morgan,” David said.
Boss wiped a hairy arm under his nose. “Ain’t seen him.”
“Do you know where he might be?”
Boss swore, his face turning red as he leaned closer to David with a venomous scowl. “Like I care. He’s probably with his dad in jail somewhere.”
“Do you have his phone numb—?”
“Look, you little punk.” Boss grabbed the front of David’s shirt, and Rae whimpered. Why had she left her phone in the car? “I said I ain’t seen him. Now get outta here.”
David stumbled backward after Boss released him. Rae grabbed David’s arm and pulled as Boss slammed the door. “Come on, let’s go.”
David didn’t protest. They dashed back to the car, not stopping to latch the gate. Rae’s heart pounded. She wouldn’t mind if she never saw that guy again in her whole life. She hurried into the passenger seat, and David shoved the key in the ignition.
“That guy’s a piece of work.”
She struggled with her seat belt, her hands shaking. “I thought he was going to punch you.”
“Me too.”
“I’m sorry for dragging you into this.”
David took the buckle from her hand and slid it into the latch. “I couldn’t let you do it alone.”
For a second, she thought he might touch her hand. Instead, he shifted the car into drive and asked, “What should we do next?”
They couldn’t sit outside the house, she knew that much.
“Go down that alley.” She pointed. “Morgan hides out there sometimes when he’s waiting for his mom.”
David pulled ahead and turned left down the alley. She scanned the lengthening shadows and spotted the flatbed trailer but saw no signs of life. How long had Morgan been missing?
“Does he have any other friends?” David asked. “Any other place he goes?”
A lightbulb switched on in her brain. “Della’s Diner. I think
