The Lost and Found Read Online Free Page A

Terri is gone. Killed. I got a phone call.”
    “Your daughter?” Josiah asked, quickly trying to process the information, to know how to best help with the situation. “When did you get the phone call? From whom?”
    “Just now.” Billy swallowed hard, wiped his eyes. Tried to calm himself. “Got a call from Social Services in Virginia… Terri… and her husband… were both killed in a car accident. About a week ago. They had to track me down to notify me.”
    Josiah instantly thought of Billy’s granddaughter. Of her smile. Knowing it would be shattered now. A part of him shattered just at the thought. “What of the kids?” What of Crimson ?
    “I need to head out there. Take custody of Ethan. I’ll need to bring them here. Sage and Ethan. She’ll have nowhere else to go.”
    “When are you leaving?”
    “I need to call and make all the arrangements. So much to do. Call Red for me, will ya? Let him know I need to leave. I’ll be gone a couple weeks I’m sure. Can you hold things down here?”
    “You know I can.”
    “The upper room. I’ll leave you my card. Get whatever you need. I think Sage’ll have to move in there. There’s just nowhere else to put a girl here. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just make sure it’s livable and secure. Maybe Ethan can bunk with me until I can figure out what to do with him.”
    “How old is he?”
    “Thirteen.”
    “Bunk him with Kelly. He’s the best of them. It’ll be tight in that room, but they’ll get along fine.”
    “That’ll work,” Billy nodded numbly.
    Billy had left the following morning and Josiah worked tirelessly getting the room ready for when Crimson arrived. Upstairs and down the hall in the big house was a large open room that Billy had planned to turn into a game room eventually, but just hadn’t gotten around to it in the last couple of years. They’d worked on it here and there, getting the plumbing for the small bathroom done, installing the toilet and the sink, laying the plywood down, getting the sheetrock up. Lately it had been used for storage. Josiah cleaned everything out and got a shower installed, finished the wiring, and got everything nailed off. He’d found an old four-poster bed at an antique and used furniture dealer in town. Sally, Red’s sister, bought some bedding and between them they got the room as ready as they could. Later they’d paint and install flooring, but for now it’d have to work.
    Boxes began arriving, shipped from Billy — the kids’ belongings. Josiah stored them in Crimson’s room. Almost two weeks to the day, he got the message from Billy letting him know when to expect them, what flight they’d be coming in on. Billy described Crimson as broken and unreachable. Ethan seemed lost and a little scared he said, but had warmed to him, accepted him fairly easily. Billy wasn’t sure what he was going to do about Crimson. She just seemed shattered — over the death of her parents, over the truths she’d learned.
     

     
    Crimson Sage
     
    I’D BEEN HERE AT Lost and Found ranch for four days — most of which I’d spent in my room, away from everyone. Both Billy and Ethan seemed determined to talk about everything that had happened. Each time I’d tried to venture from my room they were there asking how I was doing, if I needed to talk. Like talking somehow made it all better. I couldn’t talk. Not yet. I wasn’t ready. I was still trying to process feelings and fears. There was no way I could put those into words yet.
    The morning after I arrived I’d gone downstairs in search of coffee and food. My face was everywhere. Ethan hadn’t exaggerated. Billy did have lots of pictures of us all over the house. It was disconcerting at the very least, uncomfortable at best.
    Following the smell of coffee and the soft rumble of several voices, I entered the kitchen. A hush fell over the room. Glancing up and then immediately back down, I’d noticed every eye in the room was turned toward me. Sally