I shrug. “I only saw the word Lake, but it should be by a park.”
“Right!” She points at me, snatching the notebook.
“It’s Woodhill’s Park.”
She types it in and scrolls. Her brows pinch together in a furrow. “Huh.”
“Huh, what?”
“No Woodhill’s Park in Jackson. Bike parks, May Park, Rendezvous Park—nothing even close to Woodhill’s, though.”
“Maybe it’s new and not online yet.”
She twists her mouth and sighs. “I doubt it. Most places have a website before they have a building.”
“Let’s check out the two streets today, just to make sure.”
Her fingers go to work and I lean over to see that she’s typed in 824 Lake and Jackson Wyoming. A few addresses pop up, but none for Jackson Wyoming.
“Does that say Texas?”
She scoffs and tosses her phone on the floor as if Google has personally offended her. “Yeah.”
“That can’t be right.” I rub my fingers at my still aching temple. “Come on, no giving up yet. Get dressed, let’s go investigate.”
We find Lake Street and Lake Lane easy enough, but they aren’t right. There’s no park, no sign, and no row of white houses with green trim. We park on the side of the street and I pull out my cell, typing in the word Lake and Woodhill’s Park.
I get information on places in Florida, Montana, Illinois, Georgia, and Idaho. I show Cytha my screen. “What do you think?”
“Gah, heck if I know.” She sits back against her passenger seat. “Do any of those places mean anything to you?”
“No. But maybe they do to Finn.”
“Ask him, send him a text.”
“What do I say?” How awkward is that—do you have any connections to these places?
“Here, I’ll do it.” Cytha snatches my phone, ignoring my complaints, and sends a quick text.
“What did you—” I say, just as she thrusts the phone back at me. I look down at the screen.
Playing a game. Have you been to… Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Montana, or Idaho?
-Cytha
At least she signed her own name. His response comes quick.
Idaho and Montana. Do I win?
I bite my lip and hold in a laugh.
“You are totally smitten,” Cytha says.
I look up from the phone. “I am?”
She roars out a laugh. “Um, yeah. You’re looking at that phone all adoringly.”
I roll my eyes and hold out the screen. “He says he’s been to Idaho and Montana. Do you think that’s a clue?”
“It’s the only thing we have to go on.”
“Let’s go,” I say, putting the car into reverse. “You can continue being Nancy Drew at Rodrick’s. We can search images on his computer more easily together.”
Back at the house, Harmony hangs on my back as Cytha types in the clues on Rodrick and Summer’s desktop. She tries Idaho first, since it’s closest. A long list of Lake Streets pop up in different towns, but it’s Harmony who points to picture at the bottom, “Swings!” she says.
I look down at her pudgy finger pointing to the picture and smack Cytha’s shoulder. “Woodhill’s Park.”
Cytha clicks on the picture and a dozen more photos show up on the screen. One with a wooden sign, a cluster of pine trees are wood burned into the sign, right above the words: Woodhill’s Park.
“That’s it!” I point to the picture. “That’s the sign! Where is this?”
She holds her finger to the picture, sifting through the words on the screen. “Idaho Falls, Idaho.” Cytha clicks on another picture, a view of the entire park comes into view. “Well, that was quick. Do you think Finn’s been here?”
I shrug. “Maybe. But at this point, I really don’t know what to think.”
“Essie, let’s go find the swings.” Harmony pats my cheek.
Cytha and I take Angelo and Harmony to a park just down from the house. After an hour we take the kids home and pick up fish tacos from the same place Finn took me all those weeks ago. I’m not banking on another evening with him, I know he needs to rest. Still, we stop by with a bag of tacos that I’m not even sure are doctor approved.
“Hey, Marley,” I wave at her through the romance aisle, “is Finn in his room?”
“Yeah,” she stacks another book on her already growing pile, “he’s up there with James.”
Good—he should have pants on if James is here. I smirk at my silent private joke.
“His friend, James?” Cytha asks halfway up the stairs.
“Yeah, remember, James and Ursula.”
“Right, didn’t she,” she stops talking in front of Finn’s door and mouths, have a crush on Finn?
“Later,” I hush. I tap on the door, pushing it open a little as I do. “Finn?”
“Hey,” the door opens and a grinning James stands behind it. “Essie and friend.”
“Hi, James. This is Cytha, my best friend.”
“Cytha,” he says drawing out her name. “I think Esther mentioned you once.”
One of Cytha’s brows rises over the other as she analyzes James.
“Then you don’t talk to Esther often.” Finn sits at his desk, the TV on, and video controllers stretched to the beanbag by the bed and on top of the desk. “She only mentions Cytha a dozen times a day.”
I smirk, but Cytha’s face softens into a smile.
“Esther, have you played Dark Ghirahim?” James sits on Finn’s bed, holding up his controller.
“Nope. Pretty much just AA.”
“I have,” Cytha’s smile is coy as she snatches up Finn’s controller from the desk. She sits on the floor next to James who doesn’t seem to mind restarting the game.
“Fish tacos.” I set the bag on Finn’s desk.
“Thanks.” He grins, but he looks tired. “So, you never said, did I win?”
“Oh! Cytha’s game. Um, sure. I’ve only driven through Idaho—to get here—so yeah, you win.”
He simpers and pulls one of the tacos from the bag.
“Hey, save me one of those,” James says, keeping his eyes on the screen.
“So, do you have family in Idaho?” I ask Finn.
His brows cinch. “No.”
“Friends?”
“Nope.”
“What did you go to Idaho for?” I stand next to him, my gaze shifting from the TV screen back to him.
“Why?”
I lift one shoulder, much too dramatically I’m sure. “Just curious.”
“We went to the hot springs when I was a kid.” He thinks a second. “Lava, I think the place was called. And Mom goes to I.F. for groceries every now and then.”
Cytha peeks over at us. “Esther and I are going road tripping tomorrow. We thought we’d check out Idaho Falls. Is it close?”
“Yeah, it’s not too far.” Finn studies me. “Other than Walmart, what’s in Idaho Falls?”
“Just a change of pace. Cyth and I thought we’d explore before she leaves this weekend.”