Chapter Fifteen – Caroline

“How would you go about tracing someone?” Caroline asked Fiona. They were standing in Caroline’s small kitchen. She had invited Fiona over for a reason, but now that she was here, Caroline was not sure asking for help to find Fern might be pushing the boundaries of their relationship. Fiona worked in child services and was a stickler for protocol, and using her inside knowledge of the system might be considered wrong.

“Internet?” Fiona offered.

“Tried that. The person I’m trying to trace has no social media accounts that I can find, and no address linked to her name.”

“Maybe the person doesn’t want to be found,” Fiona stated. Caroline was sure the old dragon knew exactly who Caroline was trying to trace.

“I’m looking for Fern,” Caroline said.

“Yes. I know. Or at least I presumed. After our conversation the other day, I guessed you might.” Fiona accepted the cup of coffee Caroline offered her. “Look, Caroline. If I help you, all I will tell you is that she is OK. I am not going to disrupt a child’s life so that Carter can lay a ghost to rest. That wasn’t what I meant when I said about doing an interview. Don’t drag the poor girl into it.”

“We won’t. That is not what I am asking you to do. I mean, I am asking you to find her. But really an alive or dead, happy or sad will suffice.”

“Are you sure Carter would want to live with the guilt if Fern is either dead or depressed?” Fiona asked. “Thinking you want to know something, and actually knowing it are two different things.”

“Listen, if you can find anything out, then tell me first and I’ll decide.”

“And if it’s bad news and Carter finds out you hid it from him?” Fiona asked.

Caroline sipped her coffee; it was hot and burned the tip of her tongue. “I’ll figure something out.”

Fiona put her coffee down on the counter and moved to stand in front of Caroline. “I’ll do what I can. But Fern is over eighteen, I may not be able to find her.”

“But she would be in the system?” Caroline asked.

“Yes. I believe so. The suicide attempt would have been logged.” She pressed her lips together in disapproval. “Which is why I am going to help you. Or help Fern.”

Caroline frowned. “What do you mean?”

“What I mean is, as news of Carter’s return spreads, more people will be after a piece of him. And that might lead them to Fern. I would rather find Fern first and be there to support her,” Fiona said.

“Thank you, Fiona. In a way, that is all we need. Carter doesn’t necessarily want to talk to her, not if she doesn’t want to see him. He doesn’t want to dredge everything back up, but he does want to make sure she is OK.”

Fiona picked up her coffee cup and drank it down; the heat didn’t seem to matter to her. “I’ll get on it right away. I have to go into the office. I’ll see if there is a last known address.”

“You know, Fiona, you are a good person,” Caroline said.

“And so are you, Caroline.” Fiona smiled, a gentle smile that reached her eyes, leaving them misted. “I am glad you are happy. Being alone in this world is no way to live.”

With that, she put her cup down and left the kitchen. “Thank you,” Caroline called after her, in a bemused voice. “She is one strange woman.”

“I heard that,” Fiona shouted as she pulled the front door shut behind her.

“It’s the truth,” Caroline muttered.

She washed the cups up, before grabbing her purse and leaving the house. Carter had already left; he and Walt were working long hours to clear the grounds, and were almost finished. They planned to dig over the ground and then start installing supports for the hops to grow upward. The arrival of a new debit card yesterday had sent Carter on a spending spree. All in all, he was like a kid at Christmas, who was buying his own gifts!

She smiled to herself as she walked along the street; it was another beautiful day, which was one of the reasons Carter wanted to work so hard. If they had a lot of rain, the grounds of the house would end up like a quagmire. It was good he had something to do, and great he had Walt as a sidekick. They had spent hours poring over catalogs and researching the best hops to plant.

Tonight she had promised to help him sit down and begin the torturous process of applying to be a brewery. Carter had also spoken to Dylan about some of his men coming over and putting a new roof on the barn he planned to use for housing the equipment.

Caroline let out a sigh. They were busy, but happy.

“Caroline, isn’t it?” a voice called from across the street.

Caroline stopped, recognizing the voice at once. “Hello, Teagan. What brings you here?” She smiled as Teagan ran across the road to her.

“I was in town.” Teagan sipped a coffee-to-go. “I’ll be honest, I fell in love with the place when I was here before. Fiona talks about how friendly everyone is. And I figured I’d treat myself with coffee and cake, and a run over the mountain.” She gave Caroline a knowing smile.

She’s a shifter, her bear said in Caroline’s head.

But was that all she was there for, or was she here because of the sightings of Carter?

“I’ve lived here all my life, at least until I joined the army,” Caroline informed Teagan. “Do you want some directions to the best spots on the mountain?”

“No. I don’t want to trouble you. And part of me likes to simply go into the wild and find my own way,” Teagan said. “But thank you.”

“No problem. How is the article coming along?” Caroline asked as they turned and walked together toward the center.

“Good. I wanted to send you a copy before it goes to print. Let me know if I’ve left out any details.” Was Teagan fishing for information? Was it possible she was behind the article on the internet?

“That would be great,” Caroline said.

“Good. Listen, I’d love to stay and chat, but I want to see how much I can explore today. It helps to clear my mind, and then tomorrow I am going to reread what I’ve written in my article and finish it up. Look out for my email.”

“OK. Good to see you, Teagan.”

“You too, Caroline.” Teagan walked toward the footpath leading up into the lower slopes. “And Caroline?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t include anything about Carter. I know he’s back, rumors get around, you know. Anyway, it must have been difficult for him.” She stopped and turned back to Caroline. “I just want to say… If ever he wants to do an exclusive interview, you know, set the record straight, I’ll do it, and won’t ask difficult questions. Especially about Fern.” She smiled sadly. “I know I’m not very experienced, but I’d love to do it. We were all young once, we all did stupid things. It’s not fair to hang someone out to dry because of it.”

“Thanks,” Caroline said, pleased Teagan had enough decency to not try to further her career by digging up Carter’s past. However, until Fiona reported back with news on her search for Fern, there was not going to be an interview.