Late the next afternoon, Jenny dejectedly walked down the trail back toward the parking lot. She reached the section where the path forked. The path ahead of her would lead her back to her car, the other went down to the beach.

Jenny bit her lip in indecision. She had always focused on the longest foot-trail. Carly had never been as enthusiastic about the water as Jenny had. Carly complained it was too cold, too rough, and contained things that liked to eat people. The memory of Carly’s adamant refusal to go in the water during their high school years drew a soft chuckle from her.

Deciding the sound of the waves would help the depression she was feeling, she turned left and followed the uneven path through the thick woods and along the rocky cliff down to the beach. She paused near the edge of the rocks and looked out over the water. Once again, she’d discovered absolutely nothing on her trek today, but that wasn’t a huge surprise. She would have been shocked if she had discovered something. Besides, she reasoned, not finding anything continued to give her hope that Carly was out there somewhere—alive and well.

Jenny thrust her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. Gazing out at the waves breaking against the rocky sand, she thought about her original plans to stay the entire week in Yachats. She’d planned to search for clues every day, but she was seriously considering calling it quits and driving back home later tonight.

After talking to Ross last night and her fruitless search today, she was thinking maybe it would be more productive to start researching her next move. If anything, the last two days had shown her that she was deluding herself into thinking she would find anything new. Ross was right; any evidence would have been destroyed over the past two years.

Jenny thought about her life. She didn’t have anything to rush back to except an empty apartment. She was officially on summer break from the elementary school where she worked, and she had completed all the scheduled workshops. Now was the perfect time to start applying for positions elsewhere.

“It’s hard to believe today marks exactly two years since you disappeared, Carly. I swear I don’t know where time flies,” Jenny said with a shake of her head.

She pulled her hands free from her pockets and reached up to unzip her jacket. She kicked at a few loose pebbles before stepping onto the loose sand. Walking toward the water, she breathed in the salty air.

The sound of the waves was already working its magic on her. She could feel the tension melting away. Her mind wandered as she glanced around. Instead of shelving the memories of Carly, she focused on the beautiful, cheerful girl who she had known since kindergarten. Flashes of their life together made her chuckle. Even though they weren’t related by blood, they’d been as close as twins when it came to their silly pranks while growing up.

Jenny tucked her hands into her jacket pockets and scowled for a moment. If she ever found out who had hurt Carly, she would dice them into tiny cubes, pour soy sauce on the chopped up pieces, and stir fry their asses, then feed them to the fish. Yes, it sounded gross, but Jenny didn’t care. Anyone who could hurt someone as awesome as Carly deserved that and more.

She drew in a deep breath and focused on the small outcropping of rocks that rose out of the Pacific Northwest’s cold ocean waters. Even with the unexpected sun streaming down, the air still held a distinct chill to it. A sad and reluctant smile curved Jenny’s lips.

“You would totally hate this, Carly. You’d be ready to pack it in and head back home, call for a pizza delivery, and debate whether you should watch Dragonheart for the millionth time. God, I miss you and the way we could laugh together,” Jenny murmured, staring out at the rocks.

A sense of peace washed through Jenny. In her own way, she’d said goodbye last night, and it was just sinking in now. It might not be closure, but it was as close to it as she could get. Releasing a deep breath, she turned to the left and started walking again down the beach when a brilliant sparkle brought her attention to the water’s edge. Bending, she picked up an unusual stone half buried in the sand and seaweed. She straightened and gazed down at the colorful swirls embedded in the surface. Jenny rolled the smooth, cold stone in her hand, studying the vibrant lines running through it. Her fingers slowly tightened around the sea-polished gem that looked more like a priceless jewel than an unusual shell or piece of colorful sea glass. She turned her gaze back out toward the ocean.

Jenny closed her eyes and muttered a silent wish as she listened to the sounds of the waves, the birds, and the wind. She really did love the ocean; it was the one thing she missed the most besides Carly since her move to the suburbs of Portland.

She had spent just about every weekend coming here to swim, surf, hunt for shells and sea glass, or just to enjoy the sounds. Carly had thought she was nuts and suggested they move to some place like Florida or Hawaii, where at least the water was warmer, but Jenny didn’t mind the cold. A dry suit and vigorous exercise were enough to keep her warm, even on a chilly day like today.

Jenny drew in a deep breath, enjoying the smell of the moist, chilly air as it coursed down into her lungs. A frown furrowed her brow when a child’s laugh rose above the natural cadence of the waves and drew her out of her reverie.

Opening her eyes, she turned in time to see a shirtless young boy, around seven or eight, running toward the water not more than a dozen feet from where she was standing. She frowned when he didn’t stop at the edge of it, but plowed forward into the rolling waves, heedless of the cold. She started forward in concern, scanning the beach for his parents or another adult, but the area was empty.

“Hey! Stop!” Jenny yelled. She shoved the rock she’d found in her front pants pocket before she took a step forward and held her hand out in warning. “Hey, you! Boy! Kid! Stop!”

The boy paused and glanced at her with wide, mischievous eyes before he grinned and dove under the next wave. Her summers as a lifeguard kicked in, and she kept her eyes glued on the tousled, white-blond head as she shrugged out of her jacket.

She let it fall to the ground behind her as she started running. Her tennis shoes would be a problem. She could kick them off once she hit the water. A part of her was concerned that her shirt and jeans would hinder her, but she didn’t have time to strip out of them. The boy wasn’t staying in the shallows, he was swimming straight out towards the horizon.

Her adrenaline spiked as she hit the freezing water. At the same time as the water closed around her thighs, she saw a flash of bright hair further ahead. The boy turned to look at her, amusement and an intense emotion she couldn’t quite get a read on shining from his eyes. He smiled at her one more time before he slipped beneath the surface.

Jenny dove beneath the wave as it rolled over her. Kicking out with powerful strokes, she swept her arms out and cupped her hands to propel herself forward. She caught a glimpse of green when the sun broke through a cloud to shine down on the water. The boy had been wearing green pants. Hope built inside her as she swam harder than she ever had before. She ignored the burning in her lungs as long as she could, afraid that if she surfaced for air she would lose sight of the boy.

Frustration rose in her when the boy remained just out of reach. Unable to continue, Jenny rose to the surface and drew in a deep breath, the chilly air stinging her wet face. Panic began to sweep through her when she realized that the boy had not come up for air. She dove down, and swam in the direction where she had last seen him.

The water was deeper here, and Jenny could already feel the cold threatening to pull her down into the inky darkness. If not for the adrenaline and fear for the boy, she would have given up and returned to shore. Ignoring the stiffness in her limbs, she propelled herself downward. Her burning eyes caught sight of the boy a short distance in front of her. A sense of renewed determination filled her. She would NOT let him drown!

Just a little more, Jenny whispered to herself as she frantically kicked her legs. You can do it.

Jenny reached out, trying to grab the boy’s foot. She didn’t know how the kid could hold his breath so long or swim so fast. Her fingers skimmed the tips of his toes, startling him. She jerked her hand back when he suddenly turned and looked at her. Blinking, she paused when he pointed at a dark recess in a rocky formation. Her gaze involuntarily followed his arm in the direction he was pointing before darting back to him. A small stream of bubbles escaped past her lips when he motioned for her to follow him.

Shaking her head, she started to reach for him when he twisted away. A low cry of dismay resonated through her when she saw him disappear into the gap in the rock. Surging forward, she frantically grabbed at his foot again, missing it by less than a finger’s width. Jenny gripped the rough edge of the rock and pulled herself forward until her head was just inside the narrow opening.

Her eyes widened when she saw a colorful kaleidoscope of water swirling in front of her. She barely caught a glimpse of the boy as he passed through it and disappeared. Unsure of what was going on, she gripped the rocky entrance to the cave with one hand while she reached out with the other to touch the colorful anomaly. The moment her fingers skimmed across the surface, she felt her body being pulled forward. A silent scream echoed in her mind as she was sucked forward into the whirlpool of colors.