Finding Daniel chapter six
Just as Brian had suspected, there'd been no sign at all of Daniel back at the ranch. The kid's tack and horse were still there and there was no sign that he'd been home to pack clothes, either.
Adam was at a loss of what to do. If Daniel were actually trying to get to Crane as they suspected and not just off sulking somewhere, too afraid to come home, then they had an even bigger problem on their hands. A problem Adam was dreading to come clean about to a worried and agitated Brian.
"Look, Adam. I say we call Davis and get hold of Crane. We need to let him know to be on the lookout in case Dan'l manages to hitch a ride or something. We have no idea whether it's gonna take the kid a few hours or a few days to get to him. Then, we need to find somebody to wait at home in case he shows up or at least calls... somebody that'll be willing to look out for the boys while we search." Brian said as Adam navigated the pickup back into town.
"Hold on Brian. I need to tell you something." Adam began somberly.
"Tell me what?" Brian asked anxiously. He knew that tone in Adam's voice and it sent a sense of dread all through his body.
"Look, I know when we talked to Crane Wednesday, he put off his homecoming another week, but... well, he called again Thursday afternoon and he and I spoke. He had just found out that his professor was cancelling his friday afternoon class and he decided that he would come home after all. The plan is for him to catch the 11:00 am bus and head home. I'm supposed to pick him up this afternoon in Angels Camp."
"Do what? Adam, it's after 12:00 now. You mean Crane's already on his way home?" Brian asked, his voice filled with dread.
"Yeah. That's what I mean." Adam answered him dejectedly. "So we need to find Daniel before he gets too far from home. Problem is, what if we're wrong? I mean, what if he's just-"
Brian broke into Adam's statement. "Adam, he's not just moping around near home. I know it in my gut. He's headin' to Crane. That kid is so intent on pleasing you that he can't... well I just know he's running from facing us with all of this." Brian exclaimed miserably. "Otherwise he'd have showed his face already. It's been what- three hours?"
Adam didn't bother with the obvious answer. They both knew it had been a little over three hours since Daniel ran out of Mr. Hodges office. Adam didn't know what else to do other than take this whole matter to the sheriff. They needed help. It was too big an area to search for just Brian and Adam alone; not to mention they still had three younger brothers to look after... and somebody had to meet Crane at the bus stop too.
The thought of facing Crane with all of this made Adam feel sick all over again. He was already feeling like he was going to lose his marbles worrying about Daniel; facing Crane was going to be horrible.
Even though Adam was nearly six years older than Crane, he sometimes felt inferior to the kid. That was especially true when it came to Daniel and his well being. Crane was super possesive of that particular younger brother. Adam actually felt relieved about it most of the time, what with all the other responsibilities he had. Daniel could be quite difficult and Crane always seemed to know how to handle him. Adam had long ago relinquished control of his third-youngest over to Crane. But, when Adam did make mistakes with Daniel- and it happened a lot- he always felt like a school boy waiting for a scolding from the principal whenever he had to face up to Crane. Crane was like a momma bear and Daniel was his cub. Overprotective was an understatement for sure.
"Look, I'm sure he's following route 4 through Vallecito and on into Angels Camp. We'll have the sheriff put out an all points bulletin or something. Surely somebody will see him. Then one of us can head into Angels Camp to get Crane and search for Daniel at the same time." Adam said after a long pause.
"We don't really know if he took route 4. What if he took Murphys Grade Road?" Brian snapped. He always got short when he was worried.
"That's why I'm going to talk to Buck, Bri. He can get authorities in the neighboring towns to start looking. But I'm sure he's gonna follow Route 4. He knows that route a lot better and besides, he's likely trying to hitch and it has way more traffic than Grade Road." Adam answered, unable to hide the defeated tone in his voice.
Adam was scared. This was a potentially dangerous situation. The kid had no money and just the clothes on his back. It didn't help that rain had been forecast for the entire weekend.
He would logically have to hitch hike and Adam couldn't even stand to think of the dangers in that. Lord knows who could pick him up. Daniel was a smart kid, but there were all kinds of folks in this world and Daniel was pretty sheltered. Murphys was a safe town to live in. Everybody trusted and looked out for each other. But the world outside of Murphys was different. There were stories on the news all the time about missing kids and abductions- and worse... way, way worse. If anything happened to Daniel, Adam didn't know what he would do. They had to find him and find him quick.
Crane McFadden couldn't shake the eerie feeling he'd had for the last couple of hours. He knew he should be excited, after all, he hadn't seen his family in weeks. Phone calls every week were brief and didn't afford him much more than a glimpse into the lives of his brothers while he was studying for his college degree.
He liked his life at Davis just fine and loved the challenges his classes posed, but, somehow a longing for the simple life back home nagged at him all the time. It seemed that every waking moment of his life these days was haunted by an ever present call from the majesty of California's motherlode country.
Ranch life was hard, especially when your entire cattle operation rests on the backs of a group of rowdy orphans- the majority of whom were still kids. Still, as hard as it was there was a lot of satisfaction to be gained from conquering the day to day struggles while working side by side with your brothers. Crane couldn't help but well up with pride each time he thought of the life he and his brothers were carving out for themselves. His college education was to play a key part in whether or not the McFadden clan could actually earn an honest living as cattle ranchers.
Still, as his excitement grew with every familiar landmark the bus rolled past, Crane was hit over and over again with a sense that something was off. He couldn't put his finger on it, but his sixth sense was kicking in hard. Had he forgotten something? He couldn't think of anything. He really didn't need to bring anything home with him in the first place; he had plenty of clothes waiting in his room at the ranch. All he needed really was his schoolbooks which were sitting on his lap.
Crane had known that he would need to find some study time in the midst of this visit and he had all of his books in tow. He smiled as he imagined how studying once he got home would go for him. Sharing a room with Daniel would make it a nearly impossible feat. That kid was so full of energy and always had plenty to talk about. Crane's smile grew bigger as he imagined what six weeks worth of catching up with his closest brother would be like. So why then, did his heart feel so heavy now? He was excited to see them all- especially Daniel. He couldn't wait to see the surprise on the kids' face. It was going to be epic.
Crane shook off his bad feelings and tried to concentrate on the chapter he had been studying for the last half hour. He figured the bus ride to Angels Camp as well as the return trip to Sacramento would likely be his best opportunity to study. He supposed this feeling he had would fade soon enough. He'd be off the bus and greeting Adam in an hour or so. Might as well make use of this quiet time and stop fretting over feelings he couldn't do anything about. He reassured himself that he would feel better once he was surrounded by his family and their beloved Circle Bar Seven Ranch.
Daniel had slowed down after about twenty minutes of jogging along the treeline just out of sight of the roadway. He had considered following route 4, but feared Adam and Brian would come looking for him. He had one goal in mind and wasn't about to let anyone or anything stop him from getting to Crane.
Why couldn't Crane have come home last weekend? He had planned to visit but put it off because of schoolwork and then, he'd put it off again this weekend. Daniel had never needed his brother like he'd needed him these last few weeks. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration, Daniel thought to himself as he recalled all the tough spots Crane had helped him through, but, it was definately up there in the top three.
The Murphys Grade Road was less traveled so hitchhiking would prove to be more challenging, but not impossible. Daniel figured once he made it through Angels Camp he'd have a better chance at finding a ride.
He had practically jogged the whole five miles from Murphys to Vallecito and he was now less than two miles away from Angels Camp. He prayed he could find someone there at least heading in the general direction of Sacramento that would be willing to give him a ride.
It was a four plus hour ride from Murphys to Sacramento, Daniel remembered. It hadn't been that long ago that he had taken his first road trip there. Adam had allowed him to go along to take Crane to college. That ride had been anything but pleasant. Daniel had been miserable and had done everything in his power to try to make his brothers feel as badly as he did.
Daniel shuddered as he remembered that day. Adam had lost his patience with him more than once, he remembered now. But, considering his behavior at the time, the boy now realized Adam had treated him pretty decently.
As Daniel reflected on that day and how good Adam had been to him, a tinge of guilt ran up and down his spine. Was he selling Adam short now? Would Adam really be as quick to judge as he had imagined when he was sitting in Mr. Hodges office earlier this morning? Not that it mattered that much to Daniel anyway. Whether or not Adam screamed or yelled, or beat him within an inch of his life was not what Daniel was worried about. What he couldn't face was the look of shame and disapproval he was certain that he'd find on Adam's face... Brian's too. The thought of it nearly tore him in two.
Daniel suddenly felt like he was a little kid again. He knew he was acting like one, but- he couldn't help it. He fought hard to hold back the tears that were stinging his eyelids. He was pretty certain that Adam would never, ever forgive him for this. He would be humiliated and Daniel just couldn't stand to know that he had brought that kind of shame on him. Especially after everything Adam had sacrificed for him and his brothers.
Daniel was keenly aware of just what Adam had sacrificed. He and Brian both had tossed their own dreams aside to take care of the family. The older he got, the more guilty he felt about it. He knew how much they loved him, which was what was hurting him the most now. He had really let them down. He figured the least he could do is make them proud... not ashamed.
That was the main reason that he was enjoying playing football so much. He could see how proud they were of him. It shined in their eyes everytime they came to see him play. Football- there was a big game tonight, Daniel suddenly remembered. His heart dropped as he now realized that he would be letting his team down too. Things just kept piling up and Daniel's guilt was becoming unbearable for him.
Ed Sykes listened intently to the McFadden boys as they told him everything they knew about Daniel's running away from school. He felt really badly for them both. He could see how terrified they were. He imagined he would feel the same way if it were anyone in his family.
"Look boys, Sheriff Turner should be in any minute now. I'm sure he'll make some calls for you, but it's a little early for anything official- like an all points bulletin." Ed began.
"Don't tell us it's too early." Adam said to the deputy, his voice sounding thick and gravelly. He almost didn't recognize it as his own.
"Now Adam, just calm down." Ed replied as he stood to face Adam toe to toe.
"No Ed, listen" Brian began desperately, "He's just a kid and we've gotta find him quick before something happens to him."
"Brian, I understand your concern but it's only been a few hours and he could be right around here somewhere. We should really start with a local search party. We need to make sure he's not close by before we involve other jurisdictions in this." Ed explained.
"Look Ed, I'd like for you to search locally too, but- I really believe that he's on his way to Sacramento. I just know it. How long does he have to be missing before you call other authorities?" Adam asked nervously. He was beside himself now and didn't even try to hide it from the man.
"With a minor, we usually get other jurisdictions involved in twenty four hours. Look, maybe Buck will make some calls sooner, we'll just have to see. But for now, I'm going to get going on a search party. At least we have some good daylight hours to work with. Now, I'll need you two to tell me if he has any favorite haunts. You know, places that he likes to hang out?" Ed asked.
"Our boys don't hang out Ed. When they're not in school, they're at home with us... workin' their butts off to run our ranch. Come on, you know that better than anybody." Brian said, clearly agitated.
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. Wait a minute... He's friends with my nephew, Mike. Maybe Mike will know something. I'll go over to the school and talk to him. Maybe he can shed some light on all of this." The deputy said.
"Look Ed, I appreciate your helping us but we've got to get going. He could be close to Sacramento already if he hitchhiked. The boy has no money and I told you Crane is on his way home. He won't know what to do when he finds out his brother isn't on campus. I don't even want to think about him alone after dark in a big city with nowhere to go." Adam said desperately. He was trying but failing at keeping his temper in check.
"I know how you feel Adam, but kids his age often confide in their friends more so than family. I really think Mike may be able to help us with this. For that matter, I need to look around campus anyway, just in case he decided to go back to school. You know, they have a big game tonight. I'm sure Daniel would want to play in it. He could be back there already. Maybe you boys should go meet Crane. You can look around Angels Camp. If I were you I'd check the bus depot. Maybe check in at the ticket office and see if anyone matching Daniel's description tried to board a bus." Ed said calmly as he got up from his desk.
"So that's it?" Brian said angrily.
"No, but it's a start. I will get a search party together if he's not at the school and then I'll report this all to Buck- see if he can make some calls to some of the other sheriff's in the area. I promise you boys, we'll do everything in our power to find him." Ed replied sadly. He knew the McFadden boys were a determined lot and wouldn't sit around on their hands and do nothing so he figured he would give them the best advice he could.
"Adam, I think you should find someone to stay at the ranch in case Daniel shows up there while you boys are out looking... someone needs to man the phones there, in case he calls home." Ed said.
"Yeah, Ed you're right. I'll do that." Adam said as he followed the deputy out the door.
Daniel could see a car up the roadway a little with the hood up. He sized up the young man looking helplessly under the hood. He couldn't be too much older than Crane. He definitely looked younger than Brian and he was dressed rather preppy. Daniel thought he looked conspicuously out of place for this part of the country and definitely looked out of place under the hood of a car.
"Need some help?" Daniel said as he cautiously neared the older boy.
"What? Do I need help from a kid? Shouldn't you be in school or something?" The stranger replied with a grin as he sized up the boy approaching him.
"I'm not a kid." Daniel answered defiantly his hands forming into fists at his sides.
"No? What are you... twelve?" The stranger guffawed.
"I'm fourteen if you must know and I bet I know more about what's under that hood than you do." Daniel replied arrogantly as he stepped up to the car.
"Oh really? Well I guess this is my lucky day then, 'cause I don't know the first thing about what's under my hood. All I know is the darn thing died on me and I don't have a clue as to why." The stranger replied with a kind smile. "Sorry to have offended you... what's your name?"
"Daniel. What's yours?" Daniel asked as he offered the older boy a handshake.
"It's Patrick. I'm glad to meet you Daniel. So, you know my secret. I don't know a thing about car engines." He replied.
"I can take a look. So what happened?" Daniel asked as he began to look under the hood.
"It just stalled out on me. Everything was fine and then she just up and quit. I have plenty of gas, so I'm clueless." Patrick replied sheepishly.
"Ok, I'll check it out for you." Daniel looked things over for a couple of minutes then said, "It looks like you have a crack in a vacuum hose. It needs to be replaced, but if you happen to have some electrical tape or maybe duct tape, I can probably patch it and it should get you to Angels Camp. There's a parts house there and you should be able to buy one pretty cheap." Daniel explained confidently.
Patrick smiled and said "well, I guess you do know about cars. I have some duct tape in the hatchback." Patrick opened the back of his 1972 Camaro and quickly produced a roll of silver duct tape and handed it to Daniel.
Daniel made quick work of patching the hose, then instructed Patrick to try to start the engine. Patrick did so and the engine roared to life on the first try.
"You're my hero Daniel!" Patrick said, laughing enthusiastically. "What do I owe you?" He asked.
"Nothing." Daniel replied, then after a second thought he continued. "Well, maybe a ride?"
"Sure, where ya headed?" Patrick asked.
"Sacramento." Daniel replied.
"Oh yeah? Me too, hop in. We'll stop off in Angels Camp and you can help me put on that new hose since you're the mechanic of this duo." Patrick said as he reached over to unlock the passenger door. Daniel hopped in, feeling grateful that he had now secured a ride to his destination.
Patrick put the car in gear and peeled out, leaving the gravel flying behind them.