Authors: John R Kess

Tags: #Kidnapping, #Appalachian Trail, #Abduction, #Hiking, #Abuse, #New Hampshire, #forest

Finding Hannah (21 page)

Molly and I decided this wouldn’t be our first official date, since that should be just the two of us. Molly said it would be worth the wait, and I agreed.

When it was time to leave, I changed into my dark gray suit and red striped tie. Dad wore a suit, too, and the two of us waited in the kitchen.

Soon Amy ran into the kitchen, giggling as she swirled to show off her colorful new dress. Her hair was curled with a bright pink bow on top. She pointed at her cheeks, “Molly put makeup on me.”

Mom appeared and, following Amy’s lead, she spun around, showing off her red dress.

Dad hugged her and said, “You look beautiful.”

Molly glided into the kitchen. She spun as well, displaying a shimmering silver dress. She laughed, stopped spinning, and then blushed as she looked at me. I was so happy her bruises were gone and the cuts from the accident were healing. I’d always thought of Molly as being beautiful, having seen her wearing everything from head-to-toe black hiking clothes to her swimsuit. Looking at her now, I realized my definition of beautiful had just been redefined.

“Doesn’t Molly look lovely?” Mom said.

“She looks beautiful,” I said.

This made Molly blush even more. “You look pretty good yourself,” Molly said.

We drove an hour and a half to Concord with Amy sitting between Molly and me in the back. Molly and I tried to get my parents to tell us where we were going. They just smiled at each other and said it was a surprise.

When we pulled into the parking lot, I attempted to read the sign, but all I caught was “Country Club.” Inside, we found candlelit tables with white tablecloths surrounding a dance floor. We were being seated when the DJ announced that the first performance would start in five minutes.

“There’s going to be a dance performance?” Molly asked, unable to hide her excitement.

My parents smiled.

“It’s a dance variety show,” Mom said.

“Your mom and I brought Hannah here several years ago,” Dad said. “She absolutely loved it. We thought it would be a good place to come and honor her.”

Our meal was awesome. We sampled everything from seafood to steak, couscous to potatoes, and a variety of fruits and vegetables.

I looked at Molly and pointed at her plate. “It’s a little better than an MRE, isn’t it?”

“I do crave a good MRE now and then,” she said, laughing.

The performances varied just as much as the food. The first set of dancers was from a ballet school in Boston, and everyone stood and applauded as they finished. The next group was a pair of professional swing dancers who threw each other high into the air and made the crowd clap with every amazing and flawlessly executed move. Tap dancers were next, followed by ballroom, salsa, tango, and finally hip-hop dancers. Each five-minute routine garnered wild applause.

For the intermission, all of the dancers and kitchen staff formed a conga line and wove in and out of the tables. At first everyone laughed, and then people rushed to join the line, including Molly and me as it snaked by our table.

When we returned to the table, I told Molly it was time.

“Mom, Dad,” I said. “Molly and I have something we want to ask you.”

“What is it?” they asked.

“School starts in a little over three weeks,” I said. “Molly and I want to know if you’d be okay with us hiking the trail to Mount Katahdin together. It’s about three hundred and eighty miles and we think we can hike it in under three weeks.”

Mom and Dad glanced at each other.

“Sounds like an adventure,” Dad said, looking at us and then at Mom.

“Dylan, you were gone most of the summer.” Mom looked at Dad and took a deep breath. “But, what’s another three weeks?”

Molly and I looked at each other. We couldn’t wait to get back on the trail.

“Can I come, too?” Amy asked.

“Absolutely not.” Mom looked at me and her serious tone surfaced. “Same rules apply.”

“Of course,” I said. “We’ll take the phone and you’ll be able to call and track us like last time. Just don’t call so early.”

They agreed. Amy said she needed to go to the bathroom, and Mom and Molly went with her.

“Speaking of rules,” Dad said, looking around to make sure no one else could hear us. “That conversation you had with Tony about what would happen if, you know.”

“I remember.”

“That rule still applies. In fact, that rule is going to be around for awhile. Is that clear?”

I nodded. “Perfectly.”

“Good,” he said.

Mom and the girls arrived back at the table just before intermission ended. Each dance group performed again as we were served ice cream and cheesecake for dessert.

“The final dance,” the DJ said, turning the lights way down and activating a slow spinning mirrored ball, “is open to anyone who would like to slow dance. Grab that special someone and come on out on the dance floor for our final dance of the evening.”

Dad looked at me and motioned to Molly with his eyes.

“Molly,” I said, taking the hint, “would you dance with me?”

“Of course,” she said.

She held out her hand and I took it, leading her out onto the floor. The music started and she wrapped her arms around me as I did the same to her. She rested her head against my shoulder as we swayed back and forth. I loved how she smelled like fresh flowers.

“You’re a good slow dancer,” Molly said.

“Hannah taught me.”

Molly looked up and, half laughing, said, “You wouldn’t let her teach you how to swim, but you let her teach you how to dance?”

“I figured there was less chance of dying by letting her teach me how to dance.”

“I see.” Molly rested her head against my shoulder. “Oh, look.”

I looked to my left and saw Mom and Dad dancing and realized they were holding Amy as well. The three waved and we waved back.

I pointed out the ballerina next to us who was dancing with one of the tap dancers, who must have been her boyfriend.

“They look so happy,” Molly said.

“Are you happy?” I asked.

Molly brought her cheek next to mine. “I am. Are you?”

“Of course I’m happy. I’m holding you.”

* * *

The next eighteen days were the best part of my summer. Molly and I left the morning after the dance performance. We packed enough food to make the trek through the woods, but we left our black clothes and face paint at home. The northern part of the Appalachian Trail is the most difficult, but Molly and I loved it. We walked through wind, rain, heat, and occasional fog, then made the final climb. Molly and I stood next to each other reading the sign announcing we’d reached the summit of Mount Katahdin, the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.

“YEAH!” Molly shouted as she threw her arms in the air.

The sky was clear and the view was simply majestic. Huge jagged rocks lined the steep slopes around us. Small puffs of clouds rushed around our legs as we looked down at the green forest spotted with silvery lakes that stretched in all directions.

We’d climbed huge boulders to reach the top, and now we were exhausted.

“Promise me someday we’ll hike the rest of it to Georgia,” Molly said.

“I promise,” I said.

We enjoyed the awesome view and then took turns taking pictures of each other standing next to the sign at the summit.

“I really don’t want to stop hiking,” she said, “but there’s this boy who owes me a first date back home.” She moved close so we stood toe to toe.

“Is he handsome?” I asked.

“Oh, yes, quite handsome.”

“He sounds very fortunate to be going on a date with someone so beautiful.”

“Oh, he’s very fortunate, but I’m a little nervous.”

“Why would you be nervous? It’s just a first date.”

“What if he finds out I’m a criminal and an orphan?” Molly asked.

“I won’t tell him if you don’t,” I said.

“What if I really like him and want him to be my boyfriend?”

“Maybe he’ll really like you and want you to be his girlfriend.”

“Do you really think so?”

“It’s possible.”

“If he asks me, should I say yes?”

“Is he a good woodsman? Does he know how to swim, start a fire, and chase off bears?”

Molly laughed. “Of course! He’s the best.”

“Then I think you have to say yes.”

“I think you’re right. If he asks me, I think I will.”

I gently put my hands on Molly’s face. “You’d make him very happy.”

I smiled and kissed her. I felt like the luckiest guy on the planet.

Thank you!

Thank you so much for reading Finding Hannah. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I love to hear from readers and your feedback is most welcome. Please feel free to review Finding Hannah at your favorite retailer, like me on Facebook, or contact me via any of the options on the next page.
—John

About the Author

John R. Kess is a thriller and young adult author from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Finding Hannah is his first novel. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota. His next novel, is a thriller titled ‘Elly’s Ghost.’

For more info:
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JohnRKess.com
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Email: [email protected]

Finding Hannah

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Acknowledgements / Dedication

For my parents. Thank you for everything.

I’d like to give a special thank you to my editor Pat Morris. I want to thank the members of Writers Quest and members of my Loft Writers group. Thank you to Jared for his law enforcement expertise, Teresa for all of your legal help, and Dr. Smith for your help navigating through all the medical issues. Thank you to the numerous people who read my drafts and gave me feedback. You’ve all helped make me a better writer.

The cover art was designed by Lan Gao at AbDesign.

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