Questions for Answers

Chapter Four

Two weeks later...

"I've been looking for two weeks. We live by too many bodies of water to know what the heck he's talking about in that song. How am I ever gonna guess this? Is there even anything along the stream that I would be able to find? Like a cabin in the woods or something?" I whispered.

Kat's eyes lit up like she had a bright idea, "Oh, I've been meaning to tell you. You kind of inspired me with your detective knowledge, so I tried to think like you do and I ended up doing a little more research on the song. We weren't missing anything in the lyrics. Guess which studio produced Rarest Gem...Tetris Records. I started thinking that the name sounded familiar, so I looked it up and realized that we're not too far from Tetris Park! It has a bunch of trails and stuff, maybe there are cabins deep in the forest behind it somewhere. Plus, it has a long stream flowing through it. That has to be it, right?"

I smiled at her, "Kat, you're a genius! But it's gonna be near impossible though."

"How come?"

"I'm grounded. Trisha said that I needed to come straight home after school now. She found out I didn't go to the school therapist that day I was at the retirement home. And even after you gave Mr. Cherry an excuse for why I wasn't in class that day, he still called her and told her I was absent. Oh, and Ms. Kentri also told her that I failed my assessment and that I haven't been doing well in her class. Trisha says she doesn't trust me anymore, so I can't leave the house. But I need to find out what's along that stream", I explained.

"I could try to look for you", she suggested.

I shook my head, "No, you just got off punishment and I need to be there. I need to be the one to do it."

"So what do you have in mind then?"

"I have to sneak out."

"No, River, that's too dangerous. And besides, don't you share a room with Tilly? You don't think she'll ask what you're up to?"

"I don't think I need to worry about Tilly, she's trustworthy. And it'd have to be late in the day, maybe after everyone falls asleep so I can make sure no one comes in my room."

"River, do you hear yourself? You want to sneak out of the house at night time to go wandering in a big, dark forest all by yourself in hopes of finding an abandoned cabin out there? No, I'm not letting you do that. Or at least not alone. That just sounds like a horror movie waiting to happen"

"Ladies, quiet down back there", Mr. Cherry said to us.

She continued, "Of course, I'll help you, but maybe you should wait until she trusts you again. I don't like this at all."

"I can't wait any longer than I already have. What if too much time has passed and what they left for me is gone now? I've already wasted so much time not being out there."

"I hear you, but if she catches you or finds out that you snuck out of the house, she's gonna punish you even worse. I don't want you to get in trouble. Maybe if you tell her a little about what's going on, she'll be understanding and might even help you."

I gave her a serious look, "Even I know you don't believe that. Look, I'm searching that forest tonight. Are you gonna help me or not?"

She sighed, "Yeah. Just text me when you're ready so I can be outside in my car. We still don't even know how far away it is from your house. Were you just planning on walking there if I said no?"

I shrugged, "I don't know, maybe? Anyway, thank you for helping me."

"Whatever, let's just stop talking before we get in trouble."