Rock Harbor Search and Rescue by Colleen Coble, Robin Caroll Read Free Book Online Page A

Kitchigami Journal office before they close.”
    “I told Naomi. Let’s go.” They spilled out of the school with the rest of the kids onto Summit Street, some racing toward the buses while others grabbed their bikes.
    Emily and Olivia hurried toward Pepin Street to the local newspaper office.
    Rock Harbor’s three-block downtown area could have come straight from one of Emily’s little brother’s picture books. The town’s major businesses lined Houghton Street, which was intersected by Jack Pine Lane and Pepin Street. The storefronts were painted in cheerful pastel colors.
    Rock Harbor may have been smaller than some towns in the Upper Peninsula, but it more than made up for it with its quirky personality. There were forests on three sides, and Lake Superior stretched out along the other. The Ojibwa called it Kitchigami , which meant “giver of life.” Emily loved the sound of the surf, but always from a distance. The water scared her silly, and no amount of her friends’ teasing could make her get into the water. Ever since she’d nearly drowned, she’d refused to put so much as a toe in. She hated even remembering that day.
    “Good, looks like they’re still open.” Olivia grabbed Emily’s hand, and they crossed the street to the newspaper office.
    Emily sniffed to see if she could smell the newsprint. “The first newspaper was printed in Boston by Richard Pierce in 1690. And then it was shut down by the administration. Isn’t that interesting?”
    Olivia gave a little snort. “Not really.”
    A bell rang as they pushed the door open. Dust floated in the sunlight sneaking in behind them. Emily wrinkled her nose as she let her eyes adjust to the much dimmer light of the newspaper office.
    “Hello, young ladies. How may I help you?” Ms. Harris asked, walking in from the back room.
    Ms. Harris was tall, with long auburn hair, probably in her forties or so, and wore a business suit. Everyone in town knew she was the newspaper’s only reporter.
    Emily swallowed. “Um, we need to talk to someone about getting a copy of the paper from about three weeks ago. Please.”
    “Well, I’m the person who can help you at the moment.” The reporter moved toward them, hand extended. “Inetta Harris.”
    “Yes, ma’am. I’ve seen you in town, and you were my substitute teacher once when I was in the fifth grade. I’m Emily O’Reilly, and this is my best friend, Olivia Webster.”
    “Ah, yes. Donovan’s little girl. You look like your mother, though.”
    Emily gave a weak smile. “Naomi’s my stepmom.”
    “I know that. I meant you look like your mother. Your real mother.”
    “You know my mother?” Emily’s voice wavered. It’d been so long since she met someone who actually knew her mother personally.
    Ms. Harris chuckled. “Marika and I were friends, right up until she married your dad.”
    Emily couldn’t think straight. It’d been six years since her mother’s trial and sentencing. She’d been accused of attempted murder, but had testified against her partner and had gotten a lighter sentence. It’d been years and years since Emily had met someone who knew her mother before all of that.
    “You, honey, look exactly like she did as a young woman.” Ms. Harris smiled as she patted Emily’s hand. “Those beautiful dark curls. Your hair is absolutely gorgeous. And, oh my, you’ve already got a figure just like Marika’s. I was always jealous of her curves.”
    Heat filled Emily’s face. She hated that the top half of her body had grown so much larger than the other girls in her class. She’d begun wearing bigger clothes to keep anyone from noticing.
    “Sorry. I know you must miss your mother, and here I am, talking about her when I know she won’t even be up for parole for months. Do forgive me.” Ms. Harris straightened. “So, what edition of the paper were you interested in, girls?”
    Months? But Mom had been sentenced to twelve years. It’d only been a little over six. Breathe .