An Excerpt from Finders Keepers...

From my new book, Finders Keepers:  



    BWOOP! Went the siren the day her dad was pulled over. They were all in the car, all five of them. Amber, her mom, her dad, and the twins, Bailee and Brady. They were only babies then. Amber was seven. 

“Oh, Sean!” Amber’s mom moaned. Her dad said a bad word and pulled to the side of the road. Amber immediately forgave him.

         “License and registration.” The police officer demanded.  Amber watched the man watch her daddy. She knew he was with the good guys. But she didn’t like him. Not one bit. Her mom shuffled papers in the glove compartment and finally handed a folded up paper to her dad.
        “Texas license, huh?” The policeman eyeballed her dad. “Just move here?”

“Yes, sir.” Her dad said. “Last week.”

         “Beautiful weather for it.” The police officer said, and Amber didn’t know but thought he must be joking. The skies were gray and she hadn’t seen the sun since they’d left the oven heat of Texas.
        “Well, you were going 50 in a 30.” The officer said, handing her dad the little plastic card and folded up paper. “You gotta be careful on this road. We got deer. Bear. And there’s the Children’s Center.” 
        They all looked at the post on the side of the road. It held up a green sign with white lettering that read: Echo Glen Children’s Center. 
       “What’s a Children’s Center?” Amber asked from the back seat after the whole ordeal was over and they were almost to her Grandma’s house in Seattle. The sun poked through the clouds and stabbed the skyline ahead of them. The city. She hated the city.  It was all dirty and noisy and smelled like pee. Thank goodness they hadn't moved there. 
       “I don’t know.” Her dad said.
       “Maybe it’s a daycare.” Her mom said, hopefully. “Or a preschool.” 
       “That would be nice.” Her dad said. “See? We’re going to love Meadow Creek Ridge. It’s a great place to raise a family.” 
       “I know, Sean.” Her mom said, like they’d had this discussion a million and one times. “I’ll have to check it out.” 
       Then the babies started crying and traffic came out of nowhere, making her dad say more bad words (for which Amber forgave him… again.) And everybody forgot about the Echo Glen Children’s Center. Until three years later when the helicopters whirred overhead day and night. And in kitchens throughout the safe neighborhood of Meadow Creek Ridge, parents huddled with their children and muttered, “That poor, poor girl.”