We started along the edge of the creek, following the water as it curved through the trees. A narrow dirt trail branched off ahead, worn but unused, disappearing into the weeds around it.
I stopped.
“That path,” I said. “Where does it go?”
Talia glanced at it. “Nowhere now. Those trails were here before the subdivision went in. Before that, people used to hike through this area. Now no one does.”
I stayed where I was, watching the water slide past, its pace much quicker now.
“Do you mind if I show you something?” Talia asked. “It’s a bit of a walk, but I’ve always thought it was kind of special.”
“Lead the way,” I said.
She stepped closer to the creek, moving along its bank, and I followed, the dream I’d had pressing against my thoughts.
Follow the water.
Not the path.
To the place where two become one.
We walked in silence until she stopped near a cluster of trees set back from the bank.
“There,” she said, pointing.
At first, I didn’t see it.
Then I did.
Two trees had grown together at the trunk, their bases fused, branches splitting and rising as one. From the right angle, the shape was unmistakable.
A heart.
“I’ve always loved that tree,” Talia said.
I stepped closer, my gaze dropping to the base of the tree.
The ground behind it had been disturbed at one time. The soil looked like it had shifted, and it was uneven. Even so, someone had been careful, going to a great deal of effort to leave as little of a mark as possible.
I felt a knot of fear in my gut.
“How did you find this place?” I asked.
“My dad brought me here. He used to take me on walks along the creek when I was a kid. This was always our favorite spot.”
The words landed with quiet force.
Not a confession.
Not an accusation.
Just a truth, offered without knowing the weight behind it.
I stared at the tree, at the place where two had become one, at the water sliding past.
The dream I had now made sense.
Anne hadn’t been hidden far away.
