Forever, My Homeland: The Final Book in the All My Love, Detrick Series by Roberta Kagan

Author:Roberta Kagan [Kagan, Roberta]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Published: 2016-04-13T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 24

The following day, Elan returned from work early. He’d promised Noa that he would take her into the city, to buy new ballet slippers. She had been complaining that hers were getting too small. They would shop for slippers, and then have dinner before returning home.

Elan poured a shot of whiskey as he waited for Noa to finish dressing. Then he leaned against the countertop in the kitchen and noticed that the light on his answering machine was blinking. It was rare that anyone left him a message unless it was work, and he’d just left the office, so he was pretty sure that it was not them calling. Perhaps it was Katja, he thought, and his heart skipped a beat. Elan Amsel pressed the message button on the machine and listened.

“Mr. Amsel. My name is Ido Hadar. I am in charge of a group of Jewish–American teenagers who are touring Israel with their synagogue. I don’t know how to tell you this, sir, but I have failed you terribly. Your daughter, Bari Lynn Allen, has gone missing. I am hoping that she is with you.

She told me that she was here in Israel looking for you. So I am assuming that she might have made contact with you already. Please telephone me and let me know if you have seen her. We are very concerned about her safety. So please call as soon as you get this. My number is 546-7488. I will wait by the phone for your call.”

Beep, Beep, Beep. The machine made this noise to indicate that the caller had hung up the phone.

Elan was puzzled. He tilted his head to a side, and his eyes scrunched as he thought about the call. He didn’t know of anyone named Bari Lynn Allen. His only child was Noa, and she was in the other room getting dressed. In fact, from where he stood, Elan could hear Noa singing to herself as she was getting ready.

There must be some mistake. But still, someone’s daughter had gone missing. What was this all about? It sounded like a young person was in trouble in Israel. If there was a child who needed help, especially a Jewish child in Israel, Elan would certainly do what he could. That was his way; it had always been his way. He replayed the message so that he could write down the phone number then he picked up the receiver. Elan would return this Ido fellow’s call and find out what the hell was happening.

The phone only rang once.

“This is Ido Hadar…”

“This is Elan Amsel.”

“I’m so glad you called back. I don’t even know where to start, but I will try. I met your daughter a couple of days ago. She came to Israel with her synagogue. Her name is Bari Lynn Allen. Before she went missing, she told me that she was going to look for you while she was here. Apparently, her mother had not told her that you were her father until a few months ago.

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