They reached the outside of Nashville, and Sal turned up the radio so loud Riley’s seat vibrated. She liked loud music, too, but not tonight when she was so nervous. She’d found out about her brother’s farm the day after the funeral when she’d heard her dad talking to somebody about it on the phone. When she’d looked up the town he’d mentioned and seen it was in East Tennessee, she was so excited she got dizzy. But her dad didn’t say exactly where the farm was, only that it was near Garrison, and since she couldn’t ask him, she used her detective skills.

She knew people bought houses and farms from real estate salesmen because that’s what her mother’s old boyfriend had been, so she’d looked up all the real estate companies around Garrison on the Internet. Then she’d started calling them and saying she was fourteen and doing this report about people who had to sell their farms.

Most of the real estate people were really nice and told her all kinds of history about some of the farms, but since they were all still for sale, she knew they weren’t her brother’s. Two days ago, though, she reached a lady who was this secretary, and she told Riley about the Callaway farm and how a famous athlete had just bought it, but she wasn’t at liberty to say who. The lady told her where the farm was, but when Riley asked if the famous athlete was there now, she started getting suspicious and said she had to go. Riley took that to mean he was. At least she hoped so. Because if he wasn’t, she didn’t know what she’d do.

Sal wasn’t driving too bad for once, maybe because the interstate was pretty straight. He jabbed his thumb toward her backpack and yelled over the music. “You got anything to eat?”

She didn’t want to share her snacks, but she didn’t want him to stop, either. He’d only make her pay, plus the trip would be longer, so she dug in her backpack and handed him some Cheese Nips. “What did you tell your dad?”

He ripped the package open with his teeth. “He thinks I’m spending the night at Joey’s house.”

Riley had only met Joey once, but she thought he was nicer than Sal. She told Sal the exit number where he had to get off, even though it would be a long time before they got there. But she was afraid if she fell asleep he’d drive right past it because the more she looked at the white lines on the road, the harder it was to keep her eyes open….