Talk of the Town by Anne Marie Rodgers Page A

it.
    Then her gaze lit on a bright red stuffed mouse half hidden beneath the Oriental rug and she forgot all about Maxwell’s social issues.
    Oh, Wendell . She glanced at her watch. She was working the night shift from eleven to seven, but when she left the hospital, she intended to go to search for him. Tomorrow was the day they would find their beloved pet. She just knew it.

    The atmosphere at breakfast on Thursday morning was subdued. Jane presented sliced smoked salmon on toast with cream cheese, red onion and capers to their guests, along with butternut and bran muffins, cranberry jam, fresh strawberries in cream and their choice of beverages. Miss Havishim and Maxwell both raved about the salmon, but Jane could work up only the faintest pleasure in their enthusiasm. All she could think about was that Wendell had missed two meals now. He had to be upset, hungry, afraid—she tried to stop thinking about him. She couldn’t let herself dwell on Wendell or she would have a total meltdown.
    Louise came into the kitchen just as Jane was finishing tidying up. She had had an early lesson with one of her adult students. When Jane offered to fix her a plate, Louise declined.
    “Thank you, dear, but I’m just not hungry. I barely slept a wink last night.” She looked as if she had been up all night. Deep circles beneath her blue eyes made her look years older.
    “I know.” Jane untied her voluminous white apron and hung it in the pantry. “I just got done telling myself that I can’t dwell on Wendell all day. I’m going to make up the guest rooms and do a little cleaning. Then I thought perhaps I would make posters that we could take to Potterston and hang in several places.”
    “I hope that won’t be necessary,” Louise said. “I keep thinking the phone is going to ring, and someone will tell us they have found our boy.” She glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. “Where’s Alice? I expected her to be home from work by now.”
    Jane shrugged. “She hasn’t called, but you know Alice. She gets caught up helping with patients through the end of a shift and forgets the time. I imagine she’ll be home soon.” Then, when Jane glanced at the clock, she did a double take. “Oh my. It’s nearly eleven. Shifts do run over, but Alice has never been this late before.”
    “That’s what I was trying to say.”
    Jane went to the phone. “I think I’ll call the hospital and check. I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about, but just to be sure…” She punched in the number of the Potterston Hospital impatiently and waited for the receptionist, then asked for Alice. A moment later, she put down the phone and looked at Louise soberly. “Alice left the hospital at least two-and-a-half hours ago.”
    “Oh dear.”
    “I’m sure she’s fine.” Jane knew she sounded as if she were trying to convince herself. “Perhaps she had some errands to run.”
    “Do you think we should go and look for her?”
    “Let’s give her a little more time,” Jane suggested, although part of her badly wanted to jump in her car and begin searching. “Our routine has been upset since lunch yesterday. She simply might have forgotten to call.”
    Louise glanced at the clock. “All right. One hour. We’ll give her until noon but after that, if we don’t hear from her, I’m going to look for her.”
    “All right.” Jane squared her shoulders. “I’m going to get to work.”
    “As am I. I have more lessons to prepare.”

    Shortly before twelve, Jane heard the kitchen door open and close. She raced downstairs, nearly colliding with Louise, who had come out of the parlor.
    “Was that the door?” Louise asked.
    “Yes. Alice!” Jane was now a few steps ahead of her sister and she could see Alice shrugging out of her jacket. “We’ve been so worried. Where were you?”
    Alice’s shoulders slumped and she plopped down at the table, massaging her temples with her fingers. “I’m sorry. I went to look for Wendell after