needed more information, but I wasn’t sure how hard to press Annie. I didn’t want her to forget how to talk again. “Did your mommy put you in school here?”
Annie shook her head. “I’m on summer vacation. She said I would go to a new school in the fall.”
Crap. That made sense. Annie would have only missed a few weeks of school when Belinda decided to move. That must have been part of her plan.
“Do you think your house is close to here?” Bay asked.
Annie shrugged.
“We should check with everyone that has rental property,” Chief Terry said. “If Belinda bought a house, we would have found that when we ran her financials. I think she was living off cash, but she couldn’t buy a house with cash.”
“That’s a good idea,” Landon said.
“Do you remember going somewhere with your mommy?” I asked.
Annie’s face was anguished. “I don’t remember.”
“It’s okay,” I said.
“It is,” Marcus said, increasing his rocking pace. “It’s going to be okay.”
“I want my mommy,” Annie wailed. “I want my mommy!”
Well, that was one thing we could all agree on. We all wanted her to have her mommy. I could only hope we weren’t too late.
Seven
“Well, at least she’s talking,” Landon said. He was standing in the archway between the dining room and lobby watching Mom and Winnie dote on Annie at the rectangular table.
Dinner had been tense. Everyone had gone out of their way to make Annie feel comfortable – even Aunt Tillie – and the girl had slowly come out of her shell. She was insistent on remaining close to Marcus and me, so we settled on either side of her and urged her to eat.
Finally, with the introduction of a red velvet cake, Annie agreed to let Mom, Marnie and Winnie take care of her. She looked exhausted, but she was fighting every attempt to get her to go upstairs and sleep.
“We need to find Belinda,” Bay said. “She’s the only one who can answer our questions.”
“She was obviously scared of something,” Landon said. “Why else would she pack up everything, pick up the kid from school, and then flee the state?” He turned to Chief Terry. “Has anyone checked her phone records?”
“On what authority?”
“The authority that her child was found wandering country roads alone,” Landon said.
Chief Terry sighed. “No one has reported her missing.”
“Annie has,” I challenged.
“Annie can’t remember what happened,” Chief Terry countered. “For all you know, Belinda tossed Annie out of the car and drove away.”
“Then she committed a crime,” I pressed.
“I’m not arguing with you, Thistle,” Chief Terry said. “I happen to agree with you. Everything we’ve found out about Belinda Martin seems to imply that she’s a good mother. She doesn’t sound like the type of mother who would just abandon her child. I still have to work within the confines of the law.”
“He’s right, Thistle,” Landon said. “There’s nothing he can do. We’ve circulated her photograph to other law enforcement agencies in the area. We’ve contacted Annie’s next of kin. What more do you want?”
“Yeah, and did you see Annie’s reaction when we mentioned her grandparents coming?”
Landon cracked his neck. “Yeah. That wasn’t good.”
“We need to find out what’s wrong with the grandparents,” I said.
“I’ll find out about the grandparents,” Aunt Tillie said, breezing into the room from the front door of the inn.
Landon shifted. “Where were you?”
“Outside,” Aunt Tillie said. “I like to take a walk after I eat. It helps with the digestion process.”
Landon narrowed his eyes. “Since when?”
“Why are you always such a pain in my posterior?” Aunt Tillie asked. “Last time I checked, I was an adult. That means I can wander around outside as much as I want.”
“Yes, but I don’t trust you,” Landon said. “I know when you’re lying.”
“Because her lips are moving?” I have no idea why I don’t
Annie shook her head. “I’m on summer vacation. She said I would go to a new school in the fall.”
Crap. That made sense. Annie would have only missed a few weeks of school when Belinda decided to move. That must have been part of her plan.
“Do you think your house is close to here?” Bay asked.
Annie shrugged.
“We should check with everyone that has rental property,” Chief Terry said. “If Belinda bought a house, we would have found that when we ran her financials. I think she was living off cash, but she couldn’t buy a house with cash.”
“That’s a good idea,” Landon said.
“Do you remember going somewhere with your mommy?” I asked.
Annie’s face was anguished. “I don’t remember.”
“It’s okay,” I said.
“It is,” Marcus said, increasing his rocking pace. “It’s going to be okay.”
“I want my mommy,” Annie wailed. “I want my mommy!”
Well, that was one thing we could all agree on. We all wanted her to have her mommy. I could only hope we weren’t too late.
Seven
“Well, at least she’s talking,” Landon said. He was standing in the archway between the dining room and lobby watching Mom and Winnie dote on Annie at the rectangular table.
Dinner had been tense. Everyone had gone out of their way to make Annie feel comfortable – even Aunt Tillie – and the girl had slowly come out of her shell. She was insistent on remaining close to Marcus and me, so we settled on either side of her and urged her to eat.
Finally, with the introduction of a red velvet cake, Annie agreed to let Mom, Marnie and Winnie take care of her. She looked exhausted, but she was fighting every attempt to get her to go upstairs and sleep.
“We need to find Belinda,” Bay said. “She’s the only one who can answer our questions.”
“She was obviously scared of something,” Landon said. “Why else would she pack up everything, pick up the kid from school, and then flee the state?” He turned to Chief Terry. “Has anyone checked her phone records?”
“On what authority?”
“The authority that her child was found wandering country roads alone,” Landon said.
Chief Terry sighed. “No one has reported her missing.”
“Annie has,” I challenged.
“Annie can’t remember what happened,” Chief Terry countered. “For all you know, Belinda tossed Annie out of the car and drove away.”
“Then she committed a crime,” I pressed.
“I’m not arguing with you, Thistle,” Chief Terry said. “I happen to agree with you. Everything we’ve found out about Belinda Martin seems to imply that she’s a good mother. She doesn’t sound like the type of mother who would just abandon her child. I still have to work within the confines of the law.”
“He’s right, Thistle,” Landon said. “There’s nothing he can do. We’ve circulated her photograph to other law enforcement agencies in the area. We’ve contacted Annie’s next of kin. What more do you want?”
“Yeah, and did you see Annie’s reaction when we mentioned her grandparents coming?”
Landon cracked his neck. “Yeah. That wasn’t good.”
“We need to find out what’s wrong with the grandparents,” I said.
“I’ll find out about the grandparents,” Aunt Tillie said, breezing into the room from the front door of the inn.
Landon shifted. “Where were you?”
“Outside,” Aunt Tillie said. “I like to take a walk after I eat. It helps with the digestion process.”
Landon narrowed his eyes. “Since when?”
“Why are you always such a pain in my posterior?” Aunt Tillie asked. “Last time I checked, I was an adult. That means I can wander around outside as much as I want.”
“Yes, but I don’t trust you,” Landon said. “I know when you’re lying.”
“Because her lips are moving?” I have no idea why I don’t
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