The B Girls - By Cari Cole Page 0,18

and met her halfway.

"I'm not sure if everything's okay," Lucy said. "My aunt is missing and we think she may have been headed up here. We were checking the lot for her car."

Mae and Jane joined the party.

"I don't suppose you've seen a seventy-odd year old woman wandering around in your park?" Jane said.

Lucy took note of the fact that Jane was giving the Ranger the once-over while she talked.

He smiled and chuckled to himself. "You wouldn't be talking about Belle Morris?"

Flirting Empty Handed

"Yes!" Lucy said. "Is she hurt? Lost?"

"Not when I watched her drive away from the Ranger station."

"She was at the Ranger station? What did she want?"

"Maps of the area. Said she was looking for an old homestead and needed the most up to date map."

"Homestead? I thought this was all wilderness?" Lucy said.

"Now. Back in the 1800's there were quite a few homesteaders up here. The terrain made it tough going and most folks left for greener pastures. Some of the homesteads are still recognizable. Chimneys, stone walls, the occasional well."

"Do you have any idea where, specifically, she might have been planning to go?"

He shook his head. "Sure don't. I cautioned her about hiking alone. She said she was planning to have company before she went into the backcountry."

Jane made a wry face. "That would probably be us."

"Well, if you ladies come back up here you should check in at the ranger station first."

"I'm more worried about my aunt at the moment," Lucy said. "When did she leave here?"

"About two . . . three o'clock," he said. "I went out to make my afternoon rounds after that."

"Three o'clock and it's ten now," Lucy said. "Something must have happened after she left here."

The ranger shook his head. "I've patrolled all the parking areas in this part of the park. Her car didn't break down anywhere nearby and it's not parked in any of the lots. She probably had plans she didn't tell you about."

Lucy didn't bother to argue with him. "When can I report her missing and expect someone to do something about it?"

"Wednesday morning. Unless there's reason to believe there was foul play or a medical emergency."

"Wednesday!" Mae said. "Anything could happen before then."

"Do you have some reason to think she's been harmed or fallen ill?" Ranger Leonard said.

"You mean besides the fact that she invited me to her home and should have been there hours ago?" Lucy said.

"Besides that, yes."

"No. But I'm telling you something is wrong."

"What time was she supposed to be home?"

Lucy frowned, knowing her answer wasn't going to help her cause. "She didn't say specifically. Just that she had something to do and she'd be home."

To Leonard's credit he didn't state the obvious. "I understand you're concerned. I'll give the county police a heads up. Get them to keep and eye out for Belle's car. But there's really nothing else we can do until Wednesday."

Lucy wasn't happy but it was clear she wasn't going to get anywhere by pleading her case further.

With nowhere else to look, the girls returned to Belle's house to wait.

###

"What if the burglar was a kidnapper?" Mae asked as they began their vigil in Belle's living room.

Jane shook her head. "Timing's wrong. Belle was safe with the ranger about the same time we were chasing off the raccoon."

"Thank goodness," Lucy said. "One less nightmare to have tonight."

"But you think something happened to her?" Mae said.

"I think she would've at least called if she could. My hope is that she's stuck somewhere with a dead cell phone," Lucy said. "I can't think about anything else right now."

Lucy drank her way through two pots of coffee one dollop of half and half and one packet of Splenda at a time, called the county police every hour on the hour and paced until her legs ached.

Mae and Jane tried to keep her spirits up and took turns dozing on the couch.

Mae was on cheering up duty when the clock on the mantel ticked over to two AM. "You know," Mae said, "Belle is--"

Lucy spun away from the fireplace and held up a hand. "Stop!" She was afraid her head was going to explode if she had to listen to one more version of "I'm sure she'll walk in the door any minute".

Mae snapped her mouth closed mid-sentence looking a little wounded.

"I'm sorry," Lucy said. "The coffee's making me jumpy. You and Jane should go to bed. I'll wake you if I hear anything."

"You shouldn't be alone," Mae said.

"Believe me, alone is exactly