Truth and Justice - Fern Michaels Page 0,51
waited for Isabelle to pick up, which she did on the fourth ring.
“You’re back home already! What happened?” Isabelle queried.
“Nothing. At least nothing that can help us. We met the Nolans’ best friends. No help there. Couldn’t find out anything on Sara that we didn’t already know. Avery might have found out something since we last spoke to him, but he has had as much luck as we did. We just decided we weren’t needed, that Avery could handle whatever there is to handle by himself. We’d just be in the way. I was hoping you would have something to report.”
“I want to go on record right now and say this whole thing is out-and-out crazy. I hate dealing with the military. They do not like the way civilians look at things or do things. They’re very rigid. And . . . they are not cooperative, but I had Abner’s friend Phil help me. He zipped through those records and files in nothing flat. How about if I bring it all out to the farm in the morning. Maggie called earlier and said she had some stuff, too, so we thought we’d come together once Myra sent a text saying you two were on your way home. I’m bushed, Annie, I just want to go to bed now, okay?”
“Absolutely. I’ll call the others and we’ll meet up around eleven. I’ll have someone bring lunch. Does that work for you?”
“Right now it sure does. Glad you and Myra made it home safe and sound. Annie, that woman Sara, she’s bad news. Really bad news. Don’t laugh at me and don’t call me paranoid, but I think we need to put Bella in protective custody. In other words, our protective custody. I just have a bad feeling, and I can’t shake it. So that has to mean it’s serious.”
“Dear, I would never laugh at you. Myra and I just had that very discussion not ten minutes ago. We agree with you about Bella. We’ll take care of it.”
“Okay. Good night then.”
“Good night, Isabelle,” Annie said softly. “Sleep well.”
* * *
Bella looked around her tidy apartment before she slipped into her navy-blue blazer. Taking Myra and Annie’s advice, she had gotten herself three part-time jobs, just to keep busy and help with the bills until she could move to North Carolina. Today was her day to work a three-hour midday shift at the Guest Quarters hotel chain. She actually liked the job and the interaction with the guests, and the time passed quickly. The pay was decent, too, for a part-time temporary job. None of the three part-time jobs gave her much time to think about her life and her current problems. She still cried herself to sleep every night, but she knew that eventually her crying jags would stop and her pillow would be dry in the morning. Time. Everything took time. She blinked away the threatened tears just as her doorbell rang.
Alarm coursed through her body. No one knew where she was. No one. Well, that wasn’t quite true. Her new best friends who were helping her knew, but they also said they would never seek her out without calling first. And then at nine this morning Myra Rutledge had called and said she wanted her to pack her things and move out to the farm for the time being, which meant she was going to have to give up her three part-time jobs with little to no notice. She had agreed to do it, and her bag was packed and sitting by the door. She explained that today she couldn’t leave the hotel on such short notice and would drive out after her shift was over.
So who was knocking on her door?
Bella tiptoed over to the door and looked through the peephole. Her eyes widened in shock. Dr. Martin Peabody from the fertility clinic!
Open the door? Don’t open the door?
Bella threw caution to the wind and opened the door. She didn’t say a word, she simply stared at the fussy little man with the owlish glasses standing in front of her. Finally, she found her voice. “Give me one good reason not to call the police right now.”
Peabody shook his head. “If I could, I would, but I can’t. I’d like to talk to you for a few minutes if you have time. Please, I want to help you and myself at the same time. Won’t you at least hear me out?”
The man was whining. If there was one thing