When the Bough Breaks (Rose Gardner Investigations #6) - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,15
it. The months I’d spent alone at the farm had convinced me of that.
“I’ve missed you too. Now let’s go get some answers.”
We walked into the entry and rang the buzzer parents pushed to gain entry to the secure area. A woman showed up at a sliding window open to the lobby. “Can I help—oh, hi, Rose!” she said, obviously recognizing me from when I used to help with Ashley and Mikey. “Oh! You’re havin’ a baby of your own!”
“I am,” I said, placing a hand on my belly.
“I didn’t realize you’d gotten married.”
An all-too-familiar defensiveness washed through me. “I didn’t.”
She blinked. “Oh. I never took you for the type…” Her voice trailed off as she realized her faux pas. “Sorry. None of my business.”
“In any case,” Neely Kate said with plenty of attitude. “Rose was gonna keep the baby with her at work after she delivered, but now she’s havin’ second thoughts.”
“I’ve decided to check out my options,” I said, hoping this would work. “I know I was in here all the time with Ashley and Mikey, but is there any way I can take a tour?”
“Sure,” she said brightly. “Normally we have people make an appointment, but it’s a bit slow this morning, and I’m sure Portia wouldn’t mind if I give you a quick tour.”
“Thanks,” I said. “I’m due any day now, so I really don’t want to wait.”
“Let me buzz you back.”
The buzzer rang out, and Neely Kate opened the door for me, holding it so I could enter.
As soon as I walked through the door, I immediately began to scan the room for Mikey. Ashley was in first grade, so she wouldn’t be here until after school, but Mikey would be in the three-year-old class.
The woman met us at the door and held out her hand to Neely Kate. “I’m Amanda, by the way.”
Neely Kate offered her a big smile and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Amanda. I’m Neely Kate.”
“Welcome,” she said. “We’ll head on back to the infant room.”
“But we’ll get to see the older kids’ rooms, right?” I asked. “Because if my baby goes here, I don’t want to have to change daycares once they reach preschool age.”
“Of course,” Amanda said, guiding us into the huge communal room at the heart of the daycare. “I’ll bring you through the entire facility.”
She led us to the infant room, which held six babies ranging in age from three months to nearly a year. “When they reach their first birthday, they move to the toddler room.”
As she said so, she moved down to a sunny room with five babies crawling and walking around while a worker blew bubbles.
“The teachers have been trained in the newest ways to interact with the babies and encourage their curiosity.”
Glancing around the room, I had to admit it wasn’t the dark, dreary prison I’d expected. The babies all looked happy.
“When they turn two, they move out to the big kid room.” She led us across the communal room to a classroom against the back wall.
“We have two teachers in a room with eight to twelve kids,” Amanda said. “The younger the age, the more teachers.”
The two-year-olds were singing a song with sign language. After we watched them for a moment, Amanda took us to the three-year-old room. They sat in a circle on the floor with their teachers, looking at giant flash cards displaying letters.
I glanced around and turned to Neely Kate. “I don’t see Mikey.”
“Actually,” Amanda said, “I’m glad you mentioned that. Mikey and Ashley haven’t been here most of the week.”
“So they really are sick,” I said.
Amanda’s eyes widened “They’re sick? We weren’t sure what happened. Mike never called in and he hasn’t responded to our voicemails.”
“Has Ashley been going to her elementary school?” Neely Kate asked.
“No,” Amanda said. “Her teacher called here to see if we knew what was going on.”
A sick feeling filled my stomach. “When was their last day here?”
“Last Friday,” Amanda said.
The day after I’d seen Mike with the kids. Had he pulled them in some elaborate scheme to keep them from me? That seemed crazy.
“So they’ve been gone three days?” Neely Kate asked.
“That’s right,” Amanda said. “We’re starting to get worried.” She lowered her voice. “I shouldn’t have mentioned it to you—confidentiality rules and all—and I’ll admit to using your question about Mikey to my advantage. But if you tell anyone, I could get in big trouble. Mike made it very clear he doesn’t want us sharing anything with you.”