When the Bough Breaks (Rose Gardner Investigations #6) - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,83
that had a popular children’s character on the front and read Happy Second Birthday. When I opened it, there was the standard cheesy greeting card rhyme. It had been signed, but the signature was scratched out and someone had written on the other side:
I can tell you where those kids are, but you have to come alone. Meet me at Shute Creek Park at four.
My heart raced as I lifted my gaze to the teenager. “Where is she? Is the woman still nearby?”
“I don’t know,” he said, looking nervous, like he’d just realized this was no joke. “She seemed like she was in a hurry. She got in her station wagon and drove off.”
My head felt faint. “A station wagon? Was it an older model with wood paneling?”
Relief washed over his face. “You know her, then? Thank God. I was starting to worry something shady was goin’ on.”
I wasn’t sure what to tell him. Something shady was going on.
“Uh…are you okay, ma’am?”
Neely Kate would have punched him if he’d called her ma’am. “Yeah.”
“I’ll be goin’, then,” he said, taking a couple of steps backward.
“Wait,” I called out. I couldn’t just let him go, not without asking more questions, but I was facing a choice: call in the authorities or deal with this myself.
Except it didn’t feel like much of a choice. Vera, or whoever had given the boy the card, was clearly afraid of something or someone. The cops would scare her off, especially given how pissed Joe was about Muffy. While I was beyond angry myself, I couldn’t ignore this note.
Hopefully, Joe was about to find the kids and it wouldn’t matter. But I couldn’t ignore the little voice in my head that said what if. What if Vera knew something they didn’t? And what if I was the only person she’d tell?
“What’s your name?” I asked.
Wariness crept into his features. “Preston.”
“Hi, Preston, I’m Rose.” I forced a smile and held up the card. “This is part of an elaborate practical joke between me and my friend.”
Relief filled his eyes. “Oh. Good.”
“Do you have a moment so I can ask you some questions? You could help me with my next move.”
“Should you really be playin’ games when you look like an alien is about to explode from your body?”
My smile faltered. “I’m not that big.”
His eyes widened and he nodded. “Oh, you’re that big all right.”
I considered giving him a lesson in manners, but my need for answers overrode my ego. “In any case, like I said, anything you can tell me will help. Would you like to come in so we can talk?” Then for some bizarre reason, I added, “I have some leftover Girl Scout cookies.”
He gave me a leery look, like he was Hansel and I was the witch in the woods trying to lure him in. Which was a funny thought. I’d been leery of him at the start of this, and now the tables had turned.
“Or we could go down to the coffee shop,” I suggested, my smile a little too bright. “If you’d feel more comfortable there. I’d be happy to buy you a coffee for your trouble.”
My coffee shop suggestion seemed to put him at ease. “No, your office is fine.”
I held the door open for him, taking a quick glance up and down the street to see if the station wagon was lurking anywhere, but it was nowhere in sight.
“Why don’t you take a seat in front of my desk?” I asked, gesturing toward the two chairs. I considered locking us in, but I’d already freaked out this kid enough. I didn’t want to send him running.
“Okay.” He looked nervous as he took a seat, and I couldn’t really blame him. Walking behind my desk, I pulled a box of Thin Mints from my drawer and put it on the desk in front of him. “Would you like a bottle of water?”
“No…” he said hesitantly. “This is good. What do you want to know?”
I picked up a notepad and pen as I sat behind my desk. “Can you tell me what she was wearin’?”
“Yeah, she had on a housedress like my granny wears and a pair of boots. Like this army kind, but they looked really worn. And muddy.”
I nodded, taking notes. “What color was her hair?”
“I thought you knew her,” he said suspiciously.
“I do, but sometimes she likes to dress up,” I said. “You know, get in character.”