The Wonder of Your Love - By Beth Wiseman Page 0,83
the floor at the bottom of the staircase.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Get whatever things you have here and let’s go. You’ve inconvenienced Martha enough.” Vivian readjusted her purse on her shoulder. “Be quick.”
Danielle turned around and ran upstairs.
“She really wasn’t any trouble.” Martha edged toward Vivian.
“I sure hope you can find out who did that to her, and prosecute that”—she took a deep breath—“. . . person.”
Danielle was back, carrying a plastic bag, which Martha assumed contained the two changes of clothes Danielle had brought with her, plus the four outfits that Martha had purchased for her, ones they’d finally agreed on, plus some undergarments.
“Good luck to you, Danielle.” Martha lifted her chin, feeling unappreciated, but still relieved. The unruly teenager lies and breaks into people’s homes.
“Thanks for the clothes.” Danielle’s eyes were locked with Martha’s as she blinked back tears. The girl had to be worried about the trouble she was in for running away, but surely Vivian would let it all go, after everything the child had been through.
“I forgot to ask. Where’s your dad, Danielle?”
“He died. About six years ago.” Vivian bit her bottom lip, then smiled. “So it’s just been Danielle and me since then.”
“Oh.” Martha walked them to the door.
Vivian reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet. “I’d like to pay you for any expense or trouble you went to.”
Martha waved a hand in the air. “No, no. Just get Danielle home where she can finish recovering. I still hope you find whoever did this.”
Vivian tucked her wallet back in her purse and smiled. “I just want to get Danielle home.”
“Bye, Danielle.” Martha held the door open for them, but Danielle didn’t look at her. As Martha closed the door, she sighed, then watched them through the window, until a chill ran up and down her spine. There was something about the way Vivian was manhandling Danielle to the car. Martha’s stomach seized up, a pang in her gut that something wasn’t right.
As she watched Vivian dragging Danielle by her arm, the girl stumbled, but Vivian just kept pulling her toward the car.
Martha flung the door wide and stepped onto the porch.
“Vivian, you wait just a minute! Do you hear me?” Martha marched down the snowy porch steps, certain that she could take on Vivian if it came to that.
IT WAS AFTER ten o’clock when Katie Ann heard the cell phone ringing. She’d talked to Eli earlier in the evening, but it was a short conversation, and once again . . . she felt like Eli was pulling back. She knew he had feelings for her, and maybe it was just getting too hard for him to keep saying good-bye. Katie Ann felt the same way.
But it was Martha’s name flashing across the display screen. She quickly flipped open the phone, hoping Jonas wouldn’t wake up. She’d just gotten him settled in a playpen next to the bed.
“Is everything okay?” She sat up in the extra bedroom at her sister-in-law’s house. Mary Ellen, Abe, and their children were already asleep.
“Everything is fine. I guess.”
Martha told Katie Ann a bizarre story about her day. In the darkness Katie Ann listened quietly, her heart breaking for poor Danielle. “You think her mother did that to her?”
“She won’t say, but I think so. She wouldn’t eat any supper, and she’s been up in the extra bedroom for most of the night. I keep checking on her, though. She’s not her smarty-pants self, which kinda worries me.”
“She’s still there? For how long?” Katie Ann wasn’t sure she understood all this.
“I have no idea. When I walked outside and told them to wait, I looked at Danielle and asked her if she wanted to stay. Vivian tried to argue, but I told her to shut her mouth. Danielle ran to me.”
“Ach, Martha. That’s horrible. Poor Danielle. But what are you going to do now? Call the police? Report Vivian?”
“I don’t know. I’m going to give her some time. If her own mother did this to her, don’t you think she might be kinda messed up?”
“I’m sure of it.”
“How are things going there?”
“I meet with the lawyer tomorrow morning at ten o’clock. It’s been nice visiting with friends and family, and they love spending time with Jonas.”
“Well, I miss my baby.”
“I know. And he misses you too.”
“I hear Danielle coming downstairs,” Martha said in a whisper. “I’ll call you tomorrow and see how the lawyer went. I love you, sweetie.”
“I love you too.”
Katie Ann lay back down and closed her eyes. Being