Reflecting Love's Charms (Bellingwood Book 14) Read Online Free
Author: Diane Greenwood Muir
Ohio."
"She took a call from a number there this morning."
He shuddered and swallowed. "Now do you think it has something to do with her father?"
"I hope not," Polly said. She walked over to the front door and looked out. "Where is Stu? I thought he'd be here by now."
As if on cue, his vehicle pulled in behind hers and Polly pushed the door open.
"This is quite a gathering," Stu said, when he walked in. He took a look around, walked into the kitchen and back through the bedrooms, then came back out. "There's no sign of a struggle. They just picked up and left, right?"
Polly nodded. "It looks like it. Rebecca says they'd hidden some cash and a cell phone in the vent up there." She pointed above Rebecca's head. "It's gone, too."
"And they didn't say anything to any of you?" Stu asked.
"Kayla just said good-bye," Rebecca said. "It was like she was never going to see me again."
"Did either of them talk about where they'd go if they had to run away?" he asked, looking around the room.
Polly walked over to stand beside Rebecca, put her hand on her daughter's back and then looked at Jeff. "I don't remember her talking about somewhere else she’d want to live. Do you?"
He shrugged. "She talked about living where it was warm. But we both kidded about that. A beach in Hawaii or even Orlando where she could take Kayla to Disney World. But I don't know. She talked about seeing the mountains in Colorado and going to San Francisco. She had a lot of plans."
"What about when you were around, Rebecca?" Polly asked. "Did they ever say anything?"
"I don't think so." Rebecca nodded toward Jeff. "Yeah, they wanted to go to Disney, but that wasn't for a couple of years." She smiled up at Polly. "Stephanie said that I could go with them if you'd let me."
"Of course I would," Polly said. "I can't believe they lived around us for nearly a year and we have no idea where they'd go if they had to leave."
"Why did they have to leave, anyway?" Rebecca asked. She leaned forward to look around Polly at Stu.
"We'll check on that," he said.
"The first thing you should do is make sure her father is still in jail," Jeff said. "I can't think of any other reason for her to bolt like this."
Polly handed Stu the cell phone. "There's an Ohio phone number on there. Whoever it was called this morning just before she took off."
"You didn't call it?" Stu asked with a grin.
"Only because you showed up," Polly said.
Stu walked around Polly and stood in front of Rebecca. "Would you walk around the trailer with me?" he asked. "You've been here more than anyone else and if you see anything that might help us track the girls down, you'd help me out a lot."
"Yes!" Rebecca jumped up. "Thank you for letting me help. I feel so useless."
"Everybody does in situations like this," Stu said and guided her into the kitchen.
"How are you doing?" Henry asked Polly. "Have you started to hurt yet?"
She stretched the muscles in her back. "I'm okay for now. I'll probably take some aspirin before I go to bed tonight. Tomorrow will be worse than today."
"What did you do?" Jeff asked. "I should have asked earlier. I saw Eliseo bolt out of the parking lot this morning."
"She fell in a hole and found a body."
"Shut up," Jeff said with a laugh. "At your new house?"
"Behind the garage. I was hauling chunks of concrete and all of a sudden the ground gave way and I was in a strange little room that had been dug out underground." She spoke in a whisper. "And there's a full-blown tunnel, too. I think it leads all the way back to the house."
"Did you check it out?"
Polly glanced at Henry and grinned at his scowl. "No. Henry was going to be upset enough that I'd fallen in. I didn't want to push my luck."
"That's right," Henry said. "Heath and I will check it out. You aren't allowed in there until we can be certain that it's safe."
"But it’s a tunnel!" she said. "If it’s safe, we can have fun with it. You could shore up the walls in the room for a hideaway."
Henry
"She took a call from a number there this morning."
He shuddered and swallowed. "Now do you think it has something to do with her father?"
"I hope not," Polly said. She walked over to the front door and looked out. "Where is Stu? I thought he'd be here by now."
As if on cue, his vehicle pulled in behind hers and Polly pushed the door open.
"This is quite a gathering," Stu said, when he walked in. He took a look around, walked into the kitchen and back through the bedrooms, then came back out. "There's no sign of a struggle. They just picked up and left, right?"
Polly nodded. "It looks like it. Rebecca says they'd hidden some cash and a cell phone in the vent up there." She pointed above Rebecca's head. "It's gone, too."
"And they didn't say anything to any of you?" Stu asked.
"Kayla just said good-bye," Rebecca said. "It was like she was never going to see me again."
"Did either of them talk about where they'd go if they had to run away?" he asked, looking around the room.
Polly walked over to stand beside Rebecca, put her hand on her daughter's back and then looked at Jeff. "I don't remember her talking about somewhere else she’d want to live. Do you?"
He shrugged. "She talked about living where it was warm. But we both kidded about that. A beach in Hawaii or even Orlando where she could take Kayla to Disney World. But I don't know. She talked about seeing the mountains in Colorado and going to San Francisco. She had a lot of plans."
"What about when you were around, Rebecca?" Polly asked. "Did they ever say anything?"
"I don't think so." Rebecca nodded toward Jeff. "Yeah, they wanted to go to Disney, but that wasn't for a couple of years." She smiled up at Polly. "Stephanie said that I could go with them if you'd let me."
"Of course I would," Polly said. "I can't believe they lived around us for nearly a year and we have no idea where they'd go if they had to leave."
"Why did they have to leave, anyway?" Rebecca asked. She leaned forward to look around Polly at Stu.
"We'll check on that," he said.
"The first thing you should do is make sure her father is still in jail," Jeff said. "I can't think of any other reason for her to bolt like this."
Polly handed Stu the cell phone. "There's an Ohio phone number on there. Whoever it was called this morning just before she took off."
"You didn't call it?" Stu asked with a grin.
"Only because you showed up," Polly said.
Stu walked around Polly and stood in front of Rebecca. "Would you walk around the trailer with me?" he asked. "You've been here more than anyone else and if you see anything that might help us track the girls down, you'd help me out a lot."
"Yes!" Rebecca jumped up. "Thank you for letting me help. I feel so useless."
"Everybody does in situations like this," Stu said and guided her into the kitchen.
"How are you doing?" Henry asked Polly. "Have you started to hurt yet?"
She stretched the muscles in her back. "I'm okay for now. I'll probably take some aspirin before I go to bed tonight. Tomorrow will be worse than today."
"What did you do?" Jeff asked. "I should have asked earlier. I saw Eliseo bolt out of the parking lot this morning."
"She fell in a hole and found a body."
"Shut up," Jeff said with a laugh. "At your new house?"
"Behind the garage. I was hauling chunks of concrete and all of a sudden the ground gave way and I was in a strange little room that had been dug out underground." She spoke in a whisper. "And there's a full-blown tunnel, too. I think it leads all the way back to the house."
"Did you check it out?"
Polly glanced at Henry and grinned at his scowl. "No. Henry was going to be upset enough that I'd fallen in. I didn't want to push my luck."
"That's right," Henry said. "Heath and I will check it out. You aren't allowed in there until we can be certain that it's safe."
"But it’s a tunnel!" she said. "If it’s safe, we can have fun with it. You could shore up the walls in the room for a hideaway."
Henry
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