Vanish in Plain Sight Read Online Free

wears.And there’s the prayer covering they always have on their heads.” He nodded toward the object in the bottom of the case, not moving.
    She picked it up, her fingers tingling a little. White organdy, a kind of small hat with long strings. She’d seen pictures of Amish women, looking almost like nuns in their dark dresses and identical hair styles, with the white covering on their heads. She’d taken a book out of the school library, she remembered, and hidden it under the mattress so Daddy wouldn’t see.
    “That would seem to confirm that she was planning to leave,” Chief Byler said. “As to how that suitcase ended up here, and where she went—we’re as much in the dark as we were twenty-three years ago.”
    For her father’s sake, she had to ask the question. “Is this a criminal investigation?”
    Byler’s expression didn’t change, but Link Morgan’s mouth tightened, as if in pain.
    “Not at this time,” Byler said. “For all we know, your mother did disappear back into an Amish community somewhere. That’s possible, even in this age of instant communication. If so, and if she doesn’t want to be found, the Amish would never give her up.”
    “I know.” Her thoughts flickered to her own futile effort to find out something from her mother’s relatives in Indiana. “So, if it’s not a criminal investigation, will you do anything?” She didn’t mean that to sound critical, but she had to understand.
    “We’ll pursue the leads we have.” That sounded final, and the police chief closed the suitcase and lifted it from the table. “If you’re intent on staying, please let my office know how to reach you. We’ll contact you if we find anything.”
    She nodded, watching him walk to the door. He hadn’t sounded particularly hopeful.
    He turned at the door, hand on the screen. “Don’t forget, Ms. Angelo. Let us know as soon as you hear from your father. We’d like to speak with him.” He didn’t wait for a response.
    Her stomach tightened in apprehension as she watched him walk toward the patrol car. The fact that the police would suspect her father hadn’t occurred to her when she’d rushed off in response to the phone call.
    “He thinks my father had something to do with this, doesn’t he?” The moment she asked the question, she regretted it. Link obviously didn’t want to be involved in her troubles, and she certainly had no reason to confide in him.
    “Adam is a fair-minded person. He wouldn’t jump to any conclusions.”
    “But the husband is always a suspect. That’s what you’re thinking, isn’t it?”
    “I’m not thinking anything.” His tone was cool and dismissive. “I’m sorry for your—” he hesitated,and she suspected he’d been about to say her loss “—your situation, but it’s nothing to do with me.”
    “You found the suitcase. It’s your uncle’s house. You have a responsibility—”
    “I don’t have any responsibility at all.” The words came quick and angry. “There’s nothing I can do.”
    He’d walk away, she thought, except that it was his house, which meant she was the one who had to walk away. Marisa took a deep breath and realized she was trembling. Confrontation definitely wasn’t her strong suit.
    “I see.” She managed to keep her voice calm. “Thank you for your trouble.”
    She turned and walked to the door. She’d come here looking for answers, but it seemed all she’d found were more questions.
     
    L INK SCOWLED AT THE high-school photos that still adorned the wall of the room that had been his as a kid and yanked open a drawer to find a clean shirt. Mom wouldn’t hear of his being on his own when they’d finally released him from the military hospital, of course, and he’d been too weak to argue the point. But looking at the remnants of the life he used to live wasn’t doing a thing for his morale.
    Well, it would soon be over, and he’d move on. This business with the suitcase could have been worse. Now it