At the word “walk,” Buster raced back into the kitchen and began tugging at his leash. I grabbed it before he could pull the hook from the wall and snapped it to his collar.
Hoping to avoid Mrs. Miller, I headed in the other direction toward the park. There was only a scattering of people there, and they waved and went about their own business. With Buster running beside me, I jogged around the half-mile track, then did another round.
Breathing heavily, I flopped down on a bench. How did I get so out of shape? I used to run five miles every morning. Of course, that was past tense. Surprise struck me. It hadbeen nearly two years since I’d exercised on a regular basis. Occasionally the seniors and I visited the fitness center, but most of the time I spent the whole hour in the hot tub. Well, that would change. I didn’t really have time to go to the fitness center every day. Maybe I should buy a treadmill. Then I could jog when I had a half hour or so to spare.
Of course, treadmills were expensive. I weighed the pros and cons. My health won.
The afternoon sun warmed me, and I yawned. “C’mon, Buster. Can’t go to sleep on a park bench. It would be just like Bob Turner to arrest me.”
Miss Aggie pulled into the garage at the same time we got back to the lodge. I waved, then took Buster to the fenced backyard and removed his leash.
I followed Miss Aggie inside. “Did you enjoy your lunch with Mr. Riley?”
“I guess.” She shoved past me and went upstairs.
Now what was wrong with her? I hoped she wasn’t ill. I stood in the foyer, not sure what to do. Sometimes I had to walk on eggshells where Miss Aggie was concerned. I didn’t want to intrude, but if she was ill, I needed to know.
I went upstairs and tapped on her door.
“Come in.”
The fragrance of Chanel No. 5 wafted to my nostrils as I entered the room. At one time, the only concession Miss Aggie made to her wealth. Boy, had that ever changed.
She stood beside her bed, cramming piles of clothing in her suitcase. Silk blouses spilled over the sides, and a mink stole sprawled over the top of everything.
“Miss Aggie, where are you going?”
“I’m going to Jefferson City to stay with Simon for a while.” Her nephew, Simon, was Corky’s father.
“Oh. Is anything wrong? You’re not worried about something, are you?” The last time she took off for Simon’s on the spur of the moment was when an unknown man had been murdered at Pennington House, and she thought she was a target, too. Could this have something to do with Clyde’s death?
She slammed the bag closed and locked it, then whirled around, her diamond earrings sparkling, and looked me in the eye.
“Can’t I go visit my nephew without you meddling? I’m not a child, Victoria.”
“Of course. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
Her expression softened. “It’s all right. I know you mean well.”
“Could you wait until morning? It’s a little late to start out. It’ll be dark before you get there.”
She glared without answering and started to lift the suitcase off the bed.
I reached over and took it from her. “At least let me carry this for you. It’s heavy.”
After I put the suitcase in the trunk of her Lexus, she turned to me. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I’ll call when I get there.”
As she drove away, a feeling of dread washed over me, but I shrugged and shook it off. Miss Aggie had driven herself to Jefferson City several times. She’d be fine.
The grandfather clock in the great hall chimed eight, the last echo resounding throughout the room. I tapped on the table by my chair. Why hadn’t she called? Surely she was at Simon’s by now. Should I call? She’d be furious. Maybe I’d give her another half hour or so.
I curled my legs up and leaned back, my eyes going to the portrait over the empty fireplace. His eyes seemed to stare into mine as though expecting something. I shivered. When was I going to learn to control my overactive imagination?
The unease I’d felt when Miss Aggie drove away hit me again. Harder this time. My heart raced. I jumped up. Enough was enough.
I went to my office and called Simon Pennington’s residence. After the fourth ring, a breathless female answered.
“Pennington’s. Lauren speaking.” Simon’s youngest daughter. She had a friendly lilt to her voice. Someday I’d like to meet this young lady.
“Miss Pennington, this is Victoria Storm at Cedar Lodge Boarding House in Cedar Chapel.”
“Oh, hello Miss Storm. How is everything with Aunt Aggie?”
Oh no.
“She isn’t there?” I couldn’t control the shaking of my voice.
“No, Mom and Dad are on a cruise with friends from our church. Why would you think she was here?”
A chill washed over me, and my throat tightened so that I couldn’t speak.
“Miss Storm? Are you there?”
I swallowed. “Yes, yes, I’m here. But I don’t know what to think. Miss Aggie left here this afternoon. She said shewas going there. Perhaps she didn’t know your parents were gone.”
“Oh, but she did. Father called her before they left. Whatever was she thinking?” Worry tinged her voice. “Do you think she might have had a memory lapse?”
“I don’t know. She’s not usually forgetful. But, of course, it’s possible.” I had no idea what Miss Aggie was up to, but I didn’t think for a moment that she had forgotten Simon was on a cruise.
“I’m going to hang up and call Corky. If she shows up there or calls, will you please let me know?”
“Yes, of course. And please call me if you hear anything.”
We said good-bye, and I hung up, immediately dialing Corky’s number.
“Hello, Victoria.” I heard music in the background.
“Corky, can you get over here?”
“What’s up? Phoebe and I are at a show in Branson.”
“Miss Aggie left today and said she was going to your parents’ house in Jefferson City.”
He laughed. “You must have misunderstood her. My folks are on a cruise.”
“I didn’t misunderstand her. She packed her suitcase, told me she was going to Simon’s, and took off driving. I just talked to Lauren. She isn’t there.”
For a moment all I heard was Corky’s breathing. Then, “And she doesn’t answer her phone?”
Realization slammed against me. “I forgot all about her cell phone. I’ll try now.”
“Call me back.”
“I will.” I slammed the phone down and searchedthrough my address book until I found the number. Miss Aggie’s phone rang. On the fourth ring, it clicked over to an automated message. I left a message for her to call Corky or me and hung up, then dialed again. Still no answer.
Corky answered on the first ring.
“No answer. I tried a couple of times.”
“Okay, I didn’t get an answer either. We’re leaving now. See you in a half hour.”
“Should I call Bob Turner?” By now my hands were shaking so I could hardly hold the phone.
“Maybe you’d better.”
With a heavy heart, I called the sheriff.
“What?” His voice boomed through the receiver. “What do you mean she’s missing again?”
I explained the situation as calmly as I could.
“Aw, she probably stopped to get something to eat.”
“But why would she go there in the first place when she knew her nephew was out of town?”
“Forgot. You know how old people are.”
Anger started to rise. “Why don’t you tell me, Sheriff? How are old people?”
“Oh, you know. They get forgetful sometimes.”
“Miss Aggie is not forgetful. Something is wrong.”
He sighed. “Okay, I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
I made a quick call to Benjamin to fill him in on the situation. When he promised to come right over, I hung up and faced my next move. How was I going to tell the s
eniors?
Frank and Miss Evalina were in their room, so I went there first. I tapped on the door, and after a moment Frank opened it.
“Frank, would you and Miss Evalina mind coming down to the parlor? I need to talk to everyone.”
Miss Evalina came up behind him. Her sharp eyes scanned my face. “What’s wrong?”
“Miss Aggie is missing,” I whispered.
“What?” They spoke in unison.
“Isn’t she at Simon’s?” Miss Evalina asked.
“No, and what’s more, she knew Simon and his wife were on a cruise. She lied to me, and I’m worried sick.”
She stepped out in the hallway, and Frank followed. They went into the downstairs front parlor while I headed for the rec room.
Miss Jane and Miss Georgina sat at the card table playing dominoes. Martin, head back, snored on the sofa while a western played on the TV.
“Ladies, would one of you wake Martin? I need to talk to everyone in the parlor.”
“What about? It’s almost bedtime.” Miss Jane frowned in my direction.
“I’m sorry. But it’s important.”
One by one they joined us in the parlor.
“I’m going to make tea. Benjamin should be here shortly. And Corky and Phoebe are coming, too.” I attempted a smile. “Oh, and the sheriff is on his way.”
Before anyone could object or start firing questions at me, I headed to the kitchen and put the kettle on.
Benjamin was the first to arrive, followed shortly afterward by Sheriff Turner and Deputy Lewis. I brought the tea cart into the parlor with tea, coffee, and cookies. Benjamin liked his coffee, and I couldn’t see Bob Turner drinking tea.
“Okay Victoria, what’s going on?” The sheriff frowned at me and took a huge bite of a chocolate chip cookie.
“Just what I told you on the phone. Miss Aggie packed her suitcase and left in her car this afternoon around three o’clock. She told me she was going to her nephew’s house in Jefferson City. When I called about eight thirty, Simon Pennington’s daughter told me her parents are on a cruise with friends from their church. And furthermore, that her Aunt Aggie was aware of that fact. I tried to reach Miss Aggie on her cell phone, but she didn’t answer.”
Miss Georgina gasped and clutched her chest.
“Aggie’s missing?” Miss Jane whispered the words. Her face paled.
“I’m sorry for you to hear it this way.”
The sheriff scratched his head. “Hmm. It shouldn’t have taken her more than four hours even if she drove slowly like most elderly ladies. Course she could have stopped for dinner. But even so, she’d have been there before eight thirty. Now what can that woman be up to this time?”
“What is that supposed to mean, Bob Turner?” Miss Evalina turned her schoolteacher glare on him. “This is the second time Aggie’s been missing, and the first time, if you’ll remember, she was kidnapped and came near to being killed. As did we all.”
If the situation hadn’t been so serious, the sheriff’s flaming face would have been comical.
“It was just a figure of speech, Miz Cordell. I assure you, I didn’t mean anything derogatory to Miz Brown.”
“That’s Pennington-Brown, Bobby Turner,” Miss Jane snapped, her glare almost as scathing as Miss Evalina’s.
The sheriff swallowed hard. Then he stiffened, and his lips tightened. “I said I’m sorry. Now, let’s drop it and get on with important things, such as why she lied to Victoria and where she really went.”
“And why she isn’t answering her phone.” We all turned. Corky stood in the doorway, his cell phone in his hand and his strained face a picture of worry.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Corky took Phoebe’s hand, and they walked over to the love seat by the empty fireplace.
The sheriff ran his hands through his hair and threw Corky a hopeful look.
“Pennington. Do you have any idea where your aunt might have gone?”
“I wish I did.” Corky’s face was pale, and worry shadowed his eyes. “She was at the work site for a couple of hours this morning, then left for an appointment. She never came back. Then Victoria called and said she left for Jefferson City and never got there.”
“An appointment, eh?” Sheriff Turner scratched his ear. “Did she say what it was?”
“No, I’m not in the habit of asking Aunt Aggie where she’s going or with whom.”
“We know where she went, Bob.” Miss Georgina loved to share information. “We saw her at the new tearoom in Caffee Springs.”
Sheriff Turner turned an accusing eye on me. “Did you plan on telling me that?”
“Yes, I just hadn’t gotten around to it yet.” Actually, I’dplanned on waiting until I had a chance to talk to Jack Riley, but the sheriff didn’t have to know that. Because the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was suspicious that Miss Aggie had flown out of the house so fast right after lunching with Jack.
Tom Lewis took a step in my direction. “How about getting around to it now?”
I glared at him in as intimidating a manner as I could muster. “Back up, Lewis. Like Miss Georgina said, we were having lunch at the tearoom when Miss Aggie came in.”
Sheriff Turner motioned for Tom to stand back. I suppose he didn’t want us getting into a power struggle.
“Alone?”
I should have known he’d ask. There went my opportunity to get to Mr. Riley first. “No, Jack Riley was with her.”
A flicker of interest jumped into the sheriff’s eyes. “Hmm. Okay. Thank you. Anything else I need to know?”
I shrugged. “I wish I knew more, but that’s about it.”
Miss Jane leaned forward. “What are you going to do, Bobby?”
He sighed. “Now, Miz Brody. Don’t you worry. We’ll find Miz Brown…er…Miz Pennington-Brown. Just leave it to us.”
The seniors glanced around at each other. None of them had much confidence in the sheriff and his deputy. I hoped they’d keep their lips buttoned.
Martin snorted, and I threw a warning glance his way. We didn’t need trouble with the law. He pressed his lips together. I breathed a sigh of relief as he walked over to the window and looked out.
The sheriff glanced around the room, his gaze resting briefly on each of us and finally landing on Benjamin. “Grant, what are you doing here?”
Benjamin laughed. “Uh, these are my friends, Sheriff. And in case you’ve forgotten, Vickie is my fiancée.”
“Hmm. Okay, Ben, don’t go printing anything in that paper of yours about this.”
“I hadn’t really planned to since there’s nothing to print at the moment, but if I recall, Sheriff, there is a little something called freedom of the press.”
“Yeah…well…if there’s nothing else…guess we’ll get to the office. It’s too early to file a missing persons report, but I’ll do what I can.”
“But Sheriff, my wife is expecting me back home. I haven’t had dinner yet.” Tom Lewis’s expression was comical. You’d think he’d starved for a month.
“It’ll have to wait. We’ve got a woman missing, for crying out loud, Tom.” He turned to me. “I’ll need her driver’s license and license plate number and anything else you can think of that might help. She’s still got the silver Lexus, right?”
“That’s right. And her suitcase is in the trunk.” What else could I tell him? “Oh, she was wearing a blue silk pantsuit and navy blue shoes with one-inch heels.”
He nodded and scribbled the information on his notepad. “If you think of anything else, give me a call.”
The officers left.
I glanced around at the miserable faces of my friends. Silence was thick in the room. What could we say?
“What are we going to do?” Dear Miss Evalina. So quiet most of the time, but the first to stir us to action when someone we loved might be in danger.
“Does this seem chillingly familiar to anyone?” Miss Jane sat stiffly against the back of the wing chair. Miss Aggie had been her be
st friend through the years. I knew she must be worried sick.
I went over and put my arm around her thin shoulders. “Miss Jane. We found her before, and we’ll find her again. After all, she knew her nephew was away, so apparently she was telling a fib when she said she was going there.”
“But why would she do that? Why didn’t she just say where she was going?” Miss Jane wailed. “Didn’t she know we’d worry?”
Ben cleared his throat. “Maybe she planned to call you and forgot. After all, she had no way of knowing Victoria would call Simon’s house.” That was true, but Miss Aggie had promised to phone me when she arrived. “She’s probably having a late dinner somewhere and will call soon and tell everyone off for causing a stir.”
“I don’t know.” Corky’s face was sober. “I can’t imagine her going off somewhere when she was so gung ho about finishing up Pennington House.”
“All right.” Frank stood up. “There’s no sense in sitting here stewing about it. This isn’t solving anything.”
“Frank’s right.” Miss Evalina stood, too. “I’m going upstairs. Let’s each try to think about Aggie’s actions today. Perhaps something will give us a clue as to what she’s up to.”
The two left and went up to their suite. I returned to the sofa and sat next to Benjamin.
“I don’t know what to do.” Corky looked as though he might wring his hands like Miss Georgina. Instead he tookhis phone from his pocket and punched in a number. He listened, then flipped it closed.
“Still no answer?” Phoebe’s voice held sympathy, and she reached over and squeezed his hand.
He shook his head and got up. “Phoebe needs to eat. I guess we’ll go to Hannah’s.”
“I could warm up something from dinner or make an omelet.”
“Thanks, but I need to do something besides sit here and think about Aunt Aggie. If she calls you, please tell her to call me, too, okay?”
“Wait a minute, Corky.” Miss Evalina touched his arm gently. “First, we need to do what we always do when one of us is in trouble. What we did when Aggie was missing before. Pray to the One who knows where she is and can bring her safely home.”
A breath of relief rushed through me. “Thank you, Miss Evalina. We should have done that first. Frank, will you lead us in prayer?”
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