“I’m
going to look for her. It’s not okay that she’s been gone for hours when she
said she’d be back in thirty minutes. Do you know where she was taking her
walk?”
“I-in
the woods.”
“Well,
of course she was,” I muttered. “Agnes, do you have a flashlight I can borrow?
And maybe something I can use for a weapon?”
Agnes
nodded. “I’ll get you a flashlight. I have a hammer.”
Dorset
rose as well. “I’ll go with you.” He cut his gaze to Bradley, but the dufus
just sat there without volunteering to help. “Nothing, old chap? Not going to
offer to come along?”
“I
should stay here in case she comes back,” Bradley murmured but he didn’t look
at them. Was he afraid…or feeling guilty?
I shivered when we stepped outside, drawing my
hoodie tighter around my body. The nearly half full moon hovered in the cloudy
sky behind the branches of a Tulip tree. Lightning flashed, illuminating the
back yard. The icy air held the scent of rain. “We need to hurry,” I told
Dorset. “It looks like it might storm.”
He
nodded. “I’d say let’s split up to cover more ground, but with one flashlight
and hammer, and with the odd happenings lately, maybe we should stick
together.”
“Agreed.”
My teeth chattered, though it wasn’t all that cold.
We walked
along the wood line, shouting for Macy, shining the flashlight between the
trees. Nothing. As if by mutual agreement, we entered the woods. I shuddered,
not only concerned about a potential maniac, but also leery of whatever
creatures might be scurrying around at my feet. I was a city girl and didn’t
even own a pet. I was not okay with encountering an animal, of any kind.
We
searched for another half hour with no sign of Macy. We were deep into the
woods when the sky opened up and doused us with buckets of rain. Thunder
rumbled and more lightning flashed. We gave up and hurried back to the house.
The
others were waiting for us.
“Anything?”
Bradley asked, his voice high-pitched with anxiety. He seemed much more
concerned about Macy than he had been about his wife.
“Not a
sign,” I said. “We need to call the police.”
“I
did.” Agnes was seated in the forest green wing chair in the corner of the
library. “They took the information but said she’s an adult and can leave any
time she wants.” She rose. “We waited dinner for you. Let’s eat.”
A pall
hung over the room as we ate in silence, the air thick with fear and confusion.
Afterward,
I excused myself and headed upstairs, anxiety weighing on me. I had an
overwhelming feeling that I wouldn’t sleep a wink. Nor would anyone else.
