“Brett’s lost one of Mr. McConachie’s paintings. That’s more important than being a dragon.”
Her eyes shot to Brett. “Where did it go?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I’m here.”
Laura looked at her brother, then turned to Brett. “Which one is missing?”
“It was hanging on the wall at the top of the stairs. Two boys were playing in rock pools with their sailboats.”
Laura’s cheeks flushed bright red.
Thomas frowned. “Do you know where it’s gone?”
She looked at the floor. “I didn’t mean to break it.”
Brett’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“It was an accident.” Her big blue eyes pleaded with him. “Lily wanted to play ball and mom wouldn’t let us. So we went upstairs.”
Brett didn’t know whether he was relieved or worried. “What happened to the painting?”
“It fell down.” She took a deep breath. “We tried to fix it, but we couldn’t. I hid it in the closet.”
“Upstairs?” Brett asked.
Laura nodded. “We didn’t mean to break it, Mr. Forster. And we didn’t play ball no more, either.”
“You should have told someone,” Thomas growled.
“We would have gotten into trouble.”
Thomas stuck his hands on his hips. “You’ll get in a lot more trouble for not telling anyone. Mr. McConachie’s paintings are worth a lot of money.”
Tears filled Laura’s eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt anything.”
Brett pulled out his cell phone. “Let’s sit down while I call Mr. McConachie.
“Will I be put in prison?” Laura asked in a quiet voice.
“No, but you should have told us,” Brett said. “We’ve spent a lot of time looking for the painting.”
Laura stared miserably at the table. “I’m really sorry.”
Thomas glared at his sister. “Mom’s always telling you not to throw balls inside. Maybe next time you’ll listen.”
Brett called Pat’s cell phone. He just hoped the damage to the painting was repairable.
Pat answered on the second ring. “I’ve been waiting for your call. Have you found the painting?”
“Are you in the house?”
“I’m downstairs in the living room,” Pat replied.
“Go to the top of the stairs and look in the linen closet.”
“But we already looked in there.”
Brett glanced at Laura. Her hands were clasped in her lap and tears rolled down her cheeks. “Not hard enough, it seems.”
