“I don’t understandwhy,” Deirdre said as she brought steaming cups of tea to the table. “Why take a baby?”
Eleanor looked at Clara as Deirdre hurried off to fetch the sugar. “I don’t know,” she whispered.
Clara’s eyebrows knitted together as she appeared lost in thought. “For money?” she suggested.
“As in a ransom?” Deirdre said, returning to the table. She spooned sugar into each cup and stirred. “But why Eleanor and Merrick? Why not someone who’s known to have money? There’s more than one family in town wealthier than the Bentons.”
Eleanor sat up straighter, pressing her hands into her skirts. Deirdre was right. It couldn’t have been for money.
“What other reason could there be?” Clara asked.
“Vengeance?” Deirdre suggested.
Clara let out a bitter laugh. “Against who? Merrick’s never offended a soul in this town, and Eleanor’s one of the kindest people you could ever meet.”
Normally, Eleanor would have blushed at such a compliment, but her thoughts were too focused on Clara’s line of reasoning.
“What about someone who owes Merrick for work?” Deirdre turned to Clara. “Has he mentioned anyone who hasn’t paid him?”
Eleanor shook her head. “I know of no one. Besides, if a customer couldn’t pay, Merrick would simply tell him to pay as he could.”
Deirdre leaned her elbows against the table, her hands wrapped around her tea. They were all quiet, all thinking of any other reason someone might take a baby.
“Perhaps . . .” Clara began. She glanced down at Thea, whose eyes had closed. “Perhaps it has nothing to do with Merrick or Eleanor at all.”
“What do you mean?” Deirdre asked.
Eleanor’s mind spun as she stared at her untouched teacup. It was impossible, but . . .
“Maybe the person who took Davy simply wanted . . . him.”
“She wanted a baby,” Eleanor whispered. She raised her eyes to look at her friends.
“Who wanted a baby?” Deirdre asked, her hand going to her own stomach.
Eleanor swallowed. It was a terrible possibility, but itwaspossible. “I think I might know who has Davy.”
Chapter Twenty-two
MERRICK CURLED HIShands into frustrated fists. Carlisle and Wiley had roused half the town to turn out to search for Davy, but no one had found him yet. Marshal Wright stuck by his side as they went from business to business and home to home.
