Where was Shep? Why hadn’t he gotten back already? Had he got caught?
Hiram really hadn’t given a lot of thought as to how he’d handle matters if his younger brother did get apprehended. For Hiram, life had always been an every man for himself operation. Shep knew the dangers, even if he wasn’t very bright. If Shep got himself arrested, Hiram would leave him be. After all, the main goal was to find Addie and get that necklace. Not to risk getting himself thrown in jail.
Just the thought of Addie caused his irritation to grow.
Once again Hiram kicked himself mentally for having left her alone. He had thought her far too injured to flee. He was almost certain he’d broken her arm, if not her ankle. The beatings he’d given her were fierce, and at one point, he’d even worried that he had killed her. When he and Shep had left, Hiram knew he could hardly drag or carry Addie out of the cottage without a neighbor noticing.
Had it not been for needing Shep to carry stuff for their move, he might have left him there to watch over their sister. But it was too late now. Somehow Addie had managed to get loose. But where was she, and how could he get her back without an all out war?
Shep arrived a few minutes later. He handed Hiram the money he’d collected and gazed out across the water. “Looks like the ferry’s comin’.”
“It is, but we’re not going to take it. I had a message from Esther. She says it’s urgent I meet her at four o’clock.”
“What time is it now?”
“Getting close to four. I figure we’ll make our way over to the Ferris wheel, where she wanted to meet. We can stay out of sight while we wait for her to show up.”
“Do you suppose she’ll tell you where Addie is?”
“Could be that’s why she called the meeting,” Hiram replied. “She’s got to know that we’re wondering where Addie is.”
“What if Addie never made it to her friends?” Shep asked. “What if someone else found her and took her?”
“Took her where?”
Shep shrugged. “The doctor or the hospital. She was hurt pretty bad.”
Hiram hated it when Shep made sense. He had been so fixated on Addie going to her friends that Hiram hadn’t really considered any other possibility. What if someone else had found her and taken her for care?
“Come on,” Hiram said, nudging Shep. “Let’s make our way to the Ferris wheel and see what Esther knows. There’s no sense standing here speculating.”
The expo was more crowded than normal. It was Saturday,after all, and that was the day when most families were able to attend. A marching band was performing at the bandstand, which only served to raise the noise level to unbearable levels. Hiram longed for peace and quiet but knew it could never be had here at the fair.
They reached the appointed place, and Hiram pulled Shep behind a ticket booth to hide them from the passing crowd. It wasn’t long before Hiram saw Esther walking along, looking around as if she didn’t have a care in the world. She was certainly a beauty. Pity he couldn’t take a little time out to better explore the possibilities with her. But the facts being what they were, Hiram was already risking a lot just to meet up with her.
As she drew near, Hiram stepped out from behind the ticket booth and waved to her. She saw him immediately and crossed the road to get to him.
“I wasn’t sure you’d be here,” she said, glancing over her shoulder.
“I’m here. What do you have to tell me?”
“Uh ... well, the police have the cottage under constant surveillance.”
“I already figured that. We were on our way to leavin’ when Addie snuck off. I suppose she’s with her beloved Mr. Hanson.”
“No, she’s still in the hospital,” Esther replied, again glancing back over her shoulder.
“What’s wrong? You seem mighty nervous.”
“I’m not. Not really. I don’t want the Fishers to catch me not working. They can be real sticklers.” She cleared her throat and started to look at Hiram, then glanced away.
Hiram felt icy fingers on his neck. Something wasn’tright. This wasn’t the brazen flirt he’d known Esther to be. He started searching the street even as he reached for his knife.
“Keep an eye out, Shep. I think we’ve been had.”
Esther started to move away, but Hiram caught her and pulled her close. “You set me up, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t have a choice. Once they found out about our connection, they demanded I contact you.”
