Her sudden interest in the world was unnerving. “She had no reason to. Nothing new was happening at her house. What would she be running away from? Besides, she would have told me.”
I believed that less every time I said it.
“How are my beautiful ladies this morning?” Dad asked, appearing in the kitchen, tightening the royal-blue tie at his throat. He gave Mom a kiss on the cheek, his hand lingering at her waist, and for once, she didn’t pull away.
That was too much for Junie to ignore. “What’s wrong with you two?”
They glanced at each other and chuckled, a purring sound I hadn’t heard from them in a while. Everything about this morning was off. It made me crabby.
“Dad, have you heard anything more about Maureen or that other girl who’s missing?” I asked. “Elizabeth?”
His smile stayed put. “Nothing, I’m afraid. But Jerome and his crew are doing their best. Working around the clock.”
I’ll bet.“So they don’t think Maureen ran away anymore?”
He screwed up his face. “I didn’t say that, honey. But I know they’re invested in locating her, whatever her reason for leaving.”
“Are they?” I asked.
“Heather!” my mom admonished. “Don’t talk back to your father.”
For a moment, I almost stormed off just like kids do in TV shows when their parents scold them. But this wasn’t a show. I had to keep my cool so I could protect Junie if I needed to, safeguard her from Mom when this mood went downhill, which they always did.
“Sorry,” I mumbled.
Dad walked over and squeezed my shoulder. “I promise she’ll turn up,” he said. “It’s hard when these things take longer than they should, but I swear, the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office is taking this seriously. In fact, I’ll have an update tonight. I’ve been invited to dinner at Jerome’s house.”
My heart leaped. If I could talk him into bringing me, I could finally check out the basement.
Dad glanced at his watch like that was the end of that, but Mom surprised all of us.
“I want to go,” she said.
“Me too,” I seconded.
Junie stayed quiet.
Dad’s nose wrinkled as he looked from my face to Mom’s. “You sure? It’ll be boring. Shop talk.”
“I’m sure,” Mom said, leaning into his chest and circling her arms around his waist. I knew that spot, knew how safe it felt, how he always smelled comforting, like buttered toast. Mom hadn’t claimed that spot in a while.
My jealousy caught me off guard.
“It’s settled, then,” Dad said, smiling. “The Cash family is going to a dinner party tonight!”
CHAPTER 26
Dad insisted on driving to Sheriff Nillson’s, even though he said we could walk there in fifteen minutes. He didn’t want the afternoon heat to “wilt my beautiful flower.” Him and Mom were still laying it on thick. She’d held on to her good mood all day, swishing around the house, dusting, watering the plants, vacuuming and then raking the shag carpeting. For lunch, she made Junie and me banana and peanut butter sandwiches on soft white bread served alongside an icy glass of milk. She even baked a Bundt cake that made the house too hot. I rested my hand on it as it cooled, feeling the warm caress of it against my palm.
Yet I didn’t let down my guard for a second.
It made my chest loose and happy to watch Junie soak it in, though. She glowed in Mom’s sunlight, opening to it like a flower. Mom started getting herself ready for the dinner party in the afternoon, inviting Junie into her bedroom so she could do their hair and makeup together. When I tried to join them, Mom told me it was special time, for Junie only.
I pulled on my ’phones and listened toBlind Faith. I’d been working through Ginger Baker’s catalog and was up to the song “Do What You Like.” I about had the main rhythm worked out, and an idea for how I could get something like that sound with only one bass drum to his double, when Mom and Junie walked out of the bedroom.
They took my breath away.
Mom had gone all out, soft curls in her hair, makeup as perfect as a queen’s, her fitted green dress hugging her hourglass figure. And Junie was made up like her but in miniature, right down to the curled hair and green dress.
