“There’s something else,” she said, trying to deflect the image his last comment had painted. “It’s about Rose.”
“Rose? As in our winter tenant?”
Because Annie had said that much, she knew she had to keep going. So she told Kevin she’d sneaked into her room, found the dollhouse and the heart-shaped rocks. She told him about the one that read COMEBACK TOME.
He said “Jesus” again, which must have been a record because Kevin wasn’t irreverent unless he felt that it was warranted. “What else?”
“Isn’t that enough?”
“Where is Rose, anyway?” he asked. “I haven’t seen her helping out.”
“I have no idea where she went. Or why.” She told him that Rose left Chappy Friday night. And hadn’t returned.
He slouched down into the rocking chair. “Is she still on the Vineyard?”
“I don’t know that, either. I guess Linc is following that up while John’s in Minnesota. They sent the note out for fingerprints. It usually takes three to five days, but I hope they put a rush on it because a child is involved.” Annie was surprised that her voice didn’t crack when she said “a child.”
Kevin stood again, that time tugging his hat over his ears and pulling his big gloves back on. “I’ll find her,” he said.
The world continues to be filled with surprises, eh?Murphy’s voice came from out of nowhere.
“Rose?” Annie asked.
He sighed. “I already know about the rocks. A couple of weeks ago I was walking on the beach, trying to sort out what to do about this stupid Rex thing. I ran into Rose. She was collecting them. I asked her why. She told me.”
“So . . . what’s the reason?”
“Let’s just say I’m pretty sure it has nothing to do with Bella’s disappearance. More than that is her story to tell, not mine. And ninety-nine-point-nine percent not connected to Bella.” He paused. “At least, I don’t think it is. But I’ll find her. Don’t worry.”
He left the cottage, and Annie took his place in the rocking chair. She closed her eyes, felt the warmth from the fire on her cheeks, and, surprisingly, fell asleep. Again.
* * *
She dreamed she was back in her cottage, the first one, the one that had belonged to Jonas’s grandparents. In her dream, Annie was in bed; in the bottom drawer of the nightstand next to her, a baby silently slept. At that point, all Annie knew was the baby’s name:Bella.Rolling onto her side, Annie reached down to be sure the soft blanket was tucked warmly around the tiny bundle. It was winter, after all. And there’d been a cold snap on Chappy.
But the blanket was gone; the drawer was empty. Annie jumped from her bed and flipped on the light switch; yes, the drawer was open, but it was empty. Bella wasn’t there.
She yanked the lamp from the nightstand and dropped to her knees. She shined the light under the bed, thinking the baby might somehow have fallen out of the drawer and rolled under there. But the only thing under the bed was her mother’s old banjo clock, which Annie hadn’t yet hung up in the cottage. The clock, and a little dust.
She cried out in her sleep. She felt herself rousing. And trembling.
“Annie?” It was a small voice, a timid voice. “Annie?” The voice grew louder.
Her heart quietly racing, her brow perspiring, Annie struggled to open her eyes. Finally, she focused. She was still in the rocker, but Kevin was standing in front of her. Next to him stood Rose. She was bundled in a gray down coat that made her look three times her size and a pink-and-red scarf and matching hat, both of which looked hand-knit. For a moment Annie wondered if she was still sleeping.
“I’m sorry,” she said once the cobwebs cleared. “I must have fallen asleep.”
“I’ve been gone three hours,” her brother said. “It’s almost lunchtime.”
She tried to sit up; her back, her shoulders, her neck were stiff. “Rose? Where have you been?”
Rose lowered her eyes. “Kevin said you thought I left because I’d taken Bella.”
There were a number of ways Annie could have responded. She chose to say, “We were worried about you.”
“He told me you went into my room.”
There was no denying it. Not if, more than anything, Annie wanted to hear the truth. “I did. I’m sorry, Rose. But everyone is so upset . . . and we still don’t know where Bella is . . . ”
